AERC(1)                     General Commands Manual                    AERC(1)

NAME
       aerc - a pretty good email client.

SYNOPSIS
       aerc [-h] [-v] [-a <name>] [-C <file>] [-A <file>] [-B <file>] [-I]
       [mailto:<...> | mbox:<file> | :<command...>]

       For a guided tutorial, use :help tutorial from aerc, or man aerc-
       tutorial from your terminal.

OPTIONS
       -h, --help
           Show aerc usage help and exit.

       -v, --version
           Print the installed version of aerc and exit.

       -a <name>
       --account <name>
           Load only the named account, as opposed to all configured accounts.
           It can also be a comma separated list of names. This option may be
           specified multiple times. The account order will be preserved.

       -C </path/to/aerc.conf>
       --aerc-conf </path/to/aerc.conf>
           Instead of using $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/aerc/aerc.conf use the file at
           the specified path for configuring aerc.

       -A </path/to/accounts.conf>
       --accounts-conf </path/to/accounts.conf>
           Instead of using $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/aerc/accounts.conf use the file
           at the specified path for configuring accounts.

       -B </path/to/binds.conf>
       --binds-conf </path/to/binds.conf>
           Instead of using $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/aerc/binds.conf use the file at
           the specified path for configuring binds.

       -I, --no-ipc
           Run commands (mailto:..., :<command...>, mbox:<file>) directly in
           this instance rather than over IPC in an existing aerc instance.
           Also disable creation of an IPC server for subsequent aerc
           instances to communicate with this one.

       mailto:address[,address][?query[&query]]
           Open the composer with the address(es) in the To field. These
           addresses must not be percent encoded.

           If aerc is already running (and IPC is not disabled), the composer
           is started in that instance; otherwise a new instance is started
           with the composer.

           The following (optional) query parameters are supported:

       ┌──────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────┐
       │QueryDescription                │
       ├──────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤
       │subject=<text>            │ Subject line will be       │
       │                          │ completed with the <text>  │
       ├──────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤
       │body=<text>               │ Message body will be       │
       │                          │ completed with the <text>  │
       ├──────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤
       │cc=<address>[,<address>]  │ Cc header will be          │
       │                          │ completed with the list of │
       │                          │ addresses                  │
       ├──────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤
       │bcc=<address>[,<address>] │ Bcc header will be         │
       │                          │ completed with the list of │
       │                          │ addresses                  │
       ├──────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤
       │in-reply-to=<message-id>  │ In-reply-to header will be │
       │                          │ set to the message id      │
       ├──────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤
       │account=<accountname>     │ Specify the account (must  │
       │                          │ be in accounts.conf;       │
       │                          │ default is the selected    │
       │                          │ account)                   │
       ├──────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤
       │template=<template-file>  │ Template sets the template │
       │                          │ file for creating the      │
       │                          │ message                    │
       └──────────────────────────┴────────────────────────────┘
           Note that reserved characters in the queries must be percent
           encoded.

       :<command...>
           Run an aerc-internal command as you would in Ex-Mode. See RUNTIME
           COMMANDS below.

           The command to be executed and its arguments can either be passed
           as separate arguments in the shell (e.g., aerc :cmd arg1 arg2) or
           as a single argument in the shell (e.g., aerc ":cmd arg1 arg2"). In
           the former case, aerc may add quotes to the command before it is
           parsed in an attempt to preserve arguments containing spaces and
           other special characters. In the latter case, aerc will parse the
           command verbatim, as if it had been typed directly on aerc's
           command line. This latter form can be helpful for commands that
           don't interpret quotes in their arguments.

           If aerc is already running (and IPC is not disabled), the command
           is run in that instance; otherwise a new instance is started with
           the command.

       mbox:<file>
           Open the specified mbox file as a virtual temporary account.

           If aerc is already running (and IPC is not disabled), the file is
           opened in that instance; otherwise a new instance is started with
           the file.

RUNTIME COMMANDS
       To execute a command, press : to bring up the command interface.
       Commands may also be bound to keys, see aerc-binds(5) for details. In
       some contexts, such as the terminal emulator, <c-x> is used to bring up
       the command interface.

       Different commands work in different contexts, depending on the kind of
       tab you have selected.

       Dynamic arguments are expanded following aerc-templates(7) depending on
       the context. For example, if you have a message selected, the following
       command:

           :filter -f "{{index (.From | emails) 0}}"

       Will filter all messages sent by the same sender.

       Aerc stores a history of commands, which can be cycled through in
       command mode. Pressing the up key cycles backwards in history, while
       pressing down cycles forwards.

   GLOBAL COMMANDS
       These commands work in any context.

       :help <topic>
       :man <topic>
           Display one of aerc's man pages in the embedded terminal.

       :help keys
       :man keys
           Display the active key bindings in the current context.

       :new-account [-t]
           Start the new account wizard.

           -t: Create a temporary account. Do not modify accounts.conf.

       :cd <directory>
           Changes aerc's current working directory.

       :z <directory or zoxide query>
           Changes aerc's current working directory using zoxide. If zoxide is
           not on $PATH., the command will not be registered.

       :change-tab [+|-]<tab name or index>
       :ct [+|-]<tab name or index>
           Changes the focus to the tab with the given name. If a number is
           given, it's treated as an index. If the number is prepended with +
           or -, the number is interpreted as a delta from the selected tab.
           If only a - is given, changes the focus to the previously selected
           tab.

       :exec <command>
           Executes an arbitrary command in the background. Aerc will set the
           environment variables $account and $folder when the command is
           executed from an Account tab or an opened message.

           Note: commands executed in this way are not executed with the
           shell.

       :eml [<path>]
       :preview [<path>]
           Opens an eml file and displays the message in the message viewer.

           Can also be used in the message viewer to open an rfc822 attachment
           or in the composer to preview the message.

       :pwd
           Displays aerc's current working directory in the status bar.

       :send-keys <keystrokes>
           Send keystrokes to the currently visible terminal, if any. Can be
           used to control embedded editors to save drafts or quit in a safe
           manner.

           Here's an example of quiting a Vim-like editor:

               :send-keys <Esc>:wq!<Enter>

           Note: when used in binds.conf (see aerc-binds(5)), angle brackets
           need to be escaped in order to make their way to the command:

               <C-q> = :send-keys \<Esc\>:wq!\<Enter\><Enter>

           This way the <Esc> and the first <Enter> keystrokes are passed to
           :send-keys, while the last <Enter> keystroke is executed directly,
           committing the :send-keys command's execution.

       :term [<command>...]
       :terminal [<command>...]
           Opens a new terminal tab with a shell running in the current
           working directory, or the specified command.

       :move-tab [+|-]<index>
           Moves the selected tab to the given index. If + or - is specified,
           the number is interpreted as a delta from the selected tab.

       :prev-tab [<n>]
       :next-tab [<n>]
           Cycles to the previous or next tab in the list, repeating <n> times
           (default: 1).

       :pin-tab
           Moves the current tab to the left of all non-pinned tabs and
           displays the pinned-tab-marker (default: `) to the left of the tab
           title.

       :unpin-tab
           Removes the pinned-tab-marker from the current tab and returns the
           tab to its previous location.

       :prompt <prompt> <command>...
           Displays the prompt on the status bar, waits for user input, then
           appends that input as the last argument to the command and executes
           it. The input is passed as one argument to the command, unless it
           is empty, in which case no extra argument is added.

       :menu [-c "<shell-cmd>"] [-e] [-b] [-a] [-d] <aerc-cmd ...>
           Opens a popover dialog running sh -c "<shell-cmd>" (if not
           specified [general].default-menu-cmd will be used). When the
           command exits, all lines printed on its standard output will be
           appended to <aerc-cmd ...> and executed as a standard aerc command
           like xargs(1) would do when used in a shell. A colon (:) prefix is
           supported for <aerc-cmd ...> but is not required.

           :menu can be used without an external program by setting <shell-
           cmd> to -. This also acts as a fallback in case where no <shell-
           cmd> was specified at all or the executable in the <shell-cmd> was
           not found.

           -c "<shell-cmd>"
               Override [general].default-menu-cmd. See aerc-config(5) for
               more details.

           -e: Stop executing commands on the first error.

           -b: Do NOT spawn the popover dialog. Start the commands in the
           background (NOT in a virtual terminal). Use this if <shell-cmd> is
           a graphical application that does not need a terminal.

           <shell-cmd> may be fed with input text using the following flags:
               -a: All account names, one per line. E.g.:

                   '<account>' LF

               -d: All current account directory names, one per line. E.g.:

                   '<directory>' LF

               -ad: All directories of all accounts, one per line. E.g.:

                   '<account>' '<directory>' LF

               Quotes may be added by aerc when either tokens contain special
               characters. The quotes should be preserved for <aerc-cmd ...>.

           Examples:

               :menu -adc fzf :cf -a
               :menu -c 'fzf --multi' :attach
               :menu -dc 'fzf --multi' :cp
               :menu -bc 'dmenu -l 20' :cf
               :menu -c 'ranger --choosefiles=%f' :attach

           This may also be used in key bindings (see aerc-binds(5)):

               <C-p> = :menu -adc fzf :cf -a<Enter>

       :choose -o <key> <text> <command> [-o <key> <text> <command>]...
           Prompts the user to choose from various options.

       :suspend
           Suspends the aerc process. Some ongoing connections may be
           terminated.

       :quit [-f]
       :exit [-f]
       :q    [-f]
           Exits aerc. If a task is being performed that should not be
           interrupted (like sending a message), a normal quit call might
           fail. In this case, closing aerc can be forced with the -f option.

   MESSAGE COMMANDS
       These commands are valid in any context that has a selected message
       (e.g. the message list, the message in the message viewer, etc).

       :archive [-m <strategy>] <scheme>
           Moves the selected message to the archive. The available schemes
           are:

           flat: No special structure, all messages in the archive directory

           year: Messages are stored in folders per year

           month: Messages are stored in folders per year and subfolders per
           month

           The -m option sets the multi-file strategy. See aerc-notmuch(5) for
           more details.

       :accept [-e|-E]
           Accepts an iCalendar meeting invitation. This opens a compose
           window with a specially crafted attachment. Sending the email will
           let the inviter know that you accepted and will likely update their
           calendar as well. This will NOT add the meeting to your own
           calendar, that must be done as a separate manual step (e.g. by
           piping the text/calendar part to an appropriate script).

           -e: Forces [compose].edit-headers = true for this message only.

           -E: Forces [compose].edit-headers = false for this message only.

       :accept-tentative [-e|-E]
           Accepts an iCalendar meeting invitation tentatively.

           -e: Forces [compose].edit-headers = true for this message only.

           -E: Forces [compose].edit-headers = false for this message only.

       :copy [-p] [-a <account>] [-m <strategy>] <folder>
       :cp [-p] [-a <account>] [-m <strategy>] <folder>
           Copies the selected message(s) to <folder>.

           -p: Create <folder> if it does not exist.

           -a: Copy to <folder> of <account>. If <folder> does not exist, it
           will be created whether or not -p is used.

           -m: Set the multi-file strategy. See aerc-notmuch(5) for more
           details.

       :decline [-e|-E]
           Declines an iCalendar meeting invitation.

           -e: Forces [compose].edit-headers = true for this message only.

           -E: Forces [compose].edit-headers = false for this message only.

       :delete [-m <strategy>]
       :delete-message [-m <strategy>]
           Deletes the selected message.

           -m: Set the multi-file strategy. See aerc-notmuch(5) for more
           details.

       :envelope [-h] [-s <format-specifier>]
           Opens the message envelope in a dialog popup.

           -h: Show all header fields

           -s <format-specifier>
               User-defined format specifier requiring two %s for the key and
               value strings. Default format: %-20.20s: %s

       :recall [-f] [-e|-E]
           Opens the selected message for re-editing. Messages can only be
           recalled from the postpone directory.

           -f: Open the message for re-editing even if it is not in the
           postpone directory. Aerc remembers the folder, so the further
           :postpone call will save the message back there.

           -e: Forces [compose].edit-headers = true for this message only.

           -E: Forces [compose].edit-headers = false for this message only.

           Original recalled messages are deleted if they are sent or
           postponed again. In both cases you have another copy of the message
           somewhere. Otherwise the recalled message is left intact. This
           happens if the recalled message is discarded after editing. It can
           be deleted with :rm if it is not needed.

       :forward [-A|-F] [-T <template-file>] [-e|-E] [<address>...]
           Opens the composer to forward the selected message to another
           recipient.

           -A: Forward the message and all attachments.

           -F: Forward the full message as an RFC 2822 attachment.

           -T <template-file>
               Use the specified template file for creating the initial
               message body. Unless -F is specified, this defaults to what is
               set as forwards in the [templates] section of aerc.conf.

           -e: Forces [compose].edit-headers = true for this message only.

           -E: Forces [compose].edit-headers = false for this message only.

       :move [-p] [-a <account>] [-m <strategy>] <folder>
       :mv [-p] [-a <account>] [-m <strategy>] <folder>
           Moves the selected message(s) to <folder>.

           -p: Create <folder> if it does not exist.

           -a: Move to <folder> of <account>. If <folder> does not exist, it
           will be created whether or not -p is used.

           -m: Set the multi-file strategy. See aerc-notmuch(5) for more
           details.

       :patch <args ...>
           Patch management sub-commands. See aerc-patch(7) for more details.

       :pipe [-bmp] <cmd>
           Downloads and pipes the selected message into the given shell
           command (executed with sh -c "<cmd>"), and opens a new terminal tab
           to show the result. By default, the selected message part is used
           in the message viewer and the full message is used in the message
           list.

           Operates on multiple messages when they are marked. When piping
           multiple messages, aerc will write them with mbox format
           separators.

           -b: Run the command in the background instead of opening a terminal
           tab

           -s: Silently close the terminal tab after the command is completed

           -m: Pipe the full message

           -p: Pipe just the selected message part, if applicable

           This can be used to apply patch series with git:

               :pipe -m git am -3

           When at least one marked message subject matches a patch series
           (e.g. [PATCH X/Y]), all marked messages will be sorted by subject
           to ensure that the patches are applied in order.

       :reply [-acq] [-T <template-file>] [-A <account>] [-e|-E]
           Opens the composer to reply to the selected message.

           -a: Reply all

           -c: Close the view tab when replying. If the reply is not sent,
           reopen the view tab.

           -q: Insert a quoted version of the selected message into the reply
           editor

           -T <template-file>
               Use the specified template file for creating the initial
               message body. If -q is specified, defaults to what is set as
               quoted-reply in the [templates] section of aerc.conf.

           -A_: <account>
               Reply with the specified account instead of the current one.

           -e: Forces [compose].edit-headers = true for this message only.

           -E: Forces [compose].edit-headers = false for this message only.

       :read [-t]
           Marks the marked or selected messages as read.

           -t: Toggle the messages between read and unread.

       :unread [-t]
           Marks the marked or selected messages as unread.

           -t: Toggle the messages between read and unread.

       :flag [-t] [-a | -x <flag>]
           Sets (enables) a certain flag on the marked or selected messages.

           -t: Toggle the flag instead of setting (enabling) it.

           -a: Mark message as answered/unanswered.

           -x <flag>: Mark message with specific flag.
               The available flags are (adapted from RFC 3501, section 2.3.2):

               Seen
                   Message has been read
               Answered
                   Message has been answered
               Flagged
                   Message is flagged for urgent/special attention
               Draft
                   Message is a draft

       :unflag [-t] <flag>
           Operates exactly like :flag, defaulting to unsetting (disabling)
           flags.

       :modify-labels [+|-]<label>...
       :tag [+|-]<label>...
           Modify message labels (e.g. notmuch tags). Labels prefixed with a +
           are added, those prefixed with a - removed. As a convenience,
           labels without either operand add the specified label.

           Example: add inbox and unread labels, remove spam label.

               :modify-labels +inbox -spam unread

       :unsubscribe [-e|-E]
           Attempt to automatically unsubscribe the user from the mailing list
           through use of the List-Unsubscribe header. If supported, aerc may
           open a compose window pre-filled with the unsubscribe information
           or open the unsubscribe URL in a web browser.

           -e: Forces [compose].edit-headers = true for this message only.

           -E: Forces [compose].edit-headers = false for this message only.

   MESSAGE LIST COMMANDS
       :align top|center|bottom
           Aligns the selected message. The available positions are:

           top: Top of the message list.
                center: Center of the message list.
                bottom: Bottom of the message list.

       :disconnect
       :connect
           Disconnect or reconnect the current account. This only applies to
           certain email sources.

       :clear [-s]
           Clears the current search or filter criteria.

           By default, the selected message will be kept. To clear the
           selected message and move cursor to the top of the message list,
           use the -s flag.

           -s: Selects the message at the top of the message list after
           clearing.

       :cf [-a <account>] <folder>
           Change the folder shown in the message list to <folder>.

           -a <account>
               Change to <folder> of <account> and focus its corresponding
               tab.

       :check-mail
           Check for new mail on the selected account. Non-imap backends
           require check-mail-cmd to be set in order for aerc to initiate a
           check for new mail. Issuing a manual :check-mail command will reset
           the timer for automatic checking.

       :compose [-H "<header>: <value>"] [-T <template-file>] [-e|-E] [<body>]
           Open the compose window to send a new email. The new email will be
           sent with the current account's outgoing transport configuration.
           For details on configuring outgoing mail delivery consult aerc-
           accounts(5).

           -H "<header>: <value>"
               Add the specified header to the message, e.g:

                   :compose -H "X-Custom: custom value"

           -T <template-file>
               Use the specified template file for creating the initial
               message body.

           -e: Forces [compose].edit-headers = true for this message only.

           -E: Forces [compose].edit-headers = false for this message only.

           <body>: The initial message body.

       :bounce [-A <account>] <address> [<address>...]
       :resend [-A <account>] <address> [<address>...]
           Bounce the selected message or all marked messages to the specified
           addresses, optionally using the specified account. This forwards
           the message while preserving all the existing headers. The new
           sender (From), date (Date), Message-ID and recipients (To) are
           prepended to the headers with the Resent- prefix. For more
           information please refer to section 3.6.6 of RFC 2822. Note that
           the bounced message is not copied over to the sent folder.

           Also please note that some providers (notably for instance
           Microsoft's O365) do not allow sending messages with the From
           header not matching any of the account's identities (even if
           Resent-From matches some).

       :recover [-f] [-e|-E] <file>
           Resume composing a message that was not sent nor postponed. The
           file may not contain header data unless [compose].edit-headers was
           enabled when originally composing the aborted message.

           -f: Delete the <file> after opening the composer.

           -e: Forces [compose].edit-headers = true for this message only.

           -E: Forces [compose].edit-headers = false for this message only.

       :filter [<options>] <terms>...
           Similar to :search, but filters the displayed messages to only the
           search results. The search syntax is dependent on the underlying
           backend. Refer to aerc-search(1) for details

       :mkdir <name>
           Creates a new folder for this account and changes to that folder.

       :rmdir [-f] [<folder>]
           Removes the folder <folder>, or the current folder if not
           specified.

           By default, it will fail if the directory is non-empty (see -f).

           -f
               Remove the directory even if it contains messages.

           Some programs that sync maildirs may recover deleted directories
           (e.g. offlineimap). These can either be specially configured to
           properly handle directory deletion, or special commands need to be
           run to delete directories (e.g. offlineimap --delete-folder).

           It is possible, with a slow connection and the imap backend, that
           new messages arrive in the directory before they show up - using
           :rmdir at this moment would delete the directory and such new
           messages before the user sees them.

       :next <n>[%]
       :next-message <n>[%]
       :prev <n>[%]
       :prev-message <n>[%]
           Selects the next (or previous) message in the message list. If
           specified as a percentage, the percentage is applied to the number
           of messages shown on screen and the cursor advances that far.

       :next-folder <n>
       :prev-folder <n>
           Cycles to the next (or previous) folder shown in the sidebar,
           repeated <n> times (default: 1).

       :expand-folder
       :collapse-folder
           Expands or collapses the current folder when the directory tree is
           enabled.

       :export-mbox <file>
           Exports messages in the current folder to an mbox file. If there
           are marked messages in the folder, only the marked ones are
           exported. Otherwise the whole folder is exported.

       :import-mbox <file>
           Imports all messages from an mbox file to the current folder.

       :next-result
       :prev-result
           Selects the next or previous search result.

       :query [-a <account>] [-n name] [-f] <notmuch query>
           Create a virtual folder using the specified top-level notmuch
           query. This command is exclusive to the notmuch backend.

           -a <account>
               Change to <folder> of <account> and focus its corresponding
               tab.

           -n <name>
               Specify the display name for the virtual folder. If not
               provided, <notmuch query> is used as the display name.

           -f
               Load the query results into an already existing folder
               (messages in the original folder are not deleted).

       :search [<options>] <terms>...
           Searches the current folder for messages matching the given set of
           conditions.  The search syntax is dependent on the underlying
           backend. Refer to aerc-search(1) for details.

       :select <n>
       :select-message <n>
           Selects the <n>th message in the message list (and scrolls it into
           view if necessary).

       :hsplit [[+|-]<n>] :split [[+|-]<n>]
           Creates a horizontal split, showing <n> messages and a message view
           below the message list. If a + or - is prepended, the message list
           size will grow or shrink accordingly. The split can be cleared by
           calling :[h]split 0, or just :[h]split. The split can be toggled by
           calling split with the same (absolute) size repeatedly. For
           example, :[h]split 10 will create a split. Calling :[h]split 10
           again will remove the split. If not specified, <n> is set to an
           estimation based on the user's terminal. Also see :vsplit.

       :sort [[-r] <criterion>]...
           Sorts the message list by the given criteria. -r sorts the
           immediately following criterion in reverse order.

           Available criteria:

       ┌──────────┬───────────────────────────┐
       │CriterionDescription        │
       ├──────────┼───────────────────────────┤
       │arrival   │ Date and time of the      │
       │          │ messages arrival          │
       ├──────────┼───────────────────────────┤
       │cc        │ Addresses in the Cc field │
       ├──────────┼───────────────────────────┤
       │date      │ Date and time of the      │
       │          │ message                   │
       ├──────────┼───────────────────────────┤
       │from      │ Addresses in the From     │
       │          │ field                     │
       ├──────────┼───────────────────────────┤
       │read      │ Presence of the read flag │
       ├──────────┼───────────────────────────┤
       │flagged   │ Presence of the flagged   │
       │          │ flag                      │
       ├──────────┼───────────────────────────┤
       │size      │    Size of the message    │
       ├──────────┼───────────────────────────┤
       │subject   │  Subject of the message   │
       ├──────────┼───────────────────────────┤
       │to        │ Addresses in the To field │
       └──────────┴───────────────────────────┘
       :toggle-threads
           Toggles between message threading and the normal message list.

       :fold [-at]
       :unfold [-at]
           Collapse or un-collapse the thread children of the selected
           message. If the toggle flag -t is set, the folded status is
           changed. If the -a flag is set, all threads in the current view are
           affected. Folded threads can be identified by {{.Thread*}} template
           attributes in [ui].index-columns. See aerc-config(5) and aerc-
           templates(7) for more details.

       :toggle-thread-context
           Toggles between showing entire thread (when supported) and only
           showing messages which match the current query / mailbox.

       :view [-p]
       :view-message [-p]
           Opens the message viewer to display the selected message. If the
           peek flag -p is set, the message will not be marked as seen and
           ignores the auto-mark-read config.

       :vsplit [[+|-]<n>]
           Creates a vertical split of the message list. The message list will
           be <n> columns wide, and a vertical message view will be shown to
           the right of the message list. If a + or - is prepended, the
           message list size will grow or shrink accordingly. The split can be
           cleared by calling :vsplit 0, or just :vsplit. The split can be
           toggled by calling split with the same (absolute) size repeatedly.
           For example, :vsplit 10 will create a split. Calling :vsplit 10
           again will remove the split. If not specified, <n> is set to an
           estimation based on the user's terminal. Also see :split.

   MESSAGE VIEW COMMANDS
       :close
           Closes the message viewer.

       :next <n>[%]
       :prev <n>[%]
           Selects the next (or previous) message in the message list. If
           specified as a percentage, the percentage is applied to the number
           of messages shown on screen and the cursor advances that far.

       :next-part
       :prev-part
           Cycles between message parts being shown. The list of message parts
           is shown at the bottom of the message viewer.

       :open [-d] [<args...>]
           Saves the current message part to a temporary file, then opens it.
           If no arguments are provided, it will open the current MIME part
           with the matching command in the [openers] section of aerc.conf.
           When no match is found in [openers], it falls back to the default
           system handler.

           -d: Delete the temporary file after the opener exits

           When arguments are provided:

           •   The first argument must be the program to open the message part
               with. Subsequent args are passed to that program.
           •   {} will be expanded as the temporary filename to be opened. If
               it is not encountered in the arguments, the temporary filename
               will be appened to the end of the command.

       :open-link <url> [<args...>]
           Open the specified URL with an external program. The opening logic
           is the same than for :open but the opener program will be looked up
           according to the URL scheme MIME type: x-scheme-handler/<scheme>.

       :save [-fpaA] <path>
           Saves the current message part to the given path. If the path is
           not an absolute path, [general].default-save-path from aerc.conf
           will be prepended to the path given. If path ends in a trailing
           slash or if a folder exists on disc or if -a is specified, aerc
           assumes it to be a directory. When passed a directory :save infers
           the filename from the mail part if possible, or if that fails, uses
           aerc_$DATE.

           -f: Overwrite the destination whether or not it exists

           -p: Create any directories in the path that do not exist

           -a: Save all attachments. Individual filenames cannot be specified.

           -A: Same as -a but saves all the named parts, not just attachments.

       :mark [-atvT]
           Marks messages. Commands will execute on all marked messages
           instead of the highlighted one if applicable. The flags below can
           be combined as needed.

           -a: Apply to all messages in the current folder

           -t: toggle the mark state instead of marking a message

           -v: Enter / leave visual mark mode

           -V: Same as -v but does not clear existing selection

           -T: Marks the displayed message thread of the selected message.

       :unmark [-at]
           Unmarks messages. The flags below can be combined as needed.

           -a: Apply to all messages in the current folder

           -t: toggle the mark state instead of unmarking a message

       :remark
           Re-select the last set of marked messages. Can be used to chain
           commands after a selection has been acted upon

       :toggle-headers
           Toggles the visibility of the message headers.

       :toggle-key-passthrough
           Enter or exit the [view::passthrough] key bindings context. See
           aerc-binds(5) for more details.

   MESSAGE COMPOSE COMMANDS
       :abort
           Close the composer without sending, discarding the message in
           progress.

           If the text editor exits with an error (e.g. :cq in vim(1)), the
           message is immediately discarded.

       :attach <path>
       :attach -m [<arg>]
       :attach -r <name> <cmd>
           Attaches the file at the given path to the email. The path can
           contain globbing syntax described at
           https://godocs.io/path/filepath#Match.

           -m [<arg>]
               Runs the file-picker-cmd to select files to be attached.
               Requires an argument when file-picker-cmd contains the %s verb.

           -r <name> <cmd>
               Runs the <cmd>, reads its output and attaches it as <name>. The
               attachment MIME type is derived from the <name>'s extension.

       :attach-key
           Attaches the public key for the configured account to the email.

       :detach [<path>]
           Detaches the file with the given path from the composed email. If
           no path is specified, detaches the first attachment instead. The
           path can contain globbing syntax described at
           https://godocs.io/path/filepath#Match.

       :cc <addresses>
       :bcc <addresses>
           Sets the Cc or Bcc header to the given addresses. If an editor for
           the header is not currently visible in the compose window, a new
           one will be added.

       :edit [-e|-E]
           (Re-)opens your text editor to edit the message in progress.

           -e: Forces [compose].edit-headers = true for this message only.

           -E: Forces [compose].edit-headers = false for this message only.

       :multipart [-d] <mime/type>
           Makes the message to multipart/alternative and add the specified
           <mime/type> part. Only the MIME types that are configured in the
           [multipart-converters] section of aerc.conf are supported and their
           related commands will be used to generate the alternate part.

           -d:
               Remove the specified alternative <mime/type> instead of adding
               it. If no alternative parts are left, make the message
               text/plain (i.e. not multipart/alternative).

       :next-field
       :prev-field
           Cycles between input fields in the compose window.

       :postpone [-t <folder>]
           Saves the current state of the message to the postpone folder (from
           accounts.conf) for the current account by default.

           -t: Overrides the target folder for saving the message

           If the message was force-recalled with :recall -f from a different
           folder, the :postpone command will save it back to that folder
           instead of the default postpone folder configured in settings. Use
           -t to override that or use :mv to move the saved message to a
           different folder.

       :save [-p] <path>
           Saves the selected message part to the specified path. If -p is
           selected, aerc will create any missing directories in the specified
           path. If the path specified is a directory or ends in /, aerc will
           use the attachment filename if available or a generated name if
           not.

       :send [-a <scheme>] [-t <folder>]
           Sends the message using this accounts default outgoing transport
           configuration. For details on configuring outgoing mail delivery
           consult aerc-accounts(5).

           -a: Archive the message being replied to. See :archive for schemes.

           -t: Overrides the Copy-To folder for saving the message.

       :switch-account <account-name>
       :switch-account -n
       :switch-account -p
           Switches the account. Can be used to switch to a specific account
           from its name or to cycle through accounts using the -p and -n
           flags.

           -p: switch to previous account

           -n: switch to next account

       :header [-f] <name> [<value>] :header [-d] <name>
           Add a new email header to the compose window. If the header is
           already set and is not empty, -f must be used to overwrite its
           value.

           -f: Overwrite any existing header.

           -d: Remove the header instead of adding it.

       :encrypt
           Encrypt the message to all recipients. If a key for a recipient
           cannot be found the message will not be encrypted.

       :sign
           Sign the message using the account's default key. If pgp-key-id is
           set in accounts.conf (see aerc-accounts(5)), it will be used in
           priority. Otherwise, the From header address will be used to look
           for a matching private key in the pgp keyring.

   TERMINAL COMMANDS
       :close
           Closes the terminal.

LOGGING
       Aerc does not log by default, but collecting log output can be useful
       for troubleshooting and reporting issues. Redirecting stdout when
       invoking aerc will write log messages to that file:

           $ aerc > aerc.log

       Persistent logging can be configured via the log-file and log-level
       settings in aerc.conf.

SEE ALSO
       aerc-config(5) aerc-imap(5) aerc-jmap(5) aerc-notmuch(5) aerc-smtp(5)
       aerc-maildir(5) aerc-sendmail(5) aerc-search(1) aerc-stylesets(7) aerc-
       templates(7) aerc-accounts(5) aerc-binds(5) aerc-tutorial(7) aerc-
       patch(7)

AUTHORS
       Originally created by Drew DeVault and maintained by Robin Jarry who is
       assisted by other open source contributors. For more information about
       aerc development, see https://sr.ht/~rjarry/aerc/.

                                  2024-07-30                           AERC(1)