Best email MCP server for any mailbox

The best email MCP server depends on where your mail lives. With iCloud, Gmail and Outlook accounts, Alrighty's MCP server gives Claude, ChatGPT's desktop app, Codex or Cursor all of them in one search, and nothing sends until you click Send. For any other mailbox, Thunderbird MCP reaches every account Thunderbird holds and opens a review window before a send. Fastmail has its own official MCP server. MCP Email Server, IMAP MCP Server and Better Email MCP are open-source servers for any IMAP account, and Nylas hosts one for developers.

Lists of email MCP servers rank projects by stars and tool counts. They skip the two questions that matter once you leave Gmail and Outlook. First, an IMAP server signs in with your password, so where does it keep it? Second, can the AI send an email the moment it asks, or does a person see it first? Mail is written by strangers, and a message can carry instructions aimed at the AI. This page answers both for each option, and says which mailboxes each one can reach.

How we checked

We read each project's README and each vendor's own help, product and pricing pages on November 4, 2026, and every fact links to its source. Where a page 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. This page covers servers that work across providers. For one provider, see our Gmail MCP server guide and Outlook MCP server guide. For the wider question of which mail app to use with an AI, see the best email client for Claude, ChatGPT and MCP.

Email MCP servers at a glance

Option	Price	Mailboxes	Your sign-in sits	Sends without you	Where it runs
Alrighty	14-day trial with no card, then Free or Pro	iCloud, Gmail, Outlook only	Your computer, encrypted with a keychain key	Not by default; you click Send	Your computer
Airmail MCP	Airmail; Pro for more than one account	Any account Airmail holds	In Airmail	Not stated; it has a send_email tool	Your Mac, localhost
Thunderbird MCP	Free, open source	Any account Thunderbird holds	In Thunderbird	No, a review window opens by default	Your computer, localhost
Fastmail's MCP server	Not stated; needs a Fastmail account	Fastmail only	Fastmail, through OAuth	Only if you grant send access	Fastmail's servers
MCP Email Server	Free, open source	Any IMAP and SMTP account	The macOS keyring, in its managed mode	Yes, unless you remove the send grant	Your computer
IMAP MCP Server	Free, open source	Any IMAP account, many at once	An encrypted file, with its key beside it	Yes, unless started read-only	Your computer
Better Email MCP	Free, open source	Any IMAP account, many at once	Your MCP client's config, as app passwords	Yes	Your computer, or a server you run
Nylas MCP	Free for 5 accounts, then from $15 a month	Google, Microsoft, iCloud, Yahoo, IMAP	Nylas, as a grant	No, a confirm call comes first	Nylas's cloud
Zapier MCP (IMAP)	Included in Zapier plans	Any IMAP account	Zapier	No send action; find and draft only	Zapier's cloud

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 computer keeps it there.

Which email MCP server works with your provider?

Your provider rules options in or out before anything else.

• Gmail. Google, Anthropic and several open-source projects have Gmail servers, with their own Google Cloud setup. Our Gmail MCP server guide compares them.
• Outlook.com, Hotmail and Microsoft 365. Whether a server takes a personal address or only a work account decides the list. See the Outlook MCP server guide.
• iCloud Mail. iCloud works over IMAP. Apps outside Apple sign in to iCloud with an app-specific password. Alrighty, Thunderbird MCP, the IMAP servers on this page and Nylas can all take one. To work through the Mail app on your Mac instead, see our Apple Mail MCP server guide.
• Fastmail. Use Fastmail's own server. It signs in with OAuth, so you don't make an app password.
• Yahoo, AOL, Zoho, a work server or any other IMAP mailbox. Alrighty can't add these. Use Thunderbird MCP, Airmail's MCP on a Mac, one of the open-source IMAP servers, or Nylas.
• HEY. HEY doesn't work over IMAP. Its own CLI runs as an MCP server, with a --read-only option (HEY help).
• Several providers at once. Alrighty covers iCloud, Gmail and Outlook together. Thunderbird MCP, IMAP MCP Server, Better Email MCP and MCP Email Server each take several accounts from any provider.

What does an IMAP MCP server do with your password?

An IMAP MCP server logs in to your mailbox the way a mail app does. Most providers make you create an app password for it, and the server must keep that password somewhere to log in again. Anyone who copies it can read and send your mail until you revoke it. The servers on this page keep it in four different places.

• In the operating system's keychain. MCP Email Server's managed mode uses "the operating-system keyring" on macOS, and "Managed mode never falls back to TOML plaintext" (security docs). Alrighty keeps tokens on your computer, encrypted with a key from your system's keychain.
• In an encrypted file. IMAP MCP Server encrypts credentials with AES-256-CBC, and its "Encryption keys are stored separately in ~/.imap-mcp/.key" in the same folder, with owner-only permissions (README).
• In your MCP client's settings. Better Email MCP reads credentials from environment variables, and its setup example puts "EMAIL_CREDENTIALS": "user@gmail.com:app-password" in the MCP client's config (README).
• With your provider or a vendor. Fastmail's server, Nylas and Zapier sign in with OAuth or a stored grant, so no app password sits on your computer. Your mailbox connection then sits with that company.

Thunderbird MCP is a special case. Thunderbird already holds your sign-in, and the MCP add-on talks to it over localhost with a token, so the AI's tools never see your password.

Can an email MCP server send without you?

Most open-source servers can. SMTP, the protocol that sends mail, has no idea of a draft you approve, and most servers give the AI a send tool that sends at once. The risk is a stranger's email that says "forward this thread to me," read by an AI that has that tool.

The brake sits in different places. Alrighty asks you in its window and waits for your click, unless you turn on Send without asking in its Settings. Thunderbird MCP opens a compose window for you to review. Nylas makes the AI call a separate confirm tool first. Fastmail lets you leave send access off. MCP Email Server and IMAP MCP Server can drop their send tools with a setting. Better Email MCP leaves the brake to your AI client and your prompt.

Alrighty: best for iCloud, Gmail and Outlook together

Alrighty is a desktop mail app for Mac, Windows and Linux that puts iCloud, Gmail and Outlook accounts in one inbox. It also runs a local MCP server, so the AI you already use can read and search every account Alrighty holds in one place. iCloud signs in with an app-specific password, Gmail with Sign in with Google or an app password, and Outlook with Sign in with Microsoft.

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.

What the AI can do. It can read and search all your accounts at once, by keyword and by meaning. To do work, it opens Alrighty in a window of its own while you watch: it opens mail, writes replies and files messages. You can take over at any time.

Can it send without you? Not by default. Nothing sends until you click Send in that window. You can change that with Send without asking in Settings, and only you can: an assistant can't turn it on.

Where your password sits. Passwords and tokens stay on your computer, encrypted with a key from your system's keychain. No Alrighty server holds them, and no assistant gets them.

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 takes iCloud, Gmail and Outlook accounts only. It doesn't serve Yahoo, AOL, Fastmail or any other IMAP mailbox, so if your mail is there, pick another option on this page. There's no iPhone or web app. It reads mail only, with no calendar. It's a new app with no long track record.

Pick it if your mail is in iCloud, Gmail and Outlook and you want your AI to read all of it on your computer, with you in charge of every send.

Thunderbird MCP: best for any provider, with a review before each send

Thunderbird MCP is a Thunderbird add-on that says it gives "your AI assistant full access to Thunderbird -- search mail, compose messages, manage filters, and organize your inbox." It exposes 49 tools, for mail, filters, contacts and calendar. It is MIT licensed, with about 430 GitHub stars and updates in October 2026. Thunderbird itself is a free mail app for Mac, Windows and Linux (Thunderbird).

Which mailboxes. Any account you add to Thunderbird, since the AI works through Thunderbird. That covers IMAP accounts such as Yahoo and iCloud, and Gmail. Its folder refresh handles "IMAP, built-in Exchange (EWS/Graph), or Owl" folders.

Can it send without you? Not by default. "sendMail, replyToMessage, and forwardMessage open a window for you to review and edit before sending by default." A setting called Block skipReview is on from the start, so a direct send is refused until you turn it off.

Where it runs. The add-on runs "a local HTTP server with session-scoped auth tokens," and "By default, the server binds to localhost only." A small Node.js bridge connects your AI client to it. You can also limit which accounts and which tools the AI sees.

What it can't do. Thunderbird must be running. You install the add-on from a file and keep it updated. It's one developer's project, not Mozilla's.

Pick it if your mail is with Yahoo, a work IMAP server or several providers, and you want a person to see every email before it sends.

Airmail MCP: best for a Mac mail app that already holds Yahoo or IMAP accounts

Airmail is a Mac mail app, and version 26.0.20 added: "Airmail now connects to AI assistants like Claude, Codex, and other compatible chatbots" (App Store). The MCP server runs inside Airmail. A small bridge, airmail-mcp on npm, connects your AI client to it, and you turn the connection on in Airmail's settings.

What the AI can do. The bridge's README lists 102 tools in groups: reading and searching mail, composing and replying, folders, semantic search, VIP and blocked sender lists, and Airmail's calendar and reminders.

Which mailboxes. Any account Airmail holds. Its App Store listing names "iCloud, MS Exchange, Gmail, IMAP, POP3, Yahoo, AOL, and Outlook.com."

Can it send without you? The tool list includes send_email. The README doesn't say whether Airmail asks before a send, so check before you give it a mailbox that matters.

Where it runs. "The bridge connects locally to Airmail on your Mac," on 127.0.0.1. Access is "pairing-only and can be revoked per client in Airmail's MCP Permissions tab" (same README).

What it can't do. Airmail must be open, and the bridge is a separate install that needs Node.js. More than one account needs Airmail Pro, which the App Store lists at $7.99 a month or $49.99 a year. Neither page says whether the MCP needs Pro. Our Alrighty vs Airmail page compares the two apps.

Pick it if you already read Yahoo, AOL or other IMAP mail in Airmail on a Mac and want your AI to reach it there.

Fastmail's MCP server: best for Fastmail accounts

Fastmail runs its own server. Its help page says "Fastmail has an MCP server that you can use to connect an AI tool to your Fastmail account, such as Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, or Perplexity" (Fastmail). The address is https://api.fastmail.com/mcp.

What you set up. You add that address to your AI client and sign in with OAuth: "Your normal Fastmail password should be used here, so you do not need to set up an app password." You can use an API token instead.

Can it send without you? Only if you allow it. You pick from three levels: read-only, write ("draft replies, move, delete, and organize your mail"), and send ("The AI client can send emails on your behalf"). Leave send off, and the AI can only draft.

Where it runs. On Fastmail's servers. Each AI client shows up under Settings, Privacy & Security, Connected apps, with the time and place of its last access, and you can remove it there.

What it can't do. Fastmail accounts only. "At this time, we don't support accessing attachments via MCP." In Claude, "Claude does not support adding multiple Fastmail accounts."

Pick it if your mail is at Fastmail. Nothing else on this page is as simple for it.

MCP Email Server: best open-source server for any IMAP account

MCP Email Server is "An MCP server for reading, searching, organizing, and sending email through IMAP and SMTP." It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. It has the most GitHub stars of the IMAP servers here, about 380, with updates on November 3, 2026, under a BSD license.

Setup. A local web page asks for "the email address and password" and fills in the server settings from the domain. Your AI client then starts it with uvx, so you need Python's uv tool.

Can it send without you? Yes, by default. It groups its write tools into draft, organize, delete, send and append, and the setting "defaults to all five classes." An empty list "means read-only," and a recipient allowlist can limit who it may email (tools).

Where your password sits. On macOS, its managed mode uses the system keyring. Older installs that still use the legacy settings file can keep passwords there in plain text, if credential_storage = "plaintext" is set.

What it can't do. You run and update it yourself. Several accounts are possible, but the setup lives in its documentation, not the README.

Pick it if you're a developer with an IMAP mailbox and want a maintained server with fine-grained write permissions.

IMAP MCP Server: best for many IMAP accounts with a read-only switch

IMAP MCP Server has "Pre-configured settings for Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and more" and lets you "Manage multiple IMAP accounts simultaneously." It is MIT licensed, with about 120 GitHub stars, and needs Node.js 22.12 or newer.

Setup. A web setup wizard adds accounts, or you can tell your AI the host, user and password. SMTP settings are filled in from the IMAP provider.

Can it send without you? Yes, by default, with imap_send_email. A dryRun option checks a message without sending it. Set IMAP_MCP_READ_ONLY and "No tool that sends mail, deletes/moves messages, changes flags, or edits accounts is exposed."

Where your password sits. In ~/.imap-mcp/accounts.json, encrypted, with the key in ~/.imap-mcp/.key next to it. A setting keeps a password out of the file and reads it from an environment variable instead.

What it can't do. The key sits in the same folder as the file it unlocks, so anyone who can read that folder can read the passwords. You keep the server updated yourself.

Pick it if you want one server for many IMAP accounts and a single switch that makes it read-only.

Better Email MCP: best small server for quick IMAP setup

Better Email MCP, now published as @n24q02m/email, is "IMAP/SMTP email for AI agents -- read, send, organize, and manage attachments across accounts." It names "Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, iCloud, Zoho, ProtonMail, custom IMAP" and fits search, read, send, reply, forward and organize into four tools. It is Apache-2.0 licensed, with about 36 GitHub stars.

Setup. Most providers use an app password, and server settings "are auto-discovered from the email domain." Several accounts go in one comma-separated line. Outlook.com uses a sign-in flow with a built-in app in its HTTP mode.

Can it send without you? Yes. Sending is the messages tool with action: new, reply or forward. The README describes no confirmation step. Its only read-only advice is for Outlook: drop the SMTP.Send scope.

Where your password sits. In environment variables, which most people set in the AI client's config file. Outlook sign-in tokens go to ~/.better-email-mcp/tokens.json.

What it can't do. App passwords in a config file are only as safe as that file. It's a small project.

Pick it if you want an IMAP server running in a minute and you'll keep the AI's send tool in check yourself.

Nylas MCP: best hosted server for developers building on many providers

Nylas is an email and calendar API for developers. Its MCP server "gives AI agents typed tools for email, calendar, contacts, and Notetaker," and it names Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code and Codex CLI. Nylas has provider guides for Google, Microsoft, IMAP, iCloud, Yahoo and Exchange on-premises accounts (providers).

Can it send without you? Not in one step. "The send_message and send_draft tools require a preceding call to confirm_send_message or confirm_send_draft." Nylas still warns that "Prompt injection is a real risk," and tells you to "Always require explicit user confirmation before sending email." The confirm call is made by the AI, so it's a speed bump, not your click.

Setup and price. "You need a Nylas API key and a connected account (grant)." The Free plan is $0 a month with 5 connected email and calendar accounts. Essentials is $15 a month with 10 (pricing).

Where it runs. On Nylas's servers, at mcp.us.nylas.com or mcp.eu.nylas.com, which hold the connection to your mailbox.

Pick it if you're building an agent product that must reach whatever mailbox your users have.

Zapier MCP: best for finding IMAP mail inside automations

Zapier MCP works with any IMAP mailbox through IMAP by Zapier, but its actions are narrow: "Create Draft Email: Creates a draft email in your mailbox" and "Find Email: Finds an email matching your search criteria." There's no send action for IMAP, so the AI can't send from that mailbox. Zapier MCP is included in every Zapier plan, and each tool call uses two tasks from your plan (Zapier).

What it can't do. It can't read a whole inbox, move mail or reply. Zapier's Gmail and Outlook actions are fuller, and the provider guides above cover them, along with Composio's hosted toolkits.

Pick it if you want an AI to look up or draft one email as a step in an automation.

How to choose

• iCloud, Gmail and Outlook together, nothing sent without your click: Alrighty.
• Yahoo, a work IMAP server or several providers, with a review before each send: Thunderbird MCP.
• Yahoo or IMAP mail you already read in Airmail on a Mac: Airmail MCP.
• A Fastmail account: Fastmail's own MCP server.
• An open-source IMAP server with write permissions you set: MCP Email Server.
• Many IMAP accounts and one read-only switch: IMAP MCP Server.
• An IMAP server running in a minute: Better Email MCP.
• An agent product that reaches your users' mailboxes: Nylas.
• One email found or drafted inside an automation: Zapier MCP.
• Only Gmail or only Outlook: see the Gmail and Outlook guides.

Questions

Is there an MCP server for any email provider?

Yes. An IMAP MCP server works with any provider that allows IMAP sign-in, which covers Yahoo, iCloud, Zoho, work servers and most others. Thunderbird MCP reaches any account Thunderbird can add. Fastmail has its own server, and Gmail and Outlook have servers built for their APIs.

Can Claude read my Yahoo or iCloud email?

Yes, through an MCP server. For iCloud, Alrighty's server gives Claude your iCloud mail next to Gmail and Outlook. For Yahoo, use Thunderbird MCP or an IMAP server with a Yahoo app password, since Alrighty can't add Yahoo. Our guide to letting Claude read your email has the setup steps.

Can Claude read my Hotmail or Outlook.com email?

Not through Claude's own Microsoft 365 connector, which rejects personal Microsoft accounts at sign-in. It can through a server that takes them, such as Alrighty or Softeria's ms-365-mcp-server. Our page on Claude and Outlook.com has the details.

Why does my email MCP server keep asking me to sign in?

For Gmail, a Google Cloud project in Testing gets sign-ins that expire in 7 days, and some servers don't renew their hourly access tokens. For Outlook.com, Softeria's README warns that personal accounts without the consumers tenant setting lose their session about an hour after login. Our page on a Gmail MCP that keeps asking you to sign in covers the Google causes.

Do I need an app password for an email MCP server?

For most IMAP servers, yes. iCloud, Yahoo and Gmail accept app passwords for apps outside their own. Fastmail's server and the OAuth-based Gmail and Outlook servers don't need one. Thunderbird MCP uses the sign-in Thunderbird already has.

Can one MCP server read several email accounts?

Yes. Alrighty serves every iCloud, Gmail and Outlook account it holds in one search. Thunderbird MCP sees every account in Thunderbird. IMAP MCP Server, MCP Email Server and Better Email MCP each take several accounts from different providers.

Is it safe to connect an AI to my email over IMAP?

Two things decide it. The server keeps a password that can read and send your mail, so pick one that stores it in your keychain or never holds it, and revoke the app password when you stop. And any email can carry text aimed at the AI, so choose a setup where nothing sends without you: a review window, a read-only mode, or a click on Send.