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ChatGPT × IMAP

ChatGPT IMAP connector — link any mailbox to ChatGPT

ChatGPT has no native email connector. MailMCP is the universal IMAP connector for ChatGPT — bridge your OVH, LWS, Infomaniak, Ionos, Orange, Free, Yahoo or self-hosted mailbox via a custom MCP connector in Developer mode.

Connect ChatGPT to my IMAP ChatGPT setup guide

ChatGPT MailMCP · connected

Show me my unread emails and flag anything urgent

You have 3 unread emails — 1 needs your attention:

Acme — invoice due Friday

Sophie — confirms Thursday 2pm

Reply sent to Sophie

Example — your AI actually sends the reply

ChatGPT can't reach your inbox — MailMCP is the connector

ChatGPT ships no email connector — not even for Gmail or Outlook. The only way to give ChatGPT access to a mailbox is a custom MCP connector. MailMCP is that connector: a universal IMAP bridge that works with any provider, no custom code.

Without a custom connector

ChatGPT cannot read any mailbox out of the box
Your @ovh, @lws, @infomaniak mailbox is invisible to ChatGPT
Copy-pasting emails into ChatGPT is slow and breaks context
No way for ChatGPT to actually send or reply on your behalf

With the MailMCP IMAP connector

ChatGPT reads, searches, sends and schedules emails on any IMAP
Works in ChatGPT Developer mode on all paid plans
OAuth2 + PKCE — revoke ChatGPT access in one click
15 email tools exposed to ChatGPT via MCP — no custom code

Connect ChatGPT to your IMAP mailbox in 3 steps

From signup to ChatGPT reading your inbox — under 3 minutes.

Sign up for MailMCP (free)

Create your free account on MailMCP.io — email + password, no credit card. The free plan covers 1 mailbox and 5 MCP calls per day, which is enough to validate that ChatGPT can read and send via your IMAP.

Add your IMAP/SMTP mailbox

In the MailMCP dashboard, click "Add mailbox" and enter your IMAP and SMTP server addresses. MailMCP auto-detects settings for OVH, LWS, Infomaniak, Ionos, Hostinger, Orange, Free.fr, Outlook, Yahoo and more. The connection is tested live.

IMAP ssl0.ovh.net:993 OK

SMTP ssl0.ovh.net:465 OK

Add the connector in ChatGPT (Developer mode)

Toggle MCP on for your mailbox and copy the server URL. In ChatGPT, open Settings → Connectors → Advanced → Developer mode, add a custom connector and paste the URL. Authorize once via OAuth2, allow actions — done.

Your MCP server URL:

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

What ChatGPT can do on your IMAP

Once the connector is plugged in, ChatGPT has access to 15 email tools — the same coverage as a full email client, but driven by natural language.

Send and reply

send_email · draft_email · schedule_email

Read inbox

list_emails · read_email · search_emails

Organize

move_email · delete_email · flag_email

Status

mark_read · mark_unread

Folders

list_mailboxes · create_folder

Schedule

list_scheduled · cancel_scheduled

IMAP providers ChatGPT can now reach

All of these work with the MailMCP ChatGPT connector. Auto-detected — just type your email address.

Provider	IMAP server	IMAP port	SMTP server	SMTP port
OVH	ssl0.ovh.net	993	ssl0.ovh.net	465
LWS	mail.lwspanel.com	993	mail.lwspanel.com	465
Infomaniak	mail.infomaniak.com	993	mail.infomaniak.com	465
Ionos	imap.ionos.fr	993	imap.ionos.fr	465
Orange	imap.orange.fr	993	imap.orange.fr	465
Free.fr	imap.free.fr	993	smtp.free.fr	465
Outlook / Microsoft 365	outlook.office365.com	993	smtp.office365.com	587
Yahoo	imap.mail.yahoo.com	993	smtp.mail.yahoo.com	465
Self-hosted (any IMAP)	mail.yourdomain.com	993	mail.yourdomain.com	465

Prefer Claude? See the Claude IMAP connector.

Frequently asked questions

Does ChatGPT have a native email connector?

No. Unlike Claude, ChatGPT ships no built-in Gmail or Outlook email connector at all. To let ChatGPT reach a mailbox you add a custom MCP connector. MailMCP is that connector — a universal IMAP bridge exposed to ChatGPT through the standard Model Context Protocol, working with any IMAP/SMTP mailbox.

How do I connect ChatGPT to an IMAP mailbox?

Create a free MailMCP account, add your IMAP/SMTP mailbox, enable MCP and copy the server URL. In ChatGPT, go to Settings → Connectors → Advanced → Developer mode, add a custom connector and paste the URL. Authorize via OAuth2 and ChatGPT gets 15 email tools on that mailbox.

Which ChatGPT plans support custom MCP connectors?

Custom MCP connectors run through ChatGPT Developer mode, available on all paid plans (Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise) — not the Free plan. Both reading and sending work; just set the connector permission to allow actions. MailMCP also works with Claude, Cursor, n8n and any MCP-compatible client.

Which mail providers work with the MailMCP ChatGPT connector?

Any provider that exposes standard IMAP and SMTP works: OVH, LWS, Infomaniak, Ionos, Hostinger, O2switch, PlanetHoster, Orange, Free.fr, SFR, Outlook, Yahoo, Zoho, FastMail, Protonmail (via Bridge), self-hosted mail servers... and Gmail too if you prefer IMAP.

Does ChatGPT store my email content via MailMCP?

MailMCP never persists your email bodies. Each ChatGPT request hits your IMAP/SMTP server in real time and the response is returned to ChatGPT. The OpenAI retention policy applies to the chat transcript, but the underlying emails stay on your mail server. You can revoke connector access from MailMCP at any time.

How much does the MailMCP ChatGPT IMAP connector cost?

Free plan: 1 mailbox, 5 MCP calls per day — enough to test with ChatGPT. Pro plan: 1.99 EUR/month (monthly) or 1.49 EUR/month (annual), as many mailboxes as you need, 500 MCP calls per day. No setup fee, no commitment.

Plug ChatGPT into your real mailbox

Free MailMCP account, 3-minute setup. ChatGPT reads, sends and replies on any IMAP mailbox you own — no native email connector required.

Start for free See pricing