o in the reader is hardcoded to w3m (internal/ui/model.go:3931, exec.Command("w3m", tmpPath)), so it cannot be pointed at a terminal browser that implements CSS.
This matters more for email than for general browsing, because w3m has no CSS support at all. Demonstrated on a minimal document:
<html><style>.h{color:red;font-weight:bold}</style>
<body><p class=h>STYLED</p>
<div style="display:none">HIDDEN-SHOULD-NOT-APPEAR</div>
<p>plain</p></body></html>$ w3m -dump /tmp/t.html
STYLED
HIDDEN-SHOULD-NOT-APPEAR
plain
w3m(1) has no mention of css or stylesheet; it renders HTML structure and ignores styling.
Why this bites email specifically
HTML email uses display:none for preheader text — the hidden preview line most senders put at the top of the document for the inbox list. Opening such a message with o shows that hidden text as body content, above the real message. Marketing mail also leans on inline styles for layout, which flattens.
Chawan is a terminal browser with a real CSS implementation (its manual documents css(7) and a user stylesheet), so it honours display:none and inline styling. It is a drop-in for this use — same "write HTML to a temp file, open it, resume on exit" shape.
Suggested shape
A config key, matching the two external-command hooks that already exist:
[reader]
html_command = "w3m" # default: current behaviour
# html_command = "cha"
# html_command = "lynx"
That mirrors [ai].command (docs/.../configuration/#ai-handoff) and [calendar].open_command, so it fits the existing config surface rather than adding a new concept. tea.ExecProcess is already correct for any TUI process, so the change is the command name and an args slice.
Happy to send a PR if the shape is agreeable — including whether you would prefer args alongside it (as [ai] has) for renderers that need flags.
Environment
neomd 0.8.7 (prebuilt linux_amd64 release), Linux, reading two accounts over IMAP.
oin the reader is hardcoded tow3m(internal/ui/model.go:3931,exec.Command("w3m", tmpPath)), so it cannot be pointed at a terminal browser that implements CSS.This matters more for email than for general browsing, because w3m has no CSS support at all. Demonstrated on a minimal document:
w3m(1)has no mention ofcssorstylesheet; it renders HTML structure and ignores styling.Why this bites email specifically
HTML email uses
display:nonefor preheader text — the hidden preview line most senders put at the top of the document for the inbox list. Opening such a message withoshows that hidden text as body content, above the real message. Marketing mail also leans on inline styles for layout, which flattens.Chawan is a terminal browser with a real CSS implementation (its manual documents
css(7)and a user stylesheet), so it honoursdisplay:noneand inline styling. It is a drop-in for this use — same "write HTML to a temp file, open it, resume on exit" shape.Suggested shape
A config key, matching the two external-command hooks that already exist:
That mirrors
[ai].command(docs/.../configuration/#ai-handoff) and[calendar].open_command, so it fits the existing config surface rather than adding a new concept.tea.ExecProcessis already correct for any TUI process, so the change is the command name and an args slice.Happy to send a PR if the shape is agreeable — including whether you would prefer
argsalongside it (as[ai]has) for renderers that need flags.Environment
neomd 0.8.7 (prebuilt linux_amd64 release), Linux, reading two accounts over IMAP.