Mutt Offline Outlook365 With mbsync
Nitty Gritty
I’ve been using the mutt e-mail client for about two years now. I love mutt. I’m a die hard Linux/BSD guy, and am in the console a lot. I love mutt’s simplicity”1 & power. I love being able to customize it. Mutt’s motto is among the best ever penned:
“All mail clients suck. This one just sucks less.”
It is so fast at e-mail (reading/deleting/sorting/tagging/moving/filtering, etc), that it is hard to use anything else. Yes, I’ve used other Linux (GUI) e-mail clients such as Thunderbird, Evolution, Geary, SeaMonkey & GroupWise (yes, they have a Linux version). I’ve also used proprietary OS/e-mail solutions like Outlook, & Mail.2
I guess the biggest reason I like mutt, is that it adheres to the Unix philosophy of, “doing one thing and doing it well.”3
See my eBook (Updated for 2019) for a very basic setup to get used to it before attempting the following highly advanced configuration.
After reading Steve Losh’s guide to offline imap and mutt, I had to attempt the offline sync functionality he recommended. Normally I would connect over imaps and do everything realtime, but I wanted the offline functionality in the case I didn’t have Internet access, and wanted a local copy for quicker e-mail manipulation.
At first, like Steve, I used offlineimap, but it was too complicated and didn’t work quite like I wanted, so, thanks to Matthias Vogelgesang, I was able to get isync (mbsync) working. Instead of gmail, I set my mutt up for my work account which uses Outlook365.
Also, for passwordless authentication, I’m using gpg, instead of some python scripts. It integrates with Gnome’s keychain, so it will start upon logging in. I’ll leave it up to you to configure gpg, or the authentication method of your choice.
I run Arch linux, so you may need to change some things based on your distribution’s setup.
Installation
Install the goods: mutt, isync, msmtp, gpg:
pacman -S mutt msmtp gnupg(Or install your preferred version your way)- isync needs to be installed from the AUR.
mutt
Configure mutt’s ~/.muttrc. Most of mine is exactly like Steve Losh’s, but with some subtle changes. It can take some tinkering to get it exactly to your liking. Be sure to create files/dirs if they don’t already exist. Here’s my config:
# Paths ----------------------------------------------
set folder = ~/mail # mailbox location
set alias_file = ~/.mutt/alias # where to store aliases
set header_cache = ~/.mutt/cache/headers # where to store headers
set message_cachedir = ~/.mutt/cache/bodies # where to store bodies
set certificate_file = ~/.mutt/certificates # where to store certs
set mailcap_path = ~/.mutt/mailcap # entries for filetypes
set tmpdir = ~/.mutt/temp # where to keep temp files
set signature = ~/.mutt/sig # my signature file
# Account Settings -----------------------------------
set spoolfile = "+work/Inbox" #Default inbox.
set mbox = "+work/Archive"
set postponed = "+work/Drafts"
set editor = "vim -c \"set spell spelllang=en\""
set trash = "+work/Deleted\ Items"
set index_format ="%4C %Z %D %-15.15L (%4l) %s"
set beep_new =yes
set copy =yes
set sort ="threads"
set query_command ="lbdbq '%s'"# how to query the exchange ldap database
bind editor "\t" complete-query #tab completion over ldap
# Mailboxes to show in the sidebar.
mailboxes +work/Inbox \
+work/Archive \
+work/Other \
+work/Deleted\ Items \
+work/Drafts
bind index "\Ca" 'imap-fetch-mail'
fcc-hook ~A "+work/Archive" # Saves copies of outgoing mail to "Archive" folder
# Sidebar Patch --------------------------------------
set sidebar_delim = ' │'
color sidebar_new color221 color233
set sidebar_visible = yes
set sidebar_width = 30
# Bind sidebar navigation to CTRL-n, CTRL-p, and CTRL-o
bind index \CP sidebar-prev
bind index \CN sidebar-next
bind index \CO sidebar-open
bind pager \CP sidebar-prev
bind pager \CN sidebar-next
bind pager \CO sidebar-open
#Status Bar
set status_chars = " *%A"
set status_format = "───[ Folder: %f ]───[%r%m messages%?n? (%n new)?%?d? (%d to delete)?%?t? (%t tagged)? ]───%>─%?p?( %p postponed )?───"
# Sending mail ---------------------------------------
set from ="bfrancom@<domain>.org"
set realname ="Ben Francom"
set use_from ="yes"
set envelope_from ="yes"
set sendmail ="/usr/bin/msmtp"
# Header Options -------------------------------------
ignore * # ignore all headers
unignore from: to: cc: date: subject: # show only these
unhdr_order * # some distros order things by default
hdr_order from: to: cc: date: subject: # and in this order
# Index View Options ---------------------------------
set date_format = "%m/%d %I:%M"
set sort = threads # like gmail
set sort_aux = reverse-last-date-received # like gmail
set uncollapse_jump # don't collapse on an unread message
set sort_re # thread based on regex
#set reply_regexp = "^(([Rr][Ee]?(\[[0-9]+\])?: *)?(\[[^]]+\] *)?)*"
# Index Key Bindings ---------------------------------
bind index gg first-entry
bind index G last-entry
bind index R group-reply
bind index <space> collapse-thread
# Sync email
macro index O "<shell-escape>mbsync work<enter>" "run mbsync to sync all mail"
macro index o "<shell-escape>mbsync work<enter>" "run mbsync to sync inbox"
# Saner copy/move dialogs
macro index C "<copy-message>?<toggle-mailboxes>" "copy a message to a mailbox"
macro index M "<save-message>?<toggle-mailboxes>" "move a message to a mailbox"
macro index,pager A "<tag-thread><tag-prefix-cond><save-message>+work/Archive<enter>" "Archive all in thread"
macro index,pager a "<save-message>+work/Archive<enter>" "Archive message"
macro index - "<limit>all\n" "show all messages (undo limit)"
macro index \C_ "<tag-pattern>~N<enter><tag-prefix-cond>N<untag-pattern>~T<enter>" "mark all as read"
# Sidebar Navigation ---------------------------------
bind index,pager <down> sidebar-next
bind index,pager <up> sidebar-prev
bind index,pager <right> sidebar-open
# Pager View Options ---------------------------------
set pager_index_lines = 10 # number of index lines to show
set pager_context = 3 # number of context lines to show
set pager_stop # don't go to next message automatically
set menu_scroll # scroll in menus
set tilde # show tildes like in vim
unset markers # no ugly plus signs
set quote_regexp = "^( {0,4}[>|:#%]| {0,4}[a-z0-9]+[>|]+)+"
# Pager Key Bindings ---------------------------------
bind pager k previous-line
bind pager j next-line
bind pager gg top
bind pager G bottom
bind pager R group-reply
# Compose View Options -------------------------------
set realname = "Ben Francom" # who am i?
set envelope_from # which from?
set sig_dashes # dashes before sig
set askcc # ask for CC:
set fcc_attach # save attachments with the body
unset mime_forward # forward attachments as part of body
set forward_format = "Fwd: %s" # format of subject when forwarding
set forward_decode # decode when forwarding
set reply_to # reply to Reply to: field
set reverse_name # reply as whomever it was to
set include # include message in replies
set forward_quote # include message in forwards
set indent_str="> "
set check_new=yes
set timeout=15
set mail_check=5
isync
Configure isync’s ~/.mbsyncrc
IMAPAccount work
Host outlook.office365.com
User bfrancom@<domain>.org
PassCmd "gpg2 -q --for-your-eyes-only --no-tty -d ~/.mailpass.gpg"
UseIMAPS yes
CertificateFile /etc/ssl/certs/ca-certificates.crt
IMAPStore work-remote
Account work
MaildirStore work-local
Path ~/mail/work/
Inbox ~/mail/work/Inbox
Channel work
Master :work-remote:
Slave :work-local:
# Or include everything
Patterns "INBOX" "Other" "Archive" "Drafts" "Deleted Items"
# Automatically create missing mailboxes, both locally and on the server
Create Both
Expunge Both
# Save the synchronization state files in the relevant directory
SyncState *
msmtp
Configure msmtp for outgoing e-mail ~/.msmtprc
account work
host smtp.office365.com
port 587
protocol smtp
auth on
from bfrancom@<domain>.org
user bfrancom@<domain>.org
passwordeval gpg2 -q --for-your-eyes-only --no-tty -d ~/.mailpass.gpg
tls on
tls_starttls on
tls_trust_file ~/outlook.com.crt
1. Mutt is easy to setup, but if you need to hack it in a way that works best for your workflow, it can take a lot of tweaking. That is why I am writing this article; to help others that may be looking for a similar setup, or for further control.↩
2. This may suprise some that I was a rabid Apple lover at one point. I’ve run various versions of OS 8,9,X. So yes, I was legit far before most Apple followers of today, and have had several iDevices throughout the years. I did graphic, and video design and have a lot of experience in the Apple ecosystem. However, I grew so tired of the vendor lockin, lack of (or removed functionality), crippled debugging tools, and Apple’s litigious nature that they have left a really bad taste in my mouth…I don’t think I’ll ever be able to un-taste.↩
3. Wikipedia entry on Unix Philosophy↩