Commonpost MCP for Thunderbird

MCP server for AI assistants: Thunderbird mail, calendar, contacts, filters. Windows, macOS, Linux.

Let your AI assistant work with Thunderbird -- search mail, compose messages, manage filters, and organize your inbox. All through the Model Context Protocol.

Latest release: v0.22.3 (2026-11-09) -- see the changelog or all releases.

Contents

• Quick install (about 3 minutes)
• Why?
• How it works
• What you can do
• Setup
• Security
  • Why Thunderbird says "full, unrestricted access"
• If Thunderbird disables Experiment add-ons on the Release channel
• Troubleshooting
• Development
• Project structure
• Known issues
• License and credits

Quick install (about 3 minutes)

Requirements: Windows, macOS or Linux, with Thunderbird 140 or later and Node.js 22 or later.

Every tool works the same on the three systems. One difference: on Windows, attachments go through the bridge rather
than by file path (see attachments on Windows).

1. Install the extension. Download commonpost-mcp-v<version>.xpi from the latest release. In Thunderbird: Tools > Add-ons and Themes > gear menu > Install Add-on From File. Restart Thunderbird. Thunderbird warns that the add-on gets "full, unrestricted access": it says so for every add-on of this kind (why, and what this one does).

2. Download mcp-bridge.cjs from the same release and put it in a folder you will keep, for example ~/commonpost-mcp/. The bridge is a single file and needs nothing else: the release does not ship a package.json. (The bridge carries its own version; it reads no package.json.)

3. Check Node.js: node --version must show 22 or later. The Claude Desktop bundle needs neither this step nor the
   previous one (see step 4).

4. Register the bridge with your MCP client.

   • Claude Desktop (macOS, Windows): download commonpost-mcp-v<version>.mcpb from the same release and open it with
     Claude Desktop, or use Settings > Extensions > Advanced settings > Install Extension. Claude Desktop runs it with
     the Node.js it ships with, so there is nothing else to install (see
     Claude Desktop).

   • Claude Code, with the plugin (no file to download or to update by hand; see Claude Code plugin):

     claude plugin marketplace add commonpost/thunderbird-mcp
     claude plugin install commonpost-mcp@commonpost
     

   • Claude Code, with the file. Use the absolute path of the file, in quotes. -s user makes the server available
     in every folder; without it, Claude Code adds it to the folder you run the command in only.

     claude mcp add -s user commonpost-mail -- node "/absolute/path/to/mcp-bridge.cjs"
     

   • Claude Code on Windows, for example:

     claude mcp add -s user commonpost-mail -- node "C:\Users\<you>\commonpost-mcp\mcp-bridge.cjs"
     

   • Other clients: add this to the client's MCP config (Claude Desktop, VS Code, Cursor, Codex CLI and Gemini CLI have their own file and format: see Other MCP clients). In JSON, write Windows paths with / or double the backslashes ("C:/Users/<you>/commonpost-mcp/mcp-bridge.cjs"). A JSON file does not expand ~: write the full path. On macOS, if the client cannot find node, set command to the full path that which node prints.

     {
       "mcpServers": {
         "commonpost-mail": {
           "command": "node",
           "args": ["/absolute/path/to/mcp-bridge.cjs"]
         }
       }
     }
     

5. Test it. Keep Thunderbird open and ask your assistant: "list my Thunderbird accounts".

The bridge is not updated automatically, and each MCP client has its own. When one should be replaced, the extension says so in a tool result (your assistant passes it on) and in its options page (section Bridge), which lists the bridges that connected with "Up to date", "Newer version available" (it works; updating is optional) or "Update recommended". For a bridge to update or one the extension refuses, Thunderbird also shows a system notification, once per bridge and per Thunderbird session; the hidden preference extensions.commonpost-mcp.bridgeUpdateAlert set to false turns it off. Every release page starts with what the release brings, whether it changes the bridge, and the steps: download mcp-bridge.cjs and put it in place of your copy (its path is in the MCP configuration of your client; in Claude Code: claude mcp get <server name>), then reconnect your MCP client (/mcp in Claude Code); in Claude Desktop, install the .mcpb bundle again; with the Claude Code plugin, update the plugin. A release that does not change the bridge ships the same bridge again. The extension's version is shown in Tools > Add-ons and Themes.

Right after installing, open the extension's options page (Tools > Add-ons and Themes > Commonpost MCP for Thunderbird > wrench button (Options); it opens in its own tab) and choose which accounts and tools your assistant may use. Until you do, every account and tool is visible to MCP clients.

Snap, Flatpak and macOS need no extra step in most cases; see Sandbox-aware connection discovery. If something fails, see Troubleshooting.

Why?

Thunderbird has no official API for AI tools. Your AI assistant can't read your email, can't help you draft replies, can't organize your inbox. This extension fixes that -- it exposes 42 tools over MCP so any compatible AI (Claude, GPT, local models) can work with your mail the way you'd expect. The list is kept to about 40 tools so that assistants choose among them reliably; older Cursor versions also sent an agent only the first 40 tools of all servers combined (since January 2026 Cursor loads tool descriptions only when needed), and VS Code allows 128 tools per request.

Mail sends require review by default because Block skipReview for mail starts enabled: skipReview: true is honored only after you explicitly disable it. By default, nothing is sent without your review. Events and tasks are added at once on a new install, as updateEvent and deleteEvent change them: they send no invitation, and asking for six appointments means nothing to save by hand. Enable Block skipReview for events and tasks to review each one in Thunderbird's dialog.

How it works

                    stdio              HTTP (localhost:8780-8789)
  MCP Client  <----------->  Bridge  <--------------------->  Thunderbird
  (Claude, etc.)           mcp-bridge.cjs                    Extension + HTTP Server

The Thunderbird extension embeds a local HTTP server with session-scoped auth tokens. The Node.js bridge translates between MCP's stdio protocol and HTTP, discovering the port and token automatically via a connection file. The bridge handles MCP lifecycle methods (initialize, ping) locally, so clients can connect even before Thunderbird is fully loaded. If the client asks for the tools while Thunderbird is not running, the bridge answers with the tools Thunderbird last listed, which it keeps in your cache folder (%LOCALAPPDATA%\commonpost-mcp on Windows, ~/Library/Caches/commonpost-mcp on macOS, $XDG_CACHE_HOME/commonpost-mcp or ~/.cache/commonpost-mcp elsewhere); tool calls fail until Thunderbird is started.

What you can do

Mail

Compose

All compose tools open a window for you to review and edit before sending by default. The Block skipReview setting for mail is on by default, so skipReview: true (and mode: "send") is rejected until you explicitly disable it; only then can it send directly. mode: "draft" only saves a draft, so the preference does not block it (even next to skipReview: true); it needs the saveDraft tool to be enabled in the settings, as a tool you disabled is not reachable through another one. Attachments can be file paths or inline base64 objects.

A direct send or saving a draft (saveDraft, mode: "draft") can take a while: the bridge waits up to 180 s for Thunderbird (30 s for every other call). Your MCP client may also have its own time limit for a tool call; if it is shorter than 180 s, the client can give up while Thunderbird goes on sending or saving, so check the Sent folder and the Outbox (or the Drafts folder) before retrying to avoid sending the message, or saving the draft, twice.

Compose tools validate the from identity strictly -- if the specified sender doesn't match any configured Thunderbird identity, the tool returns an error instead of silently substituting another account.

Filters

Full control over Thunderbird's message filters. Changes persist immediately. Your AI can create sorting rules, adjust priorities, and run them on existing mail. applyFilters runs only the enabled rules marked "Manually Run" (tick it in the filter editor on the rules the assistant may launch) and lists the ones it skipped.

Filter rules that forward or reply send mail without the review window that the compose tools keep. The Block filter forward/reply setting (options page, Send Safety) is on by default: while it is on, such rules cannot be created or changed through MCP, and a filter list that holds one cannot be run through applyFilters. Deleting the rule stays possible. If you choose Ask me each time instead, a request of that kind returns pending_user_confirmation and Thunderbird shows a dialog with the rule, its conditions and its full destination; nothing is written unless you confirm it there, and closing the dialog or not answering within ten minutes writes nothing. Whatever the setting, a rule that forwards or replies cannot be created or changed through MCP to run on outgoing mail, on archiving or periodically: it would send mail already in the mailbox, or mail you sent. Through MCP, such a rule made in Thunderbird can only be deleted or given another type. Thunderbird also takes mail moved, copied or saved into a folder of an IMAP account for new mail, and runs that account's rules on it: in the Inbox whether read or not, and in any folder the rules that run after classification, if the mail is unread (a draft counts as unread). So, whatever the setting, MCP refuses to put mail where the rules for new mail run while such a rule is enabled there -- moving old mail into that account's Inbox, for instance. Everywhere else it does the work and warns in the result, naming the rule: moving unread mail to an ordinary folder, or saving a draft, on an account whose rules forward after classification. The check looks at whether such a rule is enabled, not at its conditions, so a warning does not mean the rule matches your messages. You can turn the rule off in Tools > Message Filters.

Encrypted messages

OpenPGP and S/MIME messages are not decrypted for the assistant by default: getMessage returns their headers and a short notice instead of their content. searchMessages leaves out a message its query matched, getRecentMessages lists one with the wire-level subject, no preview and encrypted: true, and threadOf leaves them out and never links a conversation through their subject. The setting Let the assistant read encrypted messages (Options > Encrypted messages) turns this on; the decrypted content is then handed to the assistant, and so to the service that runs it.

Contacts

Calendar

Access Control

Account and tool access are configured via the extension settings page (Tools > Add-ons and Themes > Commonpost MCP for Thunderbird > wrench button (Options)). Access control is not MCP-exposed -- only the user can change it. Once you have disabled any tool, a tool added by a later update starts disabled too: the settings page marks it "new", and it stays off until you check it. If you have disabled nothing, new tools are enabled like the others.

The same settings page has a "Send Safety" section with two settings. Block skipReview for mail, enabled by default, rejects skipReview: true for sendMail, replyToMessage and forwardMessage (and mode: "send" for replyToMessage and forwardMessage); their review window still opens normally, and a direct send is honored only after you explicitly disable it. Block skipReview for events and tasks starts disabled on a new install: createEvent and createTask add the event or task at once, unless the client passes skipReview: false to open the dialog. Enabled, they always open the dialog and reject skipReview: true. An event or task added without the dialog sends no invitation (these tools take no attendees), but anyone the calendar is shared with sees it. An installation updated from a version without this setting keeps what it had: the setting for events and tasks takes the value of the one for mail.

Setup

1. Install the extension

Download commonpost-mcp-v<version>.xpi from the latest release, then in Thunderbird: Tools > Add-ons and Themes > gear menu > Install Add-on From File, and restart. Each release also carries a provenance attestation (*.sigstore.json) that ties the XPI to the commit and the workflow that built it; you can check it with gh attestation verify <file>.xpi --repo commonpost/thunderbird-mcp. The XPI can be rebuilt byte for byte from the tagged source with node scripts/build-xpi-reproducible.cjs.

The MCP bridge, mcp-bridge.cjs, is attached to each release next to the XPI (with its own provenance attestation). You can also git clone --branch v<version> https://github.com/commonpost/thunderbird-mcp.git and use the file from the clone; use the bridge of the same version as the extension.

Requires Thunderbird 140 or later, and Node.js 22 or later for the bridge (mcp-bridge.cjs). Tested on Thunderbird 140.16.0esr, 153.3.1esr and 156.0.1.

Automatic updates: the add-on checks https://commonpost.github.io/thunderbird-mcp/updates.json through Thunderbird's add-on update check; the file lists the hash of each release. Thunderbird downloads updates in the background and applies them on the next restart; because this add-on uses an Experiment API, updates are not hot-swapped. If updates do not arrive, check the Add-ons gear menu and make sure Update Add-ons Automatically is enabled. Thunderbird's default xpinstall.signatures.required=false lets unsigned add-ons install; a profile hardened to require signatures blocks both manual and automatic installs. Because the auto-update channel is a code-delivery channel, you can turn it off (per add-on, in its details page) and update by hand. The bridge is not updated automatically: the add-on tells you (in a tool result and in its options page, section Bridge) when to replace your mcp-bridge.cjs or .mcpb with the one of a newer release; then reconnect your MCP client. Some protections live in the bridge.

2. Configure your MCP client

Add to your MCP client config (e.g. ~/.claude.json for Claude Code):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "commonpost-mail": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/commonpost-mcp/mcp-bridge.cjs"]
    }
  }
}

Claude Code plugin

This repository is also a Claude Code plugin marketplace: the plugin
commonpost-mcp declares the commonpost-mail MCP server and carries the bridge of the release, so there is no
mcp-bridge.cjs to download or to replace by hand.

claude plugin marketplace add commonpost/thunderbird-mcp
claude plugin install commonpost-mcp@commonpost

• The plugin (plugins/claude-code/) runs only the bridge, a copy of this repository's mcp-bridge.cjs that
  the version check keeps identical; install the Thunderbird extension separately (step 1 above). Node.js 22 or later
  must be on the PATH.
• It also carries a skill, thunderbird-mail (instructions, no code), that Claude loads when it works with your
  mail: where IDs come from, cheap searches, drafts and review windows, untrusted email content and common errors.
  Run it yourself with /commonpost-mcp:thunderbird-mail.
• Updates: Claude Code does not update a third-party marketplace on its own unless you turn it on (/plugin >
  Marketplaces > Enable auto-update). Otherwise run /plugin marketplace update commonpost (or claude plugin update commonpost-mcp@commonpost), then /reload-plugins. Each release raises the plugin's version, so an update follows
  every release, whether or not the bridge changed; the bridge in the plugin is always the one of the release.
• Tool names carry the plugin and server names: mcp__plugin_commonpost-mcp_commonpost-mail__searchMessages, for
  example. Permission rules written for a server added by file (mcp__commonpost-mail__*) do not match them. The
  options page of the add-on (section Bridge) lists this bridge as a mcp-bridge.cjs file.
• The plugin comes from a published release, never from work merged since. Claude Code reads the marketplace from
  this repository's main branch, and the marketplace points the plugin at the latest release: the
  plugins/claude-code/ folder of that release's tag, pinned to its commit and fetched over https. The marketplace
  moves to a new release a few minutes after the release is published and checked. The plugin is not signed; the
  bridge inside it is the mcp-bridge.cjs of that release, the same file the release attests. Up to 0.19.2, the
  marketplace listed the plugin from main itself.

Claude Desktop (one-click bundle)

On macOS and Windows, Claude Desktop can install the bridge from a .mcpb bundle instead of a hand-edited config file. Download commonpost-mcp-v<version>.mcpb from the latest release and open it with Claude Desktop, then confirm the installation. If the file does not open in Claude Desktop (on Windows it may not be associated with it), use Settings > Extensions > Advanced settings > Install Extension and choose the file.

• The bundle contains only the bridge (mcp-bridge.cjs). Install the Thunderbird extension separately (step 1 above). The bundle's version is the version of the bridge inside, which changes only when the bridge changes: a release can carry a bundle with a lower number than the add-on, and it is still the current bridge. Claude Desktop never updates a bundle installed from a file: install the new .mcpb when the add-on (in a tool result or in its options page, section Bridge) says so.
• Claude Desktop runs the bundle with the Node.js it ships with, so you do not need Node.js of your own; the bundle declares Node.js 22 or later, like the bridge. It has no settings: if the bridge cannot find the connection file, use the manual configuration in Other MCP clients with COMMONPOST_MCP_CONNECTION_FILE.
• The bundle is not signed. Each release carries a provenance attestation for it (*.mcpb.sigstore.json): check it with gh attestation verify <file>.mcpb --repo commonpost/thunderbird-mcp. It can be rebuilt byte for byte from the tagged source with node scripts/build-mcpb-reproducible.cjs.

Other MCP clients

The bridge is a standard MCP stdio server and is not tied to any client: it works with any client that can launch a local server. The mcpServers layout above is common but not universal, so each client below has its own file and format. In every case use the absolute path of mcp-bridge.cjs and the server name commonpost-mail, then restart the client.

Claude Desktop. Edit claude_desktop_config.json (Settings > Developer > Edit Config opens it): ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS, %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json on Windows. In JSON, double the backslashes of Windows paths.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "commonpost-mail": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["C:\\Users\\<you>\\commonpost-mcp\\mcp-bridge.cjs"]
    }
  }
}

Visual Studio Code. Edit .vscode/mcp.json in a workspace, or run "MCP: Open User Configuration" for your user profile. The top-level key is servers (not mcpServers), and a stdio server needs "type": "stdio".

{
  "servers": {
    "commonpost-mail": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/mcp-bridge.cjs"]
    }
  }
}

Cursor. Edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json (all projects) or .cursor/mcp.json (one project). The top-level key is mcpServers.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "commonpost-mail": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/mcp-bridge.cjs"]
    }
  }
}

OpenAI Codex CLI. Edit ~/.codex/config.toml (or .codex/config.toml in a trusted project). This is TOML, not JSON: one table per server.

[mcp_servers.commonpost-mail]
command = "node"
args = ["/absolute/path/to/mcp-bridge.cjs"]
startup_timeout_sec = 30

startup_timeout_sec leaves room for the bridge's first-start wait: with Thunderbird closed and no tool list cached yet, the first tools/list waits up to 20 s for Thunderbird.

Gemini CLI. Edit ~/.gemini/settings.json (or .gemini/settings.json in a project). The top-level key is mcpServers. Its env block expands $VAR, ${VAR} and, on Windows, %VAR% references, so a value containing $ or % would be altered. Or install the bridge as an extension: gemini extensions install https://github.com/commonpost/thunderbird-mcp; the add-on still goes in Thunderbird, as in step 1 of the install.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "commonpost-mail": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/mcp-bridge.cjs"]
    }
  }
}

The bridge normally finds Thunderbird's connection file by itself, so no environment variable is needed. Only if it cannot, set COMMONPOST_MCP_CONNECTION_FILE to the file's real path in the server's environment: an "env": { ... } object next to args in the JSON formats, a [mcp_servers.commonpost-mail.env] table for Codex (see Sandbox-aware connection discovery; on Windows the file must be under the bridge's own %TEMP%). A path set there replaces the automatic discovery, so never leave a placeholder in it. Client formats change; if one of these no longer matches, follow the client's own MCP documentation and keep the same command and arguments.

Read-only mode. Set COMMONPOST_MCP_READ_ONLY to 1 (or true) in the same env to give one MCP client reading tools only. The bridge then lists the tools that change nothing (readOnlyHint), plus getMessage and getMessages without saveAttachments, their only write, and it refuses any other tool before the call reaches Thunderbird. 0, false or an empty value leave it off; any other value leaves it off too, with a line on the client's error output. It adds to the add-on's own settings and does not replace them: the accounts and tools you allow in the options page still apply, and only the person who edits the client's configuration can turn the mode off.

From another computer (SSH)

To use Thunderbird from an MCP client on another computer, run the bridge on the computer where Thunderbird runs and
carry its standard input and output over SSH. The add-on keeps listening on localhost only, and the mail crosses the
network inside the encrypted SSH connection:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "commonpost-mail": {
      "command": "ssh",
      "args": ["-o", "BatchMode=yes", "you@thunderbird-host", "node", "/absolute/path/to/mcp-bridge.cjs"]
    }
  }
}

The SSH login must work without a prompt (a key, and the host already in known_hosts): the client cannot answer
one, and BatchMode=yes makes it fail at once instead of waiting. node must be on the PATH of a non-interactive SSH
session on that computer, which can be Windows (OpenSSH Server) as well as Linux or macOS. Prefer this to "Listen on
all interfaces", which sends the token and the mail over the network as plain HTTP.

Sandbox-aware connection discovery

The bridge re-discovers connection.json on every cache miss. It tries these locations in order:

1. COMMONPOST_MCP_CONNECTION_FILE, if set
2. Native temp dir: <os.tmpdir()>/commonpost-mcp/connection.json
3. macOS fallback: /var/folders/*/*/T/commonpost-mcp/connection.json owned by the current user
4. Linux Snap: only from a process that is really the confined Thunderbird snap (/proc/<pid>/exe resolves under /snap/thunderbird/ and SNAP_NAME=thunderbird is in its environment), read from its live TMPDIR; the official snap's own ~/Downloads/thunderbird.tmp fallback is tried only once such a process was actually seen
5. Linux Flatpak / Betterbird Flatpak: the real /run/user/<uid> (verified by lstat, never trusted from $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR), under a closed list of app ids (org.mozilla.thunderbird, org.mozilla.thunderbird_esr, org.mozilla.Thunderbird, eu.betterbird.Betterbird)

This covers native installs, the official Thunderbird snap, Thunderbird Flatpak (including its beta channel, which shares the same app id installed from a different remote), and Betterbird Flatpak, without changing the extension side. If multiple sandbox candidates exist at once, the bridge tries the newest file first. Set COMMONPOST_MCP_CONNECTION_FILE to force a single explicit path.

Example override:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "commonpost-mail": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/commonpost-mcp/mcp-bridge.cjs"],
      "env": {
        "COMMONPOST_MCP_CONNECTION_FILE": "/absolute/path/to/connection.json"
      }
    }
  }
}

That's it. Your AI can now access Thunderbird.

Migrating from thunderbird-mcp

Both add-ons can be installed at the same time: they use different ids, preferences, ports (8780-8789 here, 8765-8774 there) and temporary directories. Nothing is shared or migrated automatically:

• settings (extensions.thunderbird-mcp.*) are not copied; set them again in this add-on's options page. Until you do, every account and tool is visible to MCP clients: your account and tool restrictions are not carried over;
• your MCP client must point its bridge at this repository's mcp-bridge.cjs (or the commonpost-mcp binary) and, if you set it, use COMMONPOST_MCP_CONNECTION_FILE (the old THUNDERBIRD_MCP_CONNECTION_FILE is ignored on purpose, so that one bridge never reads the other add-on's file);
• if you keep both, the options page shows a notice, and each MCP client must be configured for the one you want. To avoid two servers touching the same mailbox, disable the one you do not use;
• createEvent and createTask add events and tasks at once instead of opening a dialog, unless you enable Block skipReview for events and tasks in Send Safety.

Security

Why Thunderbird says "full, unrestricted access"

When you install the add-on, and in its Permissions tab, Thunderbird says it will "have full, unrestricted access to
Thunderbird and your computer". Thunderbird shows this line for every add-on that uses an Experiment API, whatever the
add-on does: an Experiment runs with Thunderbird's own privileges, so the add-on cannot ask for less, and it cannot
change or narrow the line (Thunderbird's documentation).
This add-on needs an Experiment because Thunderbird's regular add-on APIs do not cover what it does: its local server,
message filters, and writing to the calendar (inventory). It declares no other
permission.

What it does with that access:

• It listens on this computer only (127.0.0.1), unless you turn on "Listen on all interfaces", and every request
  needs the token written in a file only your user can read.
• It writes files only in its own folder of the system's temporary directory: the connection file, and attachments
  when a tool is asked to save them.
• Its code makes no Internet request. It reads mail through your Thunderbird accounts, and it renders messages in a
  frame that loads nothing from the network. Thunderbird itself checks commonpost.github.io for updates of the
  add-on, as it does for any add-on with an update address.
• What the assistant reads leaves this computer only through the AI app you connect, and goes wherever that app sends
  it (for most apps, their provider's servers). You choose the accounts and tools it may use in the options.
• The code is open, and each release is built byte for byte from this repository, with a provenance attestation for
  each file (assurance case). See also PRIVACY.md.

Protections

• Auth tokens: The HTTP server requires a session-scoped bearer token. Generated on startup, written to <TmpD>/commonpost-mcp/connection.json with 0600 permissions. The bridge re-discovers that file automatically across native installs, Snap, Flatpak, Betterbird Flatpak, and macOS temp directories. The options page also offers a stable token that stays the same across restarts, stored in a Thunderbird preference instead of the connection file; removing the add-on while it is still enabled clears that preference, but removing an add-on that was disabled first does not, so clear it yourself (uncheck "Use stable token" in the options page) before removing a disabled add-on.
• Dynamic port: Tries ports 8780-8789, records the actual port in the connection file. No hardcoded port dependency.
• Account access control: Restrict which email accounts are visible to MCP clients via the settings page (All accounts, or only the ones you check). Each change takes effect as soon as you make it.
• Tool access control: Disable specific tools via the settings page. Disabled tools are hidden from tools/list and blocked at dispatch. Once you have disabled any tool, a tool added by an update stays disabled until you enable it.
• Read-only mode for one client: COMMONPOST_MCP_READ_ONLY=1 in a client's MCP configuration makes the bridge list and run only the tools that change nothing (plus getMessage and getMessages without saveAttachments), for that client only; see Other MCP clients. A defence in depth on the bridge's side: the add-on's settings above remain the authority.
• Hidden text in HTML mail: text a sender hides from you (a style rule, tiny or transparent text, white on white, text moved off the page or clipped away) is left out of the markdown and text bodies of getMessage and getMessages, so it does not reach your assistant; bodyNote counts what was removed. Thunderbird renders the message as its message pane shows it, at the pane's size, in a hidden frame of the add-on's background page that runs no script and loads nothing from the network, and the text Thunderbird would not show is left out (limits: assurance case). When that cannot be done (an encrypted or signed message, an IMAP message without a local copy, a body over 2 MiB...), the inline styles of the HTML are read instead. The html format returns the sender's HTML unchanged. Removing hidden text reduces prompt injection; it does not prevent it.
• Tool cache: the bridge keeps the last tool list Thunderbird gave (names, descriptions and parameters; no mail and no token) in the cache folder named in How it works: the bridge creates a 0700 folder and a 0600 file on Linux and macOS, and ignores them there if they belong to another user or let group or others write; on Windows, the folder is in the user's own profile. Delete the folder at any time; the bridge writes it again the next time Thunderbird answers.
• Localhost only: By default, the server binds to localhost only. The "Listen on all interfaces" option in settings binds to every IPv4 interface for WSL, Docker, or remote access, and only after you list the IPv4 addresses or networks allowed to connect (for example 172.16.0.0/12 for WSL2 and Docker, or one computer's address); a connection from any other address is closed before anything is read, and this computer can always connect. Thunderbird gives add-ons no way to bind a single interface, hence the list. Turning the option on takes a confirmation; a list that is empty, not valid, IPv6 or wider than /8 is refused, and a stored list that is not valid keeps the server on localhost. A profile that had the option on before the list existed gets the private networks and Tailscale's range (10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12, 192.168.0.0/16, 100.64.0.0/10). The allowed devices reach the server over plain HTTP: the token and the mail are not encrypted. Only enable on trusted networks. Auth token is always required. From another computer, run the bridge over SSH instead (From another computer (SSH)): nothing listens on the network and everything is encrypted.
• Auto-update integrity: Auto-update is a code-delivery channel whose integrity depends on continued control of the GitHub repository, the GitHub Actions token, and the commonpost GitHub organization.
• Bridge version: the bridge announces its version on every request (X-Commonpost-Bridge header). The add-on warns about bridges older than it recommends and can refuse bridges below a security floor written in its code (shipped disarmed); nothing is checked or downloaded over the Internet. The header is self-declared: the token, not the header, protects the server. See SECURITY.md.

Attachments refused

A sendMail, saveDraft, replyToMessage or forwardMessage call whose attachment path matches any of the
following is refused, and the whole call fails (nothing is sent, saved, or opened) rather than silently dropping
just that attachment:

• a dotfile or dot-directory anywhere in the path (.ssh, .aws, .config/gcloud, .git-credentials, ...);
• a filename that holds credentials or secrets on its own, wherever it is found (credentials.json, *.ppk,
  *.jks, *.pem, *.p12, *.kdbx, wallet.dat, terraform.tfstate*, Local State, browser cookie/login
  stores, ...);
• system directories (/etc, /proc, C:\Windows\System32, ...) and each mail client's own profile
  (Thunderbird's, other mail clients' saved credentials);
• the folders of every Thunderbird profile and the local folder of every mail account, wherever they are (another
  drive, a portable install, a folder you chose): the add-on lists them in the connection file, and the bridge
  refuses anything under them by path, by real path and by folder identity, so a link to them or a second mount of
  the same folder is refused too. This needs the add-on and the bridge of 0.17.1 or later. Not covered: the account
  folders of profiles other than the running one, a mail store at the root of a drive, a folder the bridge sees
  under another path (a bridge under WSL or in a container), and copies made outside these folders;
• on macOS, anything under the signed-in user's Library folder (Mail, Messages, Keychains, Application Support,
  ...), including its APFS Data-volume real-path form;
• on Windows, AppData and its compatibility-junction aliases (Local Settings, Application Data, Cookies,
  Recent, SendTo, ...) -- with one exception: the extension's own <TEMP>\commonpost-mcp\ backup folder, so a
  previously-saved attachment there can still be attached; connection.json itself is refused even there;
• a UNC or device path (\\server\share\..., \\?\...), an alternate data stream, or a Windows form (8.3 short
  name, trailing dot or space) that resolves to a different name than the one given.

The bridge additionally resolves the attachment's real path (through symlinks and, on Windows, junctions and
reparse points) and checks that too, so a denied file reached under an innocuous-looking name is still refused.
The extension cannot do this on Windows (Gecko's nsLocalFile::IsSymlink has no implementation there) and instead
refuses every string file path attachment on Windows outright; attach files through the bridge there.

If Thunderbird disables Experiment add-ons on the Release channel

This add-on uses a Thunderbird Experiment API (see docs/experiment-inventory.md).
Thunderbird's Add-ons team has announced plans to stop running Experiment-API add-ons on the Release channel, and to
keep supporting them on the ESR (Extended Support Release) channel. As of November 2026 this had not happened yet.

If that happens on your Thunderbird and this add-on stops working: switch to Thunderbird ESR. Downloads for every
platform are on the official Thunderbird site (look for the
"ESR" builds). This continuation has supported Thunderbird ESR since 0.8.2 (minimum 140.0; see the badge above and
CHANGELOG.md).

Troubleshooting

Development

# Build the extension
./scripts/build.sh

# Test via the bridge (handles auth automatically)
echo '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/list"}' | node mcp-bridge.cjs

# Test the HTTP API directly.
# On Snap / Flatpak / Betterbird Flatpak / macOS, point CONN_FILE at the
# real file or export COMMONPOST_MCP_CONNECTION_FILE first.
CONN_FILE="${COMMONPOST_MCP_CONNECTION_FILE:-/tmp/commonpost-mcp/connection.json}"
TOKEN=$(jq -r .token "$CONN_FILE")
PORT=$(jq -r .port "$CONN_FILE")
curl -X POST http://127.0.0.1:$PORT \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/list"}'

A program that calls the HTTP API directly, without the bridge, sends no X-Commonpost-Bridge header and is treated like a bridge 0.11 or older: tool results can carry a notice to update the bridge, and replyToMessage / forwardMessage with mode: "send" or "draft" are refused (an old bridge stops waiting after 30 s). A direct client that waits at least 180 s for those calls can declare itself with -H "X-Commonpost-Bridge: 0.12.0; packaging=file". If a release arms the bridge security floor, a client without the header is refused entirely.

Dev-only extension reload: After changing extension source locally, remove the add-on from Thunderbird, restart, reinstall the XPI, and restart again. Thunderbird caches aggressively.

Run the tests with npm ci --ignore-scripts && npm test; see CONTRIBUTING.md. Everything that needs Thunderbird's full privileges is listed in docs/experiment-inventory.md.

How the pieces fit together: docs/architecture.md. Why the design is believed secure, and its
known limits: docs/assurance-case.md. Who decides and how: GOVERNANCE.md.
What comes next: ROADMAP.md.

Project structure

commonpost-mcp/
├── mcp-bridge.cjs              # stdio <-> HTTP bridge (auth, port discovery)
├── extension/
│   ├── manifest.json
│   ├── background.js           # Extension entry point
│   ├── httpd.sys.mjs           # Embedded HTTP server (Mozilla)
│   ├── options.html            # Settings page UI
│   ├── options.js              # Settings page logic
│   ├── icons/                  # Extension icons
│   └── mcp_server/
│       ├── api.js              # All 40 MCP tools + auth + access control
│       └── schema.json
├── test/                       # Test suite (node:test; fast-check for the property tests)
├── docs/                       # Experiment inventory, filter API notes
└── scripts/
    ├── build-xpi-reproducible.cjs   # release build (byte-for-byte reproducible)
    ├── build.sh                # quick development build
    └── install.sh

Known issues

• IMAP folder databases can be stale until you click on them in Thunderbird
• HTML-only emails are converted to plain text (original formatting is lost)
• Recurring calendar event CRUD operates on the series, not individual occurrences
• IMAP folder operations (rename, delete, move) are async -- verify with listFolders after
• Combining tags with move/trash on IMAP may not preserve tags on the moved copy -- use separate calls
• Pre-existing Thunderbird filters with cross-account move/copy targets are not restricted by account access control
• searchBody on IMAP without offline sync only searches headers (Gloda limitation)
• rawSource requires offline message copy for IMAP -- online-only messages will error

License and credits

Origin. This project started from thunderbird-mcp by Tomasz Kasperczyk, at its 0.7.5 release, and keeps its full history; that project was inspired by bb1/thunderbird-mcp. It is maintained independently by the Commonpost community, is not endorsed by the original author, and can be installed beside the original (see Migrating). Thunderbird is a trademark of the Mozilla Foundation; this project is not affiliated with Mozilla or MZLA.

MIT (see LICENSE): copyright Tomasz Kasperczyk (original project) and the Commonpost contributors. extension/httpd.sys.mjs is Mozilla's embedded HTTP server under the MPL-2.0 (see THIRD-PARTY.md). Fixes and ideas taken from upstream pull requests keep their authors: Tony (TKasperczyk/thunderbird-mcp#209), safrano9999 (TKasperczyk/thunderbird-mcp#214), Daniel Glaser (the78mole; TKasperczyk/thunderbird-mcp#195, since superseded by TKasperczyk/thunderbird-mcp#222), Neel Radhakrishnan (TKasperczyk/thunderbird-mcp#175), JordanRO2 (TKasperczyk/thunderbird-mcp#126, and the idea and preference name of the filter send guard, TKasperczyk/thunderbird-mcp#127), KinJLy and coulof (forks).