apple-mail-mcp

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list-messages

Browse recent mailbox messages with optional sender and unread filters and limit/offset pagination; returns message IDs and summary details for follow-up read, move, or delete actions.

Instructions

Use when: browsing a mailbox's recent messages (optionally filtered by sender or unread-only) with pagination via limit/offset, and you need their ids. Returns: messages with id, date, subject, sender, mailbox and account (each text line names its mailbox and account when the results can come from more than one), and flagColor when flagged with an explicit color (plus partial-coverage diagnostics when some mailboxes were skipped). Do not use when: you have specific search criteria like subject/date/flags/flag color (use search-messages, which also supports filtering by flagColor) or already have an id and want the body (use get-message). Like search-messages, use this to obtain the ids that read/mark/delete/move and batch tools require.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`from`	No	Filter by sender email address or name
`limit`	No	Maximum number of messages (default: 50, max: 500)
`offset`	No	Number of messages to skip (for pagination)
`account`	No	Account to list messages from
`mailbox`	No	Mailbox to list messages from. Omit to list from all mailboxes.
`unreadOnly`	No	Only show unread messages

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`count`	No
`backend`	No
`partial`	No
`messages`	No
`stoppedBy`	No
`failedMailboxes`	No
`omittedMessages`	No
`backendByAccount`	No
`timedOutAccounts`	No
`timedOutMailboxes`	No
`failedMailboxReasons`	No
`notSearchedMailboxes`	No
`skippedLargeMailboxes`	No

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed2 schema fields changedv2.20.45Oct 30, 2026

addedOutput schema / properties / backend

Added value: +{
+  "enum": [
+    "envelope-index",
+    "applescript",
+    "mixed"
+  ],
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / backendByAccount

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": {
+    "enum": [
+      "envelope-index",
+      "applescript"
+    ],
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  "propertyNames": {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  "type": "object"
+}

Changed1 schema field changedv2.20.29Oct 24, 2026
- addedOutput schema / properties / failedMailboxReasons / propertyNames
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "string"
+}
```

Changed2 schema fields changedv2.20.11Oct 14, 2026

addedOutput schema / properties / stoppedBy

Added value: +{
+  "enum": [
+    "deadline",
+    "cancelled"
+  ],
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / timedOutMailboxes

Added value: +{
+  "items": {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  "type": "array"
+}

Changed1 schema field changedv2.19.19Sep 27, 2026

addedOutput schema / properties / omittedMessages

Added value: +{
+  "items": {
+    "additionalProperties": false,
+    "properties": {
+      "id": {
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "mailbox": {
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "reason": {
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "uid": {
+        "type": "number"
+      }
+    },
+    "required": [
+      "id",
+      "mailbox",
+      "uid",
+      "reason"
+    ],
+    "type": "object"
+  },
+  "type": "array"
+}

Changed1 schema field changedv2.19.14Sep 23, 2026
- addedOutput schema / properties / failedMailboxReasons
```
Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  "type": "object"
+}
```
Changed1 schema field changedv2.17.2Aug 28, 2026
- addedOutput schema / properties / failedMailboxes
```
Added value: +{
+  "items": {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  "type": "array"
+}
```

Changed2 schema fields changedv2.10.24Aug 14, 2026

changedInput schema / $schema

Previous value: -"http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#"New value: +"https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema"

changedOutput schema / $schema

Previous value: -"http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#"New value: +"https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema"

Changed1 schema field changedv2.10.8Aug 7, 2026
- changedOutput schema / additionalProperties
```
Previous value: -falseNew value: +true
```
Addedv2.8.14Jul 22, 2026
Removedv2.8.10Jul 18, 2026
Changed6 schema fields changedv2.8.2Jul 4, 2026
- changedInput schema / properties / limit / description
```
Previous value: -"Maximum number of messages (default: 50)"New value: +"Maximum number of messages (default: 50, max: 500)"
```
- addedInput schema / properties / limit / maximum
```
Added value: +500
```
- addedInput schema / properties / limit / minimum
```
Added value: +1
```
- changedInput schema / properties / limit / type
```
Previous value: -"number"New value: +"integer"
```
- addedInput schema / properties / offset / minimum
```
Added value: +0
```
- changedInput schema / properties / offset / type
```
Previous value: -"number"New value: +"integer"
```
First observedv2.6.1Jun 29, 2026

TDQS

A4.3/5.0

Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

With no annotations at all, the description carries the full disclosure burden and does so well: it explains the returned fields, that each text line is tagged with mailbox and account when results span multiple sources, that flagColor appears only for explicitly colored flags, and that partial-coverage diagnostics appear when some mailboxes are skipped. What it does not state is the read-only/side-effect profile or pagination termination behavior, which keeps it short of a 5.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

The three-block structure (Use when / Returns / Do not use when) is front-loaded and scannable, with no filler sentences. The Returns parentheticals are dense but each carries non-obvious behavior, so little could be cut without losing information.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness4/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

For a six-parameter listing tool with an output schema, the description covers selection, alternatives, and cross-mailbox caveats adequately. It spends some words restating return fields that the output schema already defines, which is mildly redundant but leaves no decision-critical gap for an agent.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema description coverage is 100%, so all six parameters are already documented in the schema, and the description largely restates them ('optionally filtered by sender or unread-only', 'pagination via limit/offset'). The only added meaning is the mailbox/account cross-source behavior, which is modest beyond the schema baseline.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description opens with a specific verb and resource ('browsing a mailbox's recent messages') and pins the output intent ('you need their ids'), which lets an agent separate it from search-messages and get-message without reading any schema. The optional filters and pagination mechanism are named in the same breath.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines5/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

It gives an explicit 'Use when' clause and a 'Do not use when' clause that names the exact alternatives and the conditions selecting them: search-messages for subject/date/flag criteria, get-message when an id and the body are already needed. The closing line ties it into the read/mark/delete/move workflow by explaining that ids come from here.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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