I’ve been trying to configure the Wanderlust email client on my Windows machine to work with my Gmail account. The installation process has been way more complicated than I expected.
Here are the main issues I’m running into:
-
Missing dependencies - I need SEMI, APEL, and FLIM packages, but the download links seem broken. I found some newer versions online but I’m not sure if they’re compatible. Does anyone know where to get the correct versions?
-
Build tools - I’ve had to install MSYS to get the make and install commands working. I think the compilation went okay, though.
-
SSL problems - I keep getting the “Cannot open load file: ssl” error. I found ssl.el in the w3 package, so I installed that too.
-
Shell script issues - The ssl-get-command function is trying to call /bin/sh, which doesn’t exist on Windows. I really don’t want to modify the source code if I can avoid it.
I’ve read great things about Wanderlust and really want to get it working. I’m pretty sure that Gmail support should work fine, but I’m wondering if anyone has successfully set this up on Windows. Any tips would be much appreciated since I’m getting pretty frustrated with all these configuration problems.
Wanderlust on Windows is challenging. I faced similar issues two years ago. For SSL, it’s worth directing Wanderlust to stunnel or openssl rather than using the default SSL functions. As for the shell script problem, installing Git Bash can provide a functional Unix-like environment with /bin/sh. However, I must say that the effort to maintain this setup often outweighed the benefits. My configuration frequently broke after Windows updates, and troubleshooting IMAP across layers became quite tedious. If you’re looking for robust email handling with advanced filtering options, consider Claws Mail, or alternatively, run Wanderlust in WSL2, which helps resolve many of these Windows-related complications.
I went through this same nightmare about a year ago - getting Wanderlust running on Windows is a pain, but it’s doable. For SEMI/APEL, just grab the packages from the old JDEE archive. They’re outdated but still work fine. Your SSL issues? Set ssl-program-name to point directly at your OpenSSL executable instead of using the built-in stuff. Don’t mess with source code for the shell script problem - just install Cygwin. It gives you the proper /bin/sh environment Wanderlust wants. Once I cleared these hurdles, it’s been rock solid on my Windows machine. Make sure your PATH has all the binaries and get your config variables right. Gmail integration works perfectly after that.
i totally get where ur coming from, man. Wanderlust can be a pain on Windows, especially with all the SSL errors. try out Thunderbird or Mailspring, they work way smoother with Gmail and won’t make you pull ur hair out over dependencies.
Honestly, try running emacs in Docker. Sounds like overkill but it skips all the Windows headaches. I fought with wanderlust setup forever until I realized Docker just handles the Unix dependencies for you.
Been there - those SEMI and APEL dependency issues are a nightmare. You’ll waste weeks just trying to get everything stable.
Skip the manual setup headache. Automate your Gmail workflow instead. Set up flows that handle email processing, filtering, and responses without needing Wanderlust.
You can build scenarios that monitor Gmail, process messages with custom rules, trigger auto-replies or forwarding, and connect with your other tools. Much cleaner than fighting SSL errors and Windows path issues.
I’ve automated my entire email setup this way. No more dependency hell or compatibility nightmares.
Check it out: https://latenode.com