# Himalaya — CLI Email Client Written in Rust

> A terminal-based email client that supports IMAP, SMTP, Notmuch, and Maildir backends. Offers email listing, reading, writing, and management with PGP encryption support, all from the command line.

## Install

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# Himalaya — CLI Email Client Written in Rust

## Quick Use
```bash
# Install via Homebrew
brew install himalaya

# Or via Cargo
cargo install himalaya

# Configure your account
himalaya account configure

# List recent emails
himalaya envelope list
```

## Introduction
Himalaya is a command-line email client built in Rust that brings full email management to the terminal. It supports multiple backends and provides a scriptable interface for reading, writing, and organizing email.

## What Himalaya Does
- Lists, reads, and searches emails from the terminal
- Composes and sends emails with attachment support
- Manages folders and moves or copies messages between them
- Supports multiple email accounts with different backends
- Provides PGP encryption and signing via GPG integration

## Architecture Overview
Himalaya is built on top of the Pimalaya email libraries, which provide backend-agnostic email operations. The CLI layer parses commands and delegates to backend implementations for IMAP, SMTP, Notmuch, Maildir, and sendmail. Configuration is stored in a TOML file. The Rust implementation ensures fast startup and low memory usage.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Install via Homebrew, Cargo, AUR, Nix, or prebuilt binaries
- Configuration file lives at `~/.config/himalaya/config.toml`
- Each account section defines the backend (IMAP, Notmuch, or Maildir)
- SMTP or sendmail is configured for outgoing mail
- OAuth2 authentication is supported for Gmail and Outlook

## Key Features
- Multiple backend support: IMAP, Notmuch, Maildir, and sendmail
- PGP encryption and signing through native GPG integration
- Vim and Emacs integration plugins for composing emails in your editor
- JSON output mode for scripting and automation pipelines
- Multi-account management in a single configuration file

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **mutt/neomutt** — C-based TUI email client; Himalaya is Rust-based and more scriptable as a CLI
- **aerc** — Go-based terminal email client; Himalaya focuses on CLI commands over a persistent TUI
- **Thunderbird** — GUI email client; Himalaya is fully terminal-native
- **notmuch** — email indexer and search; Himalaya uses Notmuch as one of its backends
- **mailx/mail** — basic Unix mail; Himalaya adds modern features like OAuth2 and PGP

## FAQ
**Q: Does Himalaya support Gmail?**
A: Yes. It supports Gmail via IMAP/SMTP with OAuth2 authentication.

**Q: Can I use my preferred text editor for composing?**
A: Yes. Himalaya opens your $EDITOR for composing emails. Vim and Emacs plugins add extra integration.

**Q: Does it support HTML emails?**
A: It renders HTML emails as plain text in the terminal. You can pipe HTML to a browser for full rendering.

**Q: Is there a TUI mode?**
A: Himalaya is primarily a CLI tool. For a TUI experience, consider pairing it with a wrapper or using the Vim/Emacs plugins.

## Sources
- https://github.com/pimalaya/himalaya
- https://pimalaya.org/himalaya/


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Author: AI Open Source