IMAP Email MCP Server
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides email capabilities to Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, and other MCP-compatible AI tools. Connect to any IMAP/SMTP email provider to read, search, compose, and manage emails directly from your AI assistant.
Quick Start
Claude Code (CLI)
Important: Claude Code CLI uses claude mcp add, not config files.
claude mcp add imap-email -s user \
-e [email protected] \
-e IMAP_PASSWORD='your-app-password' \
-e IMAP_HOST=imap.example.com \
-- npx -y imap-email-mcp
Note: If your password contains special shell characters (
%,^,*,$,!, etc.), wrap it in single quotes as shown above.
Note: Restart Claude Code after adding an MCP for the new tools to become available.
Verify with:
claude mcp list
claude mcp get imap-email
Remove with:
claude mcp remove imap-email -s user
Cursor
Add new MCP server:
- Name:
imap-email - Type:
command - Command:
npx -y imap-email-mcp
Then set environment variables in Cursor's MCP settings:
[email protected]
IMAP_PASSWORD=your-app-password
IMAP_HOST=imap.example.com
Claude Desktop
Add to your config file:
- macOS:
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json - Windows:
%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
{
"mcpServers": {
"imap-email": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "imap-email-mcp"],
"env": {
"IMAP_USER": "[email protected]",
"IMAP_PASSWORD": "your-app-password",
"IMAP_HOST": "imap.example.com"
}
}
}
}
Features
- Read emails - List and read emails from any folder
- Search - Search by subject, sender, or body content
- Compose - Create and save email drafts
- Send - Send emails directly via SMTP
- Manage drafts - List, read, update, and delete drafts
- Delete emails - Remove unwanted messages
- Multi-provider support - Works with Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, Fastmail, and any standard IMAP provider
Configuration
Required Environment Variables
Optional Environment Variables
Provider Settings
Available Tools
Usage Examples
Once configured, use natural language:
- "Check my inbox for unread emails"
- "Search for emails from [email protected]"
- "Create a draft email to [email protected] about the meeting tomorrow"
- "Show me my drafts folder"
Security Best Practices
- Use App Passwords - Never use your main account password
- Environment Variables - Store credentials in env vars, not in code
- Review Before Sending - Use
create_draftinstead ofsend_emailto review first
Troubleshooting
Authentication failed
- Verify your app password is correct
- Ensure IMAP access is enabled in your email provider's settings
Drafts folder not found
- The server tries common names (
Drafts,INBOX.Drafts,[Gmail]/Drafts) - Your provider may use a different folder name
Connection timeout
- Check your
IMAP_HOSTis correct - Verify port 993 is not blocked by firewall
Alternative Installation
Install globally
npm install -g imap-email-mcp
imap-email-mcp
Clone and run
git clone https://github.com/jdickey1/imap-email-mcp.git
cd imap-email-mcp
npm install
node index.js
License
MIT License - see LICENSE for details.