diff --git a/man/mu-cfind.1 b/man/mu-cfind.1
index 58116ae8..c9c3ae5a 100644
--- a/man/mu-cfind.1
+++ b/man/mu-cfind.1
@@ -87,6 +87,11 @@ set query_command = "mu cfind --format=mutt-ab '%s'"
 Now, in mutt, you can easily search for e-mail address using the
 \fBquery\fR-command, which is (by default) accessible by pressing \fBQ\fR.
 
+.SH ENCODING
+
+\fBmu cfind\fR output is encoded according to the current locale except for
+\fI--format=bbdb\fR. This is hard-coded to UTF-8, and as such specified in the
+output-file, so emacs/bbdb can handle it correctly without guessing.
 
 .SH BUGS
 
diff --git a/man/mu-find.1 b/man/mu-find.1
index a18e98b9..bedcb499 100644
--- a/man/mu-find.1
+++ b/man/mu-find.1
@@ -537,6 +537,14 @@ non-zero return value, for example:
 |    4 | database is corrupted          |
 .fi
 
+
+.SH ENCODING
+
+\fBmu find\fR output is encoded according the locale for \fI--format=plain\fR
+(the default), and UTF-8 for all other formats (\fIjson\fR, \fIsexp\fR,
+\fIxml\fR).
+
+
 .SH BUGS
 
 Please report bugs if you find them:
diff --git a/man/mu.1 b/man/mu.1
index a0382b4b..0b862125 100644
--- a/man/mu.1
+++ b/man/mu.1
@@ -112,7 +112,21 @@ support colors.
 
 .SH ENCODING
 
-\fBmu\fR's output is \fIalways\fR in UTF-8 format.
+\fBmu\fR's output is in the current locale, with the exceptions of the output
+specifically meant for output to UTF8-encoded files. In practice, this means
+that the output of commands \fBindex\fR, \fBcleanup\fR, \fBview\fR,
+\fBextract\fR is always encoded according to the current locale.
+
+The same is true for \fBfind\fR and \fBcfind\fR, with some exceptions, where
+the output is always UTF-8, regardless of the locale.
+
+For \fBcfind\fR the exception is \fI--format=bbdb\fR. This is hard-coded to
+UTF-8, and as such specified in the output-file, so emacs/bbdb can handle it
+correctly without guessing.
+
+For \fBfind\fR the output is encoded according the locale for
+\fI--format=plain\fR (the default), and UTF-8 for all other formats
+(\fIjson\fR, \fIsexp\fR, \fIxml\fR).
 
 .SH DATABASE AND FILE