---
name: "rcvtty"
section: "1mh"
platform: "linux"
package: "nmh"
version: "1.8-3"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/rcvtty/1mh"
---

# rcvtty(1mh)

report new mail with nmh

## NAME

rcvtty - report new mail with nmh

## SYNOPSIS

**/usr/lib/mh/rcvtty** \[**-help**\] \[**-version**\] \[*command*\] \[**-form** *formatfile*\] \[**-format** *string*\] \[**-width** *columns*\] \[**-bell** \| **-nobell**\] \[**-newline** \| **-nonewline**\] \[**-biff**\]

## DESCRIPTION

The **rcvtty** command can be used to report new mail.  It is used primarily in conjunction with mail filtering agents such as **slocal** or **procmail**.

**rcvtty** executes the named command with the message as its standard input, and writes the resulting output on your terminal.

Alternatively, if no command is specified (or the command is bogus), then **rcvtty** will instead write a one-line scan listing.  The default output format of this scan listing may be overridden by using either the **-form** *formatfile* or **-format** *string* option, similar to the equivalent options for **scan** and **inc**. See [*mh-format*(5)](/mh-format/5.md) for details.

A newline is output before the message output, and the terminal bell is rung after the output.  The **-nonewline** and **-nobell** switches will inhibit these functions.

The switch **-width** *columns* may be given to specify the width of the scan line. The default is to use the width of the terminal.

In addition to the standard format escapes described in [*mh-format*(5)](/mh-format/5.md), **rcvtty** also recognizes the following additional *component* escapes:

```
Escape	Returns	Description
body	string	the (compressed) first part of the body
dtimenow	date	the current date
folder	string	the name of the current folder
```

By default, **rcvtty** will send its output to every terminal on the local machine that is owned by current user, and that has given write permission as granted by the command [*mesg*(1)](/mesg/1.md). If the option **-biff** is given, then **rcvtty** will obey the notification status set by the command [*biff*(1)](/biff/1.md) instead.

## FILES

```
^/etc/nmh/mts.conf~^nmh mts configuration file
^$HOME/.maildelivery~^The file controlling local delivery
^/etc/nmh/maildelivery~^Rather than the standard file
```

## CONTEXT

None

## DEFAULTS

```
`-width' defaults to the width of the terminal
`-newline'
`-bell'
```

## SEE ALSO

[*mh-format*(5)](/mh-format/5.md), [*rcvdist*(1)](/rcvdist/1.md), [*rcvpack*(1)](/rcvpack/1.md), [*rcvstore*(1)](/rcvstore/1.md), [*slocal*(1)](/slocal/1.md)

## BUGS

Only two return codes are meaningful, others should be.