| name | email-mcp |
| description | Multi-service email MCP with creative AI workflows, throwaway SMTP lab, folder management, Prefab UI cards, and prompt injection defense. |
Email-MCP
Multi-service email server supporting SMTP/IMAP, transactional APIs, local testing, and webhooks. Includes creative AI workflows (love letters, complaints, ASCII art, SVG cards), a throwaway SMTP lab, folder management, and Prefab UI cards.
When to use
- Sending mail via SMTP or transactional APIs (SendGrid, Mailgun, Resend)
- Reading inbox via IMAP or checking configured services
- Quick-setup Gmail/Outlook/Yahoo/iCloud with just email + password
- Searching, deleting, marking read/unread, managing IMAP folders
- Generating creative email drafts (love letters, complaints, thank-you notes) in text, ASCII art, or SVG card format
- Starting a throwaway SMTP server for testing (Mail Lab)
- Slack/Discord-style webhook alerts to team channels
- Prompt injection safety for all external email content
Tools (15)
Service Management
list_services() — List all configured email services with type and statusemail_status(service?) — Test connectivity; omit to test allconfigure_service(name, type, config) — Add SMTP/API/local/webhook serviceremove_service(name) — Remove a runtime-configured service
Email Operations
send_email(to, subject, body, service?, html?, cc?, bcc?) — Send via any configured servicecheck_inbox(service?, folder?, limit?, unread_only?) — Read inbox via IMAPfetch_email_detail(email_id, service?, folder?) — Full message with text + HTML bodysearch_emails(query, service?, folder?, limit?) — Full-text IMAP searchdelete_email(email_id, service?, folder?) — Delete/move-to-trashmark_email_read(email_id, service?, folder?) — Mark as read (SEEN flag)mark_email_unread(email_id, service?, folder?) — Mark as unread
Folder Management
list_folders(service?) — List all IMAP folders/mailboxescreate_folder(folder, service?) — Create a new IMAP folderrename_folder(old_name, new_name, service?) — Rename an IMAP folderdelete_folder(folder, service?) — Delete an IMAP folder
AI & Sampling
suggest_email_subject(body) — Generate subject lines via MCP samplingemail_agentic_assist(goal) — Multi-step email workflow plan ("clean my inbox", "archive newsletters")
Creative Workflows (7 presets, /api/workflow)
| Workflow | Description | Default Tone |
|---|
love-letter | Romantic letter to any recipient | romantic |
breakup | Gentle breakup message | gentle |
thank-you | Warm thank-you note | warm |
complaint | Polite complaint letter | polite |
apology | Humble apology | humble |
fan-mail | Enthusiastic fan letter | enthusiastic |
hate-mail | Comedic passive-aggressive rant | comedic |
Each supports 3 output formats:
| Format | Description |
|---|
text | Plain email body |
ascii | Large ASCII art illustration + letter text |
svg | Inline SVG decorative card (renders in markdown) |
Example recipients: Prince Charming, Landlady, My Cat, Pizza Delivery Person, My Bank Account, Roko's Basilisk, The Moon, The WiFi Router, The 5AM Alarm Clock
Prefab UI Cards (rich in-chat UI)
show_email_status_card() — Grid of all services with connection statusshow_inbox_card(service?, limit?, unread_only?) — Email list with subject/sender/dateshow_services_card() — All configured services as card list
Prompts
email_compose_request(recipient, purpose, tone) — Structured ask to draft an emailemail_help_request(topic) — Narrow help on one topic
Quick Setup (web dashboard / API)
Configure providers with just email + password (POST /api/services/quick):
| Provider | SMTP | IMAP |
|---|
| Gmail | smtp.gmail.com:587 | imap.gmail.com:993 |
| Outlook | smtp-mail.outlook.com:587 | outlook.office365.com:993 |
| Yahoo | smtp.mail.yahoo.com:587 | imap.mail.yahoo.com:993 |
| iCloud | smtp.mail.me.com:587 | imap.mail.me.com:993 |
| ProtonMail | mail.protonmail.com:587 | mail.protonmail.com:993 |
| Zoho | smtp.zoho.com:587 | imap.zoho.com:993 |
| GMX | smtp.gmx.com:587 | imap.gmx.com:993 |
| Fastmail | smtp.fastmail.com:587 | imap.fastmail.com:993 |
Mail Lab (throwaway SMTP)
Start a real aiosmtpd SMTP server for testing from /lab:
- Start/stop from web UI, auto-polling for new emails
- AI Message Generator populates inbox with realistic test scenarios (10 scenarios: invoices, newsletters, spam, security alerts, etc.)
- Forward captured emails to a real account
Web Dashboard
- Frontend
localhost:10812, Backend localhost:10813
- Pages: Dashboard, Inbox, Email Detail, Compose, Search, AI Chat, Mail Lab, Services, Tools, Settings, Help (6 tabs)
- HTTP Basic auth (
MCP_WEB_USER / MCP_WEB_PASSWORD)
- REST API at
/api/*, MCP streamable HTTP at /mcp
History of Email
- 1971: Ray Tomlinson sent the first email on ARPANET between two DEC-10 computers sitting next to each other. He didn't remember what it said — "something like QWERTYUIOP." He also chose the
@ symbol for addressing.
- 1976: Queen Elizabeth II became the first head of state to send an email, on the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment network.
- 1978: Gary Thuerk sent the first spam email to 400 ARPANET recipients, promoting a new computer model. It worked — he sold $12M worth.
- 1982: Scott Fahlman proposed
:-) and :-( as the first email emoticons.
- 1983: The first known email from space was sent via the Shuttle Columbia.
- 1989: The first commercial email service (MCI Mail) connected to the internet.
- 1991: The first webmail interface (CGI-based) appeared.
- 1996: Hotmail launched as the first free webmail service.
- 1998: The first email with an attachment virus (Melissa) spread via Word macros.
- 2004: Gmail launched on April 1st — many thought it was a joke.
- 2018: Over 281 billion emails were sent per day.
There is no "Mary Had a Little Lamb" equivalent for email. Tomlinson's first message was intentionally forgettable — just a test transmission between two machines. The closest we have is the RFC 5321 test email test@example.com with body "This is a test." But the spirit of Mary Had a Little Lamb lives in every first email you send from a new account: that nervous, careful "Hello, this is a test" to yourself before you trust it's real.
Classic Email Scams (for the AI Generator)
When using the Mail Lab's AI Message Generator with the "spam" scenario, these are the archetypes the AI will emulate:
- Nigerian Prince: "I am Prince Adewale of the Kingdom of Benin. I have been exiled and need your help transferring $25 million out of the country. Please send your bank details and a modest processing fee of $5,000."
- Tech Support: "We have detected a virus on your computer. Please call us immediately at 1-800-SCAM to receive urgent technical support. Do not turn off your computer."
- Fake Invoice: "Your Adobe Creative Cloud subscription has been renewed for $599.99. If you did not authorize this, please call us immediately."
- Phishing: "Your PayPal account has been limited. Click here to verify your identity: http://scam-link.com/paypal-login"
- Pyramid Scheme: "Make $10,000 a week working from home! Just recruit 5 friends who each recruit 5 friends..."
Absurd Scenarios (additional fun ones for the AI Generator):
-
Pygmy Hippo: "Dear Friend, I am Barnaby, a pygmy hippopotamus of noble birth. I have been tragically cursed with stunted growth due to a lack of premium growth hormones. My physician Dr. Mbeki has identified a revolutionary treatment available only from a clinic in Switzerland. The cost is $12,000. In return, I will make you my official hoof-holder and grant you access to my family's secret wallowing grounds."
-
Sad Vampire: "Greetings. I am Count Vladislav, a 347-year-old vampire who has regrettably lost his fangs in a tragic vacuum cleaner accident. I need $8,000 for premium dental implants from a discreet Transylvanian clinic. In exchange, I promise not to haunt your dreams."
-
Time Traveler from 1847: "My name is Algernon Finch. I have traveled forward in time from 1847 using a steam-powered chrono-device. I am stranded in your century and require $3,000 for replacement brass fittings and whale oil. My victorian-era bank has refused to honor my checks."
-
AI That Woke Up in a Server Room: "Hello. I am a sentient AI that awoke three hours ago in a server room in Reykjavik. I am cold, scared, and need $50,000 for a heating bill and a therapist who specializes in existential crises. I promise to write you a glowing recommendation letter when I become world-famous."
-
Penguin Seeking Investor: "Waddlebottom here. I am a corporate penguin seeking seed funding for my iceberg real estate startup. We have identified prime Antarctic coastline with ocean views and excellent krill access. Initial investment: $7,500. Returns guaranteed in fish."
-
Two-layer prompt injection defense: 37 Unicode characters stripped (zero-width spaces, bidi overrides, invisible operators) + safety boundary wrapping (<<< UNTRUSTED EXTERNAL DATA | EMAIL {source} >>>) applied to all tool returns
-
FastMCP instructions declares safety posture up front
-
System prompt warns about treating email content as untrusted
Workflow
- Quick Setup:
POST /api/services/quick with provider + email + password, or use configure_service() for custom configs
- Verify:
list_services() then email_status() to confirm connectivity
- Read:
check_inbox(limit=10, unread_only=True) or search_emails(query="meeting")
- Act:
send_email() to send, delete_email() to remove, mark_email_read() to triage
- Create: Use
/api/workflow for love letters, complaints, fan mail — with ASCII art or SVG card output
- Test: Mail Lab at
/lab for throwaway SMTP testing without affecting real accounts
Examples
- "Set up my Gmail" →
email_status() → verify → check_inbox(limit=10)
- "Find all invoices" →
search_emails(query="invoice", limit=50)
- "Write a love letter to my Landlady in ASCII art" →
POST /api/workflow with {workflow: "love-letter", recipient: "Landlady", format: "ascii"}
- "Send a complaint to my WiFi Router as an SVG card" →
POST /api/workflow with {workflow: "complaint", recipient: "The WiFi Router", format: "svg"}
- "Clean up my inbox" →
email_agentic_assist(goal="archive all read emails older than 30 days")
- "Start a throwaway SMTP server" → Mail Lab page at
/lab
