# email

mcp-name: io.github.n24q02m/better-email-mcp

**IMAP/SMTP email for AI agents -- read, send, organize, and manage attachments across accounts.**

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<!-- BEGIN: AUTO-GENERATED-CROSS-PROMO -->
<details>
  <summary><strong>Sister projects from n24q02m</strong> (click to expand)</summary>

| Project | Tagline | Tag |
|---|---|---|
| [agent-chat-plugin](https://github.com/n24q02m/agent-chat-plugin) | Peer AI agents chat in a shared folder — no human relay, no orchestrator, wor... | Tooling |
| [better-code-review-graph](https://github.com/n24q02m/better-code-review-graph) | Knowledge graph for token-efficient code reviews -- semantic search and call-... | MCP |
| [better-drive](https://github.com/n24q02m/better-drive) | 2-way Google Drive sync with .driveignore filter — rclone engine, Windows tray | Tooling |
| [better-email-mcp](https://github.com/n24q02m/better-email-mcp) | IMAP/SMTP email for AI agents -- read, send, organize folders, and manage att... | MCP |
| [better-godot-mcp](https://github.com/n24q02m/better-godot-mcp) | Composite MCP server for Godot Engine -- 17 composite tools for AI-assisted g... | MCP |
| [better-notion-mcp](https://github.com/n24q02m/better-notion-mcp) | Markdown-first Notion for AI agents -- pages, databases, blocks, and comments... | MCP |
| [better-semantic-release](https://github.com/n24q02m/better-semantic-release) | Drop-in python-semantic-release fork with built-in release-safety guards (orp... | Tooling |
| [better-telegram-mcp](https://github.com/n24q02m/better-telegram-mcp) | Telegram for AI agents -- messages, chats, media, and contacts across both bo... | MCP |
| [better-workspace-mcp](https://github.com/n24q02m/better-workspace-mcp) | Google Workspace MCP server (Docs/Drive/Calendar/Gmail/Sheets/Slides/Tasks/Ch... | MCP |
| [claude-plugins](https://github.com/n24q02m/claude-plugins) | Claude Code plugin marketplace for the n24q02m MCP servers -- install web sea... | Marketplace |
| [imagine-mcp](https://github.com/n24q02m/imagine-mcp) | Image and video understanding + generation for AI agents -- across Gemini, Op... | MCP |
| [jules-task-archiver](https://github.com/n24q02m/jules-task-archiver) | Chrome Extension for bulk operations on Jules tasks via batchexecute API -- a... | Tooling |
| [mcp-core](https://github.com/n24q02m/mcp-core) | Shared foundation for building MCP servers -- Streamable HTTP transport, OAut... | MCP |
| [mnemo-mcp](https://github.com/n24q02m/mnemo-mcp) | Persistent AI memory with hybrid search and embedded sync. Open, free, unlimi... | MCP |
| [qwen3-embed](https://github.com/n24q02m/qwen3-embed) | Lightweight Qwen3 text embedding and reranking via ONNX Runtime and GGUF | Library |
| [skret](https://github.com/n24q02m/skret) | Secrets without the server. | CLI |
| [tacet](https://github.com/n24q02m/tacet) | A self-distilling neuro-symbolic cascade that amortises LLM cost across knowl... | Tooling |
| [web-core](https://github.com/n24q02m/web-core) | Shared web infrastructure package for search, scraping, HTTP security, and st... | Library |
| [wet-mcp](https://github.com/n24q02m/wet-mcp) | Open-source MCP server for AI agents: web search, content extraction, and lib... | MCP |

</details>
<!-- END: AUTO-GENERATED-CROSS-PROMO -->

## Table of contents

- [Features](#features)
- [Install](#install)
- [CLI](#cli)
- [Smithery](#smithery)
- [Documentation](#documentation)
- [Tools](#tools)
- [Comparison](#comparison)
- [Remote (HTTP Mode)](#remote-http-mode)
- [Outlook OAuth Device Code (HTTP mode)](#outlook-oauth-device-code-http-mode)
- [Configuration](#configuration)
- [Security](#security)
- [Build from Source](#build-from-source)
- [Trust Model](#trust-model)
- [License](#license)



<a href="https://glama.ai/mcp/servers/n24q02m/better-email-mcp">
  <img width="380" height="200" src="https://glama.ai/mcp/servers/n24q02m/better-email-mcp/badge" alt="Better Email MCP server" />
</a>

## Features

- **Multi-account support** -- manage 6+ email accounts (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, iCloud, Zoho, ProtonMail, custom IMAP)
- **App Passwords** -- no OAuth2 setup required for most providers; clone and run in 1 minute
- **4 composite tools** (plus `help`) -- search, read, send, reply, forward, organize, and credential status in single calls
- **Auto-discovery** -- provider settings detected from email address, custom IMAP host supported
- **Thread-aware** -- reply/forward maintains In-Reply-To and References headers
- **Tiered token optimization** -- compressed descriptions + on-demand `help` tool + MCP Resources

## Install

The server runs in two modes: **stdio** (default, single-user, credentials from env vars) and **HTTP** (opt-in, single-user with a bearer token). For stdio, add it to your MCP client config:

```jsonc
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "email": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["--yes", "@n24q02m/email@latest"],
      "env": {
        "EMAIL_CREDENTIALS": "user@gmail.com:app-password"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

The package is `@n24q02m/email` (formerly `@n24q02m/better-email-mcp`; old package
receives one final release then freezes). The MCP Registry id stays
`io.github.n24q02m/better-email-mcp`, and the legacy `better-email-mcp` command is
kept as an alias of `email`.

Multiple accounts are comma-separated: `user1@gmail.com:pass1,user2@outlook.com:pass2`. See [Configuration](#configuration) for all env vars, and [Remote (HTTP Mode)](#remote-http-mode) to run a hosted multi-user server.

Most providers use an **App Password** (no OAuth setup); Outlook/Hotmail/Live use a bundled OAuth device-code flow in HTTP mode. Settings (IMAP/SMTP host, port) are auto-discovered from the email domain.

### Install matrix

| Client | Install |
|:-------|:--------|
| Claude Code | `/plugin marketplace add n24q02m/claude-plugins` + `/plugin install better-email-mcp@n24q02m-plugins` (stdio; prompts for `EMAIL_CREDENTIALS`), or an `mcpServers` entry in `.mcp.json` / client settings |
| Codex CLI | `[mcp_servers.email]` block in `~/.codex/config.toml` (stdio `command`/`args` or HTTP `type`/`url`) |
| OpenCode | `mcpServers` block in `opencode.json` |
| Cursor / Windsurf / Gemini CLI / any MCP client | `mcpServers` JSON in the client's config — same shape as the example above |

Full per-client walkthroughs: [docs.n24q02m.com/servers/email/setup/](https://docs.n24q02m.com/servers/email/setup/).

## CLI

The package ships one binary, `email` (run via `npx @n24q02m/email`), also installed under its legacy name `better-email-mcp`. With no arguments it starts the MCP server over stdio; it also accepts one flag and one subcommand:

| Invocation | Description |
|:-----------|:------------|
| `email` | Start the MCP server over **stdio** (default). Reads credentials from `EMAIL_CREDENTIALS`, or from `EMAIL_USER` + `EMAIL_APP_PASSWORD` |
| `email --http` | Start the server in **HTTP** (single-user, bearer token) mode. Equivalent to `MCP_TRANSPORT=http` or `TRANSPORT_MODE=http` |
| `email auth [outlook] <email> [--client-id=<id>]` | Authenticate an Outlook/Hotmail/Live account via OAuth2 Device Code flow. Tokens are saved to `~/.better-email-mcp/tokens.json`. The `outlook` provider positional is optional (email has a single OAuth2 provider); `--client-id` overrides `OUTLOOK_CLIENT_ID` for a self-hosted Azure AD app |
| `email logout [<email>]` | Clear the locally stored Outlook token(s). Omit `<email>` to clear every stored token |

```bash
# stdio server (normally launched by your MCP client, not by hand)
EMAIL_CREDENTIALS="user@gmail.com:app-password" npx @n24q02m/email

# HTTP multi-user server
npx @n24q02m/email --http

# One-off Outlook OAuth device-code sign-in
npx @n24q02m/email auth user@outlook.com

# Sign out of a single account (or omit the email to clear all)
npx @n24q02m/email logout user@outlook.com
```

`auth`/`logout` are only for Outlook/Hotmail/Live addresses -- other providers use an App Password in `EMAIL_CREDENTIALS`. See [Remote (HTTP Mode)](#remote-http-mode) for the HTTP config.

## Smithery

Published with a [Smithery](https://smithery.ai) config ([`smithery.yaml`](smithery.yaml)). Smithery runs the server over **stdio** with no build config required; credentials come from the environment (see [Configuration](#configuration)). The start command is:

```yaml
startCommand:
  type: stdio
  commandFunction: |-
    (config) => ({ command: 'npx', args: ['-y', '@n24q02m/email'] })
```

## Documentation

Full docs at **[docs.n24q02m.com/servers/email/](https://docs.n24q02m.com/servers/email/)**:

- [Setup](https://docs.n24q02m.com/servers/email/setup/) -- install methods for Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Cursor, Windsurf, mcp.json

**Install with AI agent** -- paste this to your AI coding agent:

> Install MCP server `email` following the steps at
> https://raw.githubusercontent.com/n24q02m/claude-plugins/main/plugins/better-email-mcp/setup-with-agent.md

## Tools

### Public tool rename

The public `send` tool is replaced by `messages` with `action: new`, `reply`, or `forward`.
This follows the MCP N+2 standard: sending is an action in the messages domain, so keeping a
separate `send` entry would duplicate that domain and add redundant tool-list and help-topic
surface. The old name is removed directly; there is no compatibility alias.

| Old public name | New public name | Reason | Alias removal |
|:----------------|:----------------|:-------|:---------------|
| `send` | `messages` (`action: new \| reply \| forward`) | N+2 domain-tool rule: outbound mail is part of the `messages` mega-tool, not a second action-level tool. | Removed directly in the Unreleased release; no alias |

| Tool | Actions | Description |
|:-----|:--------|:------------|
| `messages` | `search`, `read`, `mark_read`, `mark_unread`, `flag`, `unflag`, `move`, `archive`, `trash`, `new`, `reply`, `forward` | Search, read, organize, compose, reply to, and forward emails |
| `folders` | `list`, `status` | List mailbox folders or read targeted IMAP STATUS metadata |
| `attachments` | `list`, `download` | List and download email attachments |
| `config` | `status`, `setup_status`, `setup_start`, `setup_reset`, `setup_complete`, `set`, `cache_clear` | Credential status and setup guidance, reset, re-resolve, cache clear |
| `help` | - | Get full documentation for any tool |

### MCP Resources

| URI | Description |
|:----|:------------|
| `email://docs/messages` | Message operations reference |
| `email://docs/folders` | Folder operations reference |
| `email://docs/attachments` | Attachment operations reference |
| `email://docs/help` | Full documentation |
| `email://docs/config` | Credential setup and runtime configuration reference |

## Comparison

How email stacks up against direct competitors in each pillar:

| Capability | email | [email-mcp](https://github.com/codefuturist/email-mcp) | [Gmail-MCP-Server](https://github.com/GongRzhe/Gmail-MCP-Server) | [mcp-mail-server](https://github.com/yunfeizhu/mcp-mail-server) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IMAP/SMTP (provider-agnostic) | Yes | Yes | No (Gmail API only) | Yes |
| Multi-account | Yes (comma-separated creds) | Yes | No (single global credential) | No (single account per instance) |
| App Passwords | Yes (no OAuth setup) | Yes | No (OAuth2 only) | Yes |
| Auto-discovery from email address | Yes | Yes (8 providers) | n/a (Gmail only) | No (manual host/port) |
| Bundled Outlook OAuth (no user Azure app) | Yes (device-code, Thunderbird-pattern client) | partial (OAuth2 XOAUTH2, experimental) | No (user-supplied Google OAuth) | No |
| Attachments (list + download) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HTTP mode (single-user, bearer token; self-hostable) | Yes | No (stdio only) | No (stdio only) | No (stdio only) |

## Remote (HTTP Mode)

Run as a single-user HTTP server, authenticated with a shared bearer token:

```jsonc
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "email": {
      "type": "http",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer <your-token>" },
      "url": "https://<your-host>/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### Self-Hosting (HTTP Mode)

Single-user mode: one shared bearer token; accounts come from env vars or `email auth outlook <address>`:

```bash
export EMAIL_MCP_TOKEN_HASH='scrypt$...'  # required: the container binds 0.0.0.0 and refuses to start without it
export EMAIL_CREDENTIALS='you@gmail.com:app-password'
docker run -p 8080:8080 \
  -e PORT=8080 \
  -e EMAIL_MCP_TOKEN_HASH \
  -e EMAIL_CREDENTIALS \
  -e HOME=/data \
  -v email-data:/data \
  n24q02m/email:latest
```
Mint the hash with `printf '%s' "$TOKEN" | email token hash`; the token is read from stdin, never argv. Clients send the raw token as `Authorization: Bearer <token>`. Saved Outlook tokens live under `/data/.better-email-mcp/` and persist when the `/data` volume is kept.

### Self-Hosting with Docker Compose

The repository ships `docker-compose.http.yml`, which builds the `http` image target and
publishes it on host loopback only (`127.0.0.1:8082`):

```bash
export EMAIL_MCP_TOKEN_HASH='scrypt$...'   # required; see the note above
export EMAIL_CREDENTIALS='you@gmail.com:app-password'
docker compose -f docker-compose.http.yml up
```

The server is then reachable at `http://localhost:8082`. To serve other machines, put your own TLS reverse proxy on the same host in front of the loopback port. Prebuilt multi-arch images are published to Docker Hub (`n24q02m/email`)
and GHCR (`ghcr.io/n24q02m/email`).

## Outlook OAuth Device Code

Outlook/Hotmail/Live accounts use OAuth2 device-code. Run `email auth outlook <address>` once. On first use:

1. The CLI prints a device code and a Microsoft login URL
2. Open the URL in a browser and enter the code
3. Sign in and authorize the app
4. Tokens are saved to `~/.better-email-mcp/tokens.json` (created with mode 0600 on POSIX). In Docker that path is `/data/.better-email-mcp/tokens.json`.

OAuth uses the bundled public Azure client (`d56f8c71-9f7c-43f4-9934-be29cb6e77b0`, Thunderbird-pattern) -- no user-side Azure registration needed.

In **stdio mode**, Outlook accounts use an **App Password** instead (Outlook Account Settings → Security → Advanced security options → App passwords).

## Configuration

To trust mise configuration automatically, set `trusted_config_paths` in the user-level config at `~/.config/mise/config.toml`; do not add it to this project's `.mise.toml`.

| Variable | Required | Default | Description |
|:---------|:---------|:--------|:------------|
| `EMAIL_CREDENTIALS` | Yes (stdio) | - | Email credentials, `email:app-password` per account, comma-separated for multi-account. Optional custom IMAP host/port: `email:password:imap_host:imap_port` |
| `EMAIL_USER` | Alternative (stdio, single-account) | - | Email address. Used with `EMAIL_APP_PASSWORD` as a per-field alternative to `EMAIL_CREDENTIALS`; merged into `EMAIL_CREDENTIALS` at boot |
| `EMAIL_APP_PASSWORD` | Alternative (stdio, single-account) | - | App password (Gmail/Yahoo/iCloud) or Outlook App Password; used with `EMAIL_USER` |
| `PORT` | No | `0` (OS-assigned) | Server port (http mode); set explicitly (e.g. `8080`) to bind a fixed port |
| `HOST` | No | - | Bind address (http mode) |
| `EMAIL_MCP_TOKEN_HASH` | No (http; required when not bound to loopback) | - | scrypt hash of the shared bearer token, minted with `email token hash`. Without it, HTTP runs unauthenticated only on loopback |
| `OUTLOOK_CLIENT_ID` | No | `d56f8c71-9f7c-43f4-9934-be29cb6e77b0` (bundled public client) | Override the bundled Azure AD public client for self-hosted Outlook OAuth2 (or `--client-id=<id>` on `auth`, which overrides this env var) |
| `OUTLOOK_EMAIL` | No | - | Workaround when Microsoft device-code response omits the email field |
| `OUTLOOK_TENANT` | No | `consumers` (stdio/CLI), `common` (http device-code) | Microsoft directory to sign in against, used for **both** the device-code and the token-refresh endpoint. Set `common` for a work/school (Entra ID) mailbox, or a tenant GUID / verified domain to pin one directory |
| `OUTLOOK_SCOPES` | No | `https://outlook.office.com/IMAP.AccessAsUser.All https://outlook.office.com/SMTP.Send offline_access` | Space-separated scope list. Narrow it (e.g. drop `SMTP.Send`) for a read-only deployment — a grant consented with fewer scopes cannot be refreshed against the full list |
| `OUTLOOK_EXTRA_DOMAINS` | No | - | Comma-separated domains routed to OAuth in addition to `outlook.com`/`hotmail.com`/`live.com`. Needed for a Microsoft 365 mailbox on your own domain, which otherwise looks like a password account |

### Multiple Accounts

```bash
EMAIL_CREDENTIALS=user1@gmail.com:pass1,user2@outlook.com:pass2,user3@yahoo.com:pass3
```

### Custom IMAP Host

```bash
# Custom hostname (default port 993, implicit TLS)
EMAIL_CREDENTIALS=user@custom.com:password:imap.custom.com

# Custom hostname with a custom port
EMAIL_CREDENTIALS=user@custom.com:password:imap.custom.com:1993

# Local IMAP proxy -- "localhost" is accepted as a host, even without a dot
EMAIL_CREDENTIALS=user@custom.com:password:localhost:1993
```

Each account can use its own host and port. A non-993 port is treated as
plaintext/STARTTLS -- the usual shape for a local IMAP proxy (for example
[email-oauth2-proxy](https://github.com/simonrob/email-oauth2-proxy)).

### Microsoft 365 work/school accounts

A mailbox in a Microsoft 365 organisation -- including one on your own domain --
signs in through Entra ID rather than the consumer directory, and Microsoft
disabled basic auth for Exchange Online in 2024, so an App Password is not an
option. Two settings make it work:

```bash
# Sign in against the directory that owns the mailbox
OUTLOOK_TENANT=common                      # or a tenant GUID / verified domain

# Route your own domain to OAuth instead of asking for a password
OUTLOOK_EXTRA_DOMAINS=company.com
```

`OUTLOOK_TENANT` applies to the token refresh as well as the initial sign-in --
refreshing a work/school token against the consumer directory fails with
`AADSTS7000012: The grant was obtained for a different tenant`.

If the mailbox was consented with a narrower grant (say IMAP but no SMTP), match
it with `OUTLOOK_SCOPES` so the refresh does not ask for more than was granted.

### Search Query Language

| Query | Description |
|:------|:------------|
| `UNREAD` | Unread emails |
| `FLAGGED` | Starred emails |
| `SINCE 2024-01-01` | Emails after date |
| `FROM boss@company.com` | Emails from sender |
| `SUBJECT meeting` | Emails matching subject |
| `UNREAD SINCE 2024-06-01` | Compound filter |

### Supported Providers

| Provider | Auth | Save-to-Sent |
|:---------|:-----|:-------------|
| Gmail | App Password | Auto (skipped) |
| Yahoo | App Password | Auto (skipped) |
| iCloud/Me.com | App-Specific Password | Auto (skipped) |
| Outlook/Hotmail/Live | OAuth2 (Device Code) | IMAP APPEND |
| Zoho | App Password | IMAP APPEND |
| ProtonMail | ProtonMail Bridge | IMAP APPEND |
| Custom | Via `email:pass:imap.host` | IMAP APPEND |

## Security

- **Credential sanitization** -- Passwords never leaked in error messages
- **App Passwords** -- Uses app-specific passwords, not regular passwords
- **Token storage** -- Outlook OAuth tokens are written with mode 0600 on POSIX (not enforced on Windows)
- **IMAP validation** -- Search queries validated before execution

## Build from Source

```bash
git clone https://github.com/n24q02m/email.git
cd email
bun install
bun run dev
```

## Trust Model

Credentials are single-user: whoever runs the server (or your OS user for stdio) can read them. Storage depends on the deployment mode:

| Mode | Storage | Encryption | Who can read your data? |
|---|---|---|---|
| HTTP (Docker) | Env vars (`EMAIL_CREDENTIALS`) and saved Outlook tokens in `$HOME/.better-email-mcp/tokens.json` (the `/data` volume) | Tokens: plain JSON, POSIX file mode 0600 | Server operator |
| stdio | Env vars; saved Outlook tokens in `~/.better-email-mcp/tokens.json`; legacy `config.enc` from earlier releases is still read | Tokens: plain JSON, POSIX file mode 0600 | Only your OS user |

## License

Apache-2.0 -- See [LICENSE](LICENSE).