A mail client that never makes you wait

notmutt is an async, command-line-first mail client built on notmuch. Every query, filter and tag trigger runs as a background job; the UI never blocks on a sync, a search or a send. You keep reading and composing while the mailbox updates around you.

Written in Go. tcell TUI, go-message for mail, TOML config, vim keybindings out of the box.

Why switch

Nothing blocks you. neomutt’s thread queries load synchronously and new mail rebuilds the thread tree. notmutt loads threads async and diff-and-inserts new mail into the threads you are already looking at. A held background index, a filter run, a send - none of it pauses your keystrokes.

Tag operations you can undo. Archive, delete, flag, read - every action stages into a buffer and reaches notmuch only when you apply it. A mis-tap is one u away. In neomutt, every tag application is final and a wrong tag lands in your database as permanent state.

One message, one home. Folder tags form a declarative exclusive group. Applying any member removes the others - inbox, archive, deleted, sent, draft, pending, spam - with no hand-maintained -tag chains across your config rules.

Privacy is the default posture. Remote images stay collapsed until you press alt+i. Even then, 1x1 tracking pixels are dropped unless you opt in. No telemetry, no account sync, no mail content leaves your machine; encryption runs through your system gpg, never a vendored crypto library.

notmuch is the single source of truth. The client owns no database. The index is a revision-keyed cache that re-syncs from notmuch’s lastmod - startup touches only what changed. Folder state is derived, never authoritative. Your tags stay queryable by any notmuch tool.

Images in your terminal. Sixel by default (most terminals support it), kitty opt-in. The pager decodes and paints inline images - on demand, only when you ask.

Configuration as data, not code. TOML throughout: truecolor themes with palette indirection, declarative per-context keybindings (the help overlay derives from the binding map, so rebinds update the hints), tag styles, glyphs. A search of src/config/base.toml shows every default the client ships with.

Quick start

Requirements: a recent Go toolchain and libnotmuch (the default build links the cgo binding; -tags cli builds against the notmuch CLI, same code, one build tag away).

git clone git@github.com:fishman/notmutt.git
cd notmutt/src
go build -o ../notmutt .
cd ..
./notmutt

Your config lives at ~/.config/notmutt/config.toml and overlays the built-in defaults. Continue with usage and features.

Status

M1 (mailbox view) and M2 (staged tag ops, send dialogue) are done, including the render-coalescing round: sub-150us per keypress on a 33k-thread inbox. The FAQ is honest about what is not there yet.