Proton MCP Server

A complete TypeScript Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Proton Mail integration via Proton Mail Bridge.

What This Does

This MCP server provides full email management capabilities through Claude Code by connecting to Proton Mail Bridge running locally. It allows you to:

• List and browse mailbox folders

• List, search, and read emails

• Send new emails and replies

• Move and delete emails

• Access full message content with attachments

Prerequisites

1. Proton Mail Bridge running and accessible on localhost:

   • IMAP server on port 1143 (STARTTLS)

   • SMTP server on port 1025 (STARTTLS)

2. Node.js 18 or higher

3. A valid Proton Mail account with Bridge credentials

Setup

1. Install Dependencies

npm install

2. Configure Environment

Copy the environment template and add your Proton credentials:

cp .env.example .env

Edit .env with your settings:

PROTON_IMAP_HOST=127.0.0.1
PROTON_IMAP_PORT=1143
PROTON_SMTP_HOST=127.0.0.1
PROTON_SMTP_PORT=1025
PROTON_USER=your-proton-email@protonmail.com
PROTON_PASS=your-bridge-password

3. Build

npm run build

4. Run Locally (Development)

npm run dev

Or run the compiled version:

npm start

Usage with Claude Code

Add this MCP server to your Claude settings (~/.claude/settings.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "proton": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/proton-mcp-server/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "PROTON_USER": "your-email@protonmail.com",
        "PROTON_PASS": "your-bridge-password",
        "PROTON_IMAP_HOST": "127.0.0.1",
        "PROTON_IMAP_PORT": "1143",
        "PROTON_SMTP_HOST": "127.0.0.1",
        "PROTON_SMTP_PORT": "1025"
      }
    }
  }
}

Or with TypeScript/tsx:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "proton": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["tsx", "/path/to/proton-mcp-server/src/index.ts"]
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

Reading Tools (Read-Only)

• proton_list_folders — List all mailbox folders with message and unread counts

• proton_list_emails — List emails in a folder with pagination (newest first)

• proton_search_emails — Advanced search with filters (from, to, subject, date range, body content, unread status)

• proton_read_email — Read the complete email content including headers, body, and attachment list

Writing Tools

• proton_send_email — Send a new email (plain text or HTML)

• proton_reply_email — Reply to an email with proper threading headers

• proton_move_email — Move email to another folder

• proton_delete_email — Delete email (move to Trash)

Project Structure

proton-mcp-server/
├── src/
│   ├── index.ts              # Main entry point
│   ├── constants.ts          # Configuration constants
│   ├── types.ts              # TypeScript interfaces
│   ├── schemas/
│   │   └── index.ts          # Zod input schemas
│   ├── services/
│   │   ├── imap.ts           # IMAP client wrapper
│   │   └── smtp.ts           # SMTP client wrapper
│   └── tools/
│       ├── folders.ts        # proton_list_folders
│       ├── list.ts           # proton_list_emails
│       ├── search.ts         # proton_search_emails
│       ├── read.ts           # proton_read_email
│       ├── send.ts           # proton_send_email
│       ├── reply.ts          # proton_reply_email
│       ├── move.ts           # proton_move_email
│       └── delete.ts         # proton_delete_email
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
├── .env.example
├── .gitignore
└── README.md (this file)

Implementation Notes

IMAP Connection

• Uses imapflow library with STARTTLS on port 1143

• Proton Bridge uses self-signed certificates, so tls.rejectUnauthorized: false

• All connections are properly closed with logout() in finally blocks

SMTP Connection

• Uses nodemailer with STARTTLS on port 1025

• Supports plain text and HTML email bodies

• Properly sets In-Reply-To and References headers for email threading

Message Parsing

• Uses mailparser to extract full message content

• Supports text, HTML, and attachment handling

• Returns attachment metadata (filename, content type, size)

Pagination

• Email list pagination uses offset and limit parameters

• Results are always newest first

• Search results also support pagination

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

• Ensure Proton Mail Bridge is running: protonmail-bridge --cli

• Check localhost connectivity: telnet 127.0.0.1 1143 (IMAP) and 1025 (SMTP)

• Verify credentials in .env file

Email Issues

• Some email clients may not recognize replies without proper Message-ID headers

• HTML emails are parsed to text; use the raw HTML body for better formatting

• Large attachments may take time to process

Build Issues

• Ensure Node.js 18+ is installed: node --version

• Clear node_modules and reinstall: npm clean-install

• Check TypeScript compilation: npm run build

Dependencies

• @modelcontextprotocol/sdk — MCP protocol implementation

• imapflow — IMAP client for email reading

• nodemailer — SMTP client for sending emails

• mailparser — Email parsing and content extraction

• zod — Input validation schemas

• dotenv — Environment variable loading

License

MIT

Support

For issues with Proton Mail Bridge, see: https://proton.me/support/bridge

For MCP protocol documentation, see: https://modelcontextprotocol.io