Which IMAP providers are supported?

MailMCP works with any provider exposing IMAP and SMTP. That includes Outlook, Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo, ProtonMail Bridge, Fastmail, Zoho, OVH, Infomaniak, LWS, Orange, Free, Gandi, IONOS, and any custom IMAP server. Auto-detection handles common providers automatically.

Do I need to self-host this IMAP MCP server?

No. MailMCP is fully hosted — no VPS, no Docker, no maintenance. Most self-hosted IMAP MCP servers on GitHub require Python, a reverse proxy and HTTPS. MailMCP gives you a ready-to-use endpoint in 2 minutes.

Is the IMAP connection secure?

Yes. All IMAP/SMTP traffic uses SSL/TLS or STARTTLS. Credentials are encrypted at rest with AES-256 in EU-hosted servers. OAuth2 protects the MCP endpoint between the AI client and MailMCP. You can revoke access at any moment from your dashboard.

How many AI tools does the IMAP MCP server expose?

15 tools total: list_emails, read_email, search_emails, send_email, draft_email, schedule_email, move_email, delete_email, mark_read, mark_unread, flag_email, list_mailboxes, create_folder, list_scheduled, cancel_scheduled. All 15 are available on every plan including Free.

Documentation Guides Use cases

IMAP + MCP

The IMAP MCP server that connects any mailbox to Claude

MailMCP is a hosted IMAP MCP server. Any provider that speaks IMAP — Outlook, Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo, OVH, Infomaniak, Orange, Free, ProtonMail Bridge, Zoho, Fastmail — can be connected to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Windsurf and n8n in 2 minutes.

Try on any IMAP mailbox — free Setup guide

What is an IMAP MCP server?

IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) is the standard protocol for reading email. Every serious email provider — personal and professional — offers an IMAP endpoint. MCP (Model Context Protocol) is the standard introduced by Anthropic in late 2024 that lets AI assistants call external tools.

An IMAP MCP server sits between the two. It speaks IMAP on one side (your mailbox) and MCP on the other (your AI). Your AI agent can then list emails, read threads, send replies, schedule messages, organize folders — without copy-paste, without browser plugins, without a proprietary Gmail or Outlook-only connector.

MailMCP is a managed IMAP MCP server. You add a mailbox, MailMCP generates an OAuth2-protected endpoint, your AI connects to it, done.

Why you need an IMAP MCP server

Native email connectors are limited to Gmail and Outlook, create drafts only, or break when your provider rotates credentials. An IMAP MCP server fixes all three.

Any provider, one endpoint

Your AI talks to one MCP URL regardless of whether the mailbox is on Outlook, Gmail, iCloud or your domain. Switch providers, keep the AI setup.

Real actions, not just drafts

Claude and ChatGPT native connectors create drafts you must validate. MailMCP sends, schedules, moves, flags — the AI actually completes the task.

No vendor lock-in

MCP is an open standard. Any MCP-compatible AI client (Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, Cursor, Windsurf, n8n, LibreChat) can use MailMCP. Switch AI tools without losing your email integration.

Setup: connect any IMAP mailbox to Claude in 2 minutes

Works identically whether you are on Outlook, Gmail, iCloud, OVH or a custom domain.

1

Create a MailMCP account

Sign up at mailmcp.io. Free plan, no credit card required, under 30 seconds.
2

Add your IMAP mailbox

Enter your email address. MailMCP auto-detects IMAP/SMTP server settings for Outlook, Gmail, iCloud, OVH, Infomaniak, LWS, Yahoo, Fastmail, Zoho and others. For custom domains, paste the IMAP host manually.
3

Enable MCP access

Toggle MCP on for the mailbox. MailMCP generates a unique OAuth2-protected MCP URL and a JSON config block for Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, Cursor, Windsurf, n8n, LibreChat.
4

Talk to your mailbox

Paste the config into your AI client, restart, and ask Claude to read, send, schedule, or organize your emails. All 15 MCP tools become instantly available.

15 tools exposed by the IMAP MCP server

Every tool your AI needs to manage email like a human assistant.

list_emails

List emails with IMAP filters

read_email

Read full content by ID

search_emails

Search by sender, subject, body

send_email

Send email immediately

draft_email

Save a draft

schedule_email

Queue for future send

move_email

Move to folder

delete_email

Permanent delete

mark_read

Mark as read

mark_unread

Mark as unread

flag_email

Flag / unflag

list_mailboxes

List all folders

create_folder

Create new folder

list_scheduled

List scheduled sends

cancel_scheduled

Cancel a scheduled send

IMAP MCP server: MailMCP vs alternatives

	Native connectors	Self-hosted IMAP MCP	MailMCP
Any IMAP provider	—	✓	✓
Real send, not only drafts	—	✓	✓
No VPS, no Docker	✓	—	✓
15 email tools	~5	depends	15
OAuth2 + AES-256 at rest	✓	DIY	✓
Setup time	5-30 min	2-8 h	2 min

Connect your IMAP mailbox to your AI today

Free plan. No credit card. 2 minutes to full AI email control.

Get started — free

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