# 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 ```sh sudo av install brew:meli ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install meli ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install meli ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: mail/meli/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add meli ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: meli from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install meli ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: meli from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#meli ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/me/meli/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install meli ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: meli from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:meli - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 0.8.13 - **Source summary:** Terminal e-mail client and e-mail client library - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-3.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - meli (cli) - meli (alias) ## Dependencies - openssl@3 ## Build dependencies - pkgconf - rust ## 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: 0.8.13 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://meli-email.org/ - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## 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. ### Sources - - - - - source_facts.package-manager-url ## Security Notes broad file, network, media, or database tool signal. - **Geiger risk:** blue / medium - broad file, network, media, or database tool signal ## 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: $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/meli/config.toml ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** meli - **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 - meli - 0.8.11+dfsg-1+b1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: meli from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | terminal mail client | https://meli-email.org/ - Nix - meli: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/me/meli/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - apk - meli - 0.8.13-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: meli from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | terminal e-mail client | https://meli-email.org/ - apk - meli-doc - 0.8.13-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: meli-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | terminal e-mail client (documentation) | https://meli-email.org/ - zypper - meli - 0.8.11-1.3: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: meli from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Terminal email client | https://meli-email.org/ - zypper - meli-with-debug-tracing - 0.8.11-1.3: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: meli-with-debug-tracing from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Terminal email client | https://meli-email.org/ - MacPorts - meli: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: mail/meli/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [Secret-risk packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/secret-risk-packages/) - Has protected-tool coverage, approval-gate, or non-low Geiger security signals. - [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. - [openssl@3](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/openssl-3/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [pkgconf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pkgconf/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [rust](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/rust/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [mailcheck](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mailcheck/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, imap, maildir, productivity. - [neomutt](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/neomutt/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, imap, nntp, productivity. - [neverest](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/neverest/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, imap, jmap, productivity. - [offlineimap](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/offlineimap/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, imap, maildir, productivity. - [himalaya](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/himalaya/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, imap, productivity. - [mail-deduplicate](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mail-deduplicate/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, maildir, productivity. - [mairix](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mairix/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, maildir, productivity. - [mu](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mu/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, maildir, productivity. - [nmail](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/nmail/) - Local metadata places this package in an adjacent workflow. Shared terms: cli, client, email, imap, openssl. - [alpine](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/alpine/) - Local metadata places this package in an adjacent workflow. Shared terms: cli, client, email, openssl, openssl-3. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/meli.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/meli.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