One MCP server connecting multiple email accounts

Email SMTP/IMAP MCP

One local MCP server for every inbox: search, read, send, reply, forward, and organize email across multiple accounts.

Why this server

Multi-account by design — switch between work, personal, support, or client inboxes with account_name.
SMTP + IMAP together — send and receive through one small MCP server.
Complete everyday workflow — search, read, reply, forward, attach files, flag, archive, move, and list folders.
Provider-agnostic — works with Gmail, iCloud Mail, Fastmail, Outlook, self-hosted mail, and other standard SMTP/IMAP providers.
Local stdio transport — no hosted relay and no separate control panel.

Search, send, respond, organize, and browse folders across accounts

Quick start

Add this to your MCP client configuration. For Claude Desktop, the file is:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "email": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "email-smtp-imap-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "EMAIL_ACCOUNTS_JSON": "{\"work\":{\"smtp\":{\"host\":\"smtp.gmail.com\",\"port\":587,\"user\":\"[email protected]\",\"password\":\"app-password\"},\"imap\":{\"host\":\"imap.gmail.com\",\"port\":993,\"user\":\"[email protected]\",\"password\":\"app-password\"},\"default_from_name\":\"Your Name\",\"sender_emails\":[\"[email protected]\"]},\"personal\":{\"smtp\":{\"host\":\"smtp.mail.me.com\",\"port\":587,\"user\":\"[email protected]\",\"password\":\"app-password\"},\"imap\":{\"host\":\"imap.mail.me.com\",\"port\":993,\"user\":\"[email protected]\",\"password\":\"app-password\"},\"default_from_name\":\"Your Name\"}}",
        "DEFAULT_EMAIL_ACCOUNT": "work"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace the addresses and app passwords, restart your MCP client, and ask it to list your email folders.

Readable multi-account configuration

The escaped EMAIL_ACCOUNTS_JSON value above represents:

{
  "work": {
    "smtp": {
      "host": "smtp.gmail.com",
      "port": 587,
      "user": "[email protected]",
      "password": "app-password"
    },
    "imap": {
      "host": "imap.gmail.com",
      "port": 993,
      "user": "[email protected]",
      "password": "app-password"
    },
    "default_from_name": "Your Name",
    "sender_emails": ["[email protected]", "[email protected]"]
  },
  "personal": {
    "smtp": {
      "host": "smtp.mail.me.com",
      "port": 587,
      "user": "[email protected]",
      "password": "app-password"
    },
    "imap": {
      "host": "imap.mail.me.com",
      "port": 993,
      "user": "[email protected]",
      "password": "app-password"
    },
    "default_from_name": "Your Name"
  }
}

Single-account environment variables

Use SMTP_HOST, SMTP_PORT, SMTP_SECURE, SMTP_USER, SMTP_PASS, IMAP_HOST, IMAP_PORT, IMAP_SECURE, IMAP_USER, and IMAP_PASS instead of EMAIL_ACCOUNTS_JSON.

SMTP_USERNAME/SMTP_PASSWORD and IMAP_USERNAME/IMAP_PASSWORD are accepted aliases. IMAP credentials default to the SMTP credentials when omitted. Use SENDER_EMAILS as a comma-separated allowlist for optional from_email selection.

Tools

Tool	What it does
`emails_find`	Search by text, sender, recipient, subject, date, read state, flag state, or attachments. Optionally return bodies and attachments.
`email_send`	Send plain-text or HTML email with CC, BCC, sender aliases, and base64 attachments.
`email_respond`	Reply, reply-all, or forward by email UID with threading and optional original attachments.
`emails_modify`	Mark read/unread, flag/unflag, or move messages to another folder.
`folders_list`	List folders with optional total and unread counts.

Every tool accepts an optional account_name. Without it, the server uses DEFAULT_EMAIL_ACCOUNT or the first configured account.

Provider settings

Provider	SMTP	IMAP	Credential
Gmail	`smtp.gmail.com:587`	`imap.gmail.com:993`	App password
iCloud Mail	`smtp.mail.me.com:587`	`imap.mail.me.com:993`	App-specific password
Other providers	Use the provider's SMTP host	Use the provider's IMAP host	Provider password or app password

Use secure: true for implicit TLS ports such as 465/993. Port 587 normally uses secure: false and upgrades with STARTTLS.

Development

git clone https://github.com/samihalawa/email-smtp-imap-mcp.git
cd email-smtp-imap-mcp
npm ci
npm test

Run the compiled stdio server with npm start. Build a production container with docker build -t email-smtp-imap-mcp ..

Contributing

Issues and focused pull requests are welcome. Please include a regression test for behavior changes and run npm test before opening a PR.

email-smtp-imap-mcp