Email MCP Server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server providing comprehensive email capabilities via IMAP and SMTP.

Enables AI assistants to read, search, send, manage, schedule, and analyze emails across multiple accounts. Exposes 47 tools, 7 prompts, and 6 resources over the MCP protocol with OAuth2 support (experimental), email scheduling, calendar extraction, analytics, provider-aware label management, real-time IMAP IDLE watcher with AI-powered triage, customizable presets and static rules, and a guided setup wizard.

Highlights

Table of Contents

• Highlights
• Security
• Background
• Install
• Usage
• API
• Maintainers
• Contributing
• License

Security

• All connections use TLS/STARTTLS encryption
• Passwords are never logged; audit trail records operations without credentials
• Token-bucket rate limiter prevents abuse (configurable per account)
• OAuth2 XOAUTH2 authentication for Gmail and Microsoft 365 (experimental)
• Attachment downloads capped at 5 MB with base64 encoding

Background

Most MCP email implementations provide only basic read/send. This server aims to be a full-featured email client for AI assistants, covering the entire lifecycle: reading, composing, managing, scheduling, and analyzing email — all from a single MCP server.

Key design decisions:

• XDG-compliant config — TOML at ~/.config/email-mcp/config.toml
• Multi-account — Operate across multiple IMAP/SMTP accounts simultaneously
• Layered services — Business logic is decoupled from MCP wiring for testability
• Provider auto-detection — Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, iCloud, Fastmail, ProtonMail, Zoho, GMX

Install

Requires Node.js ≥ 22.

# Run directly (no install needed)
npx @codefuturist/email-mcp setup
# or
pnpm dlx @codefuturist/email-mcp setup

# Or install globally
npm install -g @codefuturist/email-mcp
# or
pnpm add -g @codefuturist/email-mcp

Docker

No Node.js required — just Docker.

# Latest stable release
docker pull ghcr.io/codefuturist/email-mcp:latest

# Pin to an exact version (immutable)
docker pull ghcr.io/codefuturist/email-mcp:0.2.3

# Auto-update patches within a minor version
docker pull ghcr.io/codefuturist/email-mcp:0.2

# Track a major version (won't cross breaking-change boundary)
docker pull ghcr.io/codefuturist/email-mcp:0

# Pin to an exact git commit (immutable, CI traceability)
docker pull ghcr.io/codefuturist/email-mcp:sha-abc1234

# Or build from source
docker build -t ghcr.io/codefuturist/email-mcp .

Tag convention: Tags follow bare semver (no v prefix), matching Docker ecosystem standards (e.g. node:24, nginx:1.25). The latest tag is only updated on stable releases, never pre-releases.

Note: The server uses stdio transport. Config must be created on the host first (via npx @codefuturist/email-mcp setup or manually) and mounted into the container.

Usage

Setup

# Add an email account interactively (recommended)
email-mcp account add

# Or use the legacy alias
email-mcp setup

# Or create a template config manually
email-mcp config init

The setup wizard auto-detects server settings, tests connections, saves config, and outputs the MCP client config snippet.

Test Connections

email-mcp test            # all accounts
email-mcp test personal   # specific account

Configure Your MCP Client

Recommended — use the guided installer (auto-detects Claude Desktop, VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf):

email-mcp install

Or add manually using the snippets below.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "email": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@codefuturist/email-mcp", "stdio"]
    }
  }
}

{
  "servers": {
    "email": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@codefuturist/email-mcp", "stdio"]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "email": {
        "type": "stdio",
        "command": "npx",
        "args": ["-y", "@codefuturist/email-mcp", "stdio"]
      }
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "email": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@codefuturist/email-mcp", "stdio"]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "email": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@codefuturist/email-mcp", "stdio"]
    }
  }
}

{
  "context_servers": {
    "email": {
      "command": {
        "path": "npx",
        "args": ["-y", "@codefuturist/email-mcp", "stdio"]
      }
    }
  }
}

[[mcp_servers]]
name = "email-mcp"
transport = "stdio"
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@codefuturist/email-mcp", "stdio"]

[[mcp_servers]]
name = "email-mcp"
transport = "stdio"
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@codefuturist/email-mcp", "stdio"]
env = { "EMAIL_ACCOUNTS" = "<your-accounts-json>" }

docker run --rm -i \
  -v ~/.config/email-mcp:/home/node/.config/email-mcp:ro \
  ghcr.io/codefuturist/email-mcp

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "email": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run", "--rm", "-i",
        "-v", "~/.config/email-mcp:/home/node/.config/email-mcp:ro",
        "ghcr.io/codefuturist/email-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "email": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@codefuturist/email-mcp", "stdio"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_EMAIL_ADDRESS": "you@gmail.com",
        "MCP_EMAIL_PASSWORD": "your-app-password",
        "MCP_EMAIL_IMAP_HOST": "imap.gmail.com",
        "MCP_EMAIL_SMTP_HOST": "smtp.gmail.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

CLI Commands

email-mcp [command]

Commands:
  stdio                     Run as MCP server over stdio (default)
  account list              List all configured accounts
  account add               Add a new email account interactively
  account edit [name]       Edit an existing account
  account delete [name]     Remove an account
  setup                     Alias for 'account add'
  test                      Test connections for all or a specific account
  install                   Register email-mcp with MCP clients interactively
  install status            Show registration status for detected clients
  install remove            Unregister email-mcp from MCP clients
  config show               Show config (passwords masked)
  config edit               Edit global settings (rate limit, read-only)
  config path               Print config file path
  config init               Create template config
  scheduler check           Process pending scheduled emails
  scheduler list            Show all scheduled emails
  scheduler install         Install OS-level scheduler (launchd/crontab)
  scheduler uninstall       Remove OS-level scheduler
  scheduler status          Show scheduler installation status
  help                      Show help

Configuration

Located at $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/email-mcp/config.toml (default: ~/.config/email-mcp/config.toml).

[settings]
rate_limit = 10  # max emails per minute per account

[[accounts]]
name = "personal"
email = "you@gmail.com"
full_name = "Your Name"
password = "your-app-password"

[accounts.imap]
host = "imap.gmail.com"
port = 993
tls = true

[accounts.smtp]
host = "smtp.gmail.com"
port = 465
tls = true
starttls = false
verify_ssl = true

[accounts.smtp.pool]
enabled = true
max_connections = 1
max_messages = 100

OAuth2 (experimental)

Note: OAuth2 support is experimental. Token refresh and provider-specific flows may require additional testing in your environment.

[[accounts]]
name = "work"
email = "you@company.com"
full_name = "Your Name"

[accounts.oauth2]
provider = "google"            # or "microsoft"
client_id = "your-client-id"
client_secret = "your-client-secret"
refresh_token = "your-refresh-token"

[accounts.imap]
host = "imap.gmail.com"
port = 993
tls = true

[accounts.smtp]
host = "smtp.gmail.com"
port = 465
tls = true

[accounts.smtp.pool]
enabled = true
max_connections = 1
max_messages = 100

Environment Variables

For single-account setups (overrides config file):

Email Scheduling

The scheduler enables future email delivery with a layered architecture:

1. MCP auto-check — Processes the queue on server startup and every 60 seconds while the MCP server is running
2. CLI — email-mcp scheduler check for manual or cron-based processing
3. OS-level daemon — email-mcp scheduler install sets up launchd (macOS) or crontab (Linux) to run every minute, independently of the MCP server

Important — the daemon must be installed for reliable delivery. Without it, scheduled emails only fire while an AI client is actively connected. Your machine also needs to be running at the scheduled time; if it's asleep or off, the daemon will process overdue emails on next wake/startup. Failed sends are retried up to 3 times before being marked failed.

Setting up the daemon

# Install (macOS launchd / Linux crontab — runs every minute)
email-mcp scheduler install

# Verify it's running
email-mcp scheduler status

# View pending / sent / failed scheduled emails
email-mcp scheduler list

# Trigger a manual check immediately
email-mcp scheduler check

# Remove the daemon
email-mcp scheduler uninstall

Scheduled emails are stored as JSON files in ~/.local/state/email-mcp/scheduled/ with status-based locking. Each entry tracks attempts (max 3) and the last error, so you can inspect failures with scheduler list.

Real-time Watcher & AI Hooks

The IMAP IDLE watcher monitors configured mailboxes in real-time using persistent IDLE connections (separate from tool connections). When new emails arrive:

1. Static rules — Pattern-match on from/to/subject → apply labels, flag, or mark read instantly (no AI)
2. AI triage — Remaining emails are analyzed via MCP sampling with a customizable preset prompt
3. Notify mode — Falls back to logging if AI triage is disabled

Configure in config.toml:

[settings.watcher]
enabled = true
folders = ["INBOX"]
idle_timeout = 1740     # 29 minutes (IMAP spec max is 30)

[settings.hooks]
on_new_email = "triage" # "triage" | "notify" | "none"
preset = "inbox-zero"   # "inbox-zero" | "gtd" | "priority-focus" | "notification-only" | "custom"
auto_label = true       # apply AI-suggested labels
auto_flag = true        # flag urgent emails
batch_delay = 5         # seconds to batch before triage

# User context — appended to preset's AI prompt
custom_instructions = """
I'm a software engineer. Emails from @mycompany.com are always high priority.
Newsletters I read: TL;DR, Hacker Newsletter.
"""

# Static rules — run BEFORE AI, skip AI if matched
[[settings.hooks.rules]]
name = "GitHub Notifications"
match = { from = "*@github.com" }
actions = { labels = ["Dev"], mark_read = true }

[[settings.hooks.rules]]
name = "Newsletter Archive"
match = { from = "*@substack.com|*@buttondown.email" }
actions = { labels = ["Newsletter"] }

[[settings.hooks.rules]]
name = "VIP Contacts"
match = { from = "ceo@company.com|cto@company.com" }
actions = { flag = true, labels = ["VIP"] }

Presets

Static Rules

Static rules use glob-style patterns (*@github.com) with | as OR separator (*@github.com|*@gitlab.com). All conditions within a match are AND'd. First matching rule wins.

Available actions: labels (string array), flag (boolean), mark_read (boolean), alert (boolean — forces desktop notification).

Alerts

Urgency-based multi-channel notification routing — grab attention for important emails even when you're not looking at the chat. All channels are opt-in and disabled by default.

[settings.hooks.alerts]
desktop = true              # OS-level notifications (macOS/Linux/Windows)
sound = true                # play sound for urgent emails
urgency_threshold = "high"  # minimum priority to trigger desktop alert
webhook_url = "https://ntfy.sh/my-email-alerts"  # optional: Slack, Discord, ntfy.sh, etc.
webhook_events = ["urgent", "high"]

Supported platforms: macOS (Notification Center via osascript), Linux (notify-send), Windows (PowerShell toast). Zero npm dependencies — uses native OS commands.

Notification setup by platform:

# Ubuntu / Debian
sudo apt install libnotify-bin pulseaudio-utils

# Fedora
sudo dnf install libnotify pulseaudio-utils

# Arch
sudo pacman -S libnotify

AI-configurable: The AI can check, test, and configure notifications at runtime:

• check_notification_setup — diagnose platform support and show setup instructions
• test_notification — send a test notification to verify everything works
• configure_alerts — enable/disable desktop, sound, threshold, webhook (with optional persist to config file)

Webhook payload:

{
  "event": "email.urgent",
  "account": "work",
  "sender": { "name": "John CEO", "address": "ceo@company.com" },
  "subject": "Q4 Review Due Today",
  "priority": "urgent",
  "labels": ["VIP"],
  "rule": "VIP Contacts",
  "timestamp": "2026-02-18T11:30:00Z"
}

Static rules can force desktop notifications with alert = true, regardless of urgency threshold:

[[settings.hooks.rules]]
name = "VIP Contacts"
match = { from = "ceo@company.com" }
actions = { flag = true, alert = true, labels = ["VIP"] }

Features:

• Auto-reconnect — Exponential backoff (1s → 60s) on connection failures
• Batching — Groups arrivals within a configurable delay to reduce AI calls
• Rate limiting — Max 10 sampling calls per minute
• Graceful degradation — Falls back to notify mode if client doesn't support sampling
• Resource subscriptions — Pushes notifications/resources/updated for unread counts

API

Tools (47)

Read (14)

Write (9)

Manage (7)

Labels (5)

Watcher & Alerts (6)

Calendar & Reminders (6)

Prompts (7)

Resources (6)

Provider Auto-Detection

Architecture

src/
├── main.ts                — Entry point and subcommand routing
├── server.ts              — MCP server factory
├── logging.ts             — MCP protocol logging bridge
├── cli/                   — Interactive CLI commands
│   ├── account-commands.ts — Account CRUD (list, add, edit, delete)
│   ├── setup.ts           — Legacy setup alias → account add
│   ├── test.ts            — Connection tester
│   ├── config-commands.ts — Config management (show, edit, path, init)
│   ├── install-commands.ts — MCP client registration (install, status, remove)
│   ├── providers.ts       — Provider auto-detection + OAuth2 endpoints (experimental)
│   └── scheduler.ts       — Scheduler CLI
├── config/                — Configuration layer
│   ├── xdg.ts             — XDG Base Directory paths
│   ├── schema.ts          — Zod validation schemas
│   └── loader.ts          — Config loader (TOML + env vars)
├── connections/
│   └── manager.ts         — Lazy persistent IMAP/SMTP with OAuth2 (experimental)
├── services/              — Business logic
│   ├── imap.service.ts    — IMAP operations
│   ├── label-strategy.ts  — Provider-aware label strategy (ProtonMail/Gmail/IMAP keywords)
│   ├── smtp.service.ts    — SMTP operations
│   ├── template.service.ts — Email template engine
│   ├── oauth.service.ts   — OAuth2 token management (experimental)
│   ├── calendar.service.ts — ICS/iCalendar parsing
│   ├── scheduler.service.ts — Email scheduling queue
│   ├── watcher.service.ts — IMAP IDLE real-time watcher with auto-reconnect
│   ├── hooks.service.ts   — AI triage via MCP sampling + static rules + auto-labeling/flagging
│   ├── notifier.service.ts — Multi-channel notification dispatcher (desktop/sound/webhook)
│   ├── presets.ts         — Built-in hook presets (inbox-zero, gtd, priority-focus, etc.)
│   └── event-bus.ts       — Typed EventEmitter for internal email events
├── tools/                 — MCP tool definitions (42)
├── prompts/               — MCP prompt definitions (7)
├── resources/             — MCP resource definitions (6)
├── safety/                — Audit trail and rate limiter
└── types/                 — Shared TypeScript types

Maintainers

@codefuturist

Contributing

PRs accepted. Please conform to the standard-readme specification when editing this README.

# Development workflow
pnpm install
pnpm typecheck   # type check
pnpm check       # lint and format
pnpm build       # build
pnpm start       # run

License

LGPL-3.0-or-later