About Mail.app
A local MCP server for macOS Mail.app, intended for people using configured mail accounts through an MCP host. It combines indexed search with Mail.app actions for managing messages.
Key features
- 01Search messages with filters
- 02Read full message bodies
- 03Send and reply to email
- 04Flag, move, and trash messages
- 05Manage accounts, mailboxes, and subscriptions
Use cases
- 01Find messages across configured accounts
- 02Review and reply to a specific message
- 03Organize mail by flags and mailboxes
MCP support
Exposes Mail.app search, reading, and management tools to MCP hosts over stdio. It runs locally and accesses accounts configured in Mail.app.
Configuration
Local server config is the same for every client. Copy it into your client’s MCP config file.
Tools
24Saved tool list · updated 2w ago
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| from | string | No | Substring match on sender address or display name |
| limit | integer | No | |
| query | string | No | Free-text search across subject, sender, and body summary. Omit to list-only by other filters. |
| since | string | No | ISO date — only messages on or after this date |
| account | string | No | Substring match against the full mailbox URL (host and path). Use the account hostname to target an account (e.g. 'icloud'), or a mailbox path segment to target a specific folder (e.g. 'INBOX', 'Amtrak'). |
| subject | string | No | Substring match on subject |
| include_deleted | boolean | No |
Details
From the project READMEmail-mcp
MCP server that gives Claude (and other MCP hosts) full access to Mail.app on macOS — search, read, send, reply, flag, move, and more — across every account configured in Mail.app (iCloud, Exchange, IMAP, etc.).
Prerequisites
- macOS (Mail.app required)
- Node.js 20+
- An MCP host: Claude Desktop, Amazon Quick, or any stdio MCP client
Installation
Claude Desktop — one-click install (recommended)
- Download
mail-mcp.mcpbfrom the latest release - Double-click the
.mcpbfile — Claude Desktop installs it automatically - Grant the required macOS permissions (see below)
Manual / Amazon Quick / other hosts
npx @p-l-ta/mail-mcp
Or install globally:
npm install -g @p-l-ta/mail-mcp
mail-mcp
Point your MCP host at the mail-mcp binary (stdio transport). Example config:
{
"mcpServers": {
"mail-app": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["@p-l-ta/mail-mcp"]
}
}
}
Required macOS permissions
Grant these to the application that runs the MCP host (Claude Desktop, Amazon Quick, etc.):
| Permission | Where to grant |
|---|---|
| Full Disk Access | System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access |
| Automation → Mail | System Settings → Privacy & Security → Automation |
The MCP server process inherits permissions from the host application that launches it.
Tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
search_emails | Search messages via the Envelope Index database with rich filters |
read_email | Read the full body of a message by its RFC message-id |
list_accounts_and_mailboxes | List all configured accounts and mailboxes with unread counts |
list_recent | List recent messages in a specific mailbox |
list_senders | Grouped summary of senders with message and unread counts |
send_email | Send a new email from one of the configured accounts |
reply_to_email | Reply to an existing message by RFC message-id |
set_message_flags | Set read and/or flagged status on a message |
move_email | Move a message to a different mailbox |
trash_email | Move a message to Deleted Messages |
create_mailbox | Create a new mailbox/folder in an account |
bulk_mark_read | Mark all messages in a mailbox and/or from a sender as read |
get_unsubscribe_link | Extract unsubscribe URLs from a message's headers and body |
empty_mailbox | Delete every message in a mailbox at once (Junk, Trash, etc.) |
How it works
- Search & read — queries Mail's own Envelope Index SQLite database directly for fast, structured results across all accounts
- Actions (send, reply, flag, move, trash) — driven by AppleScript automation against Mail.app, so they work even for accounts where messages aren't stored as local files
Development
npm install
npm run dev # tsx watch — live reload
npm test # vitest unit tests
npm run build # compile TypeScript → dist/
npm run mcpb # build Claude Desktop extension → build/mail-mcp.mcpb
Interactive MCP testing:
npm run build
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node dist/server.js
Privacy Policy
mail-mcp is a local MCP server that runs entirely on your Mac. It has no backend, no telemetry, and makes no network requests of its own.
What it accesses:
- Mail.app's Envelope Index database (
~/Library/Mail/) — read-only, used for search queries - Mail.app via AppleScript — to read message bodies, send mail, flag, move, and trash messages
What it does NOT do:
- Collect, store, or transmit any data outside your Mac
- Connect to any external server or API
- Log message content anywhere
All email data stays on your device and is only passed to the MCP host (Claude Desktop or another client) as part of normal tool responses. You control exactly which tools Claude can invoke.
License
MIT
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