IMAP mailbox MCP Server

by ni-cio.github.ni-c/imap-mcpv0.5.2

Read, search and organise any IMAP mailbox, with writes off by default

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Active3d ago

Install IMAP mailbox MCP server

claude mcp add imap-ni-c -e IMAP_HOST='<imap-host>' -e IMAP_USER='<imap-user>' -e IMAP_PASSWORD='<imap-password>' -- npx -y @ni-c/imap-mcp

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "imap-ni-c": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@ni-c/imap-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "IMAP_HOST": "<imap-host>",
        "IMAP_USER": "<imap-user>",
        "IMAP_PASSWORD": "<imap-password>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global) or .cursor/mcp.json (project).

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "imap-ni-c": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@ni-c/imap-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "IMAP_HOST": "<imap-host>",
        "IMAP_USER": "<imap-user>",
        "IMAP_PASSWORD": "<imap-password>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Settings → Developer → Edit Config (claude_desktop_config.json), then restart.

{
  "servers": {
    "imap-ni-c": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@ni-c/imap-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "IMAP_HOST": "<imap-host>",
        "IMAP_USER": "<imap-user>",
        "IMAP_PASSWORD": "<imap-password>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "imap-ni-c": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@ni-c/imap-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "IMAP_HOST": "<imap-host>",
        "IMAP_USER": "<imap-user>",
        "IMAP_PASSWORD": "<imap-password>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json.

Configuration

Variable	Required	Secret	Description
IMAP_HOST	yes	—	Hostname of the IMAP server, e.g. imap.example.net
IMAP_USER	yes	—	Mailbox user name
IMAP_PASSWORD	yes	yes	Mailbox password or app password
IMAP_PORT	—	—	Defaults to 993 with implicit TLS, 143 otherwise
IMAP_TLS	—	—	implicit (default), starttls or none
IMAP_MAILBOX	—	—	Default mailbox to work in (default: INBOX)
IMAP_SEEN_KEYWORD	—	—	IMAP keyword marking what the assistant has already seen (default: AiSeen)
IMAP_READ_ONLY	—	—	Set to false to register the mailbox write tools; defaults to true
IMAP_ALLOW_TOOLS	—	—	Comma-separated tool names or list_* prefixes to register; 'essential' selects a curated preset (default: all tools)
IMAP_DENY_TOOLS	—	—	Comma-separated tool names or list_* prefixes to remove from whatever IMAP_ALLOW_TOOLS left
IMAP_DOWNLOAD_DIR	—	—	Directory attachments may be written to; unset means the server never touches the filesystem
IMAP_INSECURE_TLS	—	—	Set to true to accept self-signed certificates, scoped to this connection
IMAP_DRAFTS_MAILBOX	—	—	Drafts folder to save into; by default the one flagged \Drafts is used
IMAP_MAX_MESSAGES	—	—	Default number of messages a listing returns (default: 100)
IMAP_MAX_ATTACHMENT_BYTES	—	—	Ceiling for returning an attachment inline (default: 1048576)
IMAP_MAX_DOWNLOAD_BYTES	—	—	Ceiling for writing an attachment to disk (default: 26214400)
IMAP_MAX_EXTRACT_BYTES	—	—	Ceiling for reading a document's text with mode=text (default: 10485760, maximum: 67108864)
IMAP_ATTACHMENT_TYPES	—	—	Comma-separated content-type allowlist for attachments
IMAP_TRUSTED_AUTHSERV_ID	—	—	authserv-id your provider stamps into Authentication-Results; without it every verdict is reported as forgeable

Freshness

Active — last maintenance signal 3d ago. The newest of the signals below sets the band.

Last commit (default branch)
2026-10-07 · 3d ago · GitHub
Latest release
2026-10-04 · 6d ago · GitHub · v0.5.2
Package published
no data · npm/PyPI
Registry entry updated
2026-10-04 · 6d ago · official registry · v0.5.2

FAQ

›How do I install the IMAP mailbox MCP server in Claude Code?

Run: claude mcp add imap-ni-c -e IMAP_HOST='<imap-host>' -e IMAP_USER='<imap-user>' -e IMAP_PASSWORD='<imap-password>' -- npx -y @ni-c/imap-mcp. For Cursor, VS Code, Claude Desktop and Windsurf, use the install tabs above.

›Does IMAP mailbox require an API key?

Yes. It expects IMAP_HOST, IMAP_USER, IMAP_PASSWORD, of which 1 is a secret.

›Can I use IMAP mailbox as a remote (hosted) MCP server?

No hosted endpoint is published; it runs locally over stdio.

›Is IMAP mailbox in the official MCP registry?

Yes, as io.github.ni-c/imap-mcp.