mutt-wizard

CLIMail tool

Shell script that sets up NeoMutt, isync and msmtp for an email account, with passwords stored in pass.

mutt-wizard provides the mw command, which writes NeoMutt, mbsync (isync) and msmtp configuration for an account and stores its password with pass, encrypted to your GPG key. It looks up IMAP and SMTP settings for known providers and accepts custom servers and ports for others, and can use mpop for POP3 instead of IMAP. It also installs a mailsync script that syncs mail, indexes it with notmuch and can run on a timer. It suits NeoMutt users who want a working offline setup without writing the configuration by hand.

Type: Mail tool
Interface: Command-line tools and prompts
Systems: Runs on Linux and BSD, on Windows through WSL, builds from source on macOS. Not available for Android.
Language: Shell
License: GPL 3.0
Latest version: v3.3.1
Maintained: Yes
Website: muttwizard.com
Source: github.com/LukeSmithxyz/mutt-wizard
Documentation: github.com

Install

System	Support	Install
Linux	Native	apt`sudo apt install mutt-wizard` AUR`yay -S mutt-wizard-git` source`git clone https://github.com/LukeSmithxyz/mutt-wizard && cd mutt-wizard && sudo make install`
macOS	Build from source	source`git clone https://github.com/LukeSmithxyz/mutt-wizard && cd mutt-wizard && sudo make install` No Homebrew formula; install NeoMutt, isync, msmtp and pass with Homebrew, then install mutt-wizard from source. mailsync has macOS-specific notification code.
Windows	Through WSL	WSL`sudo apt install mutt-wizard` No native build; use the Debian package inside WSL.
BSD	Native	OpenBSD`pkg_add mutt-wizard`
Android	Not supported	No Termux package.

Protocols and features

Protocols
Protocol	mutt-wizard
IMAP	Through a separate tool
POP3	Through a separate tool
SMTP	Through a separate tool
JMAP	No
Maildir	Yes
mbox	No
notmuch	Through a separate tool

Features
Feature	mutt-wizard
OpenPGP	Yes
S/MIME	No
OAuth2 sign-in	No
Threads	Yes
Search	notmuch, set up by mailsync
HTML mail	via lynx in NeoMutt
Mouse	No
Multiple accounts	Yes
Offline use	with isync, or mpop for POP3
Calendar	No
Contacts	via abook
Vim-style keys	Yes
Configuration	generated NeoMutt, isync and msmtp files

Pros and cons

Pros

Sets up NeoMutt, mbsync and msmtp for an account with one command.
Passwords are kept in pass, encrypted with your GPG key, not in plain text.
Adds vim-style keys, account switching and mailbox shortcuts to NeoMutt.

Cons

Requires pass and a GPG key before an account can be added.
Defaults assume English mailbox names; other names may need manual edits.
The latest tagged release is old; most fixes are only on the master branch.

Use mutt-wizard with Forward Email

How mutt-wizard fits with a Forward Email mailbox. Replace you@example.com with your alias and the password command with your own. The same settings work with any provider once the server names change.

Generated: ~/.config/mutt/, ~/.mbsyncrc and ~/.config/msmtp/config

# IMAP (mbsync) + SMTP (msmtp); the password is prompted for and stored in pass
mw -a you@example.com -n "Your Name" \
   -i imap.forwardemail.net -I 993 \
   -s smtp.forwardemail.net -S 465

# Or POP3 with mpop instead of IMAP:
# mw -a you@example.com -n "Your Name" -p -i pop3.forwardemail.net -I 995 -s smtp.forwardemail.net -S 465

# Then: mailsync    (download mail)
#       neomutt     (read and send)

Protocol	Server	Port	Security
IMAP	`imap.forwardemail.net`	993	SSL/TLS
POP3	`pop3.forwardemail.net`	995	SSL/TLS
SMTP	`smtp.forwardemail.net`	465	SSL/TLS
SMTP	`smtp.forwardemail.net`	587	STARTTLS

Username: your full alias address, such as you@example.com. Password: the one shown by Generate Password next to the alias in your Forward Email account. Folders: INBOX, Drafts, Sent Mail, Trash, Spam and Archive.

Prefer no config at all? Forward Email's terminal app signs in with your account and has mail, calendar and contacts in one program.

Questions

Does mutt-wizard work on Windows?

Not natively. It runs in Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). No native build; use the Debian package inside WSL.

Does mutt-wizard support IMAP?

Through a separate tool. mutt-wizard reads local mail, so a sync program such as isync copies it from the IMAP server.

Is mutt-wizard open source?

Yes, under the GPL 3.0.

How do I use mutt-wizard with Forward Email?

Use the config in the Forward Email section on this page, saved as Generated: ~/.config/mutt/, ~/.mbsyncrc and ~/.config/msmtp/config, and replace the address and password with your own.

Sources

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