# Install mailutils with Homebrew, apk, apt, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper Swiss Army knife of email handling. Version 3.21 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:mailutils ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install mailutils ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install mailutils ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: mail/mailutils/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add mailutils ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: mailutils from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install libmailutils-dev ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: libmailutils-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#mailutils ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ma/mailutils/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S mailutils ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: mailutils from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install libmailutils9 ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: libmailutils9 from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:mailutils - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 3.21 - **Source summary:** Swiss Army knife of email handling - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-3.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - comsatd (cli) - decodemail (cli) - dotlock (cli) - frm (cli) - from (cli) - imap4d (cli) - lmtpd (cli) - mail (cli) - mailutils (cli) - mailutils-config (cli) - messages (cli) - mimeview (cli) - movemail (cli) - pop3d (cli) - popauth (cli) - putmail (cli) - readmsg (cli) - sieve (cli) - comsatd (alias) - decodemail (alias) - dotlock (alias) - frm (alias) - from (alias) - imap4d (alias) - lmtpd (alias) - mail (alias) - mailutils (alias) - mailutils-config (alias) - messages (alias) - mimeview (alias) - movemail (alias) - pop3d (alias) - popauth (alias) - putmail (alias) - readmsg (alias) - sieve (alias) ## Dependencies - gdbm - gettext - gnutls - gsasl - libtool - libunistring - readline ## Uses from macOS - libxcrypt ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 3.21 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://mailutils.org/ - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage GNU Mailutils is the GNU Project's general-purpose mail package: a set of command-line utilities, daemons, and libraries for handling electronic mail across local and remote mailbox formats. ### Project history The Mailutils manual describes the package as having started from a practical need to handle large mailbox files more gracefully than the POP3 servers available to its authors at the time. That origin explains the library-centered design: programs built on Mailutils are meant to work across mailbox formats through one interface rather than carrying separate mailbox-specific code. Public GNU source archives show Mailutils 0.1 available in September 2002, 1.0 in July 2006, and the 3.x line continuing through Mailutils 3.21 in December 2025. Over that span the package accumulated classic Unix mail commands, protocol daemons, Sieve support, MH-compatible tools, and libmailutils APIs for mailbox, MIME, authentication, and protocol work. ### Adoption history The upstream homepage identifies Mailutils as official GNU software and lists it as useful to regular users, system administrators, and developers. It also names other free software packages using it, including MH-E and Mailfromd, which is a useful signal that Mailutils is both a user-facing toolbox and a reusable mail framework. In package-manager culture, Mailutils matters because it is the GNU-flavored provider of familiar commands such as mail, frm, from, messages, movemail, readmsg, and sieve, while also shipping POP3, IMAP4, LMTP, and related services. That makes one package cover many mail-adjacent command names that otherwise vary by Unix lineage. ### How it is used Users install Mailutils for traditional command-line mail reading and sending, mailbox inspection, message extraction, MIME viewing, movemail-style retrieval, and Sieve filtering. Administrators use its daemons and delivery tools for POP3, IMAP4, LMTP, local delivery, and mailbox conversion. Mailutils reads a site-wide configuration file named ${sysconfdir}/mailutils.conf and, for client utilities, per-user files named after the program such as ~/.sieve. Its wicket command looks up matching URLs in the default ticket file ~/.mu-tickets, allowing credentials to be kept out of command lines and ordinary examples. ### Why package nerds care Mailutils is a dense GNU package in the best and worst senses: one formula brings in a pile of historically loaded mail commands plus servers, libraries, and protocol glue. It is especially interesting when comparing which implementation of mail, movemail, or sieve a distribution chooses to expose. Because the suite understands UNIX maildrops, Maildir, MH, POP3, IMAP4, SMTP, TLS, SASL, and related mechanisms, it sits at the crossroads of old local Unix mail and network-era mail protocols. That makes it a frequent dependency, conflict, or alternative in mail tooling stacks. ### Timeline - 2002: Mailutils 0.1 appears in the official GNU FTP archive. - 2006: Mailutils 1.0 appears in the official GNU FTP archive. - 2025: Mailutils 3.21 is released and documented by the upstream manual. ### Related projects - GNU Emacs movemail is a historical reference point for Mailutils movemail. - MH-E is listed by the upstream homepage as free software using Mailutils. - Mailfromd is listed by the upstream homepage as free software using Mailutils. ### Sources - - - - - ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## 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 - Unix: ${sysconfdir}/mailutils.conf, ~/. ## Credential files - Unix: ~/.mu-tickets ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** mailutils - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - libmailutils-dev - 1:3.19-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libmailutils-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | development files for GNU mailutils | https://www.gnu.org/software/mailutils/ - Debian apt - libmailutils9t64 - 1:3.19-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libmailutils9t64 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | GNU Mail abstraction library | https://www.gnu.org/software/mailutils/ - Debian apt - libmu-dbm9t64 - 1:3.19-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libmu-dbm9t64 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | GNU Mail abstraction library -- dbm support | https://www.gnu.org/software/mailutils/ - Debian apt - mailutils - 1:3.19-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: mailutils from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | GNU mailutils utilities for handling mail | https://www.gnu.org/software/mailutils/ - Debian apt - mailutils-common - 1:3.19-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: mailutils-common from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | common files for GNU mailutils | https://www.gnu.org/software/mailutils/ - Debian apt - mailutils-comsatd - 1:3.19-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: mailutils-comsatd from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | GNU mailutils-based comsatd daemon | https://www.gnu.org/software/mailutils/ - Debian apt - mailutils-doc - 1:3.19-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: mailutils-doc from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | documentation files for GNU mailutils | https://www.gnu.org/software/mailutils/ - Debian apt - mailutils-guile - 1:3.19-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: mailutils-guile from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | GNU mailutils Guile interpreter and modules | https://www.gnu.org/software/mailutils/ - Debian apt - mailutils-imap4d - 1:3.19-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: mailutils-imap4d from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | GNU mailutils-based IMAP4 Daemon | https://www.gnu.org/software/mailutils/ - Debian apt - mailutils-mda - 1:3.19-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: mailutils-mda from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | GNU mailutils utilities for handling mail -- MDA | https://www.gnu.org/software/mailutils/ - Debian apt - mailutils-mh - 1:3.19-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: mailutils-mh from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | GNU mailutils-based MH utilities | https://www.gnu.org/software/mailutils/ - Debian apt - mailutils-pop3d - 1:3.19-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: mailutils-pop3d from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | GNU mailutils-based POP3 Daemon | https://www.gnu.org/software/mailutils/ - Debian apt - python3-mailutils - 1:3.19-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: python3-mailutils from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | GNU Mail abstraction library (Python3 interface) | https://www.gnu.org/software/mailutils/ - Nix - mailutils: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ma/mailutils/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - libmailutils-dev - 1:3.17-1.1build3: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libmailutils-dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | development files for GNU mailutils | https://www.gnu.org/software/mailutils/ - Ubuntu apt - libmailutils9t64 - 1:3.17-1.1build3: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libmailutils9t64 from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | GNU Mail abstraction library | https://www.gnu.org/software/mailutils/ ## Related links - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [Productivity CLI packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/productivity-cli-packages/) - Matched curated productivity category metadata from av.db. - [Homebrew utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew-utility-packages/) - Matched Homebrew package provider. - [gdbm](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gdbm/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [gettext](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gettext/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [gnutls](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gnutls/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [gsasl](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gsasl/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [libtool](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libtool/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [fetchmail](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fetchmail/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, imap, networking, pop3. - [getmail6](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/getmail6/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, imap, networking, pop3. - [dovecot](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dovecot/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, imap, mail-server, networking. - [isync](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/isync/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, imap, networking. - [mpop](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mpop/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, networking, pop3. - [msmtp](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/msmtp/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, mail-client, networking. - [sendemail](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/sendemail/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, mail-client, networking. - [checkdmarc](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/checkdmarc/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, networking. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/mailutils.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/mailutils.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated configuration and credential file locations - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph