# Install nmail with Homebrew, apk, MacPorts

Terminal-based email client for Linux and macOS. Version 5.14.12 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-12. Also installable with apk: sudo apk add nmail.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:nmail
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install nmail
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

- MacPorts (94%):

```sh
sudo port install nmail
```

  Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: mail/nmail/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

### Linux

- apk (92%):

```sh
sudo apk add nmail
```

  Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: nmail from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:nmail
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 5.14.12
- **Source summary:** Terminal-based email client for Linux and macOS
- **Homepage:** <https://github.com/d99kris/nmail>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/d99kris/nmail>
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-12T04:03:03Z
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- nmail (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 5.14.12
## Project history and usage

nmail is a terminal email client for Linux and macOS by d99kris, with an interface intentionally reminiscent of Alpine but a smaller, simpler feature set. It speaks IMAP and SMTP, stores a local SQLite cache, supports optional AES-256 cache encryption, and includes setup paths for Gmail, iCloud, Outlook/Hotmail, and OAuth2 variants.

### Project history

The public tag history starts with v0.99 on November 7, 2019 and continues through regular 5.x releases, including v5.13.7 on May 23, 2026. The README's out-of-scope list is useful history in miniature: nmail is not trying to be mutt, notmuch, or a multi-account mail workbench; it chooses one-account-per-session, remote IMAP/SMTP, an external editor, and a terminal UI.

### Adoption history

nmail occupies the modern lightweight-TUI mail niche: easier setup than classic power-user clients, but still local and keyboard-first. Homebrew's API reported 54 installs in 30 days, 108 in 90 days, and 462 in 365 days when checked on July 1, 2026, with package-manager support also documented for MacPorts, Arch/AUR, and Guix.

### How it is used

Users typically start with `nmail -s gmail`, `nmail -s gmail-oauth2`, `nmail -s icloud`, or `nmail -s outlook-oauth2`, then compose in `$EDITOR`, view through terminal/external viewers, search local cache, and optionally export cached mail as Maildir. Its privacy document states that it does not include telemetry or background network access beyond configured mail servers.

### Timeline

- 2019-11-07: first visible tag, v0.99.
- 2023-03-08: issue discussion shows real-world Outlook OAuth2 usage around v4.14.
- 2026-05-23: v5.13.7 tag and Homebrew stable version.
- 2026-07-01: Homebrew formula reports 462 installs over the preceding 365-day analytics window.

### Related projects

- Alpine
- mutt
- aerc
- notmuch

### Sources

- <https://formulae.brew.sh/api/formula/nmail.json>
- <https://github.com/d99kris/nmail>
- <https://github.com/d99kris/nmail/releases>
- <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/d99kris/nmail/master/README.md>
- <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/d99kris/nmail/master/doc/PRIVACY.md>


## Security Notes

No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for nmail. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL.



## 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: ~/.config/nmail/main.conf, ~/.config/nmail/auth.conf

## Credential files

- Unix: ~/.config/nmail/secret.conf
## Other Package-Manager Records

- apk - nmail - 5.12.6-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: nmail from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Terminal-based email client | https://github.com/d99kris/nmail
- apk - nmail-doc - 5.12.6-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: nmail-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Terminal-based email client (documentation) | https://github.com/d99kris/nmail
- apk - nmail-oauth - 5.12.6-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: nmail-oauth from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Terminal-based email client (OAuth2 Python helper script) | https://github.com/d99kris/nmail
- MacPorts - nmail: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: mail/nmail/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/nmail.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/nmail.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
