# Apple Mail MCP Server
<!-- mcp-name: io.github.patrickfreyer/apple-mail -->
[](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT)
[](https://pypi.org/project/mcp-apple-mail/)
[](https://www.python.org/downloads/)
[](https://modelcontextprotocol.io)
[](https://github.com/patrickfreyer/apple-mail-mcp/stargazers)
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An MCP server that gives AI assistants full access to Apple Mail -- read, search, compose, organize, and analyze emails via natural language. Built with [FastMCP](https://github.com/jlowin/fastmcp).
## Quick Install
**Prerequisites:** macOS with Apple Mail configured, Python 3.10+
### Claude Code Plugin (Recommended)
Two commands — gets you the MCP server, `/email-management` slash command, and the Email Management Expert skill:
```bash
claude plugin marketplace add patrickfreyer/apple-mail-mcp
claude plugin install apple-mail@apple-mail-mcp
```
Then restart Claude Code.
### Other Install Methods
<details>
<summary><strong>uvx (zero install, MCP server only)</strong></summary>
```bash
claude mcp add apple-mail -- uvx mcp-apple-mail
```
Or for Claude Desktop (`~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`):
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"apple-mail": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["mcp-apple-mail"]
}
}
}
```
</details>
<details>
<summary><strong>pip install (MCP server only)</strong></summary>
```bash
pip install mcp-apple-mail
claude mcp add apple-mail -- mcp-apple-mail
```
</details>
<details>
<summary><strong>npx skills (skill only, for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and other agents)</strong></summary>
Installs the Email Management Expert skill via the open [skills CLI](https://skills.sh). The skill does not include the MCP server, so install that too (e.g. with uvx above):
```bash
npx skills add patrickfreyer/apple-mail-mcp
claude mcp add apple-mail -- uvx mcp-apple-mail
```
Add `-g` to install the skill globally, or `-a <agent>` to target a specific agent.
</details>
<details>
<summary><strong>Claude Desktop MCPB</strong></summary>
1. Download the latest `apple-mail-mcp-vX.Y.Z.mcpb` from [Releases](https://github.com/patrickfreyer/apple-mail-mcp/releases)
2. Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → MCP Servers → Install from file
3. Select the `.mcpb` file and grant Mail.app permissions
</details>
<details>
<summary><strong>Manual setup</strong></summary>
```bash
git clone https://github.com/patrickfreyer/apple-mail-mcp.git
cd apple-mail-mcp/plugin
python3 -m venv venv
venv/bin/pip install -r requirements.txt
claude mcp add apple-mail -- /bin/bash $(pwd)/start_mcp.sh
```
</details>
## Tools (23)
### Reading & Search
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `get_inbox_overview` | Dashboard with unread counts, folders, and recent emails |
| `list_inbox_emails` | List emails with account/read-status filtering and optional content preview |
| `get_mailbox_unread_counts` | Unread counts per mailbox or per-account summary |
| `list_accounts` | List all configured Mail accounts |
| `search_emails` | Unified search — subject, sender, body text, dates, attachments, flag status/color, cross-account |
| `read_email` | Read one message by numeric id — headers, capped plain-text body and attachment metadata (text or JSON) |
| `get_email_thread` | Conversation thread view |
### Organization
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `list_mailboxes` | Folder hierarchy with message counts |
| `create_mailbox` | Create new mailboxes (supports nested paths) |
| `move_email` | Move/archive emails with filters (subject, sender, date, read status, dry-run) |
| `update_email_status` | Mark read/unread, flag/unflag (optional flag color) — by filters or message IDs |
| `manage_trash` | Soft delete, permanent delete, empty trash (with dry-run) |
### Composition
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `compose_email` | Send new emails (plain text or HTML body) |
| `reply_to_email` | Reply or reply-all with optional HTML body |
| `forward_email` | Forward with optional message, CC/BCC |
| `manage_drafts` | Create, list, send, and delete drafts |
| `create_rich_email_draft` | Build a rich HTML `.eml` draft, open it in Mail, and optionally save it to Drafts |
### Attachments
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `list_email_attachments` | List attachments with names and sizes |
| `save_email_attachment` | Save attachments to disk |
### Smart Inbox
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `get_awaiting_reply` | Find sent emails that haven't received a reply |
| `get_needs_response` | Identify emails that likely need your response |
| `get_top_senders` | Analyse most frequent senders by count or domain |
### Analytics & Export
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `get_statistics` | Email analytics (volume, top senders, read ratios) |
| `export_emails` | Export single emails or mailboxes to TXT/HTML |
| `inbox_dashboard` | Interactive UI dashboard (requires mcp-ui-server) |
## Configuration
### Read-Only Mode
Pass `--read-only` to block delivery. Nothing leaves the machine: `compose_email` and `reply_to_email` refuse `mode="send"`, `manage_drafts` refuses `action="send"`, and `forward_email` is removed entirely because it has no non-sending mode.
The composing tools stay registered so that `mode="draft"` and `mode="open"` keep working. Those never deliver anything, and they are the only place in the compose surface that supports `attachments` — `manage_drafts` and `create_rich_email_draft` cannot attach files.
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"apple-mail": {
"command": "/path/to/venv/bin/python3",
"args": ["/path/to/apple_mail_mcp.py", "--read-only"]
}
}
}
```
### User Preferences (Optional)
Set the `USER_EMAIL_PREFERENCES` environment variable to give the assistant context about your workflow:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"apple-mail": {
"command": "/path/to/venv/bin/python3",
"args": ["/path/to/apple_mail_mcp.py"],
"env": {
"USER_EMAIL_PREFERENCES": "Default to BCG account, show max 50 emails, prefer Archive and Projects folders"
}
}
}
}
```
For `.mcpb` installs, configure this in Claude Desktop under **Developer > MCP Servers > Apple Mail MCP**.
### Safety Limits
Batch operations have conservative defaults to prevent accidental bulk actions:
| Operation | Default Limit |
|-----------|---------------|
| `update_email_status` | 10 emails |
| `manage_trash` | 5 emails |
| `move_email` | 1 email |
Override via function parameters when needed.
### File Access
By default the server can write and attach files anywhere your user account can, except a hardened denylist of locations an attacker could use for code execution or credential theft. (Attachment bytes come from whoever emailed you, and a prompt-injected email can steer tool arguments.)
**Writes** (`save_email_attachment`, `export_emails`, `create_rich_email_draft`'s `output_path`) are refused for:
- any dotfile or dot-folder directly in your home folder: shell startup files (`~/.zshrc`, `~/.zshenv`, `~/.zprofile`, `~/.zlogin`, `~/.bashrc`, `~/.bash_profile`, `~/.profile`), `~/.ssh`, `~/.gnupg`, `~/.aws`, `~/.config` (incl. `~/.config/git`), `~/.gitconfig`, `~/.netrc`, `~/.envrc`, `~/.local/bin`, ...
- `.git/hooks`, `.git/config` and `.envrc` in any folder
- autostart, persistence and app-config folders: `~/Library/LaunchAgents`, `~/Library/LaunchDaemons`, `/Library/LaunchAgents`, `/Library/LaunchDaemons`, `~/Library/Application Support` (incl. `com.apple.backgroundtaskmanagementagent`), `~/Library/Application Scripts`, `~/Library/Preferences`, `~/Library/Keychains`, `~/Library/Mail`, `~/Library/Containers`, ...
- folders on `PATH`: `~/bin`, `/usr/local/bin`, `/opt/homebrew/bin`, and `/etc`
**Attachments** (`compose_email`, `reply_to_email`, ...) may be any readable file except secrets: `~/.ssh`, `~/.gnupg`, `~/.aws`, `~/.netrc`, `~/.git-credentials`, `~/.config/gh`, `.env` files, `~/Library/Keychains`, and browser profiles and cookie stores (Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, Arc, ...).
Paths are resolved (`~`, `..`, symlinks) before checking, and matching is case-insensitive like APFS.
**Restricting further (opt-in).** To confine writes or attachments to specific folders, list them (colon-separated) in the server's `env`, or pass `--write-dir` / `--attach-dir` (repeatable) as arguments. Once set, only those folders are allowed for that side, and the denylist still applies inside them. The tool's own cache (`~/Library/Caches/apple-mail-mcp`, the default rich-draft location) stays writable.
```json
"env": {
"APPLE_MAIL_MCP_WRITE_DIRS": "~/Downloads:~/Documents/mail-exports",
"APPLE_MAIL_MCP_ATTACH_DIRS": "~/Documents:~/Desktop"
}
```
## Usage Examples
```
Show me an overview of my inbox
Search for emails about "project update" in my Gmail
Reply to the email about "Domain name" with "Thanks for the update!"
Move emails with "invoice" in the subject to my Archive folder
Show me email statistics for the last 30 days
Create a rich HTML draft for a weekly update and open it in Mail
```
### Rich HTML Drafts
Use `create_rich_email_draft` when you need a visually formatted email, newsletter, or leadership update.
- It generates an unsent `.eml` file with multipart plain-text + HTML bodies
- It can open the draft directly in Mail for editing
- It can optionally ask Mail to save the opened compose window into Drafts
- It accepts partial details, so you can start with just an account and subject and fill in the rest later
This is more reliable than injecting raw HTML into AppleScript `content`, which Mail often stores as literal markup.
## Email Management Skill
A companion [Claude Code Skill](plugin/skills/email-management/) is included that teaches Claude expert email workflows (Inbox Zero, daily triage, folder organization). When installed as a plugin, the skill is loaded automatically. For standalone MCP installs, add it with `npx skills add patrickfreyer/apple-mail-mcp` or copy it manually:
```bash
cp -r plugin/skills/email-management ~/.claude/skills/email-management
```
## Requirements
- macOS with Apple Mail configured
- Python 3.7+
- `fastmcp` (+ optional `mcp-ui-server` for dashboard)
- Claude Desktop or any MCP-compatible client
- Mail.app permissions: Automation + Mail Data Access (grant in **System Settings > Privacy & Security > Automation**)
## Troubleshooting
| Issue | Fix |
|-------|-----|
| Mail.app not responding | Ensure Mail.app is running; check Automation permissions in System Settings |
| Slow searches | Set `include_content: false` and lower `max_results` |
| Mailbox not found | Use exact folder names; nested folders use `/` separator (e.g., `Projects/Alpha`) |
| Permission errors | Grant access in **System Settings > Privacy & Security > Automation** |
| Rich draft shows raw HTML | Use `create_rich_email_draft` instead of pasting HTML into `manage_drafts` or AppleScript `content` |
## Project Structure
```
apple-mail-mcp/
├── .claude-plugin/
│ └── marketplace.json # Marketplace manifest (for plugin distribution)
├── plugin/ # Claude Code plugin
│ ├── .claude-plugin/
│ │ └── plugin.json # Plugin manifest
│ ├── skills/ # Email Management Expert skill (also invocable as /email-management)
│ ├── apple_mail_mcp/ # Python MCP server package (24 tools)
│ ├── apple_mail_mcp.py # Entry point
│ ├── start_mcp.sh # Startup wrapper (auto-creates venv)
│ └── requirements.txt
├── apple-mail-mcpb/ # MCPB build files (Claude Desktop)
├── LICENSE
└── README.md
```
## Contributing
1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (`git checkout -b feature/my-feature`)
3. Commit and push
4. Open a Pull Request
## Releasing
Follow these steps when cutting a new release to keep all version strings in sync:
1. Bump `__version__` in `plugin/apple_mail_mcp/__init__.py` to the new version.
2. Update `apple-mail-mcpb/manifest.json` (`"version"` field) to match.
3. Update `pyproject.toml` (`version = ...` under `[project]`) to match.
4. Update both version fields in `server.json` (`"version"` and `"packages"[0]["version"]`) to match.
5. Run `python3 scripts/check_versions.py` — it must print **OK** before you proceed.
6. Commit, tag, and push: `git tag vX.Y.Z && git push origin vX.Y.Z`.
7. Create a GitHub release from the tag.
8. Build and publish to PyPI: `python -m build && twine upload dist/*` (requires PyPI credentials).
> The test suite also enforces version consistency (`tests/test_version_consistency.py`), so any CI run on a branch with mismatched versions will fail fast.
## License
MIT -- see [LICENSE](LICENSE).
## Links
- [Changelog](CHANGELOG.md)
- [Issues](https://github.com/patrickfreyer/apple-mail-mcp/issues)
- [Discussions](https://github.com/patrickfreyer/apple-mail-mcp/discussions)
- [FastMCP](https://github.com/jlowin/fastmcp)
- [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io)