Re: bin/59951: mailx(1) misparses mbox of git patches

["Michael van Elst via gnats" <gnats-admin%NetBSD.org@localhost>]

The following reply was made to PR bin/59951; it has been noted by GNATS.

From: mlelstv%serpens.de@localhost (Michael van Elst)
To: gnats-bugs%netbsd.org@localhost
Cc: 
Subject: Re: bin/59951: mailx(1) misparses mbox of git patches
Date: Fri, 30 Jan 2026 11:36:40 -0000 (UTC)

 gnats-admin%NetBSD.org@localhost ("uwe%stderr.spb.ru@localhost via gnats") writes:
 
 >mailx seems to mis-parse a mbox file that is obtained from cat'ting
 >together several git patches.  mutt correctly parses the same mbox.
 
 
 When the mbox file format was invented, there was no specification.
 So it's a bit difficult to say what is "correctly parsing".
 
 Since 2005 there is RFC 4155 that tries to specify a "default" mbox
 database format. It demands that a message is preceded by the
 separator line (matching /^From /) and is followed by an empty
 line.
 
 With a proper empty line ending each message, mail(1) does parse
 such a "default" mbox format correctly.
 
 N.B. procmail/formail also "fails" to understand an mbox without
 ending empty lines.