English Français العربية

Mail.app

Official registry Search and web

Search, read, send, and manage email via macOS Mail.app across all configured accounts.

Source code Documentation

Install

Add this to your client's MCP configuration (Claude Desktop: claude_desktop_config.json; Cursor: .cursor/mcp.json; VS Code and others use the same "mcpServers" shape).

NPM package @p-l-ta/mail-mcp
Claude Code 
claude mcp add mail-app -- npx -y @p-l-ta/mail-mcp@1.3.5
JSON configuration (Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code) 
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "mail-app": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "@p-l-ta/mail-mcp@1.3.5"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Documentation

From the project's README on GitHub, refreshed weekly. Links open on GitHub.

Contents
  1. mail-mcp
  2. Prerequisites
  3. Installation
  4. Required macOS permissions
  5. Tools
  6. How it works
  7. Development
  8. Privacy Policy
  9. License

mail-mcp

MCP server that gives Claude (and other MCP hosts) full access to Mail.app on macOS — search, read, send, reply, flag, move, and more — across every account configured in Mail.app (iCloud, Exchange, IMAP, etc.).

Prerequisites

  • macOS (Mail.app required)
  • Node.js 20+
  • An MCP host: Claude Desktop, Amazon Quick, or any stdio MCP client

Installation

  1. Download mail-mcp.mcpb from the latest release
  2. Double-click the .mcpb file — Claude Desktop installs it automatically
  3. Grant the required macOS permissions (see below)
Manual / Amazon Quick / other hosts
npx @p-l-ta/mail-mcp

Or install globally:

npm install -g @p-l-ta/mail-mcp
mail-mcp

Point your MCP host at the mail-mcp binary (stdio transport). Example config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mail-app": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@p-l-ta/mail-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Required macOS permissions

Grant these to the application that runs the MCP host (Claude Desktop, Amazon Quick, etc.):

PermissionWhere to grant
Full Disk AccessSystem Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access
Automation → MailSystem Settings → Privacy & Security → Automation

The MCP server process inherits permissions from the host application that launches it.

Tools

ToolDescription
search_emailsSearch messages via the Envelope Index database with rich filters
read_emailRead the full body of a message by its RFC message-id
list_accounts_and_mailboxesList all configured accounts and mailboxes with unread counts
list_recentList recent messages in a specific mailbox
list_sendersGrouped summary of senders with message and unread counts
send_emailSend a new email from one of the configured accounts
reply_to_emailReply to an existing message by RFC message-id
set_message_flagsSet read and/or flagged status on a message
move_emailMove a message to a different mailbox
trash_emailMove a message to Deleted Messages
create_mailboxCreate a new mailbox/folder in an account
bulk_mark_readMark all messages in a mailbox and/or from a sender as read
get_unsubscribe_linkExtract unsubscribe URLs from a message's headers and body
empty_mailboxDelete every message in a mailbox at once (Junk, Trash, etc.)

How it works

  • Search & read — queries Mail's own Envelope Index SQLite database directly for fast, structured results across all accounts
  • Actions (send, reply, flag, move, trash) — driven by AppleScript automation against Mail.app, so they work even for accounts where messages aren't stored as local files

Development

npm install
npm run dev          # tsx watch — live reload
npm test             # vitest unit tests
npm run build        # compile TypeScript → dist/
npm run mcpb         # build Claude Desktop extension → build/mail-mcp.mcpb

Interactive MCP testing:

npm run build
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node dist/server.js

Privacy Policy

mail-mcp is a local MCP server that runs entirely on your Mac. It has no backend, no telemetry, and makes no network requests of its own.

What it accesses:

  • Mail.app's Envelope Index database (~/Library/Mail/) — read-only, used for search queries
  • Mail.app via AppleScript — to read message bodies, send mail, flag, move, and trash messages

What it does NOT do:

  • Collect, store, or transmit any data outside your Mac
  • Connect to any external server or API
  • Log message content anywhere

All email data stays on your device and is only passed to the MCP host (Claude Desktop or another client) as part of normal tool responses. You control exactly which tools Claude can invoke.

License

MIT

Frequently asked questions

What is Mail.app?

Search, read, send, and manage email via macOS Mail.app across all configured accounts.

How do I install Mail.app?

It runs on your machine. In Claude Code: claude mcp add mail-app -- npx -y @p-l-ta/mail-mcp@1.3.5. For other clients, paste the JSON configuration from this page into their MCP settings.

Does Mail.app need an API key?

Its registry entry lists no required key or secret. Some features may still need an account with the service it connects to.

Is Mail.app open source?

Yes. Its code is on GitHub under the MIT license.

Who maintains Mail.app?

It is published by p-l-ta. AI.tn lists it but does not maintain or endorse it.

From the official MCP Registry. Listing is not an endorsement: review a server's code and permissions before giving it access to your data.