Content Distribution MCP vs Imap MCP Server
A side-by-side look at the Content Distribution MCP and Imap MCP Server MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Content Distribution MCP for communication work as a local process; choose Imap MCP Server for communication as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Content Distribution MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Communication domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You want tools like
post_publish, post_schedule, post_drain.
Choose Imap MCP Server when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Communication domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: other.
- You want tools like
imap_add_account, imap_update_account, imap_list_accounts.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Communication | Communication |
| Quality signal | 60/100 · Good | 71/100 · Great |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | API key required | other |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 5 | 111 |
| Directory activity | 3 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 8 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 8 | 40 |
| Full listing | View Content Distribution MCP | View Imap MCP Server |
Tools & capabilities
Content Distribution MCP tools 8
post_publishPublish one or more channel variants immediately. Side effects: makes external HTTP requests to each channel platform; writes publish state to the local YAML backend; requires valid credentials in the named profile. Idempotent on (content.id, channel) — re-running with the same IDs returns cached state without re-posting. Use post_publish for immediate-only delivery; use post_schedule when any variant needs a future schedule_at; use post_drain to flush a previously built queue.post_scheduleEnqueue channel variants with schedule_at for future publishing; variants without schedule_at are published immediately. Side effects: writes entries to the local YAML schedule store; makes external HTTP requests for any immediately-published variants; requires credentials in the named profile. Idempotent on (content.id, channel). Use post_schedule when any variant needs a future publish time; use post_publish for all-immediate delivery; use post_drain to process the scheduled queue later.post_drainFire all scheduled posts due at or before the given time boundary. Side effects: makes external HTTP requests for each due entry; writes results to the YAML backend. Idempotent — already-published (content.id, channel) pairs are skipped; no-op when no entries are due. Safe to call from cron. Use post_drain on a recurring schedule to flush the queue; use post_publish or post_schedule to add new content; use post_status to inspect results after drain runs.post_statusReturn publish state for content pieces. Filters by content_id, channel, or both; returns all entries when neither is given. Side effects: read-only; no external HTTP calls; no auth needed. Deterministic given unchanged backend state. Use post_status to inspect what has been published, what is queued, or what errored; use post_publish, post_schedule, or post_drain to change state.post_unpublishBest-effort delete of a published post on the target platform. Side effects: makes an external HTTP DELETE or update request; DEV.to sets published=false (soft delete); platforms without a delete API return success=false without error. Non-idempotent — calling on an already-deleted URL may return a platform 404. Use post_unpublish to retract a live post; use post_status first to obtain the live_url; use post_publish to re-publish after an unpublish.channel_hintsReturn static per-channel metadata: character limits, Markdown support flags, tag vocabulary, and CTA placement rules. Side effects: read-only; no external HTTP calls; no auth needed. Fully deterministic — returns compile-time adapter constants. Use channel_hints before composing a variant body to understand channel constraints; use post_publish or post_schedule once you have a valid variant.profile_listReturn all distribution profile names configured in the YAML backend. Side effects: read-only; no external HTTP calls. Deterministic given backend state. Use profile_list to discover available profiles before calling post_publish, post_schedule, or subreddit_list; then pass the chosen name as profile_name.subreddit_listReturn all subreddits in the Subreddit Catalog with cooldown windows, flair vocabulary, and last-posted metadata. Optionally filtered to subreddits allowed by the named profile. Side effects: read-only; no external HTTP calls. Deterministic given backend state. Use subreddit_list to select a subreddit and obtain flair IDs before composing a reddit: channel variant; pass flair in variant.extras.flair.
Imap MCP Server tools 40
imap_add_accountAdd a new IMAP account configurationimap_update_accountUpdate an existing IMAP account. Useful for fixing SMTP settings without removing and re-adding the account.imap_list_accountsList all configured IMAP accountsimap_remove_accountRemove an IMAP account configurationimap_connectConnect to an IMAP accountimap_disconnectDisconnect from an IMAP accountimap_test_accountTest an existing account connection without re-entering credentials. Validates IMAP connectivity and returns folder count and message count.imap_search_emailsNote: on some servers a 'flagged' or starred message carries a custom keyword (e.g. an Open-Xchange color label or Apple's $MailFlagBit*) instead of, or in addition to, the \Flagged system flag. After any flagged search, inspect each result's customKeywords field before concluding a message is or isn't flagged — do not rely on the flagged filter alone. Search for emails matching criteria (sender, recipient, subject, body text, date range, read/flagged status). Use this to FIND messages when you know something about them but not their UID — e.g. "emails from amazon last week", "unread invoices". By default searches a single folder (INBOX). Set searchAllFolders=true to scan every mailbox at once — this catches messages filed away by rules (e.g. a receipt routed to a custom folder); Trash/Spam/Drafts are skipped unless you opt in. By default returns lightweight headers (uid, from, subject, date, and folder when searching across folders); set `includeBody=true` to also return the parsed body in one round-trip instead of paying the N+1 cost of calling imap_get_email per match. For the newest messages without criteria, prefer imap_get_latest_emails.imap_get_emailRead the FULL content of a single email by its UID (body, sender/recipients, date, attachment list, optional raw headers and text-attachment previews). By default the body is returned as clean Markdown in markdownContent and raw HTML is omitted so it never crosses the boundary; set bodyFormat to "html" for the legacy raw htmlContent, or "text" for plain text only. Use after imap_search_emails or imap_get_latest_emails gives you a uid. Body text is truncated to maxContentLength to protect the context window — raise it for long messages. To fetch attachment bytes, use imap_download_attachment.imap_upload_fileUpload a file to the server for use as an email attachment. Returns a path that can be used with imap_send_email attachments. This allows sending large attachments without hitting context window limits. Max size: 26214400 bytes (configurable via IMAP_MAX_UPLOAD_SIZE). Uploads are auto-deleted after 86400000 ms (configurable via IMAP_UPLOAD_TTL_MS).imap_download_attachmentDownload a single attachment from an email (folder + uid + attachment filename/contentId, as listed by imap_get_email). Images are returned inline for viewing; PDFs are saved and their text is extracted inline (extractText); other files are saved to the shared downloads directory (or savePath). Use when the user wants the actual file contents, not just the message body.imap_mark_as_readMark one or many emails as read. Accepts a single UID or an array — pass an array to flag N messages in one IMAP STORE round-trip (useful when triaging).- +28 more on the listing page
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Content Distribution MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"automatelab-tech-content-distribution-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@automatelab/content-distribution-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Imap MCP Server
{
"mcpServers": {
"imap-mcp-server": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"imap-mcp-server"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Content Distribution MCP is categorized under Communication and uses a local stdio subprocess. Imap MCP Server belongs to Communication and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Content Distribution MCP for communication work and Imap MCP Server for communication.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
Content Distribution MCP is listed as free. Auth: api key required. Imap MCP Server is listed as free. Auth: other. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add automatelab-tech-content-distribution-mcp and imap-mcp-server as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Content Distribution MCP has a quality signal of 60/100 (Good) with 3 views, 0 installs and 5 GitHub stars. Imap MCP Server has 71/100 (Great) with 8 views, 0 installs and 111 GitHub stars.