SYMPA_AUTOMATIC(8)

👑 SYMPA_AUTOMATIC(8) 👑

okay bestie, welcome to the manual page for sympa_automatic / sympa_automatic.pl — this is the Automatic list creation daemon and honestly? it's kind of the quiet overachiever of the sympa fam. it's part of the sympa 6.2.80 era. let's get into it ✨

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💖 NAME 💖

sympa_automatic, sympa_automatic.pl — the Automatic list creation daemon 🫶

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

"sympa_automatic.pl" [ "-d, --debug" ]
[ "-f, --file"=another.sympa.conf ] [ "-k, --keepcopy"=directory ]
[ [ "-m, --mail" ] [ "-h, --help" ] [ "-v, --version" ]

(yes the brackets are doing their own thing there, that's fr fr how it is, we do not touch it 💅)

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✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

So Sympa_automatic.pl is this program that permanently scans the automatic creation spool and processes every single message that lands in it. like, it's always watching. main character energy but make it a daemon. 👀

Here's the tea 🍓: if the list that a message is bound for has not been there and list creation is authorized, then boom — it gets created. iconic.

Then the message gets stored into the incoming message spool again and it just waits there for sympa_msg.pl to come process it. slay, handoff complete. 🤝

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🎀 OPTIONS 🎀

sympa_automatic.pl may run with the following options in general. ngl the first group is the everyday vibe:

• -d, --debug — turns on debug mode. we love a little transparency 💅
• *-f, --config=file* — forces Sympa to use an alternative configuration file instead of /etc/sympa/sympa.conf. going rogue (but legally). ✨
• *--log_level=level* — sets the Sympa log level. pick your volume bestie 🌈

🦋 daemon mode 🦋

sympa_automatic.pl may also run in daemon mode with the following options:

• --foreground — the process remains attached to the TTY. no ghosting the terminal, it stays right there with you 🫶
• -k, --keepcopy=directory — this option tells Sympa to **keep a copy of every incoming message, instead of deleting them. directory is the directory where those messages get stored. hoarder behavior but make it a feature 🎀
• -m, --mail — Sympa will log calls to sendmail, recipients included. this option is useful for keeping track of each mail sent 👑 — though fair warning, log files may grow faster though. 😭

🌟 the "tell me stuff then dip" options 🌟

With the following options sympa_automatic.pl will print some information and exit. no daemon, no drama, just info and out:

• -h, --help — prints this help message. it's giving helpful 💖
• -v, --version — prints the version number. iykyk ⭐

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🧚 FILES 🧚

• /etc/sympa/sympa.conf — the main configuration file. the blueprint, the moment, the source of truth 👑
• $PIDDIR/sympa_automatic.pid — this file contains the process ID of sympa_automatic.pl. like a little name tag for your daemon 🏷️

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💜 SEE ALSO 💜

• sympa_config(5), sympa_msg(8).
• Sympa::Spindle::ProcessAutomatic.

go read those too, they're all connected bestie 🌈

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📜 HISTORY 📜

sympa.pl was originally written by:

• Serge Aumont — Comité Réseau des Universités
• Olivier Salaün — Comité Réseau des Universités

and then — plot twist 🍓 — as of Sympa 6.2b.4, it was split into three programs:

1. sympa.pl (later renamed to sympa), the command line utility,
2. sympa_automatic.pl daemon,
3. sympa_msg.pl daemon.

three icons from one origin. ate. 💅✨

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quick vibe check: everything you need is literally right here in this page, no guessing required 💖

and that's a wrap bestie 🫶 this lil' page came from sympa 6.2.80, dated 2026-10-19, and it lives under SYMPA_AUTOMATIC(8). go forth and let the daemon do its thing. periodt. 💅🎀🦋