Inbox MCP

What is Inbox MCP?

Inbox MCP transforms your email inbox into an intelligent, LLM-powered assistant. Built on the Nylas v3 API, it lets you manage, organize, and streamline email using conversational language with batch-friendly tools. It works out of the box with Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Yahoo, and any IMAP service.

How to use Inbox MCP?

Install via the Smithery CLI (npx -y @smithery/cli@latest install "@darinkishore/inbox-mcp" --client claude) or manually by cloning the repo, building with npm, and configuring the MCP client’s mcp-config.json with NYLAS_ACCESS_TOKEN and NYLAS_GRANT_ID environment variables. You first need a Nylas account (free tier available) with an API key and a Grant ID from a connected email account.

Key features of Inbox MCP

• Filter emails by folder, unread status, dates, or flags
• Batch-update emails (read/unread, star, move folders)
• Archive groups of emails safely and quickly
• Search emails with simple keyword queries
• Read complete emails formatted in Markdown for summaries
• Compose, draft, and send new emails easily
• Full folder management (list, create, update, delete)

Use cases of Inbox MCP

• Quickly identify actionable emails and summarize what needs attention
• Intelligently move low-priority emails out of sight to an “Unimportant” folder
• Batch-archive emails older than two weeks while preserving starred messages
• Summarize latest alerts (e.g., AWS) and forward the summary to a team

FAQ from Inbox MCP

Which email providers are supported?

Inbox MCP works with Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Yahoo, and virtually any IMAP service—including work email.

Is there a free tier?

Yes, Nylas includes 5 free connected accounts, so you can start without spending money.

What do I need to set it up?

You need a Nylas account (from their dashboard), an API Key, and a Grant ID obtained after connecting your email account. These are provided as environment variables or during Smithery installation.

How does Inbox MCP differ from other email MCP servers?

It is purpose-built with clear, consistent tool parameters optimized for LLMs, returns responses as easily parsable XML blocks, and is tested extensively in real-world workflows. It leverages the Nylas v3 API for broad provider support without complex OAuth setups.

What are the runtime dependencies?

Inbox MCP is written in clean TypeScript (v5.2) with minimal dependencies. It includes robust built-in retries with exponential back-off and jitter. It runs in Node.js and communicates over stdio with MCP clients such as Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, and VSCode.