📫 Himalaya

CLI to manage emails, based on email-lib

$ himalaya envelope list --account posteo --folder Archives.FOSS --page 2

Features

• Multi-accounting
• Interactive configuration via wizard (requires wizard feature)
• Mailbox, envelope, message and flag management
• Message composition based on $EDITOR
• IMAP backend (requires imap feature)
• Maildir backend (requires maildir feature)
• Notmuch backend (requires notmuch feature)
• SMTP backend (requires smtp feature)
• Sendmail backend (requires sendmail feature)
• Global system keyring for managing secrets (requires keyring feature)
• OAuth 2.0 authorization (requires oauth2 feature)
• JSON output via --output json
• PGP encryption:
  • via shell commands (requires pgp-commands feature)
  • via GPG bindings (requires pgp-gpg feature)
  • via native implementation (requires pgp-native feature)

Himalaya CLI is written in Rust, and relies on cargo features to enable or disable functionalities. Default features can be found in the features section of the Cargo.toml.

Installation

The v1.0.0 is currently being tested on the master branch, and is the prefered version to use. Previous versions (including GitHub beta releases and repositories published versions) are not recommended.

Pre-built binary

Himalaya CLI v1.0.0 can be installed with a pre-built binary. Find the latest pre-release GitHub workflow and look for the Artifacts section. You should find a pre-built binary matching your OS.

Cargo (git)

Himalaya CLI v1.0.0 can also be installed with cargo:

$ cargo install --frozen --force --git https://github.com/pimalaya/himalaya.git

Other outdated methods

These installation methods should not be used until the v1.0.0 is finally released, as they are all (temporarily) outdated:

Pre-built binary

Himalaya CLI can be installed with a prebuilt binary:

# As root:
$ curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pimalaya/himalaya/master/install.sh | sudo sh

# As a regular user:
$ curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pimalaya/himalaya/master/install.sh | PREFIX=~/.local sh

These commands install the latest binary from the GitHub releases section.

Binaries are built with default cargo features. If you want to enable or disable a feature, please use another installation method.

Cargo

Himalaya CLI can be installed with cargo:

$ cargo install himalaya

# With only IMAP support:
$ cargo install himalaya --no-default-features --features imap

You can also use the git repository for a more up-to-date (but less stable) version:

$ cargo install --git https://github.com/pimalaya/himalaya.git himalaya

Arch Linux

Himalaya CLI can be installed on Arch Linux with either the community repository:

$ pacman -S himalaya

or the user repository:

$ git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/himalaya-git.git
$ cd himalaya-git
$ makepkg -isc

If you use yay, it is even simplier:

$ yay -S himalaya-git

Homebrew

Himalaya CLI can be installed with Homebrew:

$ brew install himalaya

Scoop

Himalaya CLI can be installed with Scoop:

$ scoop install himalaya

Fedora Linux/CentOS/RHEL

Himalaya CLI can be installed on Fedora Linux/CentOS/RHEL via COPR repo:

$ dnf copr enable atim/himalaya
$ dnf install himalaya

Nix

Himalaya CLI can be installed with Nix:

$ nix-env -i himalaya

You can also use the git repository for a more up-to-date (but less stable) version:

$ nix-env -if https://github.com/pimalaya/himalaya/archive/master.tar.gz

# or, from within the source tree checkout
$ nix-env -if .

If you have the Flakes feature enabled:

$ nix profile install himalaya

# or, from within the source tree checkout
$ nix profile install

# you can also run Himalaya directly without installing it:
$ nix run himalaya

Sources

Himalaya CLI can be installed from sources.

First you need to install the Rust development environment (see the rust installation documentation):

$ curl https://sh.rustup.rs -sSf | sh

Then, you need to clone the repository and install dependencies:

$ git clone https://github.com/pimalaya/himalaya.git
$ cd himalaya
$ cargo check

Now, you can build Himalaya:

$ cargo build --release

Binaries are available under the target/release folder.

Configuration

Just run himalaya, the wizard will help you to configure your default account.

You can also manually edit your own configuration, from scratch:

• Copy the content of the documented ./config.sample.toml
• Paste it in a new file ~/.config/himalaya/config.toml
• Edit, then comment or uncomment the options you want

Proton Mail (Bridge)

When using Proton Bridge, emails are synchronized locally and exposed via a local IMAP/SMTP server. This implies 2 things:

• Id order may be reversed or shuffled, but envelopes will still be sorted by date.
• SSL/TLS needs to be deactivated manually.
• The password to use is the one generated by Proton Bridge, not the one from your Proton Mail account.

[accounts.proton]
email = "example@proton.me"

backend.type = "imap"
backend.host = "127.0.0.1"
backend.port = 1143
backend.encryption = false
backend.login = "example@proton.me"
backend.auth.type = "password"
backend.auth.raw = "*****"

message.send.backend.type = "smtp"
message.send.backend.host = "127.0.0.1"
message.send.backend.port = 1025
message.send.backend.encryption = false
message.send.backend.login = "example@proton.me"
message.send.backend.auth.type = "password"
message.send.backend.auth.raw = "*****"

Keeping your password inside the configuration file is good for testing purpose, but it is not safe. You have 2 better alternatives:

• Save your password in any password manager that can be queried via the CLI:

  backend.auth.cmd = "pass show proton"
  

• Use the global keyring of your system (requires the keyring cargo feature):

  backend.auth.keyring = "proton-example"
  

  Running himalaya configure -a proton will ask for your IMAP password, just paste the one generated previously.

Gmail

Google passwords cannot be used directly. There is two ways to authenticate yourself:

Using App Passwords

This option is the simplest and the fastest. First, be sure that:

• IMAP is enabled
• Two-step authentication is enabled
• Less secure app access is enabled

First create a dedicated password for Himalaya.

[accounts.gmail]
email = "example@gmail.com"

folder.alias.inbox = "INBOX"
folder.alias.sent = "[Gmail]/Sent Mail"
folder.alias.drafts = "[Gmail]/Drafts"
folder.alias.trash = "[Gmail]/Trash"

backend.type = "imap"
backend.type.host = "imap.gmail.com"
backend.type.port = 993
backend.type.login = "example@gmail.com"
backend.type.auth.type = "password"
backend.type.auth.raw = "*****"

message.send.backend.type = "smtp"
message.send.backend.host = "smtp.gmail.com"
message.send.backend.port = 465
message.send.backend.login = "example@gmail.com"
message.send.backend.auth.type = "password"
message.send.backend.auth.cmd = "*****"

Keeping your password inside the configuration file is good for testing purpose, but it is not safe. You have 2 better alternatives:

• Save your password in any password manager that can be queried via the CLI:

  backend.auth.cmd = "pass show gmail"
  

• Use the global keyring of your system (requires the keyring cargo feature):

  backend.auth.keyring = "gmail-example"
  

  Running himalaya configure -a gmail will ask for your IMAP password, just paste the one generated previously.

Using OAuth 2.0

This option is the most secure but the hardest to configure. It requires the oauth2 and keyring cargo features.

First, you need to get your OAuth 2.0 credentials by following this guide. Once you get your client id and your client secret, you can configure your Himalaya account this way:

[accounts.gmail]
email = "example@gmail.com"

folder.alias.inbox = "INBOX"
folder.alias.sent = "[Gmail]/Sent Mail"
folder.alias.drafts = "[Gmail]/Drafts"
folder.alias.trash = "[Gmail]/Trash"

backend.type = "imap"
backend.host = "imap.gmail.com"
backend.port = 993
backend.login = "example@gmail.com"
backend.auth.type = "oauth2"
backend.auth.client-id = "*****"
backend.auth.client-secret.keyring = "gmail-oauth2-client-secret"
backend.auth.access-token.keyring = "gmail-oauth2-access-token"
backend.auth.refresh-token.keyring = "gmail-oauth2-refresh-token"
backend.auth.auth-url = "https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/v2/auth"
backend.auth.token-url = "https://www.googleapis.com/oauth2/v3/token"
backend.auth.pkce = true
backend.auth.scope = "https://mail.google.com/"

message.send.backend.type = "smtp"
message.send.backend.host = "smtp.gmail.com"
message.send.backend.port = 465
message.send.backend.login = "example@gmail.com"
message.send.backend.auth.type = "oauth2"
message.send.backend.auth.client-id = "*****"
message.send.backend.auth.client-secret.keyring = "gmail-oauth2-client-secret"
message.send.backend.auth.access-token.keyring = "gmail-oauth2-access-token"
message.send.backend.auth.refresh-token.keyring = "gmail-oauth2-refresh-token"
message.send.backend.auth.auth-url = "https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/v2/auth"
message.send.backend.auth.token-url = "https://www.googleapis.com/oauth2/v3/token"
message.send.backend.auth.pkce = true
message.send.backend.auth.scope = "https://mail.google.com/"

Running himalaya configure -a gmail will complete your OAuth 2.0 setup and ask for your client secret.

Outlook

[accounts.outlook]
email = "example@outlook.com"

backend.type = "imap"
backend.host = "outlook.office365.com"
backend.port = 993
backend.login = "example@outlook.com"
backend.auth.type = "password"
backend.auth.raw = "*****"

message.send.backend.type = "smtp"
message.send.backend.host = "smtp.mail.outlook.com"
message.send.backend.port = 587
message.send.backend.encryption = "start-tls"
message.send.backend.login = "example@outlook.com"
message.send.backend.auth.type = "password"
message.send.backend.auth.raw = "*****"

Keeping your password inside the configuration file is good for testing purpose, but it is not safe. You have 2 better alternatives:

• Save your password in any password manager that can be queried via the CLI:

  backend.auth.cmd = "pass show outlook"
  

• Use the global keyring of your system (requires the keyring cargo feature):

  backend.auth.keyring = "outlook-example"
  

  Running himalaya configure -a outlook will ask for your IMAP password, just paste the one generated previously.

Using OAuth 2.0

This option is the most secure but the hardest to configure. First, you need to get your OAuth 2.0 credentials by following this guide. Once you get your client id and your client secret, you can configure your Himalaya account this way:

[accounts.outlook]
email = "example@outlook.com"

backend.type = "imap"
backend.host = "outlook.office365.com"
backend.port = 993
backend.login = "example@outlook.com"
backend.auth.type = "oauth2"
backend.auth.client-id = "*****"
backend.auth.client-secret.keyring = "outlook-oauth2-client-secret"
backend.auth.access-token.keyring = "outlook-oauth2-access-token"
backend.auth.refresh-token.keyring = "outlook-oauth2-refresh-token"
backend.auth.auth-url = "https://login.microsoftonline.com/common/oauth2/v2.0/authorize"
backend.auth.token-url = "https://login.microsoftonline.com/common/oauth2/v2.0/token"
backend.auth.pkce = true
backend.auth.scopes = ["https://outlook.office.com/IMAP.AccessAsUser.All", "https://outlook.office.com/SMTP.Send"]

message.send.backend.type = "smtp"
message.send.backend.host = "smtp.mail.outlook.com"
message.send.backend.port = 587
message.send.backend.starttls = true
message.send.backend.login = "example@outlook.com"
message.send.backend.auth.type = "oauth2"
message.send.backend.auth.client-id = "*****"
message.send.backend.auth.client-secret.keyring = "outlook-oauth2-client-secret"
message.send.backend.auth.access-token.keyring = "outlook-oauth2-access-token"
message.send.backend.auth.refresh-token.keyring = "outlook-oauth2-refresh-token"
message.send.backend.auth.auth-url = "https://login.microsoftonline.com/common/oauth2/v2.0/authorize"
message.send.backend.auth.token-url = "https://login.microsoftonline.com/common/oauth2/v2.0/token"
message.send.backend.auth.pkce = true
message.send.backend.auth.scopes = ["https://outlook.office.com/IMAP.AccessAsUser.All", "https://outlook.office.com/SMTP.Send"]

Running himalaya configure -a outlook will complete your OAuth 2.0 setup and ask for your client secret.

iCloud Mail

From the iCloud Mail support page:

• IMAP port = 993.
• IMAP login = name of your iCloud Mail email address (for example, johnappleseed, not johnappleseed@icloud.com)
• SMTP port = 587 with STARTTLS
• SMTP login = full iCloud Mail email address (for example, johnappleseed@icloud.com, not johnappleseed)

[accounts.icloud]
email = "johnappleseed@icloud.com"

backend.type = "imap"
backend.host = "imap.mail.me.com"
backend.port = 993
backend.login = "johnappleseed"
backend.auth.type = "password"
backend.auth.raw = "*****"

message.send.backend.type = "smtp"
message.send.backend.host = "smtp.mail.me.com"
message.send.backend.port = 587
message.send.backend.encryption = "start-tls"
message.send.backend.login = "johnappleseed@icloud.com"
message.send.backend.auth.type = "password"
message.send.backend.auth.raw = "*****"

Keeping your password inside the configuration file is good for testing purpose, but it is not safe. You have 2 better alternatives:

• Save your password in any password manager that can be queried via the CLI:

  backend.auth.cmd = "pass show icloud"
  

• Use the global keyring of your system (requires the keyring cargo feature):

  backend.auth.keyring = "icloud-example"
  

  Running himalaya configure -a icloud will ask for your IMAP password, just paste the one generated previously.

FAQ

How to compose a message?

An email message is a list of headers (key: val) followed by a body. They form together a template:

Header: value
Header: value
Header: value

Body

Headers and body must be separated by an empty line.

Headers

Here a non-exhaustive list of valid email message template headers:

• Message-ID: represents the message identifier (you usually do not need to set up it manually)
• In-Reply-To: represents the identifier of the replied message
• Date: represents the date of the message
• Subject: represents the subject of the message
• From: represents the address of the sender
• To: represents the addresses of the receivers
• Reply-To: represents the address the receiver should reply to instead of the From header
• Cc: represents the addresses of the other receivers (carbon copy)
• Bcc: represents the addresses of the other hidden receivers (blind carbon copy)

An address can be:

• a single email address user@domain
• a named address Name <user@domain>
• a quoted named address "Name" <user@domain>

Multiple address are separated by a coma ,: user@domain, Name <user@domain>, "Name" <user@domain>.

Plain text body

Email message template body can be written in plain text. The result will be compiled into a single text/plain MIME part:

From: alice@localhost
To: Bob <bob@localhost>
Subject: Hello from Himalaya

Hello, world!

MML boby

Email message template body can also be written in MML. The MIME Meta Language was introduced by the Emacs mml ELisp module. Pimalaya ported it in Rust.

A raw email message is structured according to the MIME standard. This standard produces verbose, non-friendly messages. Here comes MML: it simplifies the way email message body are structured. Thanks to its simple XML-based syntax, it allows you to easily add multiple parts, attach a binary file, or attach inline image to your body without dealing with the MIME standard.

For instance, this MML template:

From: alice@localhost
To: bob@localhost
Subject: MML simple

<#multipart type=alternative>
This is a plain text part.
<#part type=text/enriched>
<center>This is a centered enriched part</center>
<#/multipart>

compiles into the following MIME Message:

Subject: MML simple
To: bob@localhost
From: alice@localhost
MIME-Version: 1.0
Date: Tue, 29 Nov 2022 13:07:01 +0000
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
 boundary="4CV1Cnp7mXkDyvb55i77DcNSkKzB8HJzaIT84qZe"

--4CV1Cnp7mXkDyvb55i77DcNSkKzB8HJzaIT84qZe
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

This is a plain text part.
--4CV1Cnp7mXkDyvb55i77DcNSkKzB8HJzaIT84qZe
Content-Type: text/enriched
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

<center>This is a centered enriched part</center>
--4CV1Cnp7mXkDyvb55i77DcNSkKzB8HJzaIT84qZe--

See more examples at pimalaya/core/mml.

How to add attachments to a message?

Read first about the FAQ: How to compose a message?.

From: alice@localhost
To: bob@localhost
Subject: How to attach stuff

Regular binary attachment:
<#part filename=/path/to/file.pdf><#/part>

Custom file name:
<#part filename=/path/to/file.pdf name=custom.pdf><#/part>

Inline image:
<#part disposition=inline filename=/path/to/image.png><#/part>

See more examples at pimalaya/core/mml.

How to debug Himalaya CLI?

The simplest way is to use --debug and --trace arguments.

The advanced way is based on environment variables:

• RUST_LOG=<level>: determines the log level filter, can be one of off, error, warn, info, debug and trace.
• RUST_SPANTRACE=1: enables the spantrace (a span represent periods of time in which a program was executing in a particular context).
• RUST_BACKTRACE=1: enables the error backtrace.
• RUST_BACKTRACE=full: enables the full error backtrace, which include source lines where the error originated from.

Logs are written to the stderr, which means that you can redirect them easily to a file:

RUST_LOG=debug himalaya 2>/tmp/himalaya.log

How the wizard discovers IMAP/SMTP configs?

All the lookup mechanisms use the email address domain as base for the lookup. It is heavily inspired from the Thunderbird Autoconfiguration protocol. For example, for the email address test@example.com, the lookup is performed as (in this order):

1. check for autoconfig.example.com
2. look up of example.com in the ISPDB (the Thunderbird central database)
3. look up MX example.com in DNS, and for mx1.mail.hoster.com, look up hoster.com in the ISPDB
4. look up SRV example.com in DNS
5. try to guess (imap.example.com, smtp.example.com…)

Sponsoring

Special thanks to the NLnet foundation and the European Commission that helped the project to receive financial support from various programs:

• NGI Assure in 2022
• NGI Zero Entrust in 2023
• NGI Zero Core in 2024 (still ongoing)

If you appreciate the project, feel free to donate using one of the following providers: