diff --git a/uvgotmail_buggy_idle.py b/uvgotmail_buggy_idle.py
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..9156c8d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/uvgotmail_buggy_idle.py
@@ -0,0 +1,303 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+import argparse
+import sys
+import os
+import atexit
+
+def parseYN(s, default = False):
+    if default == False:
+        return s.lower() in ['true', '1', 't', 'y', 'yes', 'yeah', 'yup', 'certainly', 'uh-huh', 'go for it']
+    else: return not s.lower() in ['false', '0', 'f', 'n', 'no', 'nah', 'nope', 'certainly not', 'nuh-huh', 'bugger that']
+
+def getYN(b):
+    return "yes" if b else "no"
+
+def parseConfig(args=None,config_path=None):
+    # default settings
+    if args:
+        config = { "no_count": args.no_count, "mailbox_symbol": "📬", "mutt": args.mutt, "ssl": True, "server": "", "port": 0, "user": "", "password": "" }
+    if not config_path:
+        config_path = args.config
+    filename = os.path.expanduser(config_path)
+    # if we have a config file, parse it
+    if os.path.exists(filename):
+        with open(filename) as f:
+            for line in f:
+                line = line.strip()
+                if len(line) == 0: continue
+                if line[0] == "#": continue # skip commented lines
+                kv = line.strip().split("=",1);
+                kv[0] = kv[0].replace("-","_");
+                if len(kv)==1:
+                    continue
+                try:
+                    # load types appropriately
+                    if type(config[kv[0]]) == type(True):
+                        config[kv[0]] = (kv[1] == 'True') # cast to boolean
+                    elif type(config[kv[0]]) == type(1):
+                        config[kv[0]] = int(kv[1])
+                    else:
+                        config[kv[0]] = kv[1]
+                except:
+                    print("uvgotmail: unknown option: "+kv[0])
+            # sort booleans
+    # otherwise, prompt the user to create one
+    elif(args.daemon and not args.mutt):
+        if parseYN(input("uvgotmail: no config file exists. create now? [Y/n] "),default=True):
+            createConfig(config_path, config,args)
+            return
+        else:
+            print("uvgotmail: failed to start.")
+            exit(1)
+
+    # if no port is specified, use default
+    if config["port"] == 0:
+        config["port"] = 993 if config["ssl"] else 143
+
+    # read muttrc if we should do that
+    if config["mutt"] == True:
+        try: # try both locations of dotfile
+            with open(os.path.expanduser("~/.muttrc")) as f:
+                muttrc = f.readlines();
+        except Exception as e:
+            try:
+                with open(os.path.expanduser("~/.mutt/muttrc")) as f:
+                    muttrc = f.readlines();
+            except Exception as f:
+                print(e)
+                print(f)
+                print("uvgotmail: could not read your muttrc. does it exist?")
+                exit(1)
+        for line in muttrc:
+            line = line.strip()
+            if len(line) == 0:
+                continue
+            if line[0] == "#": continue # skip commented lines
+            if "set imap_user" in line:
+                config["user"]=line.split("=",1)[1].strip().replace('"','')
+            if "set imap_pass" in line:
+                # voodoo to remove "s only from the start and end of password, if present
+                config["password"]="".join(line.split("=",1)[1].strip().replace('"','',1).rsplit('"',1))
+            if "set folder" in line:
+                folder = line.split("=",1)[1].strip().replace('"','')
+                if folder.startswith("imaps"):
+                    config["ssl"] = True
+                server_port = folder.split("//")[1].split(":")
+                config["server"] = server_port[0]
+                config["port"] = server_port[1]
+
+    # make sure at least a server and a username are set
+    if config["server"] == "" or config["user"] == "":
+        print("uvgotmail: failed to start. no imap server or username specified.")
+    return config
+
+def createConfig(config_path, config,args):
+    # helper function to deal with setting each item
+    def getInput(prompt, existing):
+        boolean = type(existing) == type(True)
+        existing_str = getYN(existing) if boolean else str(existing)
+        inp = input(prompt + " [" + existing_str + "]: ")
+        if inp=="":
+            return existing
+        if boolean:
+            inp = parseYN(inp)
+        return inp
+
+    import datetime
+    config_path = getInput("where do you want to put your config file? (directory tree will be created if necessary)",config_path)
+    config["mailbox_symbol"] = getInput("what symbol do you want to display when there are unread messages?",config["mailbox_symbol"])
+    config["no_count"] = not getInput("do you want to display the number of unread messages?",not config["no_count"])
+    config["mutt"] = getInput("do you want to use your muttrc for the server settings?",config["mutt"])
+    if not config["mutt"]:
+        config["server"] = getInput("what's your IMAP server?",config["server"])
+        config["ssl"] = getInput("are you using ssl? it's " + str(datetime.date.today().year) +" so you really should be",config["ssl"])
+        if(config["port"] == ""):
+            config["port"] = 993 if config["ssl"] else 143
+        config["port"] = getInput("what's the IMAP port?",config["port"])
+        config["user"]= getInput("what's your IMAP username?",config["user"])
+        config["password"] = getInput("what's your IMAP password?",config["password"])
+    # confirm all this is correct; if not go round again
+    if(not parseYN(input("is this correct? [y/N] "))):
+        createConfig(config_path,config)
+        return
+    else:
+        from pathlib import Path
+        while True:
+            path =  Path(os.path.expanduser(config_path))
+            try:
+                path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True,mode=0o700)
+                path.touch(mode=0o600,exist_ok=False)
+                with path.open(mode="w") as f:
+                    for i,key in enumerate(config):
+                        f.write(key+"="+str(config[key])+("\n" if i < len(config)-1 else ""))
+                print("config file created; starting daemon")
+                parseConfig(config_path = config_path,args=args)
+                break
+            except Exception as e:
+                if not parseYN(input("failed to create config file: " + str(e) +"... retry? [Y/n] ")):
+                    exit(1)
+                config_path = getInput("where do you want to put your config file? (directory tree will be created if necessary)",config_path)
+
+
+def main():
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
+    parser.add_argument("--daemon", help="run in daemon mode (put this at end of .bashrc)", action="store_true")
+    parser.add_argument("--config", help="specify config file (default: ~/.uvgotmail/config)", default="~/.uvgotmail/config")
+    parser.add_argument("--mutt", help="use existing mutt configuration (experimental)", action="store_true")
+    parser.add_argument("--check", help="run in check mode (put this in PS1)", action="store_true")
+    parser.add_argument("--no-count", help="don't display how many unread messages there are", action="store_true")
+    parser.add_argument("--mailbox-symbol", help="specify a string instead of the mailbox emoji",default="")
+    parser.add_argument("--debug", help="print errors",action="store_true")
+    args = parser.parse_args()
+
+
+    global config
+    config = parseConfig(args);
+
+    config["debug"] = args.debug
+
+    if(args.daemon == args.check):
+        parser.print_help()
+        sys.exit(0)
+    if(args.daemon):
+        daemon()
+    else:
+        check()
+
+def check():
+    filename = os.path.expanduser('~/.uvgotmail/unread')
+    if os.path.exists(filename):
+        with open(filename) as f:
+            unread = f.read();
+            if unread != '':
+                unread = int(unread)
+            else:
+                unread = 0
+        if unread == 0:
+            sys.exit(0)
+        pre = ""
+        if(unread > 1 and config["no_count"] == False):
+            pre = "("+str(unread)+") "
+        print(pre+config["mailbox_symbol"],end=' ')
+    # if there's no unread count file, just exit quietly
+
+def writeUnreadFile(unseen):
+    try:
+        with open(os.path.expanduser('~/.uvgotmail/unread'),'w') as f:
+            f.write(str(len(unseen)))
+    except Exception as e:
+        if config["debug"]: print(e)
+        print("uvgotmail: could not write to unread file")
+
+# we're implementing this in a disgusting way. i'm sorry.
+import time
+import socket
+import re
+
+def idleFunction(s,unseen):
+    s._startIdle = time.time()
+    if 'IDLE' not in s.capabilities:
+        raise s.error('Server does not support IDLE')
+    idle_tag = s._command('IDLE')  # start idling
+    s._get_response()
+    while line := s._get_line():
+        if b'FETCH' in line:
+            l = str(line)
+            msg = re.findall(r'\d+',l)[0]
+            if config["debug"]: print(msg, unseen)
+            if "seen" in l.lower():
+                unseen.remove(msg)
+            else:
+                unseen.append(msg)
+            print(unseen)
+            writeUnreadFile(unseen)
+        else:
+            # we only want to idle for ten minutes maximum. we will use the keep-alive messages to keep track in a single thread.
+            if(time.time() - s.start > 600):
+                s.send(b'DONE' + imaplib.CRLF)
+                return s._command_complete('IDLE', idle_tag)
+
+
+# thanks to trentbuck on github for this awful idea
+
+def daemon():
+    import imaplib
+    imaplib.Commands['IDLE'] = ('AUTH', 'SELECTED')
+    class IMAP4_SSL_plus_IDLE(imaplib.IMAP4_SSL):
+        def idle(self, unseen):
+            idleFunction(self,unseen)
+    class IMAP4_plus_IDLE(imaplib.IMAP4):
+        def idle(self, unseen):
+            idleFunction(self,unseen)
+
+    IMAP4_SSL = IMAP4_SSL_plus_IDLE
+    IMAP4 = IMAP4_plus_IDLE
+    socket.setdefaulttimeout(120)
+
+
+
+    # first check if daemon is already running
+    pidfile = os.path.expanduser('~/.uvgotmail/.run.pid')
+    if os.path.exists(pidfile):
+        with open(pidfile) as f:
+            pid = f.read()
+            if pid != '':
+                pid = int(pid)
+            else:
+                pid = 0
+            running_cmd = os.popen("ps -p" + str(pid) +" -o command").read()
+            current_cmd = os.popen("ps -p" + str(os.getpid()) +" -o command").read()
+            if running_cmd == current_cmd or os.path.basename(sys.argv[0]) in running_cmd:
+                # the process is running; we don't need to start up at all
+                exit(0)
+    try:
+        with open(pidfile,'w') as f:
+            f.write(str(os.getpid()))
+        def delPid(pidfile):
+            os.remove(pidfile)
+        atexit.register(delPid,pidfile)
+    except:
+        print("uvgotmail: failed to write to PID file")
+        exit(1)
+
+    # main loop
+    import time
+    start_time = time.time();
+    IMAP4_func = IMAP4_SSL if config["ssl"] else IMAP4
+    while True:
+        try:
+            with IMAP4_func(config["server"],config["port"]) as conn:
+                conn.login(user=config["user"],password=config["password"])
+                conn.select(mailbox='INBOX',readonly=True)
+                typ,msgnums = conn.search(None, "UNSEEN");
+                unseen = [n.decode() for n in msgnums if n != b'']
+                if len(unseen)>0:
+                    unseen=unseen[0].split(' ')
+                else:
+                    unseen=[]
+                if config["debug"]: print(unseen)
+                writeUnreadFile(unseen)
+                #try:
+                resp = conn.idle(unseen)
+                #except Exception as e:
+                if config["debug"]: print(e)
+                if time.time() - start_time <= 10:
+                    print("uvgotmail: too many imap errors. exiting.")
+                    sys.exit(1)
+                start_time = time.time();
+
+        except Exception as e:
+            if config["debug"]:
+                print(e)
+            print("uvgotmail: failed to log in to server. dumping config.")
+            print(config);
+            exit(1)
+
+# handle ctrl+c gracefully
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    try:
+        main()
+    except KeyboardInterrupt:
+        print('Interrupted')
+        exit(130)
+