How do I install Mail.app?

Copy the stdio config for Cursor, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or VS Code on this page. It uses the publisher's install, not a PlugMCP proxy.

Does Mail.app need an API key?

No required environment variable is listed on this record.

What transport does Mail.app use?

Mail.app runs locally over stdio.

When was Mail.app last checked?

Last checked 2026-11-10. Search, read, send, and manage email via macOS Mail.app across all configured accounts.

Mail.app MCP server

Power your agent

Add this server

The publisher's own command. Not a PlugMCP endpoint.

Add to Cursor Add to VS Code Run on PlugMCP

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

Local command

npx -y @p-l-ta/[email protected]

Claude Code has no install link for a local command. Copy the command below and run it in a terminal.

shClaude Code

1claude mcp add io.github.p-l-ta-mail-mcp -- npx -y @p-l-ta/mail-mcp@1.3.5

Run in a terminal.

jsonClaude Desktop

1{2  "mcpServers": {3    "io.github.p-l-ta-mail-mcp": {4      "command": "npx",5      "args": [6        "-y",7        "@p-l-ta/[email protected]"8      ]9    }10  }11}

claude_desktop_config.json

Local · npmPublisher installStep-by-step: add this in Claude

Remote URL or a command on your machine? How the two installs differ

Run on PlugMCP

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

A new server you create. It is not this listing's official endpoint. Use the publisher install when you want their URL and their credentials.

Launch

Server facts

Local

Transport: stdio
Version: 1.3.5
Last checked

Tools

No tool list yet. Remote servers get one after the first health check.

FAQ

Questions

mail-mcp

MCP server that gives Claude (and other MCP hosts) full access to Mail.app on macOS — search, read, send, reply, flag, move, and more — across every account configured in Mail.app (iCloud, Exchange, IMAP, etc.).

Prerequisites

macOS (Mail.app required)
Node.js 20+
An MCP host: Claude Desktop, Amazon Quick, or any stdio MCP client

Installation

Claude Desktop — one-click install (recommended)

Download mail-mcp.mcpb from the latest release
Double-click the .mcpb file — Claude Desktop installs it automatically
Grant the required macOS permissions (see below)

Manual / Amazon Quick / other hosts

npx @p-l-ta/mail-mcp

Or install globally:

npm install -g @p-l-ta/mail-mcp
mail-mcp

Point your MCP host at the mail-mcp binary (stdio transport). Example config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mail-app": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@p-l-ta/mail-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Required macOS permissions

Grant these to the application that runs the MCP host (Claude Desktop, Amazon Quick, etc.):

Permission	Where to grant
Full Disk Access	System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access
Automation → Mail	System Settings → Privacy & Security → Automation

The MCP server process inherits permissions from the host application that launches it.

Tools

Tool	Description
`search_emails`	Search messages via the Envelope Index database with rich filters
`read_email`	Read the full body of a message by its RFC message-id
`list_accounts_and_mailboxes`	List all configured accounts and mailboxes with unread counts
`list_recent`	List recent messages in a specific mailbox
`list_senders`	Grouped summary of senders with message and unread counts
`send_email`	Send a new email from one of the configured accounts
`reply_to_email`	Reply to an existing message by RFC message-id
`set_message_flags`	Set read and/or flagged status on a message
`move_email`	Move a message to a different mailbox
`trash_email`	Move a message to Deleted Messages
`create_mailbox`	Create a new mailbox/folder in an account
`bulk_mark_read`	Mark all messages in a mailbox and/or from a sender as read
`get_unsubscribe_link`	Extract unsubscribe URLs from a message's headers and body
`empty_mailbox`	Delete every message in a mailbox at once (Junk, Trash, etc.)

How it works

Search & read — queries Mail's own Envelope Index SQLite database directly for fast, structured results across all accounts
Actions (send, reply, flag, move, trash) — driven by AppleScript automation against Mail.app, so they work even for accounts where messages aren't stored as local files

Development

npm install
npm run dev          # tsx watch — live reload
npm test             # vitest unit tests
npm run build        # compile TypeScript → dist/
npm run mcpb         # build Claude Desktop extension → build/mail-mcp.mcpb

Interactive MCP testing:

npm run build
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node dist/server.js

Privacy Policy

mail-mcp is a local MCP server that runs entirely on your Mac. It has no backend, no telemetry, and makes no network requests of its own.

What it accesses:

Mail.app's Envelope Index database (~/Library/Mail/) — read-only, used for search queries
Mail.app via AppleScript — to read message bodies, send mail, flag, move, and trash messages

What it does NOT do:

Collect, store, or transmit any data outside your Mac
Connect to any external server or API
Log message content anywhere

All email data stays on your device and is only passed to the MCP host (Claude Desktop or another client) as part of normal tool responses. You control exactly which tools Claude can invoke.

License

MIT

Add this server

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

Server facts

Tools

Questions

How do I install Mail.app?

Does Mail.app need an API key?

What transport does Mail.app use?

When was Mail.app last checked?

Documentation

mail-mcp

Prerequisites

Installation

Claude Desktop — one-click install (recommended)

Manual / Amazon Quick / other hosts

Required macOS permissions

Tools

How it works

Development

Privacy Policy

License