Automic VaultAutomic Vault

brew

Install mu with Homebrew, apk, MacPorts, Nix, winget

Tool for searching e-mail messages stored in the maildir-format. Version 1.14.2 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-21.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install mu

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install mu

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

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add mu

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

Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#mu

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

overview

Package summary

Tool for searching e-mail messages stored in the maildir-format

Commands and aliases

  • mu

history

Project history and usage

mu is Dirk-Jan C. Binnema's Maildir search and indexing toolkit for Unix-like systems. The project site says the first mu versions date to 2008, and presents the package as a response to large personal mail stores: index the Maildir once, then find, view, extract attachments from, and organize messages through command-line tools.

Project history

Its technical niche is the combination of fast Maildir indexing, a Xapian-backed query database, and package-shipped companion interfaces. The best-known companion is mu4e, a GNU Emacs mail client built on top of mu; the package also exposes Guile/Scheme bindings. In practice, users initialize a database for a Maildir, run `mu index` after mail is delivered by tools such as mbsync, offlineimap, or fetchmail, and query it from the `mu` CLI or from mu4e inside Emacs.

How it is used

In package-manager terms, mu sits at the intersection of mail tooling, desktop productivity, and Emacs workflows. It is packaged by several Unix-like distributions, sometimes under the name `maildir-utils`, while Homebrew and similar managers expose it as `mu`.

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 6 platform targets.
  • Installs with 6 runtime dependencies.
  • Build metadata lists 8 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.

executables

Installed executables

CommandKindExposureNote
mucliglobal 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 version1.14.2
manager updated2026-06-21
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected

https://github.com/djcb/mu

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:mu
Version1.14.2
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/mu
Homepagehttps://www.djcbsoftware.nl/code/mu/
Repositoryhttps://github.com/djcb/mu
Upstream docshttps://www.djcbsoftware.nl/code/mu
LicenseGPL-3.0-or-later
Source archivehttps://github.com/djcb/mu/releases/download/v1.14.2/mu-1.14.2.tar.xz
Last updated2026-06-21T16:45:17-04:00
Pulseupdated
Dependenciesfmt, gettext, glib, gmime, guile, xapian
Build dependenciescli11, emacs, libgpg-error, libtool, meson, ninja, pkgconf, texinfo
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 Namemu
Version Scheme0
Revision0
Head VersionHEAD
Conflicts With
  • mu-repo
Bottle Stable Root URLhttps://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecatedno
Disabledno
Keg Onlyno
URL Keys
  • head
  • 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.

Nix95%

mu

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

mu 1.14.1-r1

Utilities for indexing and searching Maildirs

https://www.djcbsoftware.nl/code/mu/

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

mu-doc 1.14.1-r1

Utilities for indexing and searching Maildirs (documentation)

https://www.djcbsoftware.nl/code/mu/

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

mu4e 1.14.1-r1

Emacs-based e-mail client which uses mu as its back-end

https://www.djcbsoftware.nl/code/mu/

sudo apk add mu4e
  • License: GPL-3.0-or-later
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: mu
  • 1 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Mu
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: mu4e from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
MacPorts95%

mu

sudo port install mu
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Mu
MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: mail/mu/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1
winget95%

Mu.Mu

winget install --id Mu.Mu -e
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Mu
Windows Package Manager source index · cdn.winget.microsoft.com · Windows Package Manager source index: Mu.Mu from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix

package graph

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

Related tools

  • gettextRuntime dependency declared by Homebrew.
  • glibRuntime dependency declared by Homebrew.
  • guileRuntime dependency declared by Homebrew.
  • xapianRuntime dependency declared by Homebrew.
  • emacsBuild dependency declared by Homebrew.
  • libgpg-errorBuild dependency declared by Homebrew.
  • libtoolBuild dependency declared by Homebrew.

Same workflow

  • mairixShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, maildir, productivity, search.
  • mail-deduplicateShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, maildir, productivity.
  • mailcheckShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, maildir, productivity.
  • meliShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, maildir, productivity.
  • offlineimapShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, maildir, productivity.
  • aercShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, 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.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/mu.yml

Used sources

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