mcp-email-server

An MCP server for reading, searching, organizing, and sending email through IMAP and SMTP.

[!NOTE] Version 1.0.0 introduces Local Email App V2. Updating the package does not automatically import existing settings created with PyPI 0.16.0 and earlier: they remain active in backward-compatible legacy mode, so there is no required migration. If you would like to use the new managed storage, you can review and import those settings whenever it is convenient.

mcp-email-server supports Windows, macOS, and Linux. See Security for platform-specific filesystem and credential storage details.

Optional migration for existing installations

An @latest release that includes Local Email App V2 offers a preview-first CLI migration:

uvx mcp-email-server@latest config init \
  --database ~/.config/mcp-email-server/managed.sqlite3
uvx mcp-email-server@latest config import-legacy
uvx mcp-email-server@latest config import-legacy --apply
uvx mcp-email-server@latest config doctor

The apply step displays the plan again and asks for IMPORT confirmation. A complete import selects managed mode; otherwise the existing legacy settings remain selected. The source TOML file and its legacy keyring entries are left untouched. You can also run uvx mcp-email-server@latest ui and choose Import existing settings. After a successful import, restart running MCP clients. See the detailed upgrade guidance and import troubleshooting.

Quick start

1. Configure an email account

From this source checkout, run the configuration UI with uv:

uv sync
uv run mcp-email-server ui

For a published release whose notes state that it includes Local Email App V2, uvx mcp-email-server@latest ui is the equivalent temporary invocation.

Keep the foreground command running. On a truly empty installation, the authenticated browser session prepares private account storage at the safe local default; existing TOML or environment configuration instead offers an explicit import review while the previous settings keep running. The account-first UI has only Email accounts and Settings & help as primary destinations. Start with the email address and password; the UI fills common connection settings from the email domain and keeps them editable, while outgoing mail remains optional. A saved complete account is ready without a separate activation step. Use Password & test on the saved account if desired, then restart the MCP client to apply the selected settings.

2. Configure the MCP client

Use the same V2-capable distribution for stdio as for the UI. For a published V2 release, add the following server definition to the MCP client:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-email-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["mcp-email-server@latest", "stdio"]
    }
  }
}

Restart the MCP client after updating its configuration. When testing this source checkout before publication, invoke uv run --directory /absolute/path/to/mcp-email-server mcp-email-server stdio instead of pairing a managed catalog with PyPI @latest.

3. Verify the connection

Ask the client to list the configured email accounts or recent messages.

Other configuration methods

For the SQLite-backed managed CLI workflow, Windows and POSIX storage boundaries, headless environments, multiple accounts, custom TLS settings, and environment-variable configuration, see the documentation. Release 1.6.2 and later also publish Linux amd64/arm64 images at ghcr.io/wh1isper/mcp-email-server; see the container instructions.

Documentation

• Getting Started
• Configuration
• MCP Tools
• Transports
• Security
• Troubleshooting

Development

See CONTRIBUTING.md.

License

This project is licensed under the terms of the LICENSE.