130 lines
5.6 KiB
Markdown
130 lines
5.6 KiB
Markdown
# Luke's mutt Wizard for automatic Neomutt and OfflineIMAP configuration!
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Mutt is one of the most rewarding programs one can use, but can be a pain in
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the ass to configure. Since my job is making power-user tools available for the
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masses I want to create a tool that automates most of mutt configuration so
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that users can simply give their email address and get a /comfy/ setup. At
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that, I don't just want a mutt wizard, but an offlineIMAP wizard, so users can
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easily access their mail offline as well, and a wizard that makes it easy to
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store passwords securely using gpg.
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The mutt-wizard is all of this in a simple ncurses menu. It's really just a
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little bash script, but one that can save countless people thousands of
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combined manhours of frustratingly trying to get all the moving pieces working
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together.
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## User interface
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The system takes an email and autodetect its server settings, generating a
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muttrc and offlineimaprc profile automatically. If it can't do so, it simply
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prompts you for these (which you can easily look up) and will put them all in
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the right places. You get:
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+ Automatic configuration of mutt and offlineimap.
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+ Automatic encryption and safe storage of passwords which are used by mutt and
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offlineimap when necessary.
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+ Multiple account management in mutt: jump from account to account with the
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`i` prefix in mutt: `i1`: first email account, `i5`: fifth, etc.
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+ Easy movement to mail folders in mutt: `gi`: go to inbox, `gs` to sent mail,
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`ga` to archive, `gS` to spam, `gd` to drafts, etc.
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+ Some default controls and colors. This system is going to be integrated into
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my [public auto-rice script](https://larbs.xyz) so I want it to look pretty
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and be usable out the box.
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+ An optional autosync script that will smartly run offlineimap when connected
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to the internet at what interval you want and will notify you with a ding
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when new mail arrives.
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### Will it work on my email? (95% yes)
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Yes! At this point, the only problems are the unexpected ones. Please try it,
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and if you do run into problems, email me at
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[luke@lukesmith.xyz](mailto:luke@lukesmith.xyz)! I've tried the system
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personally on Gmail, Teknik.io, cock.li and Yandex, while others have tried
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other providers.
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One email provider which I think will *not* work (and will never work) is
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Proton Mail, but that's only because they require encryption through their web
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client IIRC.
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Note also that Gmail and some providers require you to enable sign-ins from
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third-party (or as they call it "less secure") applications to be able to load
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mail with mutt and offlineimap. Be sure to enable that!
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## Installation and Dependencies
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`dialog`, `neomutt` and `offlineimap` should be installed. You also need to
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have a GPG public/private key pair for the wizard to automatically store your
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passwords. The whole repo should be cloned to `~/.config/mutt/`. (If you have a
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previous mutt folder, you'll want to back it up or delete it first.)
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```
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git clone https://github.com/LukeSmithxyz/mutt-wizard.git ~/.config/mutt
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```
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You will want to delete or rename your current `~/.offlineimaprc` as well, as
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although you can later modify the `~/.offlineimaprc` produced by the script,
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you must have no file there the first time you add your first account or the
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wizard will assume some settings are already set which aren't.
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Just run `mutt-wizard.sh` and choose to add an account. After you do so, you
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may run `offlineimap` to begin the mailsync, and you will be able to run
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neomutt and see your mail. If mutt doesn't immediately work properly run the
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`Redetect mailboxes` option, then open mutt. This may be necessary for some
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accounts.
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### Non-essential dependencies
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The automatically deployed configs will look for certain programs for certain
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extra abilities. Consider installing the following for the extra functionality.
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+ `urlview` -- Detecting and following links with `ctrl-u`
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+ `mupdf` -- for viewing attached pdfs (`v` to view attachments, then select
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.pdf)
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+ `notmuch` -- for mail searching and indexing set to `ctrl-f`. Be sure to run
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`notmuch setup`. Remember your mail is in `~/.mail/` when you configure
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notmuch.
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+ `w3m` and/or `w3mimg` -- for viewing images. Like .pdfs, view in the attachments menu.
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+ A cron manager if you want the autosync feature.
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+ `iproute2mac` for Mac users who want the autosync feature.
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+ `mpv` if you want the autosync feature to notify you with a ding on new mail.
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## The autosync
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If you activate the autosync at a significantly infrequent interval, by
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default, your system might prompt you for your GPG password every time. To
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prevent this, you can change the time a GPG unlock lasts by adding a time in
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seconds as below into `~/.gnupg/gpg-agent.conf`:
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```
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default-cache-ttl <number-of-seconds>
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max-cache-ttl <number-of-seconds>
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```
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You can also use [pam-gnupg](https://github.com/cruegge/pam-gnupg) if you want
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to just log into your keyring immediately on log in. This is what I do, but
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it's less secure if you leave you computer logged on.
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## You can help!
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If you use mutt with a particular host or domain, put your server information
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in `domains.csv`! This will make everyone else who uses your email provider's
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life much easier!
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Or you can help monetarily via [Patreon](https://patreon.com/lukesmith) or
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[Paypal](https://paypal.me/LukeMSmith)!
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## Notes
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Mail is stored in `~/.mail`. mutt configs and caches for each account are in
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`~/.config/mutt/accounts/`. Encypted passwords are in
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`~/.config/mutt/credentials`. A "personal" muttrc, with the macros for
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switching accounts and the default config is in
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`~/.config/mutt/personal.muttrc`.
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## Todo
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* Expand the list of server information in `domains.csv`, possibly porting the
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Thunderbird autoconfigure settings.
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