Imap MCP Server vs Proton Mail MCP
A side-by-side look at the Imap MCP Server and Proton Mail MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Imap MCP Server for communication work as a local process; choose Proton Mail MCP 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 Imap MCP Server when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Communication domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
imap_add_account, imap_update_account, imap_list_accounts.
Choose Proton Mail MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Communication domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: other.
- You have the keys it needs:
PROTONMAIL_USERNAME, PROTONMAIL_PASSWORD, READONLY, ALLOW_FILE_DOWNLOAD_DIR, ALLOW_EMPTY_FOLDER, RESTRICT_OUTBOUND_TO_SELF. - You want tools like
send_email, reply_email, reply_all_email.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Communication | Communication |
| Quality signal | 68/100 · Great | 63/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | other |
| Pricing | Not declared | Free |
| Required env vars | None listed | PROTONMAIL_USERNAMEPROTONMAIL_PASSWORDREADONLYALLOW_FILE_DOWNLOAD_DIRALLOW_EMPTY_FOLDERRESTRICT_OUTBOUND_TO_SELF |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 111 | 6 |
| Directory activity | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 40 | 32 |
| Full listing | View Imap MCP Server | View Proton Mail MCP |
Tools & capabilities
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
Proton Mail MCP tools 32
send_emailSend an email using Proton Mail SMTP.reply_emailReply to a message with proper threading headers (In-Reply-To, References). Includes the quoted original message with attribution by default.reply_all_emailReply to all original recipients (sender + TO + CC), excluding the authenticated user. Same threading + quoting semantics as `reply_email`. Use this instead of `reply_email` + `replyAll: true` for clarity. Self-exclusion covers the whole recipient set including the primary `To`: replying-all to a m…forward_emailForward a message to new recipients. Original attachments are carried forward by default. Unlike reply, a forward does **not** set `In-Reply-To`/`References` — it starts its own conversation and leaves the original message's `\Answered` flag untouched.save_draftSave an email as a draft without sending it. The draft is placed in the user's `\Drafts` special-use folder (resolved at runtime; falls back to literal `Drafts` if no annotation). Returns the draft UID when available.list_foldersList all mailbox folders with message and unread counts. No parameters. Counts come from a cached IMAP STATUS that Proton Bridge can serve stale — for an exact count (e.g. before deleting or emptying a folder), use `count_messages` or `folder_stats`, which query the live mailbox. The output include…list_messagesList recent messages from a folder. Supports UID-based pagination.read_messageRead a specific message by UID. Returns full headers, body, and attachment metadata. Prefers plain text; strips HTML tags from HTML-only messages. Body-part selection skips parts marked `Content-Disposition: attachment`, so a `text/plain` attachment sitting next to an HTML body is never returned as…list_attachmentsList attachment metadata (part numbers, filenames, types, sizes) for a message without downloading the body. Composes with `download_attachment` for bulk extraction. The reported size is the **decoded** file size (roughly what you get on save), **estimated** from the IMAP-encoded octet count — base…download_attachmentDownload an attachment by MIME part number. Use `list_attachments` or `read_message` first to see available parts. By default returns base64-encoded content inline. Bad part numbers produce an actionable error listing known parts.search_messagesSearch messages by various criteria. Date filters use IMAP semantics: `since` is inclusive, `before` is exclusive.get_threadGet all messages in a conversation thread by walking In-Reply-To and References headers. Returns messages sorted chronologically (oldest first).- +20 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.
Imap MCP Server
{
"mcpServers": {
"imap-mcp-server": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"imap-mcp-server"
]
}
}
}
Proton Mail MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"sethbang-proton-mail-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"proton-mail-mcp"
],
"env": {
"PROTONMAIL_USERNAME": "YOUR_PROTONMAIL_USERNAME_HERE",
"PROTONMAIL_PASSWORD": "YOUR_PROTONMAIL_PASSWORD_HERE",
"READONLY": "YOUR_READONLY_HERE",
"ALLOW_FILE_DOWNLOAD_DIR": "YOUR_ALLOW_FILE_DOWNLOAD_DIR_HERE",
"ALLOW_EMPTY_FOLDER": "YOUR_ALLOW_EMPTY_FOLDER_HERE",
"RESTRICT_OUTBOUND_TO_SELF": "YOUR_RESTRICT_OUTBOUND_TO_SELF_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Imap MCP Server is categorized under Communication and uses a local stdio subprocess. Proton Mail MCP belongs to Communication and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Imap MCP Server for communication work and Proton Mail MCP 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.
Imap MCP Server has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Proton Mail MCP 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 imap-mcp-server and sethbang-proton-mail-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Imap MCP Server has a quality signal of 68/100 (Great) with 1 views, 0 installs and 111 GitHub stars. Proton Mail MCP has 63/100 (Good) with 1 views, 0 installs and 6 GitHub stars.