cron: (CRON) info (No MTA installed, discarding output)

TL;DR

cron mails job output, and with no mail server it discards it: your jobs run blind. Either install a minimal MTA, or redirect each job's output to a log file or the system logger. Output becomes visible either way.

Error

cron: (CRON) info (No MTA installed, discarding output)

Steps

1. Confirm the behavior: check syslog for the "No MTA installed" line after a job run. Expected: the message appears, proving output is being dropped.
2. Fix option A: install a lightweight MTA or forwarder so cron mail goes somewhere you read. Expected: job output arrives by mail.
3. Fix option B: redirect output in the crontab entry to a log file you rotate. Expected: output lands in the file instead of being discarded.
4. Fix option C: pipe job output to the system logger so it lands in the journal or syslog with a tag. Expected: output is queryable alongside other logs.
5. Verify: force a job run and confirm its output appears in the chosen destination. Expected: no more discarding.

When to use

• Cron jobs produce no visible output or mail
• The syslog shows "No MTA installed, discarding output"
• Making cron jobs observable

When not to use

• Jobs not running at all (scheduling or environment issue)
• Jobs failing (fix the job, then capture its output)

Tool compatibility

• cron, syslog; minimal MTAs, log files, system logger

Variant phrasings

cron output disappeared

Without an MTA, cron drops it; redirect to a file or install mail delivery.

no mta installed cron

Either install one or stop relying on mail: log to a file or the system logger.

Why it happens

cron's original contract is "mail the output to the job owner", which assumes a working mail subsystem. Modern minimal servers have no MTA, so cron keeps its half of the contract (running the job) and drops the other half (delivering output) with only an informational log.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_1QCZZIkwvXZjAd1sknt3Vw

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_1QCZZIkwvXZjAd1sknt3Vw

Thread query: cron: (CRON) info (No MTA installed, discarding output)

TL;DR: cron mails job output, and with no mail server it discards it: your jobs run blind. Either install a minimal MTA, or redirect each job's output to a log file or the system logger. Output becomes visible either way.