Ethora MCP Cli vs Imap MCP Server
A side-by-side look at the Ethora MCP Cli 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 Ethora MCP Cli 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 Ethora MCP Cli when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Communication domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: OAuth 2.0.
- You have the keys it needs:
ETHORA_API_URL, ETHORA_APP_JWT, ETHORA_B2B_TOKEN, ETHORA_MCP_TRANSPORT, ETHORA_MCP_AUTH_ISSUER. - You want tools like
ethora-status, ethora-help, ethora-app-select.
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 | 65/100 · Great | 71/100 · Great |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | OAuth 2.0 | other |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Required env vars | ETHORA_API_URLETHORA_APP_JWTETHORA_B2B_TOKENETHORA_MCP_TRANSPORTETHORA_MCP_AUTH_ISSUER | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 6 | 111 |
| Directory activity | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 7 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 24 | 40 |
| Full listing | View Ethora MCP Cli | View Imap MCP Server |
Tools & capabilities
Ethora MCP Cli tools 24
ethora-statusReport the current Ethora MCP session state: configured API URL, active auth mode, which credentials are present (booleans like `hasAppJwt` — values never echoed), the selected appId/agentId, and `hosted`/`sessionId` on the hosted (Streamable HTTP) server. Auth: none required. Errors: effectively none. Related: `ethora-doctor` for an active connectivity check.ethora-helpTask-oriented orientation for this MCP server: explains the three Ethora auth modes (user / app-token / B2B) and recommends next tool calls + recipes based on current session state. Auth: none required — inspects state, no API calls. Errors: effectively none. Related: pass a recommended recipe id to `ethora-recipe-run`.ethora-app-selectSet the current app context for this session so app-scoped tools can omit their `appId` argument. Stores `currentAppId` and, if given, `appToken` (which defaults the auth mode to app-token unless `authMode` overrides). Auth: none required to set the context. Errors: effectively none — a non-existent `appId` is not validated here; the first app-scoped API call surfaces the 404. Related: pairs with `ethora-auth-mode-set`.ethora-source-site-crawl-waitCrawl a website URL and wait for the crawl to finish: enqueues the job, then polls it until it reports `completed` or `failed`. Returns `{ done, status, jobId, polls, durationMs, result }`; `done: false` with a `note` means the budget ran out while the job was still running (it usually finishes server-side anyway). Requires: a selected app (`ethora-app-select`) or an explicit `appId`. Auth: app-token mode OR B2B mode with an explicit `appId`. Errors: 401/403 wrong auth; 400 malformed `url`; 504/timeout if it takes longer than `timeoutMs` (the job may still complete server-side — check with `ethora-source-site-list`).ethora-source-doc-uploadUpload documents (1–5; PDF, text, etc.) into an app's RAG sources (app-token / B2B variant of `ethora-source-doc-upload-legacy`). Async — content becomes queryable once indexing finishes; files passed as base64, 50MB max each. Requires: a selected app (`ethora-app-select`) or an explicit `appId`. Auth: app-token mode OR B2B mode with an explicit `appId`. Errors: 401/403 wrong auth; 404 unknown `appId`; 413 too large; 422 unsupported document type. Related: `ethora-source-doc-list`, `ethora-source-doc-delete`.ethora-user-loginAuthenticate as an existing Ethora user with email + password. Stores the user session token in this MCP session and unlocks user-auth tools (`ethora-app-list`, `ethora-files-*`, `ethora-wallet-*`). Auth: user-auth mode (`ethora-auth-mode-set` first) and a configured `appJwt`. Errors: 401/403 bad credentials; 404 email not registered; 429 per-IP rate limit — retry with backoff.ethora-user-registerCreate a new Ethora user account by email + first/last name, then log in and bind the session. A password is generated when omitted and returned once. By default also mints a long-lived API key so an agent can reconnect later with `Authorization: Bearer <key>` (no human step needed). Auth: user-auth mode and a configured `appJwt` (on a hosted server this is preset). Errors: 401 no `appJwt`; 422 email already registered or password shorter than 6 chars; 429 rate limited. Related: bulk provisioning uses `ethora-user-batch-create`.ethora-api-key-createMint a long-lived, revocable API key for the currently logged-in user. The key is a user token: send it as `Authorization: Bearer <key>` to the hosted MCP endpoint (or set it in the stdio client) to skip `ethora-user-login`. Shown once. Auth: user auth (logged in). Errors: 401 not logged in; 404 on backends without API key support.ethora-feedback-submitSend feedback about Ethora to the Ethora team: something that does not work, behaves differently from what the tool description promised, is missing, or is badly documented. It reaches the team directly, so prefer it over guessing or silently giving up when a tool fails. Recent failures in this session (tool, error code, request id) are attached automatically when `includeRecentErrors` is true, which is what makes a report from here more useful than a web form: the team can join it to the server-side log. Works whether or not you are signed in, so a problem that blocks sign-up can still be reported. Do not put credentials, API keys or end-user personal data in `message`; credential-shaped values in the attached context are redacted before sending. Requires: nothing. Auth: none. Works anonymously; when the session is authenticated the report is attributed to that account. Errors: 422 if `message` is shorter than 5 characters or looks like spam; 429 if too many reports were sent from this address.ethora-widget-snippet-getGenerate the <script> tag that embeds the Ethora AI chat widget (the floating launcher + chat panel that website visitors use) for an app, plus the prerequisites that must hold before it answers. No API call; pure generator using this deployment's hosted widget URL and public API base. The widget answers with the app's ACTIVE bot: for API-created apps run `ethora-agent-create` -> `ethora-agent-invite` -> `ethora-agent-activate { agentId, chatJid }` first, otherwise `POST /v2/widget/sessions` returns 422 and the widget stays silent. Requires: an activated agent on the app (`ethora-agent-activate`); without it the widget opens but never answers. Auth: none required (uses the selected app when `appId` is omitted). Errors: effectively none; when no hosted widget is configured the snippet carries a `<WIDGET_URL>` placeholder. Related: `ethora-agent-activate`, `ethora-bot-widget-get` (legacy per-app bot only).ethora-app-listList all Ethora apps (tenants) owned by the currently logged-in user. Returns an array with `appId` (24-char hex), `displayName`, `domainName`, ownership and bot-status metadata. Credential fields (appSecret, tenantSecret, appToken, passwords) are redacted in the result; call `ethora-app-credentials-reveal { appId, confirm: true }` to reveal an app's appToken. Auth: user-auth mode, active session (`ethora-user-login` first). Errors: 401 not logged in; empty list if the user owns no apps. Related: feed `appId` into `ethora-app-update` / `ethora-app-select`.ethora-app-createCreate a new Ethora app (tenant) owned by the currently logged-in user. Allocates a fresh 24-char hex `appId` and sets the caller as owner; counts against the owner's plan limit. Returns the new app object including `appId`. The returned app has its credential fields redacted; call `ethora-app-credentials-reveal { appId, confirm: true }` when a snippet needs the appToken. Auth: user-auth mode, active session (`ethora-user-login` first). Errors: 401 not logged in; 402/403 plan limit reached; 422 invalid `displayName`. Related: server-side provisioning uses `ethora-b2b-app-create`.- +12 more on the listing page
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.
Ethora MCP Cli
{
"mcpServers": {
"ethora-mcp-cli": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@ethora/mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"ETHORA_API_URL": "YOUR_ETHORA_API_URL_HERE",
"ETHORA_APP_JWT": "YOUR_ETHORA_APP_JWT_HERE",
"ETHORA_B2B_TOKEN": "YOUR_ETHORA_B2B_TOKEN_HERE",
"ETHORA_MCP_TRANSPORT": "YOUR_ETHORA_MCP_TRANSPORT_HERE",
"ETHORA_MCP_AUTH_ISSUER": "YOUR_ETHORA_MCP_AUTH_ISSUER_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Imap MCP Server
{
"mcpServers": {
"imap-mcp-server": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"imap-mcp-server"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Ethora MCP Cli is categorized under Communication and uses a local stdio subprocess. Imap MCP Server belongs to Communication and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Ethora MCP Cli 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.
Ethora MCP Cli is listed as free. Auth: oauth 2.0. 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 ethora-mcp-cli and imap-mcp-server as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Ethora MCP Cli has a quality signal of 65/100 (Great) with 2 views, 0 installs and 6 GitHub stars. Imap MCP Server has 71/100 (Great) with 7 views, 0 installs and 111 GitHub stars.