DBMAIL-DELIVER(1)

📦 version 3.5.6, in arch rolling

💌 dbmail-deliver — like, the manual page (dbmail-deliver(1))

okay so picture this: you're holding a message, and you need it to go into DBMail. That's the whole job. Bestie, this is the page for dbmail-deliver(1) and I'm gonna walk you through every single flag, no cap. 🫶

✨ NAME ✨

dbmail-deliver — inserts messages into DBMail. that's it, that's the vibe 💅

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

dbmail-deliver [common options] --to-address address [options]
dbmail-deliver [common options] --to-header headerfield [options]
dbmail-deliver [common options] --to-user usernames [options]

three whole entry points, pick your fighter ✨

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

So dbmail-deliver is the program that inserts messages from the commandline or from any MTA into DBMail. That's the entire personality tbh.

And here's the key thing, the main character detail: the program reads from standard input. Not from a file you name, not from an argument — stdin. So pipe it in, redirect it in, whatever, just get those bytes flowing. 😭

🎀 OPTIONS 🎀

  • -d, --to-address addresses... — delivers messages to the recipients you list in addresses. This one is mostly used for delivery from an MTA. Got multiple addresses? Separate multiple addresses by spaces. easy 💖
  • -t, --to-header headerfield — delivers messages to the recipient MIME header you name in headerfield. The default header to use is the "Delivered-To:" header. heads up though: the headerfield should be lower case, e.g. delivered-to. lowercase girlies stay winning 🎀
  • -u, --to-user usernames... — delivers messages straight to the given usernames. Separate multiple usernames with spaces. no detours, straight to the user 🫶
  • -m, --mailbox mailboxname — delivers messages to mailbox mailboxname of the recipient. If this mailbox does not exist yet, it is created. 👑 And listen — Sieve scripts will be run normally, possibly altering the destination mailbox. so your carefully chosen mailbox might get rerouted by a Sieve script. it's giving "the universe has other plans" 😭
  • -M, --mailbox-force mailboxname — delivers messages to mailbox mailboxname of the recipient. If this mailbox doesn't exist yet, it is created. Sieve scripts are not run. And — this is the dramatic part — permission checks are not performed for mailbox creation or message delivery. 💀 like, zero vibes check, it just goes. powerful, slightly unhinged, use with intention.
  • -r, return-path returnpath — set return path for bounces and other error reports to returnpath. (yes the synopsis in the original literally writes it like -r, return-path returnpath, I'm not out here editing the manpage, I'm just delivering it to you 💅)

⭐ COMMON OPTIONS ⭐

these are the shared ones, the group-chat regulars 💜

  • -f, --config configfile — specify an alternate config file. and pro tip from the page itself: use dbmail-<utility> --help to show the default location. iykyk 🧚
  • -q, --quiet — quietly skip interactive prompts and helpful status messages which would otherwise be printed to stdout. Use two -q's to silence errors which would otherwise be printed to stderr. double -q = full stealth mode 🤫
  • -v, --verbose — operate verbosely. Some of the utilities in the DBMail suite can take two -v's for extra verbosity. Those which don't understand this convention won't complain about having the extra -v and will simply operate at their normal verbosity. so extra -v is never a problem, at worst it's decorative ✨
  • -V, --version — show the version and copyright, then exit. cute little flex 🔥
  • -h, --help — show a brief summary of options, then exit. your bestie when you forget a flag 🫶

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

dbmail(1), dbmail.conf(5), dbmail-deliver(1), dbmail-export(8), dbmail-httpd(8), dbmail-imapd(8), dbmail-lmtpd(8), dbmail-pop3d(8), dbmail-sieved(8), dbmail-sievecmd(8), dbmail-users(8), dbmail-util(8)

the whole squad, honestly 👑

🙈 BUGS 🙈

  • For the latest announcements, please subscribe to the DBMail announce mailing list[1]
  • For general discussion, please subscribe to the DBMail general mailing list[2]
  • If you experience an issue with DBMail, please report it on the DBMail Bug Tracker[3]. It may be helpful to have a debug log available. 👀 (translation: bring receipts)

💜 LICENSE 💜

DBMail and its components are distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License Version 2. Copyrights are held variously by the authors listed below. iconic, legally speaking 💅

🍓 AUTHOR(S) 🍓

DBMail is a collaborative effort among the core developers listed below and the tremendous help of the testers, patchers and bug hunters listed in the AUTHORS and THANKS files found in the DBMail source distribution. group project that actually ate 💖

Alan Hicks          Persistent Objects Ltd https://p-o.co.uk
Eelco van Beek      Aaron Stone            Paul J Stevens
Roel Rozendaal      Open Source Engineer   NFG Net Facilities Group BV
Ilja Booij          Palo Alto, CA USA      http://www.nfg.nl
IC&S                                       http://www.ic-s.nl

🧚 AUTHOR 🧚

Alan Hicks <ahicks@p-o.co.uk> Author.

📌 NOTES 📌

  1. DBMail announce mailing list https://dbmail.org/wws/info/dbmail-announce/
  2. DBMail general mailing list https://dbmail.org/wws/info/dbmail-general/
  3. DBMail Bug Tracker https://github.com/dbmail/dbmail/issues
ok that's the whole page, every flag, every default, every warning, nothing skipped, periodt 💅

and finally, the cute sign-off: this was DBMAIL-DELIVER(1) from the DBMail suite, dated 08/28/2026 — go forth and deliver, bestie, you're literally gonna slay 😭💖🦋

📦 where this page comes from