IMAP MCP Server

Overview

The Email MCP Server provides a lightweight, protocol‑agnostic gateway that lets AI assistants interact with standard email services via IMAP and SMTP. By exposing mailbox contents, folder structures, and mail‑sending capabilities as MCP resources and tools, it removes the need for custom integrations or third‑party APIs. Developers can plug this server into existing AI workflows, enabling agents to read, search, and reply to emails directly from the assistant’s context.

The server solves a common pain point for AI‑powered productivity tools: accessing personal or enterprise email accounts in a secure, authenticated way. Instead of building bespoke connectors for each mail provider, developers can rely on the universal IMAP/SMTP stack. The MCP server translates mailbox data into JSON resources that the model can consume, while tools such as , , and allow the assistant to perform actions without exposing raw credentials or handling low‑level networking details.

Key capabilities include:

• Inbox listing: A resource that returns the ten most recent messages, providing quick context for follow‑up actions.
• Folder enumeration: A tool that enumerates all mailboxes, supporting navigation and categorization.
• Search: An advanced query tool that lets the assistant locate messages by subject, sender, date ranges, or custom flags.
• Sending: A straightforward tool that constructs and dispatches SMTP messages, including attachments.

These features make the server ideal for scenarios such as automated email triage, scheduled replies, or context‑aware chatbots that need to reference recent correspondence. For example, a customer support agent could ask the assistant to “find the latest ticket from John Doe” and then draft a response, all without leaving the chat interface.

Integration with AI workflows is seamless: the MCP server exposes its resources and tools via standard endpoints that any model capable of issuing MCP requests can consume. The assistant’s prompt can reference to pull in recent messages, or invoke the tool with a structured payload. Because the server handles authentication and protocol compliance, developers can focus on higher‑level logic while trusting that email interactions remain secure and reliable.

In summary, the Email MCP Server turns traditional mailboxes into first‑class data sources for AI assistants. Its clear, protocol‑agnostic design, coupled with a small set of powerful tools, gives developers an efficient pathway to embed email intelligence into conversational agents and automated workflows.