Mailwarden vs Email MCP

get_profile

Return the authorized account: email address plus total message/thread counts. USE WHEN: confirming WHICH mailbox is connected before a bulk or filter action, or as a cheap liveness check. DO NOT USE: to enumerate messages — this returns only counts, not a listing (use search). SIDE EFFECTS: none.

triage_digest

Structured overview of a mailbox slice for triage DECISIONS — sender / label / age buckets plus unread and attachment counts, instead of a raw thread list. USE WHEN: deciding what to bulk-archive/snooze/label, or summarizing inbox state ('what's in my inbox?'). DO NOT USE: to read a specific thread (use search/get_thread). Samples up to `max` most-recent matches; hasMore flags that more matched than were sampled. byAge buckets by each thread's FIRST message date (thread age, not last activity). SIDE EFFECTS: none.

create_label

Create a user label and return its id. Idempotent: if the name already exists (case-insensitive), its existing id is returned and nothing is created. Nested labels: separate levels with '/' (e.g. 'Clients/Acme') — each missing parent level is created too. USE WHEN: you want a label's id up front, or to pre-create a label without applying it to anything. DO NOT USE: just to file mail under a new label — modify_labels/bulk_modify already auto-create an unknown name passed in `add`. SIDE EFFECTS: creates the label if missing; no mail is changed.

modify_labels

Add/remove labels on a thread. Archive = remove 'INBOX'; mark read = remove 'UNREAD'. Labels may be given by name or by id: an unknown name in `add` is created automatically (use '/' for nested labels), an unknown name in `remove` is ignored. USE WHEN: applying custom labels or label combinations in one call. DO NOT USE: for plain archive/read/unread — the dedicated tools are clearer. SIDE EFFECTS: changes the thread's labels (and may create a label named in `add`); reversible by the inverse call.

bulk_modify

Bulk-apply label changes to every message matching a Gmail query, batched at 1000 messages per API request. Labels may be given by name or by id: an unknown name in `add` is created automatically (use '/' for nested labels), an unknown name in `remove` is ignored. Returns matched/modified counts, affected thread IDs (capped at 500 — modifiedThreadCount has the true total), and per-chunk failures (partial success is reported, not hidden). If more messages match than maxMessages, only the first maxMessages are processed and 'capped' is true — raise maxMessages or re-run to finish the rest. Note: the query hits Gmail's search index as-is, WITHOUT the live re-verification search performs — for read-state-precise bulk ops, verify with search first. USE WHEN: mass operations — 'archive all newsletters older than 30 days' (query + remove INBOX), bulk labeling, bulk mark-read. DO NOT USE: for a single thread (use modify_labels or the dedicated tools), or with neither add nor remove. SIDE EFFECTS: modifies up to maxMessages messages in one call; label changes are reversible by the inverse call.

archive

Archive a thread (remove it from the inbox). USE WHEN: inbox triage — the thread is handled and should leave the inbox. DO NOT USE: to delete (use trash) or to defer to a date (use snooze). SIDE EFFECTS: thread leaves the inbox; reversible via modify_labels add INBOX.

mark_read

Mark a thread as read. SIDE EFFECTS: removes UNREAD; reversible via mark_unread.

mark_unread

Mark a thread as unread. SIDE EFFECTS: adds UNREAD; reversible via mark_read.