MDA(8)

📦
version 3.21 · 7 versions
, in ubuntu stonking

💌 MDA(8) — the GNU local mail delivery agent, but make it a vibe

okay so bestie, welcome to the mda(8) page, living under System Administration Utilities in section 8 of your friendly neighborhood manual 💅 this is the GNU local mail delivery agent and she is that girl. let's get into it ✨

🌸 NAME 🌸

mda — the GNU local mail delivery agent. no cap, that's literally her whole job description 🎀

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

mda [OPTION...] [recipient...]

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

mda — the GNU local mail delivery agent. yep, same sentence, still iconic 👑

so here's the rundown, grouped by vibe:

✨ General options ✨

  • --stderr — log to standard error. that's it, that's the whole thing 🫶

🔍 Global debugging settings 🔍

  • --debug-level=LEVEL — set the Mailutils debugging level. crank it up to see everything 💀
  • --[no-]debug-line-info — show source info alongside your debugging messages. the no- version turns it off, bestie, it's giving toggle ✨
  • --log-facility=FACILITY — output logs to syslog FACILITY
  • -M, --mailer=MAILER — use the specified URL as the default mailer 🔥

🎀 Sieve options 🎀

  • --clear-include-path — clear the Sieve include path. wipe it clean, periodt
  • --clear-library-path, --clearpath — clear the Sieve library path. two names, one job, lowkey efficient
  • -I, --includedir=DIR — append DIR to the list of directories searched for include files
  • -L, --libdir=DIR — append DIR to the list of directories searched for library files
  • --libdir-prefix=DIR — add DIR to the beginning of the list of directories searched for library files. not the end, the beginning, okurrr 📍

📬 Delivery options 📬

  • -f, -r, --from=EMAIL — specify the sender's name ✉️

🧚 Scripting options 🧚

  • -l, --language=STRING — define the scripting language for the next --script option. yes, the next one specifically, she's particular 💅
  • --message-id-header=STRING — use this header to identify messages when logging Sieve actions
  • -s, --script=PATTERN — set the name pattern for the user-defined mail filter
  • -x, --script-debug=FLAGS — enable script debugging. the FLAGS are, one by one:
    • g — guile stack traces
    • t — sieve trace (MU_SIEVE_DEBUG_TRACE)
    • i — sieve instructions trace (MU_SIEVE_DEBUG_INSTR)
    • l — sieve action logs

🌈 Configuration handling 🌈

  • --config-lint — check the configuration file syntax and exit. she checks the fit and then leaves, main character behavior
  • --config-verbose — verbosely log parsing of the configuration files

⭐ Informational options ⭐

  • --config-help — show the configuration file summary
  • --show-config-options — show the compilation options
  • -?, --help — give this help list 🫶
  • --usage — give a short usage message
  • -V, --version — print the program version
heads up bestie: mandatory or optional arguments to long options are also mandatory or optional for any corresponding short options. so like, they match, iykyk ✨

😭 REPORTING BUGS 😭

found a bug? don't suffer in silence, tell the girlies:

Copyright © 2007-2025 Free Software Foundation, inc. License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>

This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it. There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law. no cap, that's the legal tea 🫖

🌟 SEE ALSO 🌟

the complete GNU mailutils documentation is maintained as a Texinfo manual. if the mailutils-doc package is installed, this command

info mailutils

should give you access to the complete manual 📖

you can also find this manual online in the GNU mailutils webpage: https://www.gnu.org/software/mailutils/manual/index.html

bestie, real talk: please note this manpage was automatically generated by the Debian mailutils packagers. do not file bugs for its content to the GNU Mailutils upstream authors — wrong door, wrong girlies 🙈

and that's the whole page! this one was brought to you by the fine people at FSF, dated August 2026, from the MDA(8) manual itself. slay, bye bestie 💖✨🦋

📦 where this page comes from