Mailoo

Mailoo is Bitfloo's IMAP, SMTP, and ManageSieve MCP server: multi-mailbox, with profiles per account and per folder.

This is a public LGPL-3.0-or-later fork of email-mcp. It is not an official codefuturist project. See Upstream / Attribution.

Enables AI assistants to read, search, send, manage, schedule, and analyze emails across multiple accounts. Exposes 56 tools, 7 prompts, and 6 resources over the MCP protocol with OAuth2 support (experimental), email scheduling, calendar extraction, analytics, provider-aware label management, real-time IMAP IDLE watcher with AI-powered triage, customizable presets and static rules, ManageSieve filters, and a guided setup wizard.

Behaviour for Sent copies, IMAP4rev2, Sieve, attachment savePath, and read-only side effects is documented in docs/configuration.md and docs/tools.md.

Highlights

Feature	In this tree
Multi-account IMAP/SMTP	✅
Send / reply / forward	✅
Drafts & templates	✅
Provider-aware labels & bulk ops	✅
Schedule future emails	✅
Real-time IMAP IDLE watcher	✅
AI triage with presets	✅
Desktop & webhook alerts	✅
Calendar (ICS) extraction	✅
Email analytics	✅
OAuth2 (Gmail / M365)	✅ experimental
Guided setup wizard	✅
ManageSieve (server-side filters)	✅
Sender auth headers (SPF/DKIM/DMARC)	✅

Highlights
Security
Docs
Background
Install
Usage
Capabilities & data flows
API
Maintainers
Upstream / Attribution
Contributing
License

Security

Policy and how to report a vulnerability: SECURITY.md.

tls is implicit TLS; starttls fails the connection when the server offers no STARTTLS. With both false, IMAP and SMTP differ — see Security considerations.
The audit log redacts passwords and message bodies. It records send, draft, folder, label, bulk, manage, sieve, template, and schedule writes, not every local write (src/safety/audit.ts) — SECURITY.md
One global rate_limit (default 10 per minute) sizes a separate send bucket for each account (src/config/schema.ts)
OAuth2 XOAUTH2 authentication for Gmail and Microsoft 365 (experimental)
savePath writes a new file only under a specific working directory — Security considerations
Outgoing attachment paths must be regular files under the working directory or home — Security considerations

Docs

Topic	Where
Sent APPEND, IMAP4rev2, Sieve, `read_only`, stdio EOF	docs/configuration.md
`savePath`, search dates, `get_email_security`, sieve tools, send/draft attachments, RFC 2047	docs/tools.md
Performance notes	docs/performance-roadmap.md

Background

Most MCP email implementations provide only basic read/send. This server aims to be a full-featured email client for AI assistants, covering the entire lifecycle: reading, composing, managing, scheduling, and analyzing email — all from a single MCP server.

Key design decisions:

XDG-compliant config — TOML at ~/.config/mailoo/config.toml
Multi-account — Operate across multiple IMAP/SMTP accounts simultaneously
Layered services — Business logic is decoupled from MCP wiring for testability
Provider auto-detection — Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, iCloud, Fastmail, ProtonMail, Zoho, GMX

Install

Requires Node.js ≥ 24.

Terminal

npx -y @bitfloo/mailoo setup

That writes the local config and prints an MCP client snippet. The same package runs the server and the other commands:

Terminal

npx -y @bitfloo/mailoo
npx -y @bitfloo/mailoo account add
npx -y @bitfloo/mailoo test

npx -y @bitfloo/mailoo with no subcommand starts the MCP server over stdio. Or install the mailoo command:

Terminal

npm install -g @bitfloo/mailoo
# or
pnpm add -g @bitfloo/mailoo
# or, without a global install:
pnpm dlx @bitfloo/mailoo setup

From a clone

Building this repository needs pnpm 9:

bash

git clone https://github.com/Bitfloo/mailoo.git
cd mailoo
pnpm install && pnpm build
node dist/main.js setup

Docker

The running image needs Docker, not Node on the host. Create the config first with npx -y @bitfloo/mailoo setup (or write the TOML by hand), then mount that directory into the container.

The image is ghcr.io/bitfloo/mailoo. Tags are bare semver (no v prefix), for example ghcr.io/bitfloo/mailoo:0.1.5. Anonymous pull is not available, so build locally (docker-compose.yml uses build: .):

Terminal

docker build -t ghcr.io/bitfloo/mailoo .

Note: The server uses stdio transport. Config is created on the host (npx -y @bitfloo/mailoo setup, or a hand-written TOML) and mounted into the container.

Usage

Commands below use npx -y @bitfloo/mailoo. A global install accepts the same subcommands as mailoo. From a clone, after pnpm build, those subcommands are node dist/main.js (see From a clone).

Setup

bash

# Add an email account interactively (recommended)
npx -y @bitfloo/mailoo account add

# Or use the legacy alias
npx -y @bitfloo/mailoo setup

# Or create a template config manually
npx -y @bitfloo/mailoo config init

The setup wizard auto-detects server settings, tests connections, saves config, and outputs the MCP client config snippet.

Test Connections

Terminal

npx -y @bitfloo/mailoo test            # all accounts
npx -y @bitfloo/mailoo test personal   # specific account

npx -y @bitfloo/mailoo test / mailoo test is a live-account connection probe, not Vitest. Unit and integration tests are pnpm test / pnpm test:integration (see Contributing).

Configure Your MCP Client

Run the guided installer, or paste a snippet below. There is no VS Code / MCP gallery listing.

Terminal

npx -y @bitfloo/mailoo install

The installer can register an npx, pnpm dlx, or global mailoo launch. A mailoo binary already on PATH can use "command": "mailoo" with "args": ["stdio"].

Claude Desktop

Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows):

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mailoo": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@bitfloo/mailoo", "stdio"]
    }
  }
}

VS Code (GitHub Copilot)

Mailoo is not in the VS Code Extensions gallery. Point Copilot at the npx launch below.

Workspace (.vscode/mcp.json):

config.json

{
  "servers": {
    "mailoo": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@bitfloo/mailoo", "stdio"]
    }
  }
}

User config (settings.json, all workspaces):

Open the Command Palette → Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON) and add:

config.json

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "mailoo": {
        "type": "stdio",
        "command": "npx",
        "args": ["-y", "@bitfloo/mailoo", "stdio"]
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mailoo": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@bitfloo/mailoo", "stdio"]
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

Edit ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mailoo": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@bitfloo/mailoo", "stdio"]
    }
  }
}

Zed

Edit ~/.config/zed/settings.json:

config.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "mailoo": {
      "command": {
        "path": "npx",
        "args": ["-y", "@bitfloo/mailoo", "stdio"]
      }
    }
  }
}

Mistral Vibe

Add to ~/.vibe/config.toml:

toml

[[mcp_servers]]
name = "mailoo"
transport = "stdio"
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@bitfloo/mailoo", "stdio"]

To pass credentials directly instead of using a config file, use the env field:

toml

[[mcp_servers]]
name = "mailoo"
transport = "stdio"
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@bitfloo/mailoo", "stdio"]
env = { MCP_EMAIL_ADDRESS = "you@example.com", MCP_EMAIL_PASSWORD = "your-app-password", MCP_EMAIL_IMAP_HOST = "imap.example.com", MCP_EMAIL_SMTP_HOST = "smtp.example.com" }

MCP tools are exposed as mailoo_<tool_name> (e.g. mailoo_list_emails). Restart Vibe after editing the config.

Docker (any MCP client)

Run the server in a container — mount your config directory read-only. The image is ghcr.io/bitfloo/mailoo. Anonymous pull is not available, so build first (docker build -t ghcr.io/bitfloo/mailoo .):

Terminal

docker run --rm -i \
  -v ~/.config/mailoo:/home/node/.config/mailoo:ro \
  ghcr.io/bitfloo/mailoo

For MCP client configuration (e.g. Claude Desktop):

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mailoo": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run", "--rm", "-i",
        "-v", "~/.config/mailoo:/home/node/.config/mailoo:ro",
        "ghcr.io/bitfloo/mailoo"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Single-account via environment variables (no config file needed)

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mailoo": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@bitfloo/mailoo", "stdio"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_EMAIL_ADDRESS": "you@example.com",
        "MCP_EMAIL_PASSWORD": "your-app-password",
        "MCP_EMAIL_IMAP_HOST": "imap.example.com",
        "MCP_EMAIL_SMTP_HOST": "smtp.example.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

CLI Commands

Terminal

npx -y @bitfloo/mailoo [command]

Commands:
  stdio                     Run as MCP server over stdio (default)
  http [port] [host]        Streamable HTTP (default: port 8080 on 127.0.0.1 and ::1)
  account list              List all configured accounts
  account add               Add a new email account interactively
  account edit [name]       Edit an existing account
  account delete [name]     Remove an account
  setup                     Alias for 'account add'
  test                      Test connections for all or a specific account
  install                   Register mailoo with MCP clients interactively
  install status            Show registration status for detected clients
  install remove            Unregister mailoo from MCP clients
  config show               Show config (passwords masked)
  config edit               Edit global settings (rate limit, read-only)
  config path               Print config file path
  config init               Create template config
  scheduler check           Process pending scheduled emails
  scheduler list            Show all scheduled emails
  scheduler install         Install OS-level scheduler (launchd/crontab)
  scheduler uninstall       Remove OS-level scheduler
  scheduler status          Show scheduler installation status
  --version, -v             Print the package version
  help                      Show help

HTTP

http listens on 127.0.0.1 and ::1 (port 8080 unless you pass another port). A non-loopback address or a non-loopback name in MCP_EMAIL_HTTP_ALLOWED_HOSTS requires MCP_EMAIL_HTTP_TOKEN. Details, including 0.0.0.0 / :: and the 8 MiB body limit: docs/configuration.md.

Terminal

npx -y @bitfloo/mailoo http
MCP_EMAIL_HTTP_TOKEN='replace-with-a-long-random-secret' npx -y @bitfloo/mailoo http 8080 192.0.2.10

Clients send Authorization: Bearer <token> when a token is configured.

Configuration

Located at $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/mailoo/config.toml (default: ~/.config/mailoo/config.toml).

toml

[settings]
rate_limit = 10  # max emails per minute per account
read_only = false
save_to_sent = true  # see docs/configuration.md — Gmail already files Sent

[[accounts]]
name = "personal"
email = "you@example.com"
full_name = "Your Name"
password = "your-app-password"

[accounts.imap]
host = "imap.example.com"
port = 993
tls = true
# disable_imap4rev2 = true  # Strato and similar SEARCH bugs
# sieve_host = "imap.example.com"
# sieve_port = 4190

[accounts.smtp]
host = "smtp.example.com"
port = 465
tls = true
starttls = false
verify_ssl = true

[accounts.smtp.pool]
enabled = true
max_connections = 1
max_messages = 100

OAuth2 (experimental)

Note: OAuth2 support is experimental. Token refresh and provider-specific flows may require additional testing in your environment.

toml

[[accounts]]
name = "work"
email = "you@example.com"
full_name = "Your Name"

[accounts.oauth2]
provider = "google"            # or "microsoft"
client_id = "your-client-id"
client_secret = "your-client-secret"
refresh_token = "your-refresh-token"

[accounts.imap]
host = "imap.example.com"
port = 993
tls = true

[accounts.smtp]
host = "smtp.example.com"
port = 465
tls = true

[accounts.smtp.pool]
enabled = true
max_connections = 1
max_messages = 100

Environment Variables

For single-account setups (overrides config file):

Variable	Default	Description
`MCP_EMAIL_ADDRESS`	required	Email address
`MCP_EMAIL_PASSWORD`	required	Password or app password
`MCP_EMAIL_IMAP_HOST`	required	IMAP server hostname
`MCP_EMAIL_SMTP_HOST`	required	SMTP server hostname
`MCP_EMAIL_ACCOUNT_NAME`	`default`	Account name
`MCP_EMAIL_FULL_NAME`	—	Display name
`MCP_EMAIL_USERNAME`	email	Login username
`MCP_EMAIL_IMAP_PORT`	`993`	IMAP port
`MCP_EMAIL_IMAP_TLS`	`true`	IMAP TLS
`MCP_EMAIL_SMTP_PORT`	`465`	SMTP port
`MCP_EMAIL_SMTP_TLS`	`true`	SMTP TLS
`MCP_EMAIL_SMTP_STARTTLS`	`false`	SMTP STARTTLS
`MCP_EMAIL_SMTP_VERIFY_SSL`	`true`	Verify SSL certificates
`MCP_EMAIL_SMTP_POOL_ENABLED`	`true`	Enable SMTP transport pooling
`MCP_EMAIL_SMTP_POOL_MAX_CONNECTIONS`	`1`	Max pooled SMTP connections
`MCP_EMAIL_SMTP_POOL_MAX_MESSAGES`	`100`	Max messages per pooled connection
`MCP_EMAIL_RATE_LIMIT`	`10`	Max sends per minute

Sent copies, IMAP4rev2, Sieve host/port, and read_only env vars: docs/configuration.md.

Email Scheduling

The scheduler enables future email delivery with a layered architecture:

MCP auto-check — Processes the queue on server startup and every 60 seconds while the MCP server is running
CLI — npx -y @bitfloo/mailoo scheduler check for manual or cron-based processing
OS-level daemon — npx -y @bitfloo/mailoo scheduler install sets up launchd (macOS) or crontab (Linux) to run every minute, independently of the MCP server

Important — the daemon must be installed for reliable delivery. Without it, scheduled emails only fire while an AI client is actively connected. Your machine also needs to be running at the scheduled time; if it's asleep or off, the daemon will process overdue emails on next wake/startup. Failed sends are retried up to 3 times before being marked failed.

Setting up the daemon

bash

# Install (macOS launchd / Linux crontab — runs every minute)
npx -y @bitfloo/mailoo scheduler install

# Verify it's running
npx -y @bitfloo/mailoo scheduler status

# View pending / sent / failed scheduled emails
npx -y @bitfloo/mailoo scheduler list

# Trigger a manual check immediately
npx -y @bitfloo/mailoo scheduler check

# Remove the daemon
npx -y @bitfloo/mailoo scheduler uninstall

Scheduled emails are stored as JSON files in ~/.local/state/mailoo/scheduled/ with status-based locking. Each entry tracks attempts (max 3) and the last error, so you can inspect failures with scheduler list.

Real-time Watcher & AI Hooks

The IMAP IDLE watcher monitors configured mailboxes in real-time using persistent IDLE connections (separate from tool connections). When new emails arrive:

Static rules — Pattern-match on from/to/subject → apply labels, flag, or mark read instantly (no AI)
AI triage — Remaining emails are analyzed via MCP sampling with a customizable preset prompt
Notify mode — Falls back to logging if AI triage is disabled

Configure in config.toml:

toml

[settings.watcher]
enabled = true
folders = ["INBOX"]
idle_timeout = 1740     # 29 minutes (IMAP spec max is 30)

[settings.hooks]
on_new_email = "triage" # "triage" | "notify" | "none"
preset = "inbox-zero"   # "inbox-zero" | "gtd" | "priority-focus" | "notification-only" | "custom"
auto_label = true       # apply AI-suggested labels
auto_flag = true        # flag urgent emails
batch_delay = 5         # seconds to batch before triage

# User context — appended to preset's AI prompt
custom_instructions = """
I'm a software engineer. Emails from @example.com are always high priority.
Newsletters I read: TL;DR, Hacker Newsletter.
"""

# Static rules — run BEFORE AI, skip AI if matched
[[settings.hooks.rules]]
name = "GitHub Notifications"
match = { from = "*@example.com" }
actions = { labels = ["Dev"], mark_read = true }

[[settings.hooks.rules]]
name = "Newsletter Archive"
match = { from = "*@example.com|*@example.test" }
actions = { labels = ["Newsletter"] }

[[settings.hooks.rules]]
name = "VIP Contacts"
match = { from = "ceo@example.com|cto@example.test" }
actions = { flag = true, labels = ["VIP"] }

Presets

Preset	Focus	Suggested Labels
`inbox-zero`	Aggressive categorization + archiving	Newsletter, Notification, Updates, Finance, Social, Promo
`gtd`	Getting Things Done contexts	@Action, @Waiting, @Reference, @Someday, @Delegated
`priority-focus`	Simple priority classification (default)	(none — just priority + flag)
`notification-only`	No AI triage, just log	(none)
`custom`	User defines full system prompt	User-defined

Static Rules

Static rules use glob-style patterns (*@example.com) with | as OR separator (*@example.com|*@example.test). All conditions within a match are AND'd. First matching rule wins.

Available actions: labels (string array), flag (boolean), mark_read (boolean), alert (boolean — forces desktop notification).

Alerts

Urgency-based multi-channel notification routing — grab attention for important emails even when you're not looking at the chat. All channels are opt-in and disabled by default.

Priority	Desktop	Sound	MCP Log Level	Webhook
`urgent`	✅ Banner	🔊 Alert	`alert`	✅
`high`	✅ Banner	🔇 Silent	`warning`	✅
`normal`	❌	❌	`info`	❌
`low`	❌	❌	`debug`	❌

toml

[settings.hooks.alerts]
desktop = true              # OS-level notifications (macOS/Linux/Windows)
sound = true                # play sound for urgent emails
urgency_threshold = "high"  # minimum priority to trigger desktop alert
webhook_url = "https://ntfy.sh/my-email-alerts"  # optional: Slack, Discord, ntfy.sh, etc.
webhook_events = ["urgent", "high"]
allow_private_webhooks = false  # default; true allows a LAN, VPN, or tailnet target

Details: docs/configuration.md.

Supported platforms: macOS (Notification Center via osascript), Linux (notify-send), Windows (PowerShell toast). Zero npm dependencies — uses native OS commands.

Notification setup by platform:

macOS

Desktop notifications use osascript (built-in). The terminal app running the MCP server needs notification permission:

Open System Settings → Notifications & Focus
Find your terminal app (Terminal, iTerm2, VS Code, Cursor, etc.)
Enable Allow Notifications and choose Banners or Alerts
Ensure Focus / Do Not Disturb is not blocking notifications

Use check_notification_setup to diagnose and test_notification to verify.

Linux

Requires notify-send from libnotify. For sound alerts, paplay is also needed:

bash

# Ubuntu / Debian
sudo apt install libnotify-bin pulseaudio-utils

# Fedora
sudo dnf install libnotify pulseaudio-utils

# Arch
sudo pacman -S libnotify

Desktop notifications require a running display server (X11/Wayland) — they will not work in headless/SSH sessions.

Windows

Uses PowerShell toast notifications (built-in):

Open Settings → System → Notifications
Ensure Notifications is turned on
Set Focus Assist to allow notifications
If using Windows Terminal, ensure its notifications are enabled

AI-configurable: The AI can check, test, and configure notifications at runtime:

check_notification_setup — diagnose platform support and show setup instructions
test_notification — send a test notification to verify everything works
configure_alerts — enable/disable desktop, sound, threshold, webhook (with optional persist to config file)

Webhook payload:

config.json

{
  "event": "email.urgent",
  "account": "work",
  "sender": { "name": "John CEO", "address": "ceo@example.com" },
  "subject": "Q4 Review Due Today",
  "priority": "urgent",
  "labels": ["VIP"],
  "rule": "VIP Contacts",
  "timestamp": "2026-02-18T11:30:00Z"
}

Static rules can force desktop notifications with alert = true, regardless of urgency threshold:

toml

[[settings.hooks.rules]]
name = "VIP Contacts"
match = { from = "ceo@example.com" }
actions = { flag = true, alert = true, labels = ["VIP"] }

Features:

Auto-reconnect — Exponential backoff (1s → 60s) on connection failures
Batching — Groups arrivals within a configurable delay to reduce AI calls
Rate limiting — Max 10 sampling calls per minute
Graceful degradation — Falls back to notify mode if client doesn't support sampling

System One (opt-in typed filing)

Optional TypeSafe System One classification on residue mail after static rules. Off by default. Both settings.watcher.enabled and settings.system_one.enabled must be on. Set TYPESAFE_API_KEY in the environment (never in TOML).

Default classify path sends mail_headers (subject, From, attachment names, extracted links, auth codes) to api.typesafe.ai. include_body = true additionally sends mail_body. auto_move and auto_flag are separate poles and default false. Filing destinations come from folders[].path (validated against IMAP LIST), not a live listing of every mailbox.

toml

[settings.system_one]
enabled = false
include_body = false
auto_move = false
auto_flag = false

[[settings.system_one.folders]]
path = "Receipts"
description = "Invoices, receipts, and payment confirmations."

on_new_email = "notify" or "triage" both feed System One when it is on. none stays off.

Capabilities & data flows

Outbound calls, child processes, files, and environment variables below are what src/ does. Hook triage that uses MCP sampling stays inside the connected client; Mailoo does not dial a separate model host for that path.

Network

Destination	When	Code
Configured IMAP host and port	Reads, writes, IDLE	`src/connections/manager.ts`, `src/services/watcher.service.ts`
Configured SMTP host and port	Sends	`src/connections/manager.ts`
ManageSieve host (IMAP host if unset) port 4190 by default (`sieve_port` / `MCP_EMAIL_SIEVE_PORT`)	Filter scripts	`src/services/sieve.service.ts`
`https://oauth2.googleapis.com/token`	Google token refresh and code exchange	`src/services/oauth.service.ts`
`https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/v2/auth`	Authorization URL for the operator's browser; the process does not fetch it	`src/services/oauth.service.ts`
`https://login.microsoftonline.com/common/oauth2/v2.0/token`	Microsoft token refresh and code exchange	`src/services/oauth.service.ts`
`https://login.microsoftonline.com/common/oauth2/v2.0/authorize`	Authorization URL for the operator's browser; the process does not fetch it	`src/services/oauth.service.ts`
Custom `token_url` / `auth_url`	Same split when `oauth2.provider` is `custom`	`src/services/oauth.service.ts`
Configured webhook URL (`http` or `https` POST)	Alerts, after a DNS lookup of that host	`src/services/notifier.service.ts`, `src/safety/validation.ts`
`https://api.typesafe.ai` (or `TYPESAFE_BASE_URL`)	System One classification, only when that integration is on	`src/services/mail-arrival/index.ts`

mailoo http listens. It does not add an outbound destination. Provider presets in src/cli/providers.ts fill the IMAP and SMTP hosts the wizard saves.

Processes

Program	When	Code
`osascript`	macOS notifications, calendar events, reminders	`src/services/notifier.service.ts`, `src/services/local-calendar.service.ts`, `src/services/reminders.service.ts`
`notify-send`	Linux desktop notifications	`src/services/notifier.service.ts`
`paplay`	Linux notification sound	`src/services/notifier.service.ts`
`powershell`	Windows balloon notifications	`src/services/notifier.service.ts`
`which` (Windows: `where`)	Checks that `osascript`, `afplay`, `notify-send`, `paplay`, or `powershell` exists. `afplay` is only probed; macOS sound goes through `osascript`	`src/services/notifier.service.ts`
`xdg-open`	Opens a temporary calendar file on Linux	`src/services/local-calendar.service.ts`
`launchctl`	Installs or removes the macOS scheduler agent	`src/cli/scheduler.ts`
`crontab`	Installs or removes the Linux scheduler line	`src/cli/scheduler.ts`

Files

Paths follow the XDG defaults in src/config/xdg.ts unless XDG_CONFIG_HOME, XDG_DATA_HOME, or XDG_STATE_HOME is set.

Path	What is written	Code
`$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/mailoo/config.toml` (mode `0600`)	Accounts and settings, including passwords and OAuth secrets	`src/config/loader.ts`
`$XDG_DATA_HOME/mailoo/audit.log`	Append-only audit lines	`src/safety/audit.ts`
`$XDG_STATE_HOME/mailoo/scheduled/` and `scheduled/sent/`	Scheduled-send JSON	`src/services/scheduler.service.ts`
`$XDG_DATA_HOME/mailoo/calendar-attachments/`	Attachment files saved for a calendar event	`src/services/imap.service.ts`
`$XDG_STATE_HOME/mailoo/calendar-processed.json` and `.lock`	Which messages already created an automatic event or reminder	`src/utils/calendar-state.ts`
`savePath` under the working directory	`download_attachment` when that argument is set	`src/tools/attachments.tool.ts`
OS temp directory, `mailoo-event-*.ics`	Linux calendar file passed to `xdg-open`	`src/services/local-calendar.service.ts`
`~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.bitfloo.mailoo.scheduler.plist`	macOS scheduler agent. Its stdout and stderr are `/tmp/mailoo-scheduler.log`	`src/cli/scheduler.ts`
User crontab	One Mailoo line on Linux	`src/cli/scheduler.ts`
MCP client config (Claude, Cursor, Windsurf)	`mailoo install` merges the launch entry	`src/cli/install-commands.ts`

Templates under $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/mailoo/templates/ are read, not written by the server.

Environment

Single-account setup reads MCP_EMAIL_* (src/config/loader.ts). HTTP listens reads MCP_EMAIL_HTTP_HOST, MCP_EMAIL_HTTP_TOKEN, and MCP_EMAIL_HTTP_ALLOWED_HOSTS (src/safety/http-transport.ts). The same names are the Smithery config keys and the packages[].environmentVariables list in server.json.

Name	Role
`MCP_EMAIL_ADDRESS`, `MCP_EMAIL_PASSWORD`, `MCP_EMAIL_IMAP_HOST`, `MCP_EMAIL_SMTP_HOST`	Account. Password is required unless `MCP_EMAIL_OAUTH2_PROVIDER` is set
`MCP_EMAIL_ACCOUNT_NAME`, `MCP_EMAIL_FULL_NAME`, `MCP_EMAIL_USERNAME`	Identity
`MCP_EMAIL_IMAP_PORT`, `MCP_EMAIL_IMAP_TLS`, `MCP_EMAIL_IMAP_STARTTLS`, `MCP_EMAIL_IMAP_VERIFY_SSL`, `MCP_EMAIL_IMAP_DISABLE_IMAP4REV2`, `MCP_EMAIL_SIEVE_HOST`, `MCP_EMAIL_SIEVE_PORT`	IMAP and ManageSieve
`MCP_EMAIL_SMTP_PORT`, `MCP_EMAIL_SMTP_TLS`, `MCP_EMAIL_SMTP_STARTTLS`, `MCP_EMAIL_SMTP_VERIFY_SSL`, `MCP_EMAIL_SMTP_POOL_ENABLED`, `MCP_EMAIL_SMTP_POOL_MAX_CONNECTIONS`, `MCP_EMAIL_SMTP_POOL_MAX_MESSAGES`	SMTP
`MCP_EMAIL_OAUTH2_PROVIDER`, `MCP_EMAIL_OAUTH2_CLIENT_ID`, `MCP_EMAIL_OAUTH2_CLIENT_SECRET`, `MCP_EMAIL_OAUTH2_REFRESH_TOKEN`	OAuth2
`MCP_EMAIL_RATE_LIMIT`, `MCP_EMAIL_READ_ONLY`, `MCP_EMAIL_SAVE_TO_SENT`	Settings
`MCP_EMAIL_WATCHER_ENABLED`, `MCP_EMAIL_WATCHER_FOLDERS`, `MCP_EMAIL_WATCHER_IDLE_TIMEOUT`	IDLE watcher
`MCP_EMAIL_HOOK_ON_NEW_EMAIL`, `MCP_EMAIL_HOOK_PRESET`, `MCP_EMAIL_HOOK_AUTO_LABEL`, `MCP_EMAIL_HOOK_AUTO_FLAG`, `MCP_EMAIL_HOOK_BATCH_DELAY`, `MCP_EMAIL_HOOK_CUSTOM_INSTRUCTIONS`	Hooks
`MCP_EMAIL_ALERT_DESKTOP`, `MCP_EMAIL_ALERT_SOUND`, `MCP_EMAIL_ALERT_URGENCY_THRESHOLD`, `MCP_EMAIL_ALERT_WEBHOOK_URL`, `MCP_EMAIL_ALERT_WEBHOOK_ALLOW_PRIVATE`	Alerts
`MCP_EMAIL_HOOK_AUTO_CALENDAR`, `MCP_EMAIL_HOOK_CALENDAR_NAME`, `MCP_EMAIL_HOOK_CALENDAR_ALARM_MINUTES`, `MCP_EMAIL_HOOK_CALENDAR_CONFIRM`	Automatic calendar
`MCP_EMAIL_SYSTEM_ONE_ENABLED`	System One switch. The API key is `TYPESAFE_API_KEY`, not a `MCP_EMAIL_*` variable
`TYPESAFE_API_KEY`, `TYPESAFE_BASE_URL`	System One credential and optional API root. The SDK reads `TYPESAFE_BASE_URL`
`XDG_CONFIG_HOME`, `XDG_DATA_HOME`, `XDG_STATE_HOME`, `APPDATA`	Override the directories above. `APPDATA` is the Windows Claude config directory used by `mailoo install`
`MCP_EMAIL_HTTP_HOST`, `MCP_EMAIL_HTTP_TOKEN`, `MCP_EMAIL_HTTP_ALLOWED_HOSTS`	HTTP listen policy

API

Tools (56)

Read (18)

Tool	Description
`list_accounts`	List all configured email accounts
`list_mailboxes`	List folders with unread counts and special-use flags
`list_emails`	Paginated email listing with date, sender, subject, and flag filters
`get_email`	Read full email content with attachment metadata
`get_emails`	Fetch full content of multiple emails in a single call (max 20)
`get_email_status`	Get read/flag/label state of an email without fetching the body
`search_emails`	Search by keyword; `since`/`before` (aliases `start_date`/`end_date`)
`download_attachment`	Download an attachment (base64, or `savePath` to disk — not a read-only write)
`find_email_folder`	Discover the real folder(s) an email resides in (resolves virtual folders)
`extract_contacts`	Extract unique contacts from recent email headers
`get_thread`	Reconstruct a conversation thread via References/In-Reply-To
`list_templates`	List available email templates
`get_email_stats`	Email analytics — volume, top senders, daily trends
`check_health`	Connection health, latency, quota, and IMAP capabilities
`get_email_security`	Read-only SPF/DKIM/DMARC and From/Reply-To/Return-Path domains
`sieve_status`	Whether ManageSieve is reachable (default port 4190)
`sieve_list_scripts`	List ManageSieve scripts
`sieve_get_script`	Download a ManageSieve script

Write (12)

Tool	Description
`send_email`	Send a new email (plain text or HTML, CC/BCC, attachments)
`reply_email`	Reply with proper threading (In-Reply-To, References)
`forward_email`	Forward with original content quoted
`save_draft`	Save a draft (RFC 2047 subjects; optional attachments)
`send_draft`	Send an existing draft and remove from Drafts
`apply_template`	Apply a template with variable substitution
`schedule_email`	Schedule an email for future delivery
`list_scheduled`	List scheduled emails by status
`cancel_scheduled`	Cancel a pending scheduled email
`sieve_put_script`	Create or replace a ManageSieve script (does not activate)
`sieve_delete_script`	Delete a ManageSieve script
`sieve_activate_script`	Activate a script (empty name deactivates all)

Manage (7)

Tool	Description
`move_email`	Move email between folders
`delete_email`	Move to Trash or permanently delete
`mark_email`	Mark as read/unread, flag/unflag
`bulk_action`	Batch operation on up to 100 emails
`create_mailbox`	Create a new mailbox folder
`rename_mailbox`	Rename an existing mailbox folder
`delete_mailbox`	Permanently delete a mailbox and contents

Labels (5)

Tool	Description
`list_labels`	Discover available labels (auto-detects provider strategy)
`add_label`	Add a label to an email (ProtonMail folders, Gmail X-GM-LABELS, or IMAP keywords)
`remove_label`	Remove a label from an email
`create_label`	Create a new label
`delete_label`	Delete a label

Watcher & Alerts (6)

Tool	Description
`get_watcher_status`	Show IMAP IDLE connections, folders being monitored, and last-seen UIDs
`list_presets`	List available AI triage presets with descriptions and suggested labels
`get_hooks_config`	Show current hooks configuration — preset, rules, and custom instructions
`configure_alerts`	Update alert/notification settings at runtime
`check_notification_setup`	Diagnose desktop notification support and provide setup instructions
`test_notification`	Send a test notification to verify OS permissions are configured

Calendar & Reminders (8)

Tool	Description
`extract_calendar`	Extract ICS/iCalendar events from an email
`analyze_email_for_scheduling`	Analyze an email to detect events and reminder-worthy content
`add_to_calendar`	Add an email event to the local calendar (macOS/Linux)
`create_reminder`	Create a reminder in macOS Reminders.app from an email
`list_calendars`	List all available local calendars
`list_events`	List local calendar events with optional title, date, and calendar filters
`list_reminders`	List Reminders.app items with optional title and list filters
`check_calendar_permissions`	Check whether the local calendar is accessible

Parameter-level notes for the tools above: docs/tools.md.

Prompts (7)

Prompt	Description
`triage_inbox`	Categorize and prioritize unread emails with suggested actions
`summarize_thread`	Summarize an email conversation thread
`compose_reply`	Draft a context-aware reply to an email
`draft_from_context`	Compose a new email from provided context and instructions
`extract_action_items`	Extract actionable tasks from email threads
`summarize_meetings`	Summarize upcoming calendar events from emails
`cleanup_inbox`	Suggest emails to archive, delete, or unsubscribe from

Resources (6)

Resource	URI	Description
Accounts	`email://accounts`	List of configured accounts
Mailboxes	`email://{account}/mailboxes`	Folder tree for an account
Unread	`email://{account}/unread`	Unread email summary
Templates	`email://templates`	Available email templates
Stats	`email://{account}/stats`	Email statistics snapshot
Scheduled	`email://scheduled`	Pending scheduled emails

Provider Auto-Detection

Provider	Domains
Gmail	gmail.com
Outlook / Hotmail	outlook.com, hotmail.com, live.com
Yahoo Mail	yahoo.com, ymail.com
iCloud	icloud.com, me.com, mac.com
Fastmail	fastmail.com
ProtonMail Bridge	proton.me, protonmail.com
Zoho Mail	zoho.com
GMX	gmx.com, gmx.de, gmx.net

Architecture

Code

src/
├── main.ts                — Entry point and subcommand routing
├── server.ts              — MCP server factory
├── logging.ts             — MCP protocol logging bridge
├── cli/                   — Interactive CLI commands
│   ├── account-commands.ts — Account CRUD (list, add, edit, delete)
│   ├── setup.ts           — Legacy setup alias → account add
│   ├── test.ts            — Connection tester
│   ├── config-commands.ts — Config management (show, edit, path, init)
│   ├── install-commands.ts — MCP client registration (install, status, remove)
│   ├── providers.ts       — Provider auto-detection + OAuth2 endpoints (experimental)
│   └── scheduler.ts       — Scheduler CLI
├── config/                — Configuration layer
│   ├── xdg.ts             — XDG Base Directory paths
│   ├── schema.ts          — Zod validation schemas
│   └── loader.ts          — Config loader (TOML + env vars)
├── connections/
│   └── manager.ts         — Lazy persistent IMAP/SMTP with OAuth2 (experimental)
├── services/              — Business logic
│   ├── imap.service.ts    — IMAP operations
│   ├── label-strategy.ts  — Provider-aware label strategy (ProtonMail/Gmail/IMAP keywords)
│   ├── smtp.service.ts    — SMTP operations + optional \\Sent APPEND
│   ├── sieve.service.ts   — ManageSieve (RFC 5804)
│   ├── template.service.ts — Email template engine
│   ├── oauth.service.ts   — OAuth2 token management (experimental)
│   ├── calendar.service.ts — ICS/iCalendar parsing
│   ├── scheduler.service.ts — Email scheduling queue
│   ├── watcher.service.ts — IMAP IDLE real-time watcher with auto-reconnect
│   ├── hooks.service.ts   — AI triage via MCP sampling + static rules + auto-labeling/flagging
│   ├── notifier.service.ts — Multi-channel notification dispatcher (desktop/sound/webhook)
│   ├── presets.ts         — Built-in hook presets (inbox-zero, gtd, priority-focus, etc.)
│   └── event-bus.ts       — Typed EventEmitter for internal email events
├── tools/                 — MCP tool definitions (56)
├── prompts/               — MCP prompt definitions (7)
├── resources/             — MCP resource definitions (6)
├── safety/                — Audit trail, rate limiter, stdio lifecycle
│   └── http-transport.ts  — Streamable HTTP listen policy
├── utils/                 — RFC 2047 compose, MIME body, auth headers
└── types/                 — Shared TypeScript types

Maintainers

Bitfloo

Upstream / Attribution

Mailoo is a fork of email-mcp by codefuturist, licensed under LGPL-3.0-or-later. Original copyright remains with the original authors. Mailoo branding, Bitfloo trademarks, and new code are Copyright (c) 2026 Bitfloo. This is not an official codefuturist project. See NOTICE.

Contributing

PRs accepted against develop (GitHub default). main is the release line and is kept in sync with develop. Please conform to the standard-readme specification when editing this README. See CONTRIBUTING.md.

bash

# Development workflow
pnpm install
pnpm typecheck          # type check
pnpm check              # lint and format
pnpm ci:local           # lint, typecheck, unit; GreenMail if Docker is up
pnpm test               # unit tests (Vitest; no mail server)
pnpm test:integration   # GreenMail IMAP/SMTP (needs Docker)
pnpm test:all           # unit plus GreenMail
pnpm build              # build
pnpm start              # run

pnpm test:integration and pnpm test:all need Docker. pnpm ci:local skips GreenMail when Docker is down. GitHub runs linux GreenMail and an image build on pull requests, not on every push. mailoo test / npx -y @bitfloo/mailoo test is a live-account connection probe, not Vitest.

License

LGPL-3.0-or-later. The GNU GPL-3 text required by LGPL-3 is in COPYING. Attribution is recorded in NOTICE.

Mailoo

Highlights

Table of Contents

Security

Docs

Background

Install

From a clone

Docker

Usage

Setup

Test Connections

Configure Your MCP Client

CLI Commands

HTTP

Configuration

OAuth2 (experimental)

Environment Variables

Email Scheduling

Setting up the daemon

Real-time Watcher & AI Hooks

Presets

Static Rules

Alerts

System One (opt-in typed filing)

Capabilities & data flows

Network

Processes

Files

Environment

API

Tools (56)

Read (18)

Write (12)

Manage (7)

Labels (5)

Watcher & Alerts (6)

Calendar & Reminders (8)

Prompts (7)

Resources (6)

Provider Auto-Detection

Architecture

Maintainers

Upstream / Attribution

Contributing

License