CTL_CYRUSDB(8)

💖 CTL_CYRUSDB(8) 💖

okay bestie, welcome to ctl_cyrusdb from the Cyrus IMAP manual (section 8, admin commands, iykyk) — it's the little tool that lets you do administrative operations directly on Cyrus IMAP databases. no middleman. just you and the database. periodt.

---

✨ NAME ✨

ctl_cyrusdb — Cyrus IMAP documentation

Perform administrative operations directly on Cyrus IMAP databases.

---

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

ctl_cyrusdb [ -C config-file ] -c
ctl_cyrusdb [ -C config-file ] -r [ -x ]

---

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

ctl_cyrusdb is the girlboss utility for running various administrative operations on the Cyrus IMAP databases. she's not here to chat, she's here to work.

ctl_cyrusdb reads its configuration options out of the imapd.conf(5) file unless you tell it otherwise with -C. and the configdirectory option in imapd.conf(5) is what decides the default location of the Cyrus databases — so that's where she'll go looking. no cap. 💅

---

🎀 OPTIONS 🎀

• -C config-file — use the specified configuration file config-file instead of the default imapd.conf(5). like, pick your own adventure file. 🗂️
• -r, --recover — recover the database after an application or system failure. also does database cleanups, like removing mailbox reservations (and the associated mailbox files). she's tidying up, it's giving spring cleaning. 🧹

all mailbox files are also checked to make sure the file format matches the configured database type in imapd.conf. if not, the file is automatically converted using the same logic as cvt_cyrusdb. automatic glow-up, fr.

if the reverseacls option in imapd.conf(5) is enabled, and the RACL entries in the database are an old version or don't exist, they will be generated. conversely, if RACL entries do exist in the database, but the reverseacls option is disabled, then the entries will be cleaned up. so it goes both ways, bestie. 🔄

• -x, --no-cleanup — used with -r to only recover the database, and prevent any cleanup. just recovery. no side quests. 🙅♀️
• -c, --checkpoint — checkpoint and archive (a copy of) the database. 💾

changes to the database which are part of the committed transactions are written to disk.

the archive is created via a hot backup, and inactive log files are removed. iconic archival behaviour, honestly.

---

🌈 EXAMPLES 🌈

ctl_cyrusdb -r

Recover databases, performing cleanup. this is commonly used in the START section of cyrus.conf(5).

ctl_cyrusdb -x -r

Recover database only.

ctl_cyrusdb -c

Checkpoint databases. commonly used in the EVENTS section of cyrus.conf(5).

---

🍓 FILES 🍓

/etc/imapd.conf
/etc/cyrus.conf

---

👑 SEE ALSO 👑

cyrus.conf(5), imapd.conf(5), master(8)

---

💜 AUTHOR 💜

The Cyrus Team, Nic Bernstein (Onlight), Jeroen van Meeuwen (Kolab Systems)

---

⭐ COPYRIGHT ⭐

1993–2026, The Cyrus Team

---

and that's the whole page, bestie — version 3.12.4, dated Sep 09, 2026, brought to you by the Cyrus IMAP crew. go forth and recover your databases responsibly. mwah. 💋🫶