Solve mutt (neomutt) Can't Access Plain Text Attachments Issue Easily

Discover how to troubleshoot and resolve issues with accessing `text/plain` attachments in (Neo)mutt. This guide covers common mistakes and practical solutions for a seamless email experience.
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This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/62611994/ asked by the user 'Robert Kratky' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/4296325/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/73789865/ provided by the user 'ruhnet' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/5735139/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

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Troubleshooting Mutt (NeoMutt) Access to Plain Text Attachments

If you're a user of (Neo)mutt and have encountered an issue accessing or viewing inline text/plain attachments, you're not alone. Many users have reported seeing the error message:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This error typically arises when trying to read the body of a plain-text message from the Attachments view. Conversely, accessing the same file through a terminal command like cat works perfectly. This guide will guide you through understanding the problem and implementing a solution to ensure you can view your attachments without a hitch.

Understanding the Problem

When utilizing (Neo)mutt, you may find inconsistencies when viewing text/plain attachments versus other attachment types, like text/html. A common scenario leading to issues is when the mailcap configuration isn’t set up correctly. Here's a breakdown of what could be wrong:

The editor variable is not set.

The mailcap file line for text/plain is misconfigured, causing (Neo)mutt to treat the text file as an executable.

The Solution

The good news is that this problem can be fixed quite easily by adjusting a couple of settings in your configuration. Here's how:

Step 1: Check Your Mailcap File

Your mailcap file dictates how different file types are handled. You might find a line in your mailcap file that looks like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

If your EDITOR variable isn't set correctly, (Neo)mutt may attempt to execute the plain text file instead of opening it for viewing.

Step 2: Set the EDITOR Variable

To resolve the issue, make sure you have set your EDITOR environment variable. You can do this by adding the following line to your shell's configuration file (like .bashrc or .zshrc):

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Make sure to replace vim with your preferred editor. After making this change, do not forget to reload your shell configuration:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Step 3: Modify the Mailcap Entry

If setting the EDITOR variable doesn’t work, or if you prefer not to use your editor for viewing plain text attachments, you can modify the mailcap entry. Change the line in your mailcap file for text/plain to use a pager instead:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Using less, or any other pager of your choice, provides a safe way to view attachments without risking accidental edits.

Step 4: Testing the Solution

After making these changes, test by trying to access a text/plain attachment again through the Attachments view. You should now be able to open it seamlessly, allowing for smooth email interactions and file viewing without encountering permission errors.

Conclusion

Experiencing issues when accessing plain text attachments in (Neo)mutt can be frustrating, but with the right adjustments to your mailcap configuration and ensuring your EDITOR variable is set, you can resolve this swiftly. Don't hesitate to revisit these settings if you encounter problems again in the future.

By following these organized steps, you'll improve your experience with (Neo)mutt and ensure that you can always access your email attachments with ease. Happy emailing!