# Install lbdb with Homebrew, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, zypper
Little brother's database for the mutt mail reader. Version 0.57 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install elpa-lbdb.
## Install
```sh
sudo av install brew:lbdb
```
Additional install commands:
### macOS
- Homebrew (100%):
```sh
brew install lbdb
```
Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata
- MacPorts (94%):
```sh
sudo port install lbdb
```
Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: mail/lbdb/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1
### Linux
- Debian apt (92%):
```sh
sudo apt install lbdb
```
Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: lbdb from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
- dnf (92%):
```sh
sudo dnf install lbdb
```
Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: lbdb from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst
- Nix (92%):
```sh
nix profile install nixpkgs#lbdb
```
Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/lb/lbdb/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- zypper (92%):
```sh
sudo zypper install lbdb
```
Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: lbdb from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst
## Package facts
- **Package key:** brew:lbdb
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 0.57
- **Source summary:** Little brother's database for the mutt mail reader
- **Homepage:**
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00
## Executables
- lbdb-fetchaddr (alias)
- lbdb_dotlock (alias)
- lbdbq (alias)
- mutt_ldap_query (alias)
- nodelist2lbdb (alias)
## Install behavior
- Bottle: not available
## Freshness
- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 0.57
## Project history and usage
lbdb, the Little Brother's Database, is an address lookup helper associated with the Mutt mail reader.
### Project history
The official lbdb page names Thomas Roessler as the initial author and Roland Rosenfeld as maintainer. It says the package was inspired by the Emacs Big Brother Database package and Brandon Long's external query patch for Mutt, a patch incorporated into Mutt starting with Mutt 0.93.
### Adoption history
lbdb's long package-manager footprint comes from its fit with text-mode mail workflows: the input data lists Homebrew, Debian, Fedora, MacPorts, Nix, Ubuntu, and openSUSE packaging.
### How it is used
Users query it with `lbdbq `. The official page says lbdbq invokes modules to gather matching person records from sources such as received-mail address lists, YP maps, and finger lookups.
### Why package nerds care
lbdb is a classic Unix mail add-on: it is small, modular, and oriented around composing tools such as Mutt rather than replacing them with a full contact manager.
### Timeline
- Mutt 0.93 era: Mutt incorporated the external query patch that helped motivate lbdb.
- 2017-12-03: The maintainer GitHub repository referenced from the official site was created.
- 2026-01-17: The maintainer GitHub repository metadata showed activity on that date.
### Related projects
- The official page relates lbdb to Mutt, Big Brother Database for Emacs mailers, YP maps, finger, LDAP query tooling, and lbdb's own helper commands such as lbdb-fetchaddr and mutt_ldap_query.
### Sources
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## 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: /usr/local/etc/lbdb.rc, $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/lbdb/config, ~/.lbdbrc, ~/.lbdb/lbdbrc, ~/.lbdb/rc
## Other Package-Manager Records
- Debian apt - elpa-lbdb - 0.56-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: elpa-lbdb from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Little Brother's DataBase Emacs extensions | https://www.spinnaker.de/lbdb/
- Debian apt - lbdb - 0.56-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: lbdb from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Little Brother's DataBase for the mutt mail reader | https://www.spinnaker.de/lbdb/
- Nix - lbdb: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/lb/lbdb/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- Ubuntu apt - elpa-lbdb - 0.52.1-1build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: elpa-lbdb from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Little Brother's DataBase Emacs extensions | https://www.spinnaker.de/lbdb/
- Ubuntu apt - lbdb - 0.52.1-1build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: lbdb from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Little Brother's DataBase for the mutt mail reader | https://www.spinnaker.de/lbdb/
- dnf - lbdb - 0.41-24.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: lbdb from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst | Address Database for mutt | http://www.spinnaker.de/lbdb/
- zypper - lbdb - 0.52.1-1.10: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: lbdb from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst | Address Database for mutt | https://www.spinnaker.de/lbdb/
- MacPorts - lbdb: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: mail/lbdb/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1
## Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/lbdb.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/lbdb.yml)
## Sources
- pkg.so package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation
- external package-manager database matches
- cross-ecosystem install command graph