What is the key difference between Outlook Mail and Outlook Contacts?

Outlook Mail belongs to the Communication category with local stdio execution, while Outlook Contacts belongs to the Communication category with local stdio execution.

How do I install Outlook Mail or Outlook Contacts 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 Outlook Mail and Outlook Contacts free or paid?

Outlook Mail operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required). Outlook Contacts operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Outlook Mail lists 5 tools with 0 views and 0 GitHub stars. Outlook Contacts lists 4 tools with 0 views and 0 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Outlook Mail and Outlook Contacts 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

Outlook Mail vs Outlook Contacts

In-depth architectural comparison of the Outlook Mail and Outlook Contacts 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

Outlook Mail

Communication · Local stdio

Quality: 43/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required

Outlook Contacts

Communication · Local stdio

Quality: 43/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required

Verdict Summary: Choose Outlook Mail if you need specialized Communication tools running via a local process. Choose Outlook Contacts if your workspace requires Communication integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Outlook Mail when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Communication domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
Primary tools included: outlook_list_messages, outlook_get_message, outlook_list_folders.

Explore Outlook Mail Details

Choose Outlook Contacts when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Communication domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
Primary tools included: outlook_list_contacts, outlook_get_contact, outlook_search_people.

Explore Outlook Contacts Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	O Outlook Mail Communication	O Outlook Contacts Communication
Summary	Outlook Mail (Microsoft 365) MCP Pack	Outlook Contacts (Microsoft 365) MCP Pack
Category & Scope	Communication	Communication
Quality signal

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Outlook Mail Tools (5)

outlook_list_messages

List email messages from an Outlook / Microsoft 365 mailbox folder (default: inbox). Returns compact message summaries (subject, sender, received time, preview, read status, attachment flag). Supports keyword search and unread-only filtering. Use to browse a user's Outlook email.

outlook_get_message

Get the full content of a single Outlook / Microsoft 365 email message by its ID, including subject, sender, recipients (to/cc), received time, and the full body (HTML or text). Use after outlook_list_messages or outlook_search_messages to read an email in full.

outlook_list_folders

List the mail folders in an Outlook / Microsoft 365 mailbox, with display names, unread counts, and total item counts. Use to discover folder names/IDs before listing messages.

outlook_search_messages

Search across an entire Outlook / Microsoft 365 mailbox by keyword. Returns matching email summaries (subject, sender, received time, preview). Use to find emails by topic, sender, or content regardless of folder.

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).

Outlook Mail Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "outlook-mail": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "outlook-mail"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Outlook Contacts Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "outlook-contacts": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "outlook-contacts"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Outlook Mail is categorized under Communication and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Outlook Contacts belongs to Communication using local stdio subprocess. Select Outlook Mail when you need capabilities focused on communication and Outlook Contacts when you require tools for communication.

More alternatives to Outlook Mail More alternatives to Outlook Contacts Communication category hub Canonical compare URL