AERC-MAILDIR(5)

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version 0.22.0 · 17 versions
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💌 aerc-maildir(5) — the maildir glow-up, bestie edition

okay so this is aerc-maildir, section 5 of the manual (File Formats Manual, if you're keeping track 🎀), and it's literally all about how aerc(1) does maildir. no cap, that's the whole vibe.

✨ NAME ✨

aerc-maildir — the maildir configuration situation for aerc(1). that's it, that's the name 🫶

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

okay so here's the entire synopsis and it's genuinely one line:

aerc implements the maildir format.

periodt. aerc implements the maildir format. iconic behavior honestly 💅

🦋 CONFIGURATION 🦋

so you wanna set up a basic Maildir? you can do the easy interactive thing with the :new-account command — lowkey the move, highly recommend 💖

and then here are the maildir-specific options you've got to work with, one by one, no skipping:

  • check-mail-cmd = <command> — this is the command that runs alongside the check-mail option. they're a package deal, fr fr.

Example:

check-mail-cmd = mbsync -a
  • check-mail-timeout = <duration> — the timeout for check-mail-cmd. if the command doesn't finish within this interval it gets stopped and an error pops up on your screen 😭. if you keep seeing repeated errors, bump this up from the default — that's the actual advice.

Default: 10s

  • source = maildir|maildirpp://<path> — the source tells aerc the path to the directory that contains your maildirs, not one single maildir specifically. like, the whole neighborhood, not one house 🏡

the path portion of the URL following maildir:// has to be either an absolute path prefixed by / or a path relative to your home directory prefixed with ~. no in-between, bestie. for example:

source = maildir:///home/me/mail

source = maildir://~/mail

and if your maildir is using the Maildir++ directory layout, you can use the maildirpp:// scheme instead — same energy, different prefix ✨

source = maildirpp:///home/me/mail

source = maildirpp://~/mail
💀 quick vibe check: that maildir:// path rule is not a suggestion. absolute with /, or home-relative with ~. anything else and it's not gonna slay.

👀 SEE ALSO 👀

go read these too, they're all part of the family:

👑 AUTHORS 👑

originally created by Drew DeVault and maintained by Robin Jarry, who is assisted by other open source contributors. literally a whole community carrying this 🫶 for more info about aerc development, see https://sr.ht/~rjarry/aerc/.

and that's the page!! 🌈 this was AERC-MAILDIR(5), dated 2026-09-07, from the File Formats Manual — mwah, go configure your maildir, you're gonna eat 💅🍓

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