Claude IMAP Connector

A universal MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that connects Claude to any IMAP/SMTP email account. Works with IONOS, Gmail, Outlook, Fastmail, self-hosted servers, and more.

This MCP server enables Claude to interact with your email through natural language commands. Read, search, send, and organize emails directly from your Claude conversations.

Features

• Read emails — browse your inbox and other folders
• Search — find emails by sender, subject, date, or keywords
• Send — compose and send emails via SMTP, including threaded replies
• Organize — move emails between folders and delete messages
• List folders — see all available mailbox folders

Setup

Required Environment Variables

Set these in your system environment or Claude configuration:

Variable	Description	Example
IMAP_HOST	IMAP server hostname	imap.ionos.de
IMAP_PORT	IMAP server port (default: 993)	993
SMTP_HOST	SMTP server hostname	smtp.ionos.de
SMTP_PORT	SMTP server port (default: 587)	587
EMAIL_ADDRESS	Your email address (used for login)	your-email@example.com
EMAIL_PASSWORD	Email password or app-specific password	your-password

Common Provider Settings

Provider	IMAP Host	SMTP Host
IONOS	imap.ionos.de	smtp.ionos.de
Gmail	imap.gmail.com	smtp.gmail.com
Outlook	outlook.office365.com	smtp.office365.com
Yahoo	imap.mail.yahoo.com	smtp.mail.yahoo.com
Fastmail	imap.fastmail.com	smtp.fastmail.com
GMX	imap.gmx.net	mail.gmx.net
Web.de	imap.web.de	smtp.web.de

Gmail users: You need an App Password since Gmail blocks less secure apps.

Commands

Command	Description
/mail-check	Check your inbox for recent emails
/mail-search [query]	Search emails (e.g., /mail-search emails from Max about training)
/mail-send [details]	Compose and send an email

MCP Tools

The connector exposes these tools for direct use:

• list_folders — List all mailbox folders
• list_emails — List emails in a folder with pagination
• read_email — Read a single email's full content
• search_emails — Search with structured queries (from:, subject:, since:, before:)
• send_email — Send an email with optional CC/BCC and reply threading
• move_email — Move an email between folders
• delete_email — Move an email to trash

Security Notes

• Credentials are passed via environment variables and never stored in the plugin
• All IMAP connections use SSL/TLS (port 993)
• SMTP connections use STARTTLS (port 587)
• Emails are never sent without explicit user confirmation

Troubleshooting

• Connection refused: Verify IMAP_HOST and SMTP_HOST are correct for your provider
• Authentication failed: Double-check EMAIL_ADDRESS and EMAIL_PASSWORD; some providers require app-specific passwords
• Folder not found: Use /mail-check with list_folders to see available folder names — they vary by provider and language

Quick Start

1. Copy the example configuration:

   cp .mcp.json.example .mcp.json

2. Edit .mcp.json with your email provider settings

3. Install in Claude:

   • Place this folder in your Claude plugins directory
   • Restart Claude to load the connector

4. Test it:

   /mail-check
   

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please read CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines on:

• Setting up the development environment
• Code style and standards
• Submitting pull requests
• Feature ideas and enhancements

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Support

• Issues: Report bugs or request features on GitHub Issues
• Community: Join the Claude community to discuss email automation workflows
• Security: For security concerns, please review our security practices in CONTRIBUTING.md