Automic VaultAutomic Vault

brew

Install meli with Homebrew, apk, apt, MacPorts, Nix, zypper

Terminal e-mail client and e-mail client library. Version 0.8.13 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install meli

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install meli

MacPorts ports tree · mail/meli/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add meli

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · meli · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org

Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install meli

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

Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#meli

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

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install meli

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · meli · source: download.opensuse.org

overview

Package summary

Terminal e-mail client and e-mail client library

Commands and aliases

  • meli

history

Project history and usage

meli is a Rust terminal email client and email-client library. Its README describes support for multiple accounts and Maildir, mbox, notmuch, IMAP, JMAP, and NNTP/Usenet backends on BSD, Linux, and macOS.

Project history

The project identifies itself as established in 2017 and presents meli as a modern terminal mail user agent with configurability, extensibility, and sane defaults. The official README lists a main self-hosted repository, several official mirrors, mailing lists, IRC and Matrix community channels, and an old WebAssembly demo.

Early public releases used alpha version numbers, with alpha-0.5.0 and alpha-0.5.1 visible in the GitHub mirror release history. The project later moved through 0.8 releases and continues to publish signed tags and release notes for terminal, backend, and dependency fixes.

The codebase is split between the meli binary and melib library, which helps explain the formula description as both a terminal email client and email client library.

Adoption history

meli sits in the long terminal-email tradition alongside mutt, neomutt, aerc, alpine, and notmuch-based workflows. Its README lists installation through cargo, official Debian packages, AUR, openSUSE, Alpine Linux, NetBSD pkgsrc, OpenBSD ports, Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix, and prebuilt Debian/static binaries.

That packaging spread is important because terminal mail users often care about local mail stores, distro integration, GPG, notmuch indexing, and text-editor workflows. meli's support for IMAP, Maildir, notmuch, JMAP, NNTP, SMTP, GPG, themes, and TOML configuration positions it as a newer Rust entrant in a mature niche.

How it is used

The quick start creates a TOML config at $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/meli/config.toml with meli create-config, edits it with meli edit-config, then starts the client with meli. The README also documents MELI_CONFIG and -c/--config for arbitrary configuration paths.

meli supports compile-time cargo features for notmuch, JMAP, SMTP, sqlite3 caches, GPG, TLS, HTTP, DBus notifications, embedded CLI docs, and static linking choices.

Why package nerds care

meli is significant for package nerds because terminal email clients are unusually sensitive to optional dependencies, crypto libraries, terminal behavior, mail backends, and distro conventions. Its cargo feature matrix makes packaging choices visible and consequential.

Timeline

  • 2017: README badge marks the project as established.
  • Early alpha era: alpha-0.5.0 and alpha-0.5.1 releases appear in the GitHub mirror release history.
  • 2026-01-05: v0.8.13 released with IMAP fixes, mbox viewing support, tab-width configuration, dependency updates, and crash fixes.

Related projects

  • melib: the email client library within the meli repository.
  • notmuch: one of meli's supported mail backends.
  • mutt and neomutt: older terminal mail clients in the same user culture.
  • aerc: another modern terminal mail client often compared in the same niche.

security posture

Risk level: blue

broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.

Risk classifier

blue risk · medium confidence · tool

Why

  • broad file, network, media, or database tool signal

Signals

  • text:client

Install behavior

  • No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
  • Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
  • Installs with 1 runtime dependencies.
  • Build metadata lists 2 build dependencies.

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
$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/meli/config.toml

executables

Installed executables

CommandKindExposureNote
melicliglobal 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 version0.8.13
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected

https://meli-email.org/

  • infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
  • infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://meli-email.org/none confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:meli
Version0.8.13
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/meli
Homepagehttps://meli-email.org/
Repositoryhttps://git.meli-email.org/meli/meli
Upstream docshttps://meli-email.org/
LicenseGPL-3.0-or-later
Source archivehttps://git.meli-email.org/meli/meli/archive/v0.8.13.tar.gz
Dependenciesopenssl@3
Build dependenciespkgconf, rust
Bottleavailable (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source DatabaseHomebrew formula API
Taphomebrew/core
Full Namemeli
Version Scheme0
Revision0
Bottle Stable Root URLhttps://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecatedno
Disabledno
Keg Onlyno
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%

meli 0.8.11+dfsg-1+b1

terminal mail client

https://meli-email.org/

sudo apt install meli
  • Section: mail
  • Architecture: amd64
  • Source Package: meli
  • 6 dependencies
  • 10 optional deps
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Meli
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: meli from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Nix95%

meli

nix profile install nixpkgs#meli
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Meli
nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/me/meli/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
apk95%

meli 0.8.13-r0

terminal e-mail client

https://meli-email.org/

sudo apk add meli
  • License: GPL-3.0-or-later
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: meli
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Meli
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: meli from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
apk95%

meli-doc 0.8.13-r0

terminal e-mail client (documentation)

https://meli-email.org/

sudo apk add meli-doc
  • License: GPL-3.0-or-later
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: meli
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Meli
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: meli-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
zypper95%

meli 0.8.11-1.3

Terminal email client

https://meli-email.org/

sudo zypper install meli
  • License: GPL-3.0-or-later
  • Category: Productivity/Networking/Email/Clients
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: meli
  • 3 dependencies
  • 2 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Meli
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: meli from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst
zypper95%

meli-with-debug-tracing 0.8.11-1.3

Terminal email client

https://meli-email.org/

sudo zypper install meli-with-debug-tracing
  • License: GPL-3.0-or-later
  • Category: Productivity/Networking/Email/Clients
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: meli-with-debug-tracing
  • 3 dependencies
  • 3 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Meli
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: meli-with-debug-tracing from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst
MacPorts95%

meli

sudo port install meli
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Meli
MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: mail/meli/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

package graph

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

Related tools

  • openssl@3Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew.
  • pkgconfBuild dependency declared by Homebrew.
  • rustBuild dependency declared by Homebrew.

Same workflow

  • mailcheckShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, imap, maildir, productivity.
  • neomuttShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, imap, nntp, productivity.
  • neverestShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, imap, jmap, productivity.
  • offlineimapShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, imap, maildir, productivity.
  • himalayaShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, imap, productivity.
  • mail-deduplicateShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, maildir, productivity.

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.

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