Click on "Deploy Server".
Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state.
In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@thunderbird-mcp-server send an email to jane@example.com about the project deadline"
That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed.
Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.
An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that gives AI assistants like Claude the ability to send, read, and search emails directly — no UI automation, no browser extensions, just clean IMAP/SMTP over SSL.
Built for Claude Code, but works with any MCP-compatible client.
Instead of driving an email client's UI with clicks and keystrokes, this server exposes email operations as structured tools that an AI assistant can call programmatically:
You: "list my recent emails"
Claude Code → calls list_emails() via MCP → IMAP fetch → structured resultsRelated MCP server: mcp-imap
Tool | Description |
| Send an email with To, Subject, Body, optional CC/BCC |
| List recent emails in any folder (INBOX, Sent, Drafts, etc.) |
| Read the full content of a specific email by ID |
| Search emails by subject or sender |
| List all available mail folders |
┌─────────────┐ stdio (JSON-RPC) ┌──────────────┐ IMAP/SMTP (SSL) ┌─────────────┐
│ Claude Code │ ◄──────────────────► │ server.py │ ◄────────────────► │ Mail Server │
│ (MCP Client) │ │ (MCP Server) │ │ (any IMAP) │
└─────────────┘ └──────────────┘ └─────────────┘Transport: stdio with JSON-RPC — Claude Code launches the server as a subprocess
Reading: IMAP4_SSL (port 993) — encrypted connection, server-side search
Sending: SMTP_SSL (port 465) — encrypted, authenticated relay
Auth: credentials via environment variables, never hardcoded
Python 3.9+
An IMAP/SMTP email account
git clone https://github.com/yuvi2118/thunderbird-mcp-server.git
cd thunderbird-mcp-server
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install "mcp[cli]>=1.0.0"Copy the example env file and fill in your credentials:
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your email credentialsclaude mcp add email -s user \
-e EMAIL_USER=your_username \
-e EMAIL_PASS=your_password \
-e EMAIL_IMAP_SERVER=your.mail.server \
-e EMAIL_SMTP_SERVER=your.mail.server \
-e "EMAIL_FROM_NAME=Your Name" \
-- python3 /path/to/thunderbird-mcp-server/server.pyRestart Claude Code. The email tools are now available in every session.
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector -- bash run.shOpens a web UI at localhost:6274 where you can call each tool interactively.
All configuration is via environment variables:
Variable | Required | Description |
| Yes | IMAP/SMTP login username |
| Yes | IMAP/SMTP login password |
| Yes | IMAP server hostname |
| Yes | SMTP server hostname |
| No | IMAP port (default: 993) |
| No | SMTP port (default: 465) |
| No | Display name in sent emails |
| No | From address in sent emails |
Once registered, just talk naturally in Claude Code:
> list my emails
> read email 748
> search emails from "professor name"
> send an email to john@example.com about the meeting tomorrow
> show my sent folderPython — standard library only (imaplib, smtplib, email) + MCP SDK
MCP SDK — compatible with both v1 (FastMCP) and v2 (MCPServer)
Security — SSL/TLS for all connections, credentials via env vars following 12-factor principles
MIT
This server cannot be deployed
Email inboxes and calendars for AI agents: send, receive, search, draft and schedule.
Email inboxes and calendars for AI agents: send, receive, search, draft and schedule.
Email infrastructure for AI agents — send, receive, search, and reply to email over MCP.
Connect any mailbox to Claude, ChatGPT & AI: read, send, reply, schedule & search emails.
