MCP Email Server

What is MCP Email Server?

A Python-based MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that allows an LLM (such as Claude) to read, delete, and send emails using POP3 (with TLS) and SMTP (with TLS/STARTTLS). It loads configuration from environment variables or a .env file and is intended for users who want AI-driven email management.

How to use MCP Email Server?

Install prerequisites (Python 3.12+, uv), navigate to the mcp_email_server directory, create a virtual environment, and install dependencies with uv pip install -e .. Configure credentials and server details in a .env file. Add the server to Claude Desktop’s developer_config.json with command: "uv", args: ["--directory", "/path/to/mcp_email_server", "run", "main.py"], and restart Claude Desktop. The server exposes five tools: pollEmails, getEmailsById, deleteEmailsById, sendTextEmail, and sendHtmlEmail.

Key features of MCP Email Server

• Poll inbox for email headers (pollEmails).
• Fetch full email details by ID (getEmailsById).
• Delete specific emails by ID (deleteEmailsById).
• Send plain text or HTML formatted emails.
• Secure connections via POP3 over SSL and SMTP (STARTTLS or direct SSL).
• Configuration via .env file or environment variables.

Use cases of MCP Email Server

• An LLM assistant polls and reads new emails on demand.
• Automatically delete spam or promotional emails based on content.
• Compose and send replies or new messages directly from an AI interface.
• Retrieve full email bodies for analysis or summarization.

FAQ from MCP Email Server

What protocols does MCP Email Server use?

It uses POP3 over SSL (default port 995) for reading/deleting emails and SMTP with STARTTLS (default port 587) or direct SSL (default port 465) for sending.

How do I configure email credentials?

Create a .env file in the mcp_email_server directory with variables like EMAIL_USER, EMAIL_PASS, POP3_SERVER, and SMTP_SERVER. Do not commit this file to version control.

Are app passwords required?

If your email provider uses Two-Factor Authentication, you likely need to generate an App Password for the EMAIL_PASS field.

How do email IDs work?

POP3 email IDs are sequential numbers assigned for the current session. They are only valid until the connection closes, and they change if emails are deleted. Always poll fresh IDs before reading or deleting.

Does the server support error reporting?

Yes, tool execution failures return appropriate MCP error responses, and individual email operations (like delete) return success/failure dictionaries.