# Install nmh with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, Nix, zypper New version of the MH mail handler. Version 1.8 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:nmh ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install nmh ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add nmh ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: nmh from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install nmh ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: nmh from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install nmh ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: nmh from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#nmh ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/nm/nmh/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install nmh ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: nmh from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:nmh - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 1.8 - **Source summary:** New version of the MH mail handler - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** BSD-3-Clause - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - anno (cli) - burst (cli) - comp (cli) - flist (cli) - flists (cli) - fmttest (cli) - fnext (cli) - folder (cli) - folders (cli) - forw (cli) - fprev (cli) - inc (cli) - install-mh (cli) - mhbuild (cli) - mhfixmsg (cli) - mhical (cli) - mhlist (cli) - mhlogin (cli) - mhmail (cli) - mhn (cli) - mhparam (cli) - mhpath (cli) - mhshow (cli) - mhstore (cli) - msgchk (cli) - new (cli) - next (cli) - packf (cli) - prev (cli) - prompter (cli) - refile (cli) - repl (cli) - rmf (cli) - rmm (cli) - scan (cli) - send (cli) - sendfiles (cli) - show (cli) - sortm (cli) - unseen (cli) - whatnow (cli) - whom (cli) - anno (alias) - burst (alias) - comp (alias) - flist (alias) - flists (alias) - fmttest (alias) - fnext (alias) - folder (alias) - folders (alias) - forw (alias) - fprev (alias) - inc (alias) - install-mh (alias) - mhbuild (alias) - mhfixmsg (alias) - mhical (alias) - mhlist (alias) - mhlogin (alias) - mhmail (alias) - mhn (alias) - mhparam (alias) - mhpath (alias) - mhshow (alias) - mhstore (alias) - msgchk (alias) - new (alias) - next (alias) - packf (alias) - prev (alias) - prompter (alias) - refile (alias) - repl (alias) - rmf (alias) - rmm (alias) - scan (alias) - send (alias) - sendfiles (alias) - show (alias) - sortm (alias) - unseen (alias) - whatnow (alias) - whom (alias) ## Dependencies - openssl@3 - w3m ## Uses from macOS - cyrus-sasl - ncurses ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 1.8 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://www.nongnu.org/nmh/ - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage nmh is the maintained 'new MH' implementation of the MH message handling system: a Unix mail environment made from many small commands rather than one monolithic mail client. ### Project history MH predates nmh by decades. RAND's 1979 user's manual describes MH as a UNIX shell-driven mail system where each mail activity is a separate command and each message is stored as a separate file in a folder directory. nmh continued that model as a mostly compatible replacement for MH, based on MH 6.8.3 from RAND and the University of California. The nmh FAQ describes the fork as a response to the languishing state of MH: Richard Coleman created nmh from MH 6.8.3, added GNU autoconf, and fixed bugs and inconsistencies. Later maintainers moved the project infrastructure to Savannah, which remains the official source location. ### Adoption history nmh is niche by modern mail-client standards but important to Unix mail traditionalists because it preserves the MH composition model: commands such as inc, scan, show, repl, forw, refile, pick, sortm, and rmm compose naturally with shell scripts. The project page also points to front ends such as exmh and mh-e, showing that nmh is both an end-user toolkit and a substrate for other mail interfaces. Package-manager coverage across Homebrew, Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora, Alpine, Nix, and openSUSE reflects long-tail adoption rather than hype adoption. Its value is continuity: scripts, habits, and mail stores built around MH semantics can keep working on contemporary Unix-like systems. ### How it is used Package nerds use nmh when they want mail to be shell-native. Typical workflows initialize a profile, incorporate messages into MH folders, scan folders, show or reply to individual messages, refile mail by shell command, and use pick/sortm/mhpath/mhparam in scripts. The practical appeal is that the mailbox is regular files plus small commands, so grep, find, cron, editors, and shell aliases remain first-class tools. The tradeoff is intentional: nmh is not a turnkey GUI mail app. It rewards users who want explicit control over message storage, composition drafts, aliases, profile settings, and MIME handling. ### Why package nerds care nmh matters because it is a living bridge from early Unix mail design to present package ecosystems. It is a good example of a package whose significance is architectural and historical rather than measured by broad consumer adoption. ### Timeline - {'event': "RAND published The MH Message Handling System: User's Manual, documenting the shell-command and per-message-file model that nmh inherits.", 'year': '1979'} - {'event': 'Richard Coleman created nmh from MH 6.8.3 after MH development slowed, adding GNU autoconf and cleanup work according to the MH/nmh FAQ.', 'year': '1990s'} - {'event': 'nmh development infrastructure moved to Savannah and continued through the nmh-workers community.', 'year': '2000s'} ### Related projects - RAND MH - exmh - mh-e - mmh ### Sources - - - - - ## Security Notes generalized runtime or code generation signal. - **Geiger risk:** yellow / medium - generalized runtime or code generation 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: ~/.mh_profile ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** nmh - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 1 - **Head Version:** HEAD - **Conflicts With:** ali, cargo-dist, pick, repl - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - nmh - 1.8-3: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: nmh from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | set of electronic mail handling programs - Nix - nmh: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/nm/nmh/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - nmh - 1.8-1build4: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: nmh from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | set of electronic mail handling programs - apk - nmh - 1.8-r3: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: nmh from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Powerful electronic mail handling system | https://www.nongnu.org/nmh/ - apk - nmh-doc - 1.8-r3: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: nmh-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Powerful electronic mail handling system (documentation) | https://www.nongnu.org/nmh/ - dnf - nmh - 1.8-10.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: nmh from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | A capable MIME-email-handling system with a command-line interface | https://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/nmh - zypper - nmh - 1.8-1.5: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: nmh from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Unix Mail Handler | https://www.nongnu.org/nmh/ ## 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. - [w3m](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/w3m/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [aerc](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/aerc/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, productivity. - [alot](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/alot/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, productivity. - [alpine](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/alpine/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, productivity. - [extract_url](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/extract-url/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, productivity. - [gmailctl](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gmailctl/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, productivity. - [himalaya](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/himalaya/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, productivity. - [lbdb](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/lbdb/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, productivity. - [mail-deduplicate](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mail-deduplicate/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, productivity. - [aldo](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/aldo/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, productivity. - [meli](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/meli/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, email, mail, openssl, openssl-3. - [neomutt](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/neomutt/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, email, mail, openssl, openssl-3. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/nmh.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/nmh.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