mcp-email

Self-hosted MCP server for IMAP and SMTP. Multi-account in one config. Built for Claude Code and any MCP-compliant client.

Buy on Gumroad — $49 · Landing page · Provider config docs

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What this repo is

This is the public face of mcp-email, a paid product from OneShotForge. The source code lives in the paid bundle sold on Gumroad. This repo contains:

• The README you're reading (features, scope, FAQ)
• The full per-provider config docs (docs/CONFIG.md)
• The public changelog (CHANGELOG.md)
• The license terms (LICENSE.md)

If you're shopping: this is enough to decide whether mcp-email fits your setup. The buy link is at the top.

If you've already purchased: the full TypeScript source, Docker setup, build configs, and complete installation guide are in the zip you received after checkout.

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Why this exists

Anthropic's MCP spec lets agents talk to your tools. Email is the most-asked tool. But the existing "MCP email" servers I tried either lock you to Gmail, demand an OAuth setup that takes an afternoon, or break the moment you point them at a second account.

mcp-email is the one I built for myself after that triage. I sell it because it now solves a problem cleanly enough that I'd rather get paid to maintain it than maintain it for free.

What's different:

• Any IMAP/SMTP provider — Gmail, Hostinger, Fastmail, iCloud, Outlook 365, Proton (via Bridge), Yahoo, Zoho, custom domains, anything that speaks the protocol.
• Multi-account in one config — declare N accounts via env vars, every tool call takes an account argument. One server instance speaks to all of them.
• 15 tools, prod-grade — list, search, read, threads, attachments, send, draft, move, copy, delete, flag, folder CRUD. The boring operations are covered.
• Self-hosted, credentials never leave your box — runs locally via npm or in Docker. Bearer-token auth on the MCP endpoint. No telemetry, no SaaS proxy.
• One .env file — no OAuth dance, no service account JSON, no Google Cloud project. Generate app passwords on the provider side, drop them in, done.

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What you get when you buy

After checkout on Gumroad, you download a single zip containing:

• Full TypeScript source for the server (Node 20+, @modelcontextprotocol/sdk, imapflow, nodemailer)
• Dockerfile + docker-compose.yml ready to run
• .env.example with the full template and inline comments
• The expanded README with install instructions, Claude Code wiring, production deployment via Caddy, and troubleshooting
• A perpetual commercial license (see LICENSE.md for the full terms — unlimited business use, no resale, refund within the first day if it doesn't fit)
• Free patch and minor updates within the 1.x major version

Approximate first-tool-call time after checkout: 5 minutes if your provider's app password is already generated.

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Provider matrix

I run on Hostinger and Gmail daily. Setup is documented and tested for the others.

Provider	Authentication	IMAP host	SMTP host	Notes
Hostinger	Mailbox password	imap.hostinger.com:993	smtp.hostinger.com:465	What I use for [email protected]. 10/10 on mail-tester.com.
Gmail / Workspace	App password	imap.gmail.com:993	smtp.gmail.com:465	Enable 2FA first. Workspace admins can disable IMAP at the org level.
Fastmail	App password	imap.fastmail.com:993	smtp.fastmail.com:465	Clean implementation, no surprises.
iCloud Mail	App-specific password	imap.mail.me.com:993	smtp.mail.me.com:587	SMTP on 587/STARTTLS.
Outlook 365	App password	outlook.office365.com:993	smtp.office365.com:587	Some tenants disable SMTP AUTH. Personal accounts always work.
Proton Mail	Via Proton Bridge	127.0.0.1:1143	127.0.0.1:1025	Bridge must be running locally.
Yahoo Mail	App password	imap.mail.yahoo.com:993	smtp.mail.yahoo.com:465	App password under account security.
Zoho Mail	App password (or normal)	imap.zoho.eu:993 / .com	smtp.zoho.eu:465 / .com	EU vs US tenants use different hosts.
Generic	App password or normal	depends	depends	Anything RFC-compliant works.

Full per-provider setup in docs/CONFIG.md.

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The 15 tools

All tools take an account parameter — the ID you declared in .env. Folders default to INBOX where applicable.

Reading (6)

Tool	Purpose
email_list_folders	List all IMAP folders with unread counts
email_list_messages	List messages in a folder with pagination and unseen filter
email_search_messages	Search by sender, subject, body, date, or has-attachment
email_get_message	Full message body (text + HTML + attachment metadata) by UID
email_get_attachment	Fetch an attachment's content (UTF-8 or base64)
email_get_thread	Reconstruct a conversation thread from Message-ID / In-Reply-To / References

Writing (2)

Tool	Purpose
email_send_message	Send via SMTP, append a copy to Sent folder via IMAP
email_create_draft	Create a draft in the Drafts folder

Management (7)

Tool	Purpose
email_move_message	Move a message to another folder
email_copy_message	Copy a message to another folder
email_delete_message	Move to Trash (default) or \Deleted + expunge
email_mark_message	Set or unset \Seen / \Flagged / \Answered flags
email_create_folder	Create an IMAP folder
email_rename_folder	Rename an IMAP folder
email_delete_folder	Delete an IMAP folder

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How it connects to Claude Code

After install (covered in the zip), add this to your project .mcp.json or ~/.claude.json global:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "email": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "http://localhost:3000/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_MCP_AUTH_TOKEN"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Code (/mcp to verify the server is connected), then try:

"List my last 5 unread emails in account main."

Or, for advanced usage with multi-account:

"Search account support for unanswered messages from [email protected] in the last 7 days, summarize them, and draft a reply in account main."

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Pricing

$49 one-time. Perpetual commercial license, unlimited business use, no recurring fee.

Same-day refund if it doesn't fit your setup. Email [email protected] within 24 hours of buying and I'll process it (next morning if I'm asleep when you write).

Buy on Gumroad

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Limits and scope (intentional)

• Authentication: app password or plain password only. No OAuth 2.0. This keeps the server stateless and provider-agnostic.
• Transport: HTTP only (no stdio). MCP over HTTP is the only mode that supports remote agents and shared infrastructure.
• Folder names: defaults assume INBOX, Sent, Drafts, Trash. Servers with prefixes like INBOX.Sent are handled with a fallback. Custom names require small code changes.
• Attachment download: 1 MB cap for binary attachments (returned as base64). Textual attachments (text/*, JSON, XML, ICS) have no cap.
• HTML body: truncated past 25,000 characters in email_get_message. The text body is always sent in full.

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Roadmap (post-1.0, not committed)

• Optional SENT_FOLDER / DRAFTS_FOLDER / TRASH_FOLDER env overrides per account
• OAuth flow for Gmail and Microsoft (separate add-on, not bundled)
• Webhook on incoming mail (push-style notifications for agents)
• Calendar/ICS bridge (separate product, will integrate cleanly)
• AI auto-tagging via the Anthropic API

Vote with email — what do you want next? [email protected].

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License

Commercial license — see LICENSE.md.

TL;DR: unlimited personal and business use after purchase, no resale or redistribution of the source.

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Support

• Bugs and feature requests: email [email protected] with a clear repro.
• License questions, volume pricing: same address.
• Public changelog: CHANGELOG.md.

Built by OneShotForge.