# email-smtp-imap-mcp [Health: Active] **Category:** 💬 Communication **Repository:** https://github.com/samihalawa/email-smtp-imap-mcp **GitHub Stars:** 24 **npm Downloads (last month):** 1008 **Views:** 0 **Installs:** 0 **Upvotes:** 0 **Directory Page:** https://allmcps.com/mcp/email-smtp-imap-mcp ## Description Multi-account email MCP server for SMTP sending, IMAP search, replies, attachments, and inbox organization ## Tools Capabilities this server exposes over MCP: - **accounts_list** — List every configured account and identify the default without exposing credentials. - **emails_find** — Search by text, sender, recipient, subject, date, read state, flag state, or attachments. Optionally return bodies and attachments. - **email_send** — Send plain-text or HTML email with CC, BCC, sender aliases, and base64 attachments. - **email_respond** — Reply, reply-all, or forward by email UID with threading and optional original attachments. - **emails_modify** — Mark read/unread, flag/unflag, or move messages to another folder. - **folders_list** — List folders with optional total and unread counts. ## Claude Desktop Quick Installation Install path detected from listing signals. Uses `npx` (confidence: high): ```json "mcpServers": { "email-smtp-imap-mcp": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y","email-smtp-imap-mcp"] } } ``` ## Documentation & README

One MCP server connecting multiple email accounts

# Email SMTP/IMAP MCP One local MCP server for every inbox: search, read, send, reply, forward, and organize email across multiple accounts. [![release](https://img.shields.io/github/v/release/samihalawa/email-smtp-imap-mcp)](https://github.com/samihalawa/email-smtp-imap-mcp/releases/latest) [![npm](https://img.shields.io/npm/v/email-smtp-imap-mcp?color=cb3837)](https://www.npmjs.com/package/email-smtp-imap-mcp) [![downloads](https://img.shields.io/npm/dm/email-smtp-imap-mcp)](https://www.npmjs.com/package/email-smtp-imap-mcp) [![CI](https://github.com/samihalawa/email-smtp-imap-mcp/actions/workflows/ci.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/samihalawa/email-smtp-imap-mcp/actions/workflows/ci.yml) [![Node.js](https://img.shields.io/badge/Node.js-20%2B-339933?logo=nodedotjs&logoColor=white)](https://nodejs.org/) [![stars](https://img.shields.io/github/stars/samihalawa/email-smtp-imap-mcp?style=flat)](https://github.com/samihalawa/email-smtp-imap-mcp/stargazers) [![license](https://img.shields.io/github/license/samihalawa/email-smtp-imap-mcp)](LICENSE) ## Why this server - **No account-count cap** — add work, personal, support, or client inboxes and switch with `account_name`. - **SMTP + IMAP together** — send and receive through one small MCP server. - **Complete everyday workflow** — search, read, reply, forward, attach files, flag, archive, move, and list folders. - **Provider-agnostic** — works with Gmail, iCloud Mail, Fastmail, Outlook, self-hosted mail, and other standard SMTP/IMAP providers. - **Local stdio transport** — no hosted relay and no separate control panel.

Search, send, respond, organize, and browse folders across accounts

## Quick start ### 1. Create your `.env` Copy [.env.example](https://github.com/samihalawa/email-smtp-imap-mcp/blob/HEAD/.env.example) to a private location and add as many named accounts as you need: ```dotenv EMAIL_ACCOUNTS_JSON='{ "work": { "smtp": { "host": "smtp.gmail.com", "port": 587, "secure": false, "user": "work@example.com", "password": "app-password" }, "imap": { "host": "imap.gmail.com", "port": 993, "secure": true, "user": "work@example.com", "password": "app-password" }, "default_from_name": "Your Name", "sender_emails": ["work@example.com", "alias@example.com"] }, "personal": { "smtp": { "host": "smtp.mail.me.com", "port": 587, "secure": false, "user": "you@icloud.com", "password": "app-password" }, "imap": { "host": "imap.mail.me.com", "port": 993, "secure": true, "user": "you@icloud.com", "password": "app-password" } } }' DEFAULT_EMAIL_ACCOUNT="work" ``` The server loads `.env` from its working directory automatically. `EMAIL_ENV_FILE` lets an MCP client use an `.env` stored anywhere. ### 2. Add the MCP server For Claude Desktop, edit: - macOS: `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json` - Windows: `%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json` ```json { "mcpServers": { "email": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "email-smtp-imap-mcp"], "env": { "EMAIL_ENV_FILE": "/absolute/path/to/your/.env" } } } } ``` Use an absolute path, restart your MCP client, then ask: **“List my configured email accounts.”**
Pass account JSON directly from the MCP client You can skip the `.env` file and set `EMAIL_ACCOUNTS_JSON` plus `DEFAULT_EMAIL_ACCOUNT` directly in the MCP client’s `env` object. The JSON must be escaped into a single string. ```json { "env": { "EMAIL_ACCOUNTS_JSON": "{\"work\":{\"smtp\":{\"host\":\"smtp.gmail.com\",\"port\":587,\"user\":\"work@example.com\",\"password\":\"app-password\"},\"imap\":{\"host\":\"imap.gmail.com\",\"port\":993,\"user\":\"work@example.com\",\"password\":\"app-password\"}}}", "DEFAULT_EMAIL_ACCOUNT": "work" } } ```
Single-account `.env` variables Use `SMTP_HOST`, `SMTP_PORT`, `SMTP_SECURE`, `SMTP_USER`, `SMTP_PASS`, `IMAP_HOST`, `IMAP_PORT`, `IMAP_SECURE`, `IMAP_USER`, and `IMAP_PASS` instead of `EMAIL_ACCOUNTS_JSON`. `SMTP_USERNAME`/`SMTP_PASSWORD` and `IMAP_USERNAME`/`IMAP_PASSWORD` are accepted aliases. IMAP credentials default to the SMTP credentials when omitted. Use `SENDER_EMAILS` as a comma-separated allowlist for optional `from_email` selection.
## Tools | Tool | What it does | | --- | --- | | `accounts_list` | List every configured account and identify the default without exposing credentials. | | `emails_find` | Search by text, sender, recipient, subject, date, read state, flag state, or attachments. Optionally return bodies and attachments. | | `email_send` | Send plain-text or HTML email with CC, BCC, sender aliases, and base64 attachments. | | `email_respond` | Reply, reply-all, or forward by email UID with threading and optional original attachments. | | `emails_modify` | Mark read/unread, flag/unflag, or move messages to another folder. | | `folders_list` | List folders with optional total and unread counts. | Every email tool accepts an optional `account_name`. Without it, the server uses `DEFAULT_EMAIL_ACCOUNT` or the first configured account. There is no application-level account-count limit. ## Verify your setup After restarting the MCP client, try these in order: 1. “List my configured email accounts.” 2. “List folders for my `work` account.” 3. “Find the five newest unread emails in my `personal` account.” 4. “Send a plain-text email from my `work` account.” ## Provider settings | Provider | SMTP | IMAP | Credential | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Gmail | `smtp.gmail.com:587` | `imap.gmail.com:993` | [App password](https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/185833) | | iCloud Mail | `smtp.mail.me.com:587` | `imap.mail.me.com:993` | [App-specific password](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102654) | | Other providers | Use the provider's SMTP host | Use the provider's IMAP host | Provider password or app password | Use `secure: true` for implicit TLS ports such as 465/993. Port 587 normally uses `secure: false` and upgrades with STARTTLS. ## Development ```bash git clone https://github.com/samihalawa/email-smtp-imap-mcp.git cd email-smtp-imap-mcp npm ci npm test ``` Run the compiled stdio server with `npm start`. Build a production container with `docker build -t email-smtp-imap-mcp .`. ## Contributing Issues and focused pull requests are welcome. See [CONTRIBUTING.md](https://github.com/samihalawa/email-smtp-imap-mcp/blob/HEAD/CONTRIBUTING.md) for the development workflow and [SECURITY.md](https://github.com/samihalawa/email-smtp-imap-mcp/blob/HEAD/SECURITY.md) for vulnerability reports. ## License [MIT](https://github.com/samihalawa/email-smtp-imap-mcp/blob/HEAD/LICENSE) © Sami Halawa