What is the key difference between Inbox Zero and Temporal Cortex MCP?

Inbox Zero belongs to the Workplace & Productivity category with local stdio execution, while Temporal Cortex MCP belongs to the Workplace & Productivity category with local stdio execution.

How do I install Inbox Zero or Temporal Cortex MCP in Claude Desktop or Cursor?

Copy the mcpServers JSON configuration snippet provided on this page into your claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json file and restart your AI client.

Are Inbox Zero and Temporal Cortex MCP free or paid?

Inbox Zero operates under a Freemium model (OAuth 2.0). Temporal Cortex MCP operates under a Free / Open Source model (other).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Inbox Zero lists 6 tools with 1 views and 12,270 GitHub stars. Temporal Cortex MCP lists 18 tools with 3 views and 13 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Inbox Zero and Temporal Cortex MCP together in the same MCP host?

Yes! MCP hosts like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and VS Code support configuring multiple servers under the mcpServers object simultaneously.

Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison

Inbox Zero vs Temporal Cortex MCP

In-depth architectural comparison of the Inbox Zero and Temporal Cortex MCP MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.

At a Glance & Executive Verdict

Inbox Zero

Workplace & Productivity · Local stdio

Quality: 55/100 (Good) | Auth: OAuth 2.0

Temporal Cortex MCP

Workplace & Productivity · Local stdio

Quality: 65/100 (Great) | Auth: other

Verdict Summary: Choose Inbox Zero if you need specialized Workplace & Productivity tools running via a local process. Choose Temporal Cortex MCP if your workspace requires Workplace & Productivity integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Inbox Zero when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Workplace & Productivity domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: OAuth 2.0 (Freemium).
You have access to required keys: GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID, GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET, MICROSOFT_CLIENT_ID, MICROSOFT_CLIENT_SECRET, GOOGLE_BASE_URL, MICROSOFT_BASE_URL.
Primary tools included: AI personal assistant for inbox organization and reply drafting, Natural language AI rules for custom email handling, Reply Zero tracking for reply and follow-up management.

Explore Inbox Zero Details

Choose Temporal Cortex MCP when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Workplace & Productivity domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: other (Free / Open Source).

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Inbox Zero elie222 Workplace & Productivity	Temporal Cortex MCP temporal-cortex Workplace & Productivity
Summary	An MCP server for Inbox Zero. Adds functionality on top of Gmail like finding out which emails you need to reply to or need to follow up on.	AI-native calendar middleware for scheduling, availability, and conflict-free booking across Google Calendar, Outlook, and CalDAV. 15 tools across 5 layers: temporal context, calendar operations, multi-calendar availability, open scheduling, and Two-Phase Commit booking. Deterministic datetime resolution and RRULE expansion powered by Truth Engine.
Category & Scope

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Inbox Zero Tools (6)

AI personal assistant for inbox organization and reply drafting

Natural language AI rules for custom email handling

Reply Zero tracking for reply and follow-up management

Bulk unsubscriber and archiver tools

Smart filing of attachments to Google Drive or OneDrive

Slack and Telegram integration for chat-based inbox control

Temporal Cortex MCP Tools (18)

Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations

Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).

Inbox Zero Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "elie222-inbox-zero": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@inbox-zero/cli"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID": "YOUR_GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID_HERE",
        "GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET": "YOUR_GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET_HERE",
        "MICROSOFT_CLIENT_ID": "YOUR_MICROSOFT_CLIENT_ID_HERE",
        "MICROSOFT_CLIENT_SECRET": "YOUR_MICROSOFT_CLIENT_SECRET_HERE",
        "GOOGLE_BASE_URL": "YOUR_GOOGLE_BASE_URL_HERE",
        "MICROSOFT_BASE_URL": "YOUR_MICROSOFT_BASE_URL_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Temporal Cortex MCP Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "temporal-cortex-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@temporal-cortex/cortex-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID": "YOUR_GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID_HERE",
        "GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET": "YOUR_GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET_HERE",
        "MICROSOFT_CLIENT_ID": "YOUR_MICROSOFT_CLIENT_ID_HERE",
        "TIMEZONE": "YOUR_TIMEZONE_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Inbox Zero is categorized under Workplace & Productivity and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Temporal Cortex MCP belongs to Workplace & Productivity using local stdio subprocess. Select Inbox Zero when you need capabilities focused on workplace & productivity and Temporal Cortex MCP when you require tools for workplace & productivity.

More alternatives to Inbox Zero More alternatives to Temporal Cortex MCP Workplace & Productivity category hub