Email MCP vs MCP Server
A side-by-side look at the Email MCP and 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 Email MCP for communication work as a local process; choose 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 Email MCP 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
email_list_accounts, email_add_account, email_remove_account.
Choose MCP Server when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Communication domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
SVN_API_KEY, SVN_API_BASE, SVN_LANG, SVN_POLL_SECONDS. - You want tools like
get_balance, list_countries, list_services.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Communication | Communication |
| Quality signal | 68/100 · Great | 65/100 · Great |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | other | Not declared |
| Pricing | Free | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | SVN_API_KEYSVN_API_BASESVN_LANGSVN_POLL_SECONDS |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 26 | 534 |
| Directory activity | 8 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 33 | 9 |
| Full listing | View Email MCP | View MCP Server |
Tools & capabilities
Email MCP tools 33
email_list_accountsList all configured email accounts and their connection statusemail_add_accountAdd a new IMAP or iCloud email account (Gmail and Outlook require the setup wizard for OAuth)email_remove_accountRemove an email account: deletes its stored credentials, revokes the Google grant for Gmail accounts, and removes Outlook tokens from the local token cache. The result reports whether provider-side revocation succeeded.email_test_accountTest an email account connectionemail_list_foldersList all email folders for an accountemail_searchSearch emails with filters. By default returns compact results without full body content to save context. Set returnBody=true to include full email bodies.email_getGet a single email by IDemail_get_threadGet an email thread by thread IDemail_get_attachmentGet an email attachment by ID, returns base64 encoded dataemail_save_attachmentDownload an email attachment and save it directly to disk, returning metadata only (no base64 in the response) — avoids paying the token cost of round-tripping large attachments through the calling model. outputPath is relative to a fixed downloads directory (/home/user/.email-mcp/downloads, override with EMAIL_MCP_DOWNLOADS_DIR) and cannot escape it.email_sendSend a new emailemail_replyReply to an existing email- +21 more on the listing page
MCP Server tools 9
get_balanceCurrent account balance. Ordering a number needs a funded balance; there is no free tier.list_countriesEvery country the numbers can come from, with its id and operators. Use the id in order_number.list_servicesServices available in a country, best match first. Order the code of the site you are registering with: a number bought for one service does not receive another service's SMS. Search by site name or domain, both work. The codes are arbitrary, so look them up instead of guessing: uk is Airbnb, not the United Kingdom. deliveredPercent is null when the pair has no statistics yet, which is the common case; then judge the pair by how many numbers are online. When the site is not in the catalogue at all, order notInList (ot), which receives SMS from any sender that is not in the list.order_numberOrder a private number for one service in one country. The number is held for 20 minutes and belongs to this activation alone. Money is held now and charged when the code arrives. The service code has to be the one for the site you are registering with, otherwise its SMS goes to a different pool and never reaches you.wait_for_codeWait for the verification code on an ordered number. Polls on its own and returns the code itself, already parsed out of the SMS. Trigger the SMS on the target service first.finish_activationClose an activation after the code was used. Do this on every success: a forgotten activation holds money until it expires.cancel_activationCancel an activation when no code arrived; the money returns to the balance in full. Can be called right after ordering. If the API answers that it is too early, wait a couple of minutes and repeat.request_another_smsAsk for one more code on the same number, for a password reset or a re-send. Works only after a first code has already arrived; before that the API refuses it.totp_codeCompute the authenticator code for an account whose second factor was set up with a shared secret. Runs locally by RFC 6238: the secret never leaves this machine.
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.
Email MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"marlinjai-email-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@marlinjai/email-mcp"
]
}
}
}
MCP Server
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-server-160": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"sv-number-mcp"
],
"env": {
"SVN_API_KEY": "YOUR_SVN_API_KEY_HERE",
"SVN_API_BASE": "YOUR_SVN_API_BASE_HERE",
"SVN_LANG": "YOUR_SVN_LANG_HERE",
"SVN_POLL_SECONDS": "YOUR_SVN_POLL_SECONDS_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Email MCP is categorized under Communication and uses a local stdio subprocess. MCP Server belongs to Communication and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Email MCP for communication work and 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.
Email MCP is listed as free. Auth: other. MCP Server has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. 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 marlinjai-email-mcp and mcp-server-160 as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Email MCP has a quality signal of 68/100 (Great) with 8 views, 0 installs and 26 GitHub stars. MCP Server has 65/100 (Great) with 2 views, 0 installs and 534 GitHub stars.