install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install mailcheck

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Debian aptverified · 92%

sudo apt install mailcheck

Debian stable package indexes · mailcheck · source: deb.debian.org

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#mailcheck

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ma/mailcheck/package.nix · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Check multiple mailboxes/maildirs for mail

Project links

Commands and aliases

mailcheck

history

Project history and usage

mailcheck is a small command-line utility for checking multiple mailboxes for new mail. The official homepage and upstream manpage document support for mbox, Maildir, POP3, and IMAP.

Project history

The upstream manpage says mailcheck was written for Debian GNU/Linux by Jefferson E. Noxon, with copyright years spanning 1996, 1997, 1998, and 2001. POP3 and IMAP support is credited to Rob Funk.

The official 1.91.2 SourceForge release contains a compact C program, manpage, sample `mailcheckrc`, and Makefile. Its install target places the command under `/usr/bin` and the default config under `/etc`.

Adoption history

mailcheck's adoption is traditional distribution packaging rather than a large upstream community. The input package-manager facts list Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, and Nix, and the official homepage links Debian package information.

How it is used

The manpage recommends invoking `mailcheck` from `/etc/profile` or a user-specific login script, with `-l` login mode respecting `~/.hushlogin`. It reads `~/.mailcheckrc` first and falls back to `/etc/mailcheckrc` when no user file exists.

Configuration is line-oriented: local mailbox paths or Maildir directories, plus `pop3:` and `imap:` URLs for remote mailboxes. Passwords are not stored in `mailcheckrc`; for POP3 and IMAP, the manpage says credentials come from `~/.netrc`.

Why package nerds care

mailcheck is package-nerd archaeology in useful form: a tiny C utility from the login-shell mail-notification era, still packaged because it has few moving parts and interoperates with old mailbox formats and `.netrc` credentials.

Timeline

1996: Earliest upstream copyright year in the manpage.
1998: Additional copyright year and mailbox/network support lineage appear in the manpage.
2001: Later copyright notice appears in the manpage.
2007: SourceForge published the mailcheck 1.91.2 release tarball.

Related projects

The manpage points users to biff, mail, fetchmail, netrc, and ftp as related Unix mail and credential tools.

Sources

https://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/mailcheck/mailcheck/1.91.2/mailcheck_1.91.2.tar.gz
https://mailcheck.sourceforge.net/
source_facts.package-manager

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 13 platform targets.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Configuration files

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Unix: /etc/mailcheckrc~/.mailcheckrc

Credential files

Credential-bearing paths to review before unattended agent runs.

Unix: ~/.netrc

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`mailcheck`	cli	global executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-07-08

manager version1.91.2

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://mailcheck.sourceforge.net/

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://mailcheck.sourceforge.net/none confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:mailcheck
Version	1.91.2
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/mailcheck
Homepage	https://mailcheck.sourceforge.net/
Upstream docs	https://mailcheck.sourceforge.net/
License	GPL-2.0-or-later
Source archive	https://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/mailcheck/mailcheck/1.91.2/mailcheck_1.91.2.tar.gz
Bottle	available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	mailcheck
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Debian apt95%

mailcheck 1.91.2-6

check multiple mailboxes/maildirs for mail

http://mailcheck.sourceforge.net

sudo apt install mailcheck

Section: mail
Architecture: amd64
1 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Mailcheck

Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: mailcheck from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz

Nix95%

mailcheck

nix profile install nixpkgs#mailcheck

normalized package name match
Matched by: Mailcheck

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ma/mailcheck/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

Ubuntu apt95%

mailcheck 1.91.2-5

check multiple mailboxes/maildirs for mail

http://mailcheck.sourceforge.net

sudo apt install mailcheck

Section: universe/mail
Architecture: amd64
1 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Mailcheck

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: mailcheck from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/mailcheck.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
av.db category and tag curation
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated configuration and credential file locations
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment

Install mailcheck with Homebrew, apt, Nix