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* notmuch-sexp-queries: (notmuch-sexp-queries.info). s-expression syntax for notmuch queries
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     notmuch 0.40, Apr 10, 2026

     Carl Worth and many others

     Copyright (C) 2009-2026, Carl Worth and many others


File: notmuch-sexp-queries.info,  Node: Top,  Next: SYNOPSIS,  Up: (dir)

notmuch-sexp-queries documentation
**********************************

     notmuch 0.40, Apr 10, 2026

     Carl Worth and many others

     Copyright (C) 2009-2026, Carl Worth and many others

* Menu:

* SYNOPSIS::
* DESCRIPTION::
* EXAMPLES::
* NOTES::


File: notmuch-sexp-queries.info,  Node: SYNOPSIS,  Next: DESCRIPTION,  Prev: Top,  Up: Top

1 SYNOPSIS
**********

`notmuch' `subcommand' `--query=sexp' [option …]  `--' ‘(and (to
santa) (date december))’


File: notmuch-sexp-queries.info,  Node: DESCRIPTION,  Next: EXAMPLES,  Prev: SYNOPSIS,  Up: Top

2 DESCRIPTION
*************

Notmuch supports an alternative query syntax based on S-expressions(1)
. It can be selected with the command line `--query=sexp' or with the
appropriate option to the library function
`notmuch_query_create_with_syntax()'.  Support for this syntax is
currently optional, you can test if your build of notmuch supports it
with

    $ notmuch config get built_with.sexp_queries

* Menu:

* S-EXPRESSIONS::
* S-EXPRESSION QUERIES::

---------- Footnotes ----------

(1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-expression


File: notmuch-sexp-queries.info,  Node: S-EXPRESSIONS,  Next: S-EXPRESSION QUERIES,  Up: DESCRIPTION

2.1 S-EXPRESSIONS
=================

An `s-expression' is either an atom, or list of whitespace delimited
s-expressions inside parentheses. Atoms are either

`basic value'

     A basic value is an unquoted string containing no whitespace,
     double quotes, or parentheses.

`quoted string'

     Double quotes (”) delimit strings possibly containing whitespace
     or parentheses. These can contain double quote characters by
     escaping with backslash. E.g. `"this is a quote \""'.


File: notmuch-sexp-queries.info,  Node: S-EXPRESSION QUERIES,  Prev: S-EXPRESSIONS,  Up: DESCRIPTION

2.2 S-EXPRESSION QUERIES
========================

An s-expression query is either an atom, the empty list, or a `compound
query' consisting of a prefix atom (first element) defining a `field',
`logical operation', or `modifier', and 0 or more subqueries.

`*'

     “*” matches any non-empty string in the current field.

`()'

     The empty list matches all messages

`term'

     Match all messages containing `term', possibly after stemming or
     phrase splitting. For discussion of stemming in notmuch see
     `notmuch-search-terms(7)'. Stemming only applies to unquoted terms
     (basic values) in s-expression queries.  For information on phrase
     splitting see *Note FIELDS: 7.

`(' `field' `q'[1] `q'[2] … `q'[n] `)'

     Restrict the queries `q'[1] to `q'[n] to `field', and combine with
     `and' (for most fields) or `or'. See *Note FIELDS: 7. for more
     information.

`(' `operator' `q'[1] `q'[2] … `q'[n] `)'

     Combine queries `q'[1] to `q'[n]. Currently supported operators are
     `and', `or', and `not'. `(not' `q'[1] … `q'[n] `)' is equivalent
     to `(and (not' `q'[1] `) ... (not' `q'[n] `))'.

`(' `modifier' `q'[1] `q'[2] … `q'[n] `)'

     Combine queries `q'[1] to `q'[n], and reinterpret the result (e.g.
     as a regular expression).  See *Note MODIFIERS: 8. for more
     information.

`(macro (' `p'[1] … `p'[n] `) body)'

     Define saved query with parameter substitution. The syntax is
     recognized only in saved s-expression queries (see `squery.*' in
     `notmuch-config(1)'). Parameter names in `body' must be prefixed
     with `,' to be expanded (see *Note MACRO EXAMPLES: 9.).  Macros
     may refer to other macros, but only to their own parameters (1).

* Menu:

* FIELDS::
* MODIFIERS::

---------- Footnotes ----------

(1) Technically macros implement lazy evaluation and lexical scope.
There is one top level scope containing all macro definitions, but all
parameter definitions are local to a given macro.


File: notmuch-sexp-queries.info,  Node: FIELDS,  Next: MODIFIERS,  Up: S-EXPRESSION QUERIES

2.2.1 FIELDS
------------

`Fields' (1) correspond to attributes of mail messages. Some are
inherent (and immutable) like `subject', while others `tag' and
`property' are settable by the user.  Each concrete field in *Note the
table below: b.  is discussed further under “Search prefixes” in
`notmuch-search-terms(7)'. The row `user' refers to user defined
fields, described in `notmuch-config(1)'.

Most fields are either `phrase fields' (2) (which match sequences of
words), or `term fields' (3) (which match exact strings). `Phrase
splitting' breaks the term (basic value or quoted string) into words,
ignore punctuation. Phrase splitting is applied to terms in phrase
(probabilistic) fields. Both phrase splitting and stemming apply only
in phrase fields.

Each term or phrase field has an associated combining operator (`and'
or `or') used to combine the queries from each element of the tail of
the list. This is generally `or' for those fields where a message has
one such attribute, and `and' otherwise.

Term or phrase fields can contain arbitrarily complex queries made up
from terms, operators, and modifiers, but not other fields.

Range fields take one or two arguments specifying lower and upper
bounds.  One argument is interpreted as identical upper and lower
bounds. Either upper or lower bound may be specified as `""' or `*' to
specify the lowest possible lower bound or highest possible upper bound.

`lastmod' ranges support negative arguments, interpreted relative to
the most recent database revision (see `count --lastmod').  Fields with
supported modifiers

field            combine         type            expand          wildcard        regex
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
`none'           and                             no              yes             no
`user'           and             phrase          no              yes             no
attachment       and             phrase          yes             yes             no
body             and             phrase          no              no              no
date                             range           no              no              no
folder           or              phrase          yes             yes             yes
from             and             phrase          yes             yes             yes
id               or              term            no              yes             yes
is               and             term            yes             yes             yes
lastmod                          range           no              no              no
mid              or              term            no              yes             yes
mimetype         or              phrase          yes             yes             no
path             or              term            no              yes             yes
property         and             term            yes             yes             yes
subject          and             phrase          yes             yes             yes
tag              and             term            yes             yes             yes
thread           or              term            yes             yes             yes
to               and             phrase          yes             yes             no

---------- Footnotes ----------

(1) a.k.a. prefixes

(2) a.k.a. probabilistic prefixes

(3) a.k.a. boolean prefixes


File: notmuch-sexp-queries.info,  Node: MODIFIERS,  Prev: FIELDS,  Up: S-EXPRESSION QUERIES

2.2.2 MODIFIERS
---------------

`Modifiers' refer to any prefixes (first elements of compound queries)
that are neither operators nor fields.

`(infix' `atom' `)'

     Interpret `atom' as an infix notmuch query (see
     `notmuch-search-terms(7)'). Not supported inside fields.

`(matching' `q'[1] `q'[2] … `q'[n] `)' `(of' `q'[1] `q'[2] … `q'[n]
`)'

     Match all messages have the same values of the current field as
     those matching all of `q'[1] … `q'[n]. Supported in most term
     (1) or phrase fields. Most commonly used in the `thread' field.

`(query' `atom' `)'

     Expand to the saved query named by `atom'. See `notmuch-config(1)'
     for more. Note that the saved query must be in infix syntax
     (`notmuch-search-terms(7)'). Not supported inside fields.

`(regex' `atom' `)' `(rx' `atom' `)'

     Interpret `atom' as a POSIX.2 regular expression (see
     `regex(7)(2)'). This applies in term fields and a subset (3) of
     phrase fields (see *Note Fields with supported modifiers: b.).

`(starts-with' `subword' `)'

     Matches any term starting with `subword'.  This applies in either
     phrase or term *Note fields: 7, or outside of fields (4). Note that
     a `starts-with' query cannot be part of a phrase. The atom `*' is
     a synonym for `(starts-with "")'.

---------- Footnotes ----------

(1) Due to the way recursive `path' queries are implemented in notmuch,
this modifier is not supported in the `path' field.

(2) https://manpages.debian.org/regex.7.html

(3) Due to the implementation of phrase fields in Xapian, regex queries
could only match individual words.

(4) Due to the way `body' is implemented in notmuch, this modifier is
not supported in the `body' field.


File: notmuch-sexp-queries.info,  Node: EXAMPLES,  Next: NOTES,  Prev: DESCRIPTION,  Up: Top

3 EXAMPLES
**********

`Wizard'

     Match all messages containing the word “wizard”, ignoring case.

`added'

     Match all messages containing “added”, but also those
     containing “add”, “additional”, “Additional”,
     “adds”, etc… via stemming.

`(and Bob Marley)'

     Match messages containing words “Bob” and “Marley”, or
     their stems The words need not be adjacent.

`(not Bob Marley)'

     Match messages containing neither “Bob” nor “Marley”, nor
     their stems.

`"quick fox"' `quick-fox' `quick@fox'

     Match the `phrase' “quick” followed by “fox” in phrase
     fields (or outside a field). Match the literal string in a term
     field.

`(folder (of (id 1234@invalid)))'

     Match any message in the same folder as the one with Message-Id
     “1234@invalid”.

`(id 1234@invalid blah@test)'

     Matches Message-Id “1234@invalid” `or' Message-Id
     “blah@test”.

`(and (infix "date:2009-11-18..2009-11-18") (tag unread))'

     Match messages in the given date range with tag unread.

`(and (date 2009-11-18 2009-11-18) (tag unread))'

     Match messages in the given date range with tag unread.

`(and (date 2009-11-18 *) (tag unread))'

     Match messages from 2009-11-18 or later with tag unread.

`(and (date * 2009-11-18) (tag unread))'

     Match messages from 2009-11-18 or earlier with tag unread.

`(starts-with prelim)'

     Match any words starting with “prelim”.

`(subject quick "brown fox")'

     Match messages whose subject contains “quick” (anywhere,
     stemmed) and the phrase “brown fox”.

`(subject (starts-with prelim))'

     Matches any word starting with “prelim”, inside a message
     subject.

`(subject (starts-with quick) "brown fox")'

     Match messages whose subject contains “quick brown fox”, but
     also “brown fox quicksand”.

`(thread (of (id 1234@invalid)))'

     Match any message in the same thread as the one with Message-Id
     “1234@invalid”.

`(thread (matching (from bob@example.com) (to bob@example.com)))'

     Match any (messages in) a thread containing a message from
     “bob@example.com” and a (possibly distinct) message to
     “bob@example.com”.

`(to (or bob@example.com mallory@example.org))' `(or (to
bob@example.com) (to mallory@example.org))'

     Match in the “To” or “Cc” headers, “bob@example.com”,
     “mallory@example.org”, and also “bob@example.com.au” since
     it contains the adjacent triple “bob”, “example”,
     “com”.

`(not (to *))'

     Match messages with an empty or invalid ‘To’ and ‘Cc’
     field.

`(List *)'

     Match messages with a non-empty List-Id header, assuming
     configuration `index.header.List=List-Id'.

* Menu:

* MACRO EXAMPLES::


File: notmuch-sexp-queries.info,  Node: MACRO EXAMPLES,  Up: EXAMPLES

3.1 MACRO EXAMPLES
==================

A macro that takes two parameters and applies different fields to them.

    $ notmuch config set squery.TagSubject '(macro (tagname subj) (and (tag ,tagname) (subject ,subj)))'
    $ notmuch search --query=sexp '(TagSubject inbox maildir)'

Nested macros are allowed.

    $ notmuch config set squery.Inner '(macro (x) (subject ,x))'
    $ notmuch config set squery.Outer  '(macro (x y) (and (tag ,x) (Inner ,y)))'
    $ notmuch search --query=sexp '(Outer inbox maildir)'

Parameters can be re-used to reduce boilerplate. Any field, including
user defined fields is permitted within a macro.

    $ notmuch config set squery.About '(macro (name) (or (subject ,name) (List ,name)))'
    $ notmuch search --query=sexp '(About notmuch)'


File: notmuch-sexp-queries.info,  Node: NOTES,  Prev: EXAMPLES,  Up: Top

4 NOTES
*******



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