# Install notmuch-mutt with Homebrew, apt, dnf, Nix, pacman Notmuch integration for Mutt. Version 0.40 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:notmuch-mutt ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install notmuch-mutt ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install notmuch-mutt ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: notmuch-mutt from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install notmuch-mutt ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: notmuch-mutt 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#notmuch-mutt ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: notmuch-mutt from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/master/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S notmuch-mutt ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: notmuch-mutt from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:notmuch-mutt - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 0.40 - **Source summary:** Notmuch integration for Mutt - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-3.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T18:08:21+00:00 ## Executables - notmuch-mutt (cli) - notmuch-mutt (alias) ## Dependencies - notmuch - readline ## Uses from macOS - ncurses - perl ## 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: 0.40 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://notmuchmail.org/ - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage notmuch-mutt is the Mutt integration script shipped with Notmuch. It exists for users who want Notmuch's fast full-text search, thread reconstruction, and tagging while continuing to read mail in Mutt. The package is not an independent upstream project; its history follows Notmuch. Homebrew splits it as a separate formula, and several Linux distributions package it separately, because Mutt users may want the bridge without installing the Emacs UI pieces. ### Project history The Notmuch wiki frames notmuch-mutt as an old-fashioned mixed setup: Notmuch performs indexing/search, and Mutt remains the mail user agent. The script creates a virtual maildir folder containing search results whenever a search is made. The Notmuch notmuch-mutt wiki page was created on 2013-01-08 and points to Stefano Zacchiroli's January 2011 how-to for using Notmuch with Mutt, which is a useful marker for the integration's early community usage. ### Adoption history Adoption is niche but durable. Homebrew's formula API reported 276 install-on-request events in its 365-day analytics window, while the main notmuch formula reported 2,580 install-on-request events. That gap is expected because notmuch-mutt serves a subset of Notmuch users who stay with Mutt. The integration also sits beside a wider Notmuch frontend ecosystem. Notmuch's frontend page lists notmuch-mutt as a shipped frontend, and also lists NeoMutt, notmuchfs, aerc, alot, astroid, and other tools that grew around Notmuch's library and database model. ### How it is used Users configure Mutt macros or scripts so a query runs through notmuch-mutt, which then exposes matching messages as a virtual maildir. The tradeoff is classic and explicit in the docs: global search across folders works, but changes made in the result listing do not automatically carry back to the original folders. A second style uses Mutt's limit feature with notmuch search --output=messages and message-id filtering. The Notmuch wiki describes this as more natural for people who think in one-folder-at-a-time Mutt workflows, but warns that it scales only for reasonably specific queries. ### Why package nerds care notmuch-mutt is packaging glue, but important glue: it shows why Notmuch became infrastructure rather than just an email client. The separate Homebrew formula lets old-school Mutt users adopt the search/indexing layer without changing their whole mail UI. ### Timeline - 2011-01: Stefano Zacchiroli published a Notmuch-with-Mutt how-to referenced by the Notmuch wiki. - 2013-01-08: Notmuch wiki page for notmuch-mutt created. - 2026-01-31: Notmuch 0.40 released; Homebrew packages notmuch-mutt at the matching 0.40 version. ### Related projects - notmuch - Mutt - NeoMutt - notmuchfs ### 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: $NOTMUCH_CONFIG, $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/notmuch//config, $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/notmuch/default/config, ~/.notmuch-config., ~/.notmuch-config ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** notmuch-mutt - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Head Version:** HEAD - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - notmuch-mutt - 0.39-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: notmuch-mutt from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | thread-based email index, search and tagging (Mutt interface) | https://notmuchmail.org/ - Nix - notmuch-mutt: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: notmuch-mutt from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/master/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix - Ubuntu apt - notmuch-mutt - 0.38.3-1ubuntu2: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: notmuch-mutt from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | thread-based email index, search and tagging (Mutt interface) | https://notmuchmail.org/ - dnf - notmuch-mutt - 0.40-3.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: notmuch-mutt from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Notmuch (of a) helper for Mutt | https://notmuchmail.org/ - pacman - notmuch-mutt - 0.40-2: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: notmuch-mutt from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | The mail indexer | https://notmuchmail.org/ ## Related links - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [Developer build packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/developer-build-tools/) - Matched build, compiler, generator, or developer workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [notmuch](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/notmuch/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [mailsy](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mailsy/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, email. - [mailpit](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mailpit/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, email. - [b4](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/b4/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, email. - [html2text](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/html2text/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, email. - [mjml](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mjml/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, email. - [morpheus](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/morpheus/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, email. - [alot](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/alot/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, notmuch. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/notmuch-mutt.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/notmuch-mutt.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