n8n-nodes-imap

This is an n8n community node that adds support for IMAP email servers.

• n8n Cloud compatibility
• Installation
• Operations
• Credentials
• Troubleshooting & Debug
• Version history
• For Developers: Contributing Guide | Developer Quick Start

n8n Cloud compatibility

[!IMPORTANT] Under n8n's current community node verification guidelines, n8n-nodes-imap cannot currently be accepted as a verified community node for n8n Cloud because verified packages may not include external dependencies. This node requires these direct runtime dependencies:

• imapflow
• mailparser
• nodemailer

The node remains available and intended for self-hosted n8n installations. Cloud eligibility could change if n8n changes this policy or explicitly permits the required libraries. No such policy change or approval by n8n is implied or promised.

Installation

Follow the installation guide in the n8n community nodes documentation.

Use n8n-nodes-imap in N8N settings to install the stable version.

To install beta version, use n8n-nodes-imap@beta.

NPMJS: n8n-nodes-imap

Operations

• Mailbox
  • Get list of mailboxes (including status information like number of messages)
  • Get status of a mailbox (number of messages, etc.)
  • Create a mailbox
  • Rename a mailbox
  • ~Delete a mailbox~ (disabled due to danger of accidental data loss and no apparent use case)
• Email
  • Get list of emails in a mailbox (with configurable limit to prevent memory issues)
  • Download attachments from an email
  • Permanently delete an email from a mailbox
  • Move an email to another mailbox
  • Copy an email into another mailbox
  • Set/remove flags on an email ("seen", "answered", "flagged", "deleted", "draft")
  • Create email draft in a mailbox
    • Use n8n-nodes-eml node to create complex emails. It supports attachments and other features.

Credentials

Currently, this node supports only basic authentication (username and password).
OAuth2 authentication is not supported yet.

NOTE: You can reuse core N8N IMAP Trigger node credentials for this node.

Troubleshooting & Debug

If you encounter issues with the IMAP node, you can enable debug mode to get detailed logs and diagnostic information:

Enable Debug Mode

Set the following environment variable before starting n8n:

N8N_NODES_DEBUG_ENABLED=true

When debug mode is enabled:

• The IMAP node will create an additional "debug" output containing detailed logs
• Enhanced error messages and diagnostic information will be available
• Connection and operation details will be logged for troubleshooting

Getting Debug Information

1. Set environment variables:

   N8N_LOG_LEVEL=debug
   N8N_NODES_DEBUG_ENABLED=true

2. Restart your n8n instance

3. Execute your workflow - the IMAP node will now provide debug output

4. Check the debug output - connect the debug output to a Set node or similar to view the diagnostic information

Reporting Issues

When reporting bugs or issues:

• Always enable debug mode first
• Include the debug output in your issue report
• Remove any sensitive information (passwords, email addresses, etc.) from logs
• Use our issue templates for structured bug reports