@marlinjai/email-mcp

A unified MCP server for email access across Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, and generic IMAP providers.

Features

• Multi-provider support -- Gmail (REST API), Outlook (Microsoft Graph), iCloud (IMAP), and generic IMAP/SMTP
• OAuth2 authentication -- Browser-based OAuth flows for Gmail and Outlook, with automatic token refresh
• Full email client -- Search, read, send, reply, forward, organize, and manage drafts
• Batch operations -- Delete, move, or mark hundreds of emails in a single call
• Lightweight search -- Compact search results by default (~20KB vs ~1.4MB) with optional full body retrieval
• Encrypted credential storage -- AES-256-GCM encryption at rest with machine-derived keys
• Provider-native APIs -- Uses Gmail API and Microsoft Graph where available for richer features, falls back to IMAP for universal compatibility

Installation

Install globally from npm:

npm install -g @marlinjai/email-mcp

Or run directly with npx (no install needed):

npx @marlinjai/email-mcp

Quick Start

1. Run the interactive setup wizard to add your email accounts:

npx @marlinjai/email-mcp setup

The wizard will walk you through provider selection and authentication. After each account, it asks if you'd like to add another — so you can set up Gmail, Outlook, and iCloud all in one go.

2. Add the server to your MCP configuration (.mcp.json):

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

3. Start using email tools in Claude Code — search your inbox, send emails, organize messages, and more.

Provider Setup Guides

Gmail

No configuration needed — the setup wizard handles everything using built-in OAuth credentials (PKCE):

npx @marlinjai/email-mcp setup
# Select "Gmail" when prompted
# A browser window opens for Google authorization
# Grant the requested permissions and return to the terminal

Note: If you prefer to use your own OAuth app, create a Desktop OAuth 2.0 Client in the Google Cloud Console with the Gmail API enabled.

Outlook

No configuration needed — the setup wizard handles everything using built-in OAuth credentials (PKCE):

npx @marlinjai/email-mcp setup
# Select "Outlook" when prompted
# A browser window opens for Microsoft authorization
# Sign in and grant the requested permissions

Note: If you prefer to use your own OAuth app, register one in the Azure Portal with Mail.ReadWrite, Mail.Send, and offline_access permissions.

iCloud

1. Go to appleid.apple.com and sign in.
2. Navigate to App-Specific Passwords and generate a new password.
3. Run the setup wizard:

npx @marlinjai/email-mcp setup
# Select "iCloud" when prompted
# Enter your iCloud email address
# Enter the app-specific password you generated

Generic IMAP

Run the setup wizard with your IMAP/SMTP server details:

npx @marlinjai/email-mcp setup
# Select "Other IMAP" when prompted
# Enter your IMAP host, port, and credentials
# Optionally enter SMTP host and port for sending

Available Tools (24)

Account Management (4)

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | email_list_accounts | List all configured accounts with connection status | | email_add_account | Add a new IMAP or iCloud account (Gmail/Outlook require setup wizard) | | email_remove_account | Remove an account and its stored credentials | | email_test_account | Test connection to an account |

Reading & Searching (5)

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | email_list_folders | List all folders/labels for an account | | email_search | Search emails with filters. Returns compact results by default (returnBody=false). Set returnBody=true to include full email bodies | | email_get | Get full email content by ID (headers, body, attachment metadata) | | email_get_thread | Get an entire email thread/conversation | | email_get_attachment | Download a specific attachment by ID (returns base64 data) |

Sending & Drafts (5)

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | email_send | Compose and send a new email (to, cc, bcc, subject, body) | | email_reply | Reply to an email (supports reply-all, preserves threading) | | email_forward | Forward an email to new recipients | | email_draft_create | Save a draft without sending | | email_draft_list | List all drafts |

Organization (7)

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | email_move | Move an email to a different folder. Supports sourceFolder for IMAP/iCloud | | email_delete | Delete an email (trash or permanent). Supports sourceFolder for IMAP/iCloud | | email_mark | Mark as read/unread, starred, or flagged. Supports sourceFolder for IMAP/iCloud | | email_label | Add/remove labels (Gmail only) | | email_folder_create | Create a new folder | | email_get_labels | List all labels with counts (Gmail only) | | email_get_categories | List all categories (Outlook only) |

Batch Operations (3)

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | email_batch_delete | Delete multiple emails at once (up to 1000 for Gmail, batches of 20 for Outlook, UID ranges for IMAP) | | email_batch_move | Move multiple emails to a folder in a single call | | email_batch_mark | Mark multiple emails read/unread, starred, or flagged at once |

All batch tools accept a sourceFolder parameter for IMAP/iCloud and include a sequential fallback for maximum compatibility.

Usage with Claude Code

Add the following to your .mcp.json file (project-level or global ~/.claude/.mcp.json):

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

Once configured, you can ask Claude to interact with your email:

• "Check my inbox for unread messages"
• "Search for emails from [email protected] in the last week"
• "Reply to the latest email from Bob and thank him"
• "Move all newsletters to the Archive folder"
• "Delete all spam emails" (uses batch operations for speed)
• "Draft a follow-up email to the team about the meeting"

Development

# Install dependencies
pnpm install

# Build the project
pnpm build

# Run in development mode (watch for changes)
pnpm dev

# Run tests
pnpm test

# Run tests in watch mode
pnpm test:watch

# Run integration tests (requires real email accounts)
pnpm test:integration

License

MIT