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Avoid Common Crypto Pitfalls

Avoid Common Crypto Pitfalls#

Prerequisites#

  1. NeoMutt built with crypto support.

  2. GnuPG installed.

Fix Pinentry Problems#

NeoMutt does not work with the tty pinentry program.

  1. Install a GUI or curses pinentry (for example pinentry-curses).

  2. Configure gpg-agent:

pinentry-program /usr/bin/pinentry-curses

Expected result: passphrase prompts appear correctly when signing or decrypting.

Prefer GPGME Over Classic Mode#

  1. Enable GPGME:

set crypt_use_gpgme

  1. Restart NeoMutt.

Expected result: OpenPGP and S/MIME use the modern GPGME backend.

Ensure Keys Are Available#

  1. Verify your default keys are set:

set pgp_default_key = "YOURKEYID"
set smime_default_key = "YOURCERTID"

Expected result: NeoMutt can pick keys without prompting every time.

Resolve S/MIME Trust Issues#

  1. If S/MIME certificates are not trusted, import root certificates into GnuPG (gpgsm --import).

  2. Verify the trust list if signatures fail.

Expected result: S/MIME verification succeeds for trusted senders.

See How to Use PGP Encryption and How to Use S/MIME.