// Before you start
What you need
- Mac or Ubuntu/Debian Linux computer
- Terminal access (Mac: Terminal app, Linux: any terminal)
- Homebrew installed on Mac (brew.sh)
- Stable internet connection for downloading packages
- At least 2 GB free disk space
Nylas Mail was built in 2015–2017 and requires the very old Node.js version 6. NVM (Node Version Manager) lets you install old Node versions without breaking anything else on your machine. Redis is a small background service the app uses for caching. Run these commands one at a time in Terminal. If you are on Linux, skip to Step 2.
$ brew install nvm redis
$ nvm install 6
$ nvm use 6
What you should see
You should see 'Now using node v6.x.x' after the last command.
This might happen
nvm command not found after installing
Close Terminal, reopen it, then run: source ~/.nvm/nvm.sh — then retry nvm install 6
On Linux, use NodeSource to install the correct old version of Node, then install Redis. Skip this step if you are on Mac and completed Step 1.
$ curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_6.x | sudo -E bash -
$ sudo apt-get install -y nodejs
$ sudo apt-get install -y redis-server redis-tools
What you should see
No errors. Running 'node -v' should print v6.x.x.
This might happen
curl command fails or NodeSource returns an error
NodeSource no longer actively hosts Node 6 packages. Try a community mirror or consider using a Docker container with node:6 instead.
This downloads the full Nylas Mail source code to your computer into a folder called nylas-mail.
$ git clone https://github.com/nylas/nylas-mail.git
$ cd nylas-mail
What you should see
A folder named nylas-mail appears and your terminal prompt now shows you are inside it.
This command reads the project's package list and downloads all the JavaScript libraries it needs. It will take a while — the project is large. Watch for errors at the end rather than during the middle scroll.
What you should see
The command finishes without a fatal error. Some warnings are normal and can be ignored.
This might happen
Many deprecation errors or a hard failure mid-install
This project is 7+ years old. Dependency conflicts are common. Try: npm install --legacy-peer-deps — if that also fails, the archived codebase may simply not build cleanly on modern systems without significant manual fixes.
This launches the Electron-based desktop window. The first launch may take 30–60 seconds as it compiles assets.
What you should see
A desktop window opens showing the Nylas Mail interface and an account setup screen.
This might happen
Window never opens or you see an Electron crash screen
Check the terminal for the specific error. Missing native modules are the most common cause on newer operating systems. The project's GitHub Issues page and community forks (linked in the README) may have patches.
// Status
cooked. baked. worked.
A running local copy of the classic Nylas Mail desktop email client, suitable for historical exploration, plugin experimentation, or as a starting point for your own fork — with cloud features disabled.
// the honest bit
The honest part
This repository is archived and has not been maintained since 2017. Node 6 is end-of-life and NodeSource no longer actively serves its packages. Native Electron modules frequently break on macOS Ventura/Sonoma and modern Linux kernels. Cloud features (Snooze, Send Later, Nylas ID) are permanently disabled without deploying your own backend microservices, which is a significant engineering project. For a working mail client today, follow the community forks linked at the bottom of the GitHub README instead of building this original repo.
