---
name: "pickup"
section: "8"
platform: "macos"
package: "postfix"
version: "1636"
release: "macOS 26.5"
platforms: ["linux", "macos"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/pickup"
---

# pickup(8)

Postfix local mail pickup

## NAME

pickup - Postfix local mail pickup

## SYNOPSIS

```
pickup [generic Postfix daemon options]
```

## DESCRIPTION

The [**pickup**(8)](/pickup/8.md) daemon waits for hints that new mail has been dropped into the **maildrop** directory, and feeds it into the [**cleanup**(8)](/cleanup/8.md) daemon. Ill-formatted files are deleted without notifying the originator. This program expects to be run from the [**master**(8)](/master/8.md) process manager.

## STANDARDS

```

```

None. The [**pickup**(8)](/pickup/8.md) daemon does not interact with the outside world.

## SECURITY

```

```

The [**pickup**(8)](/pickup/8.md) daemon is moderately security sensitive. It runs with fixed low privilege and can run in a chrooted environment. However, the program reads files from potentially hostile users. The [**pickup**(8)](/pickup/8.md) daemon opens no files for writing, is careful about what files it opens for reading, and does not actually touch any data that is sent to its public service endpoint.

## DIAGNOSTICS

Problems and transactions are logged to [**syslogd**(8)](/syslogd/8.md).

## BUGS

The [**pickup**(8)](/pickup/8.md) daemon copies mail from file to the [**cleanup**(8)](/cleanup/8.md) daemon.  It could avoid message copying overhead by sending a file descriptor instead of file data, but then the already complex [**cleanup**(8)](/cleanup/8.md) daemon would have to deal with unfiltered user data.

## CONFIGURATION PARAMETERS

```

```

As the [**pickup**(8)](/pickup/8.md) daemon is a relatively long-running process, up to an hour may pass before a **main.cf** change takes effect. Use the command "**postfix reload**" command to speed up a change.

The text below provides only a parameter summary. See [**postconf**(5)](/postconf/5.md) for more details including examples.

## CONTENT INSPECTION CONTROLS

```

```

- **content\_filter (empty)**

  After the message is queued, send the entire message to the specified *transport:destination*.

- **receive\_override\_options (empty)**

  Enable or disable recipient validation, built-in content filtering, or address mapping.

## MISCELLANEOUS CONTROLS

```

```

- **config\_directory (see 'postconf -d' output)**

  The default location of the Postfix main.cf and master.cf configuration files.

- **ipc\_timeout (3600s)**

  The time limit for sending or receiving information over an internal communication channel.

- **line\_length\_limit (2048)**

  Upon input, long lines are chopped up into pieces of at most this length; upon delivery, long lines are reconstructed.

- **max\_idle (100s)**

  The maximum amount of time that an idle Postfix daemon process waits for an incoming connection before terminating voluntarily.

- **max\_use (100)**

  The maximal number of incoming connections that a Postfix daemon process will service before terminating voluntarily.

- **process\_id (read-only)**

  The process ID of a Postfix command or daemon process.

- **process\_name (read-only)**

  The process name of a Postfix command or daemon process.

- **queue\_directory (see 'postconf -d' output)**

  The location of the Postfix top-level queue directory.

- **syslog\_facility (mail)**

  The syslog facility of Postfix logging.

- **syslog\_name (see 'postconf -d' output)**

  A prefix that is prepended to the process name in syslog records, so that, for example, "smtpd" becomes "prefix/smtpd".

## SEE ALSO

```
cleanup(8), message canonicalization
sendmail(1), Sendmail-compatible interface
postdrop(1), mail posting agent
postconf(5), configuration parameters
master(5), generic daemon options
master(8), process manager
syslogd(8), system logging
```

## LICENSE

```

```

The Secure Mailer license must be distributed with this software.

## AUTHOR(S)

```
Wietse Venema
IBM T.J. Watson Research
P.O. Box 704
Yorktown Heights, NY 10598, USA
Wietse Venema
Google, Inc.
111 8th Avenue
New York, NY 10011, USA
```