Himalaya

Free plan LinuxMacWindows

What Himalaya is

Himalaya is free, open-source command-line software for managing email on Linux, macOS, and Windows desktops. It is designed for terminal users who want scriptable, stateless mail handling. Shared commands list, read, compose, send, search, move, and download attachments, while also working with mailboxes, envelopes, flags, messages, and attachments. Himalaya supports IMAP, SMTP, ManageSieve, JMAP, Gmail REST API, Microsoft Graph, and local Maildir, m2dir, mbox, and pimdir stores. Multiple accounts can be configured in TOML, and the --json option produces JSON output. A setup wizard discovers services through PACC, Thunderbird autoconfiguration, DNS SRV lookups, and JMAP session resolution. SOCKS5 and HTTP proxies are supported per account or through environment variables. Rustls TLS and optional native TLS are available. Listed interfaces and integrations include an official TUI in development, Vim, Emacs, Raycast, OpenClaw, and dfzf. Version 2 has no OAuth flow and uses an external token broker when needed.

Who it suits

Himalaya fits terminal-focused users who need scriptable email across hosted services or local mail stores. It also suits people configuring multiple accounts, proxies, and JSON-based workflows.

What it does well

Free and open-source
Supports major email protocols
Multiple accounts in TOML
JSON output for scripts
Linux, macOS, and Windows

What to know first

No OAuth flow in version 2
Native keyring support removed in v2
Command-line interface

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Free software	Free software; dual-licensed MIT or Apache-2.0	Free

As github.com lists them, read 12 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Verdict

Himalaya provides broad protocol and local-format coverage through a scriptable command-line interface. Check its OAuth and credential-handling requirements before choosing it for account setup.

Facts from Himalaya's own pages

Accounts and output: It supports multiple accounts in TOML configuration and can output JSON with the --json option. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
App coverage: desktop · github.com, 20 Sept 2026
Authentication: It supports several IMAP, SMTP, and ManageSieve SASL mechanisms, HTTP basic and bearer authentication for JMAP, and TLS options. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Configuration: It uses TOML configuration with multiple accounts and can output JSON with the --json option. · github.com, 5 Oct 2026
Discovery: Its setup wizard discovers mail services using PACC, Thunderbird autoconfiguration, DNS SRV lookups, and JMAP session resolution. · github.com, 5 Oct 2026
Email actions: Its shared commands work with mailboxes, envelopes, flags, messages, and attachments, including search, send, and attachment download. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Email backends: It supports IMAP, SMTP, ManageSieve, JMAP, Gmail REST API, Microsoft Graph, Maildir, m2dir, mbox, and pimdir. · github.com, 5 Oct 2026
Email protocols: It supports IMAP, SMTP, ManageSieve, JMAP, Gmail REST API, and Microsoft Graph for Outlook and Microsoft 365. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Email providers: The README provides configuration examples for Proton Mail, Fastmail, Gmail, Outlook, Posteo, and iCloud Mail. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Installation: The README documents prebuilt binaries, Cargo, Arch Linux, Homebrew, Scoop, Fedora/CentOS/RHEL, Nix, and building from source. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Integrations: The project lists Vim, Emacs, and Raycast interfaces, plus OpenClaw and dfzf integrations. · github.com, 5 Oct 2026
Intended use: The maker describes Himalaya as a scriptable email tool for people who work in a terminal. · pimalaya.org, 5 Oct 2026
Interfaces and integrations: Listed interfaces and integrations include an official TUI in active development, a Vim plugin, Emacs plugin, Raycast extension, OpenClaw skill, and dfzf integration. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
License: The repository lists Apache-2.0 and MIT licenses, and the project site describes Himalaya as dual-licensed free software. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Local mail formats: It supports Maildir, m2dir, mbox, and pimdir mail stores. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Mail actions: Its shared commands support listing, reading, composing, sending, searching, moving, and downloading attachments. · github.com, 5 Oct 2026
OAuth limitation: Himalaya v2 does not include an OAuth flow, so users supply tokens from an external broker or helper command. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Product: Himalaya is a command-line tool for managing email. · github.com, 5 Oct 2026
Proxies: It supports SOCKS5 and HTTP proxies per account or through ALL_PROXY and HTTPS_PROXY environment variables. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Proxy support: It supports SOCKS5 and HTTP proxies, configured per account or through environment variables. · github.com, 5 Oct 2026
Purpose: Himalaya manages email from the command line in a scriptable, stateless way. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Secret handling: Password and token fields can read a literal value or run a shell command that prints the secret; the README advises against raw values in production. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Security policy: The security policy marks version 2.x.x as supported and versions 1.x.x and 0.x.x as unsupported. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Support and community: The project site directs users to Matrix for questions and development discussion and invites bug reports, documentation, packaging, and code contributions. · pimalaya.org, 12 Oct 2026

Where Himalaya stands on Freedom251

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