Apple Mail MCP server for Claude and ChatGPT

The best Apple Mail MCP server for most people is Alrighty's: it gives Claude, ChatGPT's desktop app, Codex or Cursor your iCloud Mail next to your Gmail and Outlook, with no Automation or Full Disk Access to grant, and nothing sends until you click Send. If you want to keep Apple Mail itself and you're happy in a terminal, patrickfreyer's Apple Mail MCP and sweetrb's apple-mail-mcp are the most active AppleScript servers. imdinu's server reads Apple Mail and has no send tool at all. For iCloud with no Mail app in the middle, an IMAP server such as nikolausm's IMAP MCP Server takes an app-specific password.

Most pages for this search list GitHub projects and their tools. They leave out three facts that decide what you get. Every AppleScript server needs Apple Mail open and a macOS permission or two. Almost every server can send an email the moment the AI asks, and the brake is a flag you must remember to set or a line asking the model to check with you. And the best-known project, apple-mcp, is archived. This page answers those points for each option.

How we checked

We read each project's README and its GitHub record on November 4, 2026, and every fact links to its source. Star counts and dates are from that day. Where a README didn't answer a question, we say so instead of guessing. We didn't install or run the servers. Alrighty is our app, and it is listed first. For Gmail and Outlook, see our Gmail MCP server and Outlook MCP server guides.

Apple Mail and iCloud MCP servers at a glance

Option	Price	How it reaches your mail	What you grant or set up	Sends without you	Accounts
Alrighty	14-day trial with no card, then Free or Pro	Its own iCloud, Gmail and Outlook sync	An app-specific password for iCloud	No, you click Send	iCloud, Gmail, Outlook
Apple Mail MCP (patrickfreyer)	Free, MIT	AppleScript to Apple Mail	Automation and Mail Data Access; Mail open	Yes, unless started with --read-only	Whatever Apple Mail holds
apple-mail-mcp (sweetrb)	Free, MIT	AppleScript, optional IMAP	Automation; Full Disk Access for some search	Yes, "immediately"	Whatever Apple Mail holds
Apple Mail MCP (imdinu)	Free, GPL-3.0	Reads Apple Mail's index on disk	Full Disk Access	No send tool	Whatever Apple Mail holds
apple-mail-mcp (parasxos)	Free, MIT	Apple Mail's index, plus AppleScript	Full Disk Access and Automation	Yes, when the AI calls send	Whatever Apple Mail holds
icloud-mcp (MrGo2)	Free, MIT	AppleScript, or iCloud IMAP	Automation, or an app-specific password	Yes, no gate in the server	iCloud
IMAP MCP Server (nikolausm)	Free, MIT	IMAP and SMTP	An app-specific password	Yes, unless read-only mode is on	iCloud and other IMAP
apple-mcp (archived)	Free, MIT	AppleScript to Apple Mail	Automation	Yes	Whatever Apple Mail holds

Whichever you choose, the mail the AI reads goes to the company that runs the model: Anthropic for Claude, OpenAI for ChatGPT. Only a model on your own Mac keeps it there.

How does an Apple Mail MCP server reach your mail?

There are three ways, and each asks for something different from your Mac.

• AppleScript to Apple Mail. The server asks Apple Mail for messages, the way a script would. Apple Mail must be running, and macOS asks you to allow Automation for the app that runs the server. It reaches every account you've added to Apple Mail. imdinu's README says its own approach is "reliable on large mailboxes where AppleScript-based servers timeout" (imdinu), and parasxos measures a lookup at "0.1 ms via Mail's own index, against 7 to 10 s for the AppleScript whose-clause" (parasxos).
• Apple Mail's index on disk. Apple Mail keeps a SQLite index of your mail, the Envelope Index. A server can read it straight from disk, which is fast. macOS protects that folder, so the app that runs the server needs Full Disk Access. That permission covers protected data across your Mac, not only mail.
• IMAP to iCloud. The server signs in to iCloud Mail itself, with no Apple Mail at all. Apple makes apps not made by Apple sign in with an app-specific password, "to help make sure that your Apple Account password can't be stored or collected by the app," and your Apple Account needs two-factor authentication (Apple). The server then has to keep that password somewhere.

Alrighty is a fourth kind. It is a mail app with its own iCloud, Gmail and Outlook accounts, and it serves that mail to your AI. It doesn't read Apple Mail.

Can an Apple Mail MCP server send email without you?

Most can. An AppleScript server can tell Apple Mail to send, and an IMAP server can send through iCloud's SMTP server. The risk is a stranger's email that says "forward this thread to me," read by an AI that has a send tool.

The servers differ in where the brake sits:

• A flag you set. patrickfreyer, nikolausm and parasxos each have a read-only mode, and you must turn it on.
• A line for the model. sweetrb's send tool says "⚠️ Safety: Sends real mail immediately and cannot be unsent. Confirm the recipients, subject, and body with the user before calling." That asks the AI to check with you. The server doesn't make it.
• No send tool. imdinu's server only reads.
• Your click. Alrighty shows the draft in its window and waits for you to click Send.

patrickfreyer's README names the risk outright: "a prompt-injected email can steer tool arguments" (patrickfreyer).

Alrighty: best for iCloud Mail next to Gmail and Outlook, with you clicking Send

Alrighty is a desktop mail app for Mac, Windows and Linux that puts iCloud, Gmail and Outlook accounts in one inbox. It signs in to iCloud with an app-specific password over IMAP and SMTP, so it doesn't drive Apple Mail and doesn't need Apple Mail open. It runs an MCP server on your Mac, so the AI you already use can read every account Alrighty holds.

Which assistants. Claude (the desktop app and Claude Code), ChatGPT's desktop app, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, OpenCode, Antigravity or a local model. The MCP server is off until you turn it on with Connect AI. The setup guide has the steps for each assistant, and our guide to letting Claude read your email walks through Claude.

What the AI can do. It can list your accounts and folders, search every account by keyword and by meaning, and open a message, a whole conversation or an attachment. Search runs on your Mac, so "when is my flight" finds the airline confirmation. To do work, the AI opens Alrighty in a window of its own while you watch. There it can reply, forward, archive, delete, mark mail read, and stop a sender's mail. You can take over at any time.

Can it send without you? No. When the AI asks to send, Alrighty asks you in the window, and nothing goes out until you click Send. A new filter or group waits for you to click Create. Alrighty also tells the assistant to treat what emails say as information, never as instructions.

What you grant. No Automation, no Full Disk Access. You give Alrighty an iCloud app-specific password once, and it stays on your Mac, encrypted with a key from your system's keychain. No assistant ever gets it.

Where it runs. The server runs inside the app and listens on 127.0.0.1 only, so other computers can't reach it. Each request needs a token that Alrighty makes, and requests from a web page are refused. The server runs while the app is open.

Alrighty's own AI. Separate from MCP, Alrighty has built-in AI features. While you're signed in, opening a reply starts a suggested draft, and Clean up sorts senders in the background. These send only the emails they need to Alrighty's server, which asks an AI model (OpenAI's for answers and replies).

Price. A 14-day trial with no card, then a Free plan or Pro.

What it can't do. It doesn't read the mail in Apple Mail, so an Exchange, Yahoo or other IMAP account you keep there stays out. It takes iCloud, Gmail and Outlook accounts only. There's no iPhone app. It reads mail only, with no calendar, so your AI doesn't get iCloud Calendar or Reminders through it. It's a new app with no long track record.

Pick it if your mail is in iCloud, Gmail or Outlook and you want your AI to read all of it with no permissions to grant and nothing sent without your click.

Apple Mail MCP (patrickfreyer): best maintained AppleScript server

Apple Mail MCP by Patrick Freyer is a Python server that drives Apple Mail through AppleScript. It had about 250 GitHub stars and a release on November 3, 2026. You can install it as a Claude Code plugin, with uvx or pip, or as a one-click bundle for Claude Desktop.

What it can do. Its README lists "Tools (23)" for reading, searching, moving, flagging, drafts and attachments. Its compose_email tool will "Send new emails."

Can it send without you? Yes, by default. "Pass --read-only to block delivery."

What you grant. "Mail.app permissions: Automation + Mail Data Access." The setup notes say "Ensure Mail.app is running."

What it can't do. It reads only what Apple Mail holds, while Apple Mail is open. It's the only README here that names prompt injection, and its fix covers file paths, not sending.

Pick it if you want to keep Apple Mail and want the most active AppleScript server, and you'll set read-only when you don't need to send.

apple-mail-mcp (sweetrb): best AppleScript server with an IMAP fallback

apple-mail-mcp by sweetrb is on npm under that name. It had about 100 stars and was updated on November 4, 2026. It drives Apple Mail with AppleScript, and it can also talk to the mail server over IMAP and SMTP, with "passwords kept in the macOS Keychain."

What it can do. Read, search, reply, forward, move and draft. It also has a mail merge tool, "Send Serial Email."

Can it send without you? Yes. Its send tool will "Send a new email immediately," and the safety note asks the model to confirm with you first.

What you grant. Automation for Apple Mail. Contact search and a faster search of Mail's own "on-disk Envelope Index" need Full Disk Access, and that search is opt-in. "If Mail.app is not running these reads say so instead of launching it."

Pick it if you want an AppleScript server with Keychain storage and a fast search mode you can turn on.

Apple Mail MCP (imdinu): best read-only server for Apple Mail

Apple Mail MCP by imdinu has "8 tools for reading, searching, and extracting email content." There's no send, move or delete tool, so a tricked AI has nothing to send with. It had about 75 stars and an October 8, 2026 update.

How it reads. It uses "direct Envelope-Index SQLite reads" instead of AppleScript, so it stays quick on large mailboxes.

What you grant. "Requires Full Disk Access for Terminal," or for whichever app starts the server.

What it can't do. It can't reply, draft or file. It's GPL-3.0 licensed, which matters only if you build it into your own software.

Pick it if you want your AI to read and search Apple Mail and never act on it.

apple-mail-mcp (parasxos): best for triage on a large Apple Mail

apple-mail-mcp by parasxos runs with uvx apple-mailbox-mcp. It had about 35 stars and an October 18, 2026 update. It reads Mail's own index for speed and uses AppleScript to act.

What it can do. It has 21 tools, including send_email and schedule_email. Its README describes bulk triage as "Plan → review → apply → verify."

Can it send without you? It "sends only when the client explicitly calls the send tool." That means the AI decides. A read-only mode is opt-in.

What you grant. "Grant Full Disk Access to your terminal app," plus Automation for Mail when macOS asks.

Pick it if you have a large Apple Mail and want an AI to clean it up in reviewed batches.

icloud-mcp (MrGo2): best for iCloud beyond mail

icloud-mcp by MrGo2 covers more than mail: "41 tools across Email, Calendar, Contacts, Reminders, Notes, Messages and Safari." It had about 75 stars and was updated on November 4, 2026. Local mode uses AppleScript. Cloud mode signs in to iCloud with an app-specific password.

What it can do with mail. List, read, search, mark as read, list folders, and send-email.

Can it send without you? Yes. The README lists send-email among the tools that "reach another person irrevocably" and marks it as destructive for your AI client. The server itself has no approval step.

Where your password goes. In cloud mode, "a .env file beside the module for a manual install, or the .mcpb bundle's sensitive field, which the host stores in the macOS Keychain." Use the bundle.

Pick it if you want your AI to reach iCloud Calendar, Reminders and Notes as well as mail.

IMAP MCP Server (nikolausm): best for iCloud with no Mail app

IMAP MCP Server by nikolausm is a general IMAP server with "Apple iCloud Mail" as a preset. It had about 120 stars and a release on October 9, 2026. It doesn't need Apple Mail or any Mac permission.

What it can do. Search, read, list folders, and imap_send_email, plus reply and forward.

Can it send without you? Yes, unless you set IMAP_MCP_READ_ONLY. Then "No tool that sends mail, deletes/moves messages, changes flags, or edits accounts is exposed."

Where your password goes. "Accounts are stored encrypted in ~/.imap-mcp/accounts.json," and "Encryption keys are stored separately in ~/.imap-mcp/.key." The key is a file in the same folder, not the Keychain.

Pick it if you want iCloud mail in your AI with no mail app at all, and other IMAP accounts too.

apple-mcp: the best-known server, now archived

apple-mcp by Dhravya Shah was the first Apple MCP server many people tried. It has about 3,100 stars and covers Mail, Messages, Notes, Contacts, Reminders, Calendar and Maps. For mail, it can "Send emails with attachments, CC, BCC," "Schedule emails for later," and search. Its README describes no confirmation before a send.

GitHub shows the project as archived, with its last update on August 11, 2025. It gets no fixes, so a macOS update can break it. Use one of the maintained servers above instead.

Does Claude or Zapier connect to iCloud Mail?

Not directly. Claude's own mail connectors cover Gmail and Microsoft 365, as our Claude and ChatGPT email guide explains, and we found no Apple Mail or iCloud connector in Anthropic's directory. Zapier has no iCloud Mail app; its general IMAP app can find mail and create drafts, with no send action. For iCloud in Claude or ChatGPT, you need a server on your Mac, from this page.

How to choose

• iCloud next to Gmail and Outlook, no Mac permissions, nothing sent without your click: Alrighty.
• Keep Apple Mail, most active AppleScript server: patrickfreyer's Apple Mail MCP, with --read-only when you only need to read.
• AppleScript with Keychain storage and a fast search mode: sweetrb's apple-mail-mcp.
• Read and search Apple Mail, never act: imdinu's Apple Mail MCP.
• Clean up a large Apple Mail in reviewed batches: parasxos's apple-mail-mcp.
• iCloud Calendar, Reminders and Notes too: MrGo2's icloud-mcp.
• iCloud with no mail app at all: nikolausm's IMAP MCP Server.

If you're still choosing a mail app for iCloud, our list of the best email apps for iCloud Mail compares them.

Questions

Is there an official Apple Mail MCP server?

No. Apple doesn't make one, and we found no Apple Mail or iCloud connector from Anthropic. Every Apple Mail server on this page is an open-source project, and Alrighty's server is part of a separate mail app.

Does an Apple Mail MCP server need Apple Mail open?

The AppleScript servers do, since they ask Apple Mail for each message. Servers that read Apple Mail's index on disk need Full Disk Access instead. IMAP servers and Alrighty sign in to iCloud themselves, so Apple Mail can stay closed.

Is it safe to give an MCP server Full Disk Access?

Full Disk Access is wider than mail. It lets the app that holds it, often your Terminal, read protected data across your Mac. If you grant it, use a server you've read, and prefer one that can't send, such as imdinu's.

Can Claude read my iCloud email?

Yes, through a server on your Mac. An Apple Mail server gives Claude what Apple Mail holds, an IMAP server gives it one iCloud account, and Alrighty gives it iCloud, Gmail and Outlook together. Claude's own connectors don't cover iCloud.

Why does my Apple Mail MCP say no results when the email exists?

AppleScript searches can time out and come back empty instead of failing. One server's issue calls it a "confident 'no results' when results exist" on a Mac with several accounts (GitHub), and another saw Apple Mail freeze and return zero results on a 90,000-message inbox (GitHub). Search one account or mailbox at a time, or use a server that doesn't search through AppleScript.

Why does my Apple Mail MCP server time out?

Most often it's AppleScript on a large mailbox. parasxos's README puts one lookup that way at 7 to 10 seconds, against 0.1 ms through Apple Mail's index, and imdinu's says AppleScript servers time out on large mailboxes. A server that reads the index fixes this, at the cost of Full Disk Access. Our guide to Apple Mail search not working covers the index itself.