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Claude Routines + Email

The email connector for Claude Routines

MailMCP is the missing email connector for Claude Routines. Automate inbox summaries, auto follow-ups, weekly reports and more with any IMAP/SMTP mailbox.

Connect email to Routines Setup guide

What are Claude Routines?

Launched in April 2026 as a Research Preview, Claude Routines are autonomous tasks that run on the Anthropic cloud. They execute actions on your behalf without requiring you to be at your computer.

Schedule trigger

Run routines hourly, daily or weekly. Perfect for recurring tasks like morning inbox summaries or weekly email reports.

API trigger

Trigger routines via HTTP POST from any application. Ideal for event-driven email workflows like sending notifications on signup.

GitHub trigger

React to GitHub events like new releases, pull requests or issues. Perfect for sending changelogs or deployment notifications by email.

Native connectors available in Claude Routines

Claude Routines ship with built-in connectors for Slack, Linear and Google Drive. But there is no native email connector. You cannot read your inbox, send an email, or manage your mailbox from a routine — unless you add one yourself.

That is where MailMCP comes in.

The missing piece: email for Claude Routines

Claude Routines can post messages to Slack, create Linear tickets and read Google Drive files. But they cannot read a single email or send a reply. MailMCP fills this gap.

Without MailMCP

No way to read your inbox from a routine
No way to send emails or auto-replies
No email search, no folder management
Email automation is simply impossible

With MailMCP

Full inbox access: read, search, list emails
Send, reply, draft and schedule emails
Organize: move, flag, mark read/unread, create folders
Works with any IMAP/SMTP provider (Gmail, Outlook, OVH, etc.)

6 email automations you can build with Claude Routines + MailMCP

Concrete use cases you can set up today. Each one takes less than 5 minutes to configure.

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Morning inbox summary

Every morning at 8am, your routine reads your inbox, summarizes new emails by priority, and posts the summary to Slack. You start your day knowing exactly what needs attention.

Trigger: Schedule — daily at 8:00 AM

Action: list_emails → summarize → post to Slack

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Auto follow-up

If a client has not replied in 5 days, your routine automatically sends a polite reminder. No more forgotten follow-ups. The AI adapts the tone based on the original conversation.

Trigger: Schedule — daily at 10:00 AM

Action: search_emails → check dates → send_email reminder

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Weekly email report

Every Friday at 5pm, your routine summarizes all emails received during the week and sends a structured report to your team. Categories, key takeaways, and action items included.

Trigger: Schedule — weekly, Friday 5:00 PM

Action: list_emails (7 days) → summarize → send_email to team

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Post-deploy notification

When a new GitHub release is published, your routine generates a changelog email and sends it to your clients. Automatic, branded, and always up to date.

Trigger: GitHub — new release event

Action: read release notes → generate email → send_email to client list

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Lead nurturing sequence

When a new user signs up, your routine sends a welcome sequence on day 1, day 3, and day 7. Each email is personalized based on the user profile. Fully automated lead nurturing.

Trigger: API — HTTP POST from your app

Action: schedule_email day 1, 3, 7 → personalized content

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Support triage

Every hour, your routine checks your support inbox for urgent emails. It flags them, categorizes them by topic, and sends a Slack notification for anything that needs immediate attention.

Trigger: Schedule — every hour

Action: list_emails → analyze urgency → flag_email → notify Slack

How to connect MailMCP to Claude Routines

Three steps. Under 3 minutes. No code required.

Create your MailMCP account and add your mailbox

Sign up on MailMCP.io in 30 seconds — just email and password. Then add your IMAP/SMTP mailbox. MailMCP auto-detects server settings for Gmail, Outlook, OVH, Infomaniak, LWS, and dozens more. Your credentials are encrypted with AES-256 and stored in the EU.

Get your MCP server URL and credentials

Enable MCP access on your mailbox. MailMCP generates a unique server URL and OAuth2 credentials. This URL is your personal MCP email server — it exposes all 15 tools for the connected mailbox.

Your MCP server URL:

https://mailmcp.io/mcp/abc123-def456

Add MailMCP as an MCP connector in your Claude Routine configuration

In your Claude Routine config, add MailMCP as an MCP connector. You can do this via Claude Code or the Anthropic dashboard. Here is an example configuration:

// Claude Routine configuration
{
  "name": "Morning inbox summary",
  "trigger": {
    "type": "schedule",
    "cron": "0 8 * * *"
  },
  "mcp_connectors": [
    {
      "url": "https://mailmcp.io/mcp/abc123-def456",
      "auth": "oauth2"
    }
  ],
  "prompt": "Read my inbox, summarize new emails by priority, post to #daily-summary on Slack."
}

Limits and pricing

Claude Routines and MailMCP each have their own limits. Here is what you need to know to plan your email automation.

Claude Routines limits

P Pro plan: 5 routine executions per day
T Team plan: 25 routine executions per day
! Each routine execution can make multiple MCP calls

MailMCP limits

F Free: 1 mailbox, 20 MCP calls per day, all 15 tools
$ Pro: unlimited mailboxes, unlimited calls, 1.99 euros per month
0 No credit card required for the free plan

Pro tip: optimize your routine calls

A single routine execution can make multiple MCP calls. For example, a morning summary routine might call list_emails, then read_email 5 times for the most important emails, then post to Slack. That is 7 MCP calls in one routine execution. With the MailMCP Free plan (20 calls per day), you can run about 3 summary routines per day. The Pro plan removes all limits.

Frequently asked questions

Does Claude Routines support email natively?

No. Claude Routines launched in April 2026 with native connectors for Slack, Linear and Google Drive, but there is no built-in email connector. MailMCP fills this gap by providing a full MCP email connector that works with any IMAP/SMTP mailbox.

How to add MailMCP as a connector to Claude Routines?

Create a MailMCP account, add your mailbox, then copy the MCP server URL into your Claude Routine configuration as an MCP connector. The entire setup takes under 3 minutes.

Can I schedule automatic email sending with Claude Routines?

Yes. By connecting MailMCP to your Claude Routine, you can schedule email sending based on any trigger: time-based (hourly, daily, weekly), API call (HTTP POST), or GitHub events. Claude handles the logic, MailMCP handles the email delivery.

Which email providers work with Claude Routines via MailMCP?

Any provider that supports IMAP and SMTP. This includes Gmail, Outlook, OVH, Infomaniak, LWS, Orange, Free, Yahoo, iCloud, Fastmail, Zoho, ProtonMail Bridge, and any custom IMAP/SMTP server. MailMCP auto-detects settings for major providers.

Is there a free plan for email automation with Claude Routines?

Yes. MailMCP offers a free plan with 1 mailbox and 20 MCP calls per day, which is enough for light automation. The Pro plan at 1.99 euros per month adds unlimited mailboxes and unlimited calls for production use. Claude Routines itself requires a Claude Pro (5 routines per day) or Team (25 routines per day) subscription.

Add email to your Claude Routines in 3 minutes

Free plan, no credit card, all 15 email tools. Connect any IMAP/SMTP mailbox to your Claude Routines and start automating your inbox today.

Get my email connector See pricing