Universal Email

You can run a universal MCP server for email, enabling AI clients to send and manage mail across many providers with automatic configuration, secure authentication, and high-performance handling.

How to use

You pair this MCP server with an MCP client to perform email-related actions. You can set up a single universal email channel or multiple configurations for enterprise accounts. Once connected, you can compose and send emails (HTML or plain text), manage recipients with CC and BCC, attach files or Base64 content, and retrieve or read recent messages. The server smartly selects the right protocol (IMAP or POP3) based on the provider and your settings, and it supports secure authentication methods for enterprise accounts.

How to install

Prerequisites: you need Node.js 16.x or higher and an email account. You will install the MCP email server package and then configure your MCP client to run it.

Option A: install package globally and run with MCP X client.

# Global install
npm install -g mcp-email

# Or run with npx (recommended)
npx mcp-email

Configuration and setup flow

Configure your MCP client to run the universal email MCP server. You have two common paths: a quick npx-based setup or a local source setup.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "universal-email": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["mcp-email"],
      "env": {
        "EMAIL_USER": "your-email@domain.com",
        "EMAIL_PASSWORD": "your-password-or-auth-code",
        "EMAIL_TYPE": "auto"
      }
    }
  }
}

Additional setup for enterprise mail

If you are configuring an enterprise email, you can specify the provider explicitly and use a local start of the server from source code.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "enterprise-email": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["F:\\path\\to\\email-mcp\\index.js"],
      "env": {
        "EMAIL_USER": "user@company.com",
        "EMAIL_PASSWORD": "your-enterprise-auth-code",
        "EMAIL_TYPE": "exmail"
      }
    }
  }
}

Testing the configuration

After configuring, you can test the setup to ensure the server can connect and send mail. Use the provided test tools or run a simple test command in your MCP client to verify SMTP/IMAP connections.

Security and best practices

Protect your authorization codes or app passwords. Use environment variables to store sensitive values and rotate credentials regularly. For enterprise accounts, ensure administrators allow third-party access as needed and enable required SMTP/IMAP/POP3 services.

Troubleshooting quick-start tips

If you encounter authentication errors, confirm that SMTP/IMAP/POP3 services are enabled in the mail provider settings and that you are using the correct authorization code. If you see protocol-related issues with enterprise email, ensure the provider type matches the server you configured.

Project structure and tools

The universal email MCP server supports a range of email providers and offers tools to send mail, fetch recent messages, view content, and configure servers. Use the MCP client to issue these actions through the configured endpoints.

Notes

You can run multiple MCP server configurations for different providers or accounts, each with its own environment variables and start commands.

Available tools

send_email

Send emails with HTML or plain text, including cc, bcc, and attachments.

get_recent_emails

Fetch the most recent emails, with options to limit results and specify days.

get_email_content

Retrieve detailed content for a specific email by UID.

setup_email_account

Auto-detect and configure an email account, with optional provider specification.

list_supported_providers

List all supported email providers and their configuration details.

configure_email_server

Manually configure SMTP/IMAP/POP3 server settings for advanced users.

test_email_connection

Test the connection to the email server for SMTP/IMAP/POP3.