IMAP MCP Server

A powerful Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides seamless IMAP email integration with secure account management and connection pooling.

Features

• 🔐 Secure Account Management: Encrypted credential storage with AES-256 encryption
• 🚀 Connection Pooling: Efficient IMAP connection management
• 📧 Comprehensive Email Operations: Search, read, move, mark, delete, and bulk delete emails
• ✉️ Email Sending: Send, reply, and forward emails via SMTP
• 📁 Folder Management: List folders, check status, get unread counts
• 🔄 Multiple Account Support: Manage multiple IMAP accounts simultaneously
• 🛡️ Type-Safe: Built with TypeScript for reliability
• 🌐 Web-Based Setup Wizard: Easy account configuration with provider presets
• 📱 15+ Email Providers: Pre-configured settings for Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and more
• 🔗 Auto SMTP Configuration: Automatic SMTP settings based on IMAP provider

Installation

Run via npx (No Installation Required)

Once published to npm, you can run the server directly without cloning or building anything — npx downloads the prebuilt package and runs it:

npx -y imap-mcp-server

This is the easiest way to use the server in an MCP client (see Configuration for ready-to-paste npx configs).

Quick Install (Recommended)

macOS/Linux:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nikolausm/imap-mcp-server/main/install.sh | bash

Windows (PowerShell as Administrator):

iwr -useb https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nikolausm/imap-mcp-server/main/install.ps1 | iex

Manual Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/nikolausm/imap-mcp-server.git
cd imap-mcp-server

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Build the project:

npm run build

Account Setup

Accounts are stored encrypted in ~/.imap-mcp/accounts.json. This file is shared by all run modes — whether you start the server via npx, a global install, or a local clone, they all read the same accounts. So you only need to set up your accounts once.

Setting Up Accounts in npx Mode

If you run the server via npx (no clone), you have two ways to add accounts:

Option A — Run the setup wizard directly via npx (no install needed):

npx -p imap-mcp-server imap-setup

This launches the same web-based wizard described below and writes to ~/.imap-mcp/accounts.json, which your npx-configured MCP server then picks up automatically.

Option B — Add accounts straight from your AI client:

Once the MCP server is configured, just ask your assistant to add an account — it uses the imap_add_account tool. For example:

"Add my IMAP account: host imap.gmail.com, port 993, user me@gmail.com, password …"

No separate setup step required.

Web-Based Setup Wizard (Recommended)

After installation, run the setup wizard:

npm run setup

Or if installed globally:

imap-setup

Or directly via npx without installing:

npx -p imap-mcp-server imap-setup

This will:

1. Start a local web server
2. Open your browser to the setup wizard
3. Guide you through adding email accounts with pre-configured settings

Supported Email Providers

The setup wizard includes pre-configured settings for:

• Gmail / Google Workspace
• Microsoft Outlook / Hotmail / Live
• Yahoo Mail
• Apple iCloud Mail
• GMX
• WEB.DE
• IONOS (1&1)
• ProtonMail (with Bridge)
• Fastmail
• Zoho Mail
• AOL Mail
• mailbox.org
• Posteo
• Custom IMAP servers

Configuration

Claude Code (CLI)

Option A — via npx (no clone/build needed)

claude mcp add imap -- npx -y imap-mcp-server

This always runs the latest published version and requires no local build.

Option B — from a local clone

If you use Claude Code in the terminal, add the MCP server with a single command:

Step 1: Make sure you have built the project first (see Manual Installation).

Step 2: Run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add imap -- node /absolute/path/to/imap-mcp-server/dist/index.js

Important: Replace /absolute/path/to/imap-mcp-server with the actual path where you cloned the repository. For example:

# macOS/Linux example:
claude mcp add imap -- node /Users/yourname/imap-mcp-server/dist/index.js

# Windows example:
claude mcp add imap -- node C:\Users\yourname\imap-mcp-server\dist\index.js

Step 3: Verify it was added:

claude mcp list

You should see imap in the list of configured MCP servers. That's it — the IMAP tools are now available in your Claude Code sessions.

Tip: If you want to remove the server later, run:

claude mcp remove imap

Claude Desktop (GUI App)

Add the IMAP MCP server to your Claude Desktop configuration file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Option A — via npx (recommended, no clone/build needed):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "imap": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "imap-mcp-server"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Option B — from a local clone:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "imap": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/imap-mcp-server/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Usage

Once configured, the IMAP MCP server provides the following tools in Claude:

Choosing an account. For the email and folder tools, accountId is optional and backward-compatible. You may instead pass accountName, and if you only have a single account configured you can omit both — that account is used by default. With multiple accounts and no selector, the tool returns a clear error listing your options (imap_list_accounts).

Account Management

• imap_add_account: Add a new IMAP account

  Parameters:
  - name: Friendly name for the account
  - host: IMAP server hostname
  - port: Server port (default: 993)
  - user: Username
  - password: Password
  - tls: Use TLS/SSL (default: true)
  

• imap_list_accounts: List all configured accounts

• imap_remove_account: Remove an account

  Parameters:
  - accountId: ID of the account to remove
  

• imap_connect: Connect to an account

  Parameters:
  - accountId OR accountName: Account identifier
  

• imap_disconnect: Disconnect from an account

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account to disconnect
  

Email Operations

• imap_search_emails: Search for emails

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  - folder: Folder name (default: INBOX)
  - from, to, subject, body: Search criteria
  - since, before: Date filters
  - seen, flagged: Status filters
  - limit: Max results (default: 50)
  

• imap_get_email: Get full email content

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  - folder: Folder name
  - uid: Email UID
  - maxContentLength: Max characters for text/html body (default: 10000)
  - includeAttachmentText: Include text attachment previews (default: true)
  - maxAttachmentTextChars: Max characters per text attachment (default: 100000)
  

• imap_get_latest_emails: Get recent emails

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  - folder: Folder name (default: INBOX)
  - count: Number of emails (default: 10)
  

• imap_mark_as_read/unread: Change email read status

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  - folder: Folder name
  - uid: Email UID
  

• imap_delete_email: Delete an email

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  - folder: Folder name
  - uid: Email UID
  

• imap_move_email: Move an email from one folder to another

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  - folder: Source folder name (default: INBOX)
  - uid: Email UID
  - targetFolder: Destination folder name
  - createDestinationIfMissing: Create the destination folder if it does not exist (default: false)
  

• imap_find_thread_messages: Find inbox messages that belong to the same conversation threads as messages already sorted into another folder. Uses RFC 3501 HEADER search on In-Reply-To and References — works on any IMAP server.

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  - sourceFolder: Folder containing the already-sorted thread messages
  - searchFolder: Folder to search for related messages (default: INBOX)
  - searchReferences: Also match the References header for multi-level threads (default: true)
  

• imap_download_attachment: Download an email attachment (returns images inline, extracts text from PDFs, or saves to downloads directory)

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  - folder: Folder name (default: INBOX)
  - uid: Email UID
  - filename: Attachment filename or contentId
  - savePath: Optional file path to save the attachment to
  - extractText: For PDFs, extract and return text content inline (default: true)
  

• imap_bulk_delete: Delete multiple emails at once with chunking and auto-reconnection

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  - folder: Folder name (default: INBOX)
  - uids: Array of email UIDs to delete
  - chunkSize: Emails to delete per batch (default: 50)
  

• imap_bulk_delete_by_search: Search for emails matching criteria and delete them all

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  - folder: Folder name (default: INBOX)
  - from, to, subject: Search criteria (optional)
  - before, since: Date filters (optional)
  - chunkSize: Emails to delete per batch (default: 50)
  - dryRun: Preview what would be deleted without deleting (default: false)
  

• imap_send_email: Send a new email

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID to send from
  - to: Recipient email address(es)
  - subject: Email subject
  - text: Plain text content (optional)
  - html: HTML content (optional)
  - cc: CC recipients (optional)
  - bcc: BCC recipients (optional)
  - replyTo: Reply-to address (optional)
  - attachments: Array of attachments (optional)
    - filename: Attachment filename
    - content: Base64 encoded content
    - path: File path to attach
    - contentType: MIME type
  

• imap_reply_to_email: Reply to an existing email

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  - folder: Folder containing the original email
  - uid: UID of the email to reply to
  - text: Plain text reply content (optional)
  - html: HTML reply content (optional)
  - replyAll: Reply to all recipients (default: false)
  - attachments: Array of attachments (optional)
  

• imap_forward_email: Forward an existing email

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  - folder: Folder containing the original email
  - uid: UID of the email to forward
  - to: Forward to email address(es)
  - text: Additional text to include (optional)
  - includeAttachments: Include original attachments (default: true)
  

Folder Operations

• imap_list_folders: List all folders

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  

• imap_folder_status: Get folder information

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  - folder: Folder name
  

• imap_create_folder: Create a new IMAP folder/mailbox. Most servers also create any missing parent folders. Returns success even if the folder already exists.

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  - folder: Full folder path to create (e.g. "Archives/2026/2026-05" or "INBOX.Archive")
  

• imap_get_unread_count: Count unread emails

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  - folders: Specific folders (optional)
  

Security

• Credentials are encrypted using AES-256-CBC encryption
• Encryption keys are stored separately in ~/.imap-mcp/.key
• Account configurations are stored in ~/.imap-mcp/accounts.json
• Never commit or share your encryption key or account configurations

Development

Running in Development Mode

npm run dev

Building

npm run build

Project Structure

src/
├── index.ts           # MCP server entry point
├── services/
│   ├── imap-service.ts    # IMAP connection management
│   ├── smtp-service.ts    # SMTP service for sending emails
│   └── account-manager.ts # Account configuration
├── tools/
│   ├── index.ts          # Tool registration
│   ├── account-tools.ts  # Account management tools
│   ├── email-tools.ts    # Email operation tools (including send/reply/forward)
│   └── folder-tools.ts   # Folder operation tools
└── types/
    └── index.ts          # TypeScript type definitions

Example Usage in Claude

1. Add an account: "Add my Gmail account with username john@gmail.com"

2. Check new emails: "Show me the latest 5 emails from my Gmail account"

3. Search emails: "Search for emails from boss@company.com in the last week"

4. Send an email: "Send an email to client@example.com with subject 'Project Update'"

5. Reply to emails: "Reply to the latest email from my boss"

6. Forward emails: "Forward the email with subject 'Meeting Notes' to team@company.com"

7. Move an email: "Move the invoice email from INBOX to my Taxes folder"

8. Manage folders: "List all folders in my email account and show unread counts"

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

• Ensure your IMAP server settings are correct
• Check if your email provider requires app-specific passwords
• Verify that IMAP is enabled in your email account settings
• For sending emails, ensure your account has SMTP access enabled

SMTP Configuration

The server automatically configures SMTP settings based on your IMAP provider. If you need custom SMTP settings, you can specify them when adding an account:

{
  "smtp": {
    "host": "smtp.example.com",
    "port": 587,
    "secure": false
  }
}

Common IMAP Settings

• Gmail:

  • Host: imap.gmail.com
  • Port: 993
  • Requires app-specific password

• Outlook/Hotmail:

  • Host: outlook.office365.com
  • Port: 993

• Yahoo:

  • Host: imap.mail.yahoo.com
  • Port: 993
  • Requires app-specific password

License

MIT

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.