The Old Monk

I recently switched from using Thunderbird to mutt as my mail client. While making that jump, I also made the switch from mbox to maildir as my email storage format (Thunderbird only supports mbox, mutt supports both), with the help of mb2md.

Here's my .muttrc :

# -*-muttrc-*-
#



set realname="Devendra Gera"
set from=gera@example.com	# my real email goes here



set mark_old=no			# unread messages remain as "new"
set mbox_type=Maildir		# Mbox kinda sucks
set folder="/home/gera/Mail"	# the mail system resides here
set mask="!^\\.[^.]"		# I don't want to see the current dir alias '.' I do want to see '..'
set mbox="/home/gera/Mail/"	# my mailbox
set record="+.Sent"		# a copy of sent messages is kept here
set postponed="+.Drafts"	
set spoolfile="=.Inbox"		# mutt starts in this folder
set tmpdir="/home/gera/.mutt-tmp"	# my $HOME is encrypted. I want mutt to remain in that



# set up mailboxes by scanning all subfolders in mail dir
mailboxes `echo -n "+ "; find /home/gera/Mail -type d -name ".*" -printf "+'%f' "`



# some useful macros
macro index c "?" "open a different folder"
macro pager c "?" "open a different folder"
macro index C "?" "copy a message to a mailbox"
macro index M "?" "move a message to a mailbox"
macro compose A "?" "attach message(s) to this message"



set delete=yes			# delete at exit
set strict_threads		# only a subject match not sufficient for including in a thread
set index_format="%2C %Z %{%b %d} %-15.15n  %-.58s %> %c"	# status line for index views



# How to process file completion using ^T
set query_command="lbdbq %s"	# I rerely if ever use this. Instead, my alias file is auto updated



# editing outgoing mail
set editor="vim +':set spell' +/^Subject:  ++0"	# use vim with spellcheck and position at the subject line
set autoedit					# jump to the editor directly
set edit_headers				# allows me to change/see headers
set reply_to					# uses reply-to: header
set copy=yes					# preserve a copy of outgoing mail
set attribution='On %{%a, %d %b %Y}, %n wrote:\n'	# attribution for replies
set forward_format="Fw: [%s]"			# for forwards
unset reply_self				# do not include myself in group replies



# headers - choose the ones I like to see
ignore *
unignore from date subject to cc reply-to X-Mailer User-Agent
unignore x-mailing-list:
hdr_order From: Reply-To: To: CC: Date: Subject:



# outgoing mail
set sendmail_wait=0				# wait indefinitely for 'sendmail'
set sendmail="/home/gera/bin/msmtp_helper"	# I use msmtp, but this wrapper auto edits my .aliases
set realname="Devendra Gera"
set use_from=yes				# this is used to select the smtp server/account
set envelope_from=yes



# the real domains and CompanyName are masked in the following
macro generic "1" ":set from=gera@example.com"
macro generic "2" ":set from=gera@example2.com"
macro generic "3" ":set from=gera@example3.net"
folder-hook =.Inbox	set from=gera@example.com
folder-hook =.Inbox	set pgp_sign_as="0x0F4D93D7"
folder-hook =.SiteEmail	set from=gera@example3.net
folder-hook =.SiteEmail	set pgp_sign_as="0xF258D82F"
folder-hook =.CompanyName*	set from=gera@example2.com
folder-hook =.CompanyName*	set pgp_sign_as="0x85377D1B"
folder-hook =.work*	set from=gera@example2.com
folder-hook =.work*	set pgp_sign_as="0x85377D1B"



# misc
set check_new			# check new msgs
set fast_reply			# yeah baby!
set tilde			# I like the vim-ish view
set include			# include msg in replies
set noconfirmappend		# I'm not sure if it does anything for maildir
set menu_scroll			# scroll menus instead of paginate 
set mime_forward=ask-no		# inline forwarding by default, unless I say no
set move=no			# I want to move messages myself
set beep_new=no
set help=yes
set print_command="muttprint"
set ispell="aspell -e -c"	# aspell knows how to check emails
set pager_context=1		# one line of context works well for me
set pager_index_lines=9		# view a "folder pane" when reading messages
set sort=threads		# threaded sort
auto_view text/html		# see mailcap for html mails. html mails are dumped by 
				# lynx into the tmp dir which I specify to be in my $HOME
alternative_order text/plain text text/enriched		# try to display plain text if possible
set alias_file=~/.aliases	# this is auto controlled by my msmtp helper
set sort_alias=alias		# sort aliases in alias order
set reverse_alias=yes		# display aliases on incoming email
source $alias_file
set auto_tag=yes		# any operations are apllied to tagged msgs, if any.



# status line formats
set status_format="-%r-Mutt: %f [Msgs:%?M?%M/?%m%?n? New:%n?%?d? Del:%d?%?F? Flag:%F?%?t? Tag:%t?%?p? Post:%p?%?b? Inc:%b?  %l]---(%s)-%>-(%P)---"
set pager_format="%-10.10i %[!%a %b %d %R]"
set date_format="!%H:%M %a %d %b     "
set index_format="%4C %Z %X %[%b%d] %-15.15F %M %s"
set folder_format="%2C %t %8s %d %N %f"



set crypt_autopgp=yes				# enable pgp/signing
set crypt_autosign=yes				# always sign
set crypt_replyencrypt=yes			# reply to sectrets in secrets
set crypt_replysignencrypted=yes		# always sign
set pgp_show_unusable=no			# don't show unusable keys



#### The following comes straight out of the default.



# Note that we explicitly set the comment armor header since GnuPG, when used
# in some localiaztion environments, generates 8bit data in that header, thereby
# breaking PGP/MIME.



# decode application/pgp
set pgp_decode_command="/usr/bin/gpg --status-fd=2 %?p?--passphrase-fd 0? --no-verbose --quiet --batch --output - %f"



# verify a pgp/mime signature
set pgp_verify_command="/usr/bin/gpg   --status-fd=2 --no-verbose --quiet  --batch  --output - --verify %s %f"



# decrypt a pgp/mime attachment
set pgp_decrypt_command="/usr/bin/gpg   --status-fd=2 %?p?--passphrase-fd 0? --no-verbose --quiet  --batch  --output - %f"



# create a pgp/mime signed attachment
# set pgp_sign_command="/usr/bin/gpg-2comp --comment '' --no-verbose --batch  --output - --passphrase-fd 0 --armor --detach-sign --textmode %?a?-u %a? %f"
set pgp_sign_command="/usr/bin/gpg  --use-agent  --no-verbose --batch --quiet   --output - %?p?--passphrase-fd 0? --armor --detach-sign --textmode %?a?-u %a? %f"



# create a application/pgp signed (old-style) message
# set pgp_clearsign_command="/usr/bin/gpg-2comp --comment ''  --no-verbose --batch  --output - --passphrase-fd 0 --armor --textmode --clearsign %?a?-u %a? %f"
set pgp_clearsign_command="/usr/bin/gpg --use-agent --no-verbose --batch --quiet --output - %?p?--passphrase-fd 0? --armor --textmode --clearsign %?a?-u %a? %f"



# create a pgp/mime encrypted attachment
# set pgp_encrypt_only_command="pgpewrap gpg-2comp  -v --batch  --output - --encrypt --textmode --armor --always-trust -- -r %r -- %f"
set pgp_encrypt_only_command="pgpewrap /usr/bin/gpg --batch --quiet --no-verbose --output - --encrypt --textmode --armor --always-trust -- -r %r -- %f"



# create a pgp/mime encrypted and signed attachment
# set pgp_encrypt_sign_command="pgpewrap gpg-2comp  --passphrase-fd 0 -v --batch  --output - --encrypt --sign %?a?-u %a? --armor --always-trust -- -r %r -- %f"
set pgp_encrypt_sign_command="pgpewrap /usr/bin/gpg %?p?--passphrase-fd 0? --batch --quiet --no-verbose --textmode --output - --encrypt --sign %?a?-u %a? --armor --always-trust -- -r %r -- %f"



# import a key into the public key ring
set pgp_import_command="/usr/bin/gpg  --no-verbose --import %f"



# export a key from the public key ring
set pgp_export_command="/usr/bin/gpg   --no-verbose --export --armor %r"



# verify a key
set pgp_verify_key_command="/usr/bin/gpg   --verbose --batch  --fingerprint --check-sigs %r"



# read in the public key ring
set pgp_list_pubring_command="/usr/bin/gpg   --no-verbose --batch --quiet   --with-colons --list-keys %r" 



# read in the secret key ring
set pgp_list_secring_command="/usr/bin/gpg   --no-verbose --batch --quiet   --with-colons --list-secret-keys %r" 



# fetch keys
# set pgp_getkeys_command="pkspxycwrap %r"
# This will work when #172960 will be fixed upstream
# set pgp_getkeys_command="/usr/bin/gpg --recv-keys %r"



# pattern for good signature - may need to be adapted to locale!



# set pgp_good_sign="^gpg: Good signature from"



# OK, here's a version which uses gnupg's message catalog:
# set pgp_good_sign="`gettext -d gnupg -s 'Good signature from "' | tr -d '"'`"



# This version uses --status-fd messages
set pgp_good_sign="^\\[GNUPG:\\] GOODSIG"

I use fetchmail for getting my email, and msmtp to send it out.

I wrote a simple wrapper around msmtp, which adds addresses from the To: and Cc: fields to my .aliases, if they're already not there. I'll post that subsequently.