IMAP MCP Server

A powerful Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides seamless IMAP email integration with secure account management and connection pooling.

Features

• 🔐 Secure Account Management: Encrypted credential storage with AES-256 encryption
• 🚀 Connection Pooling: Efficient IMAP connection management
• 📧 Comprehensive Email Operations: Search, read, move, mark, delete, and bulk delete emails
• ✉️ Email Sending: Send, reply, and forward emails via SMTP
• 📁 Folder Management: List folders, check status, get unread counts
• 🔄 Multiple Account Support: Manage multiple IMAP accounts simultaneously
• 🛡️ Type-Safe: Built with TypeScript for reliability
• 🌐 Web-Based Setup Wizard: Easy account configuration with provider presets
• 📱 15+ Email Providers: Pre-configured settings for Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and more
• 🔗 Auto SMTP Configuration: Automatic SMTP settings based on IMAP provider

Installation

Quick Install (Recommended)

macOS/Linux:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nikolausm/imap-mcp-server/main/install.sh | bash

Windows (PowerShell as Administrator):

iwr -useb https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nikolausm/imap-mcp-server/main/install.ps1 | iex

Manual Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/nikolausm/imap-mcp-server.git
cd imap-mcp-server

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Build the project:

npm run build

Account Setup

Web-Based Setup Wizard (Recommended)

After installation, run the setup wizard:

npm run setup

Or if installed globally:

imap-setup

This will:

1. Start a local web server
2. Open your browser to the setup wizard
3. Guide you through adding email accounts with pre-configured settings

Supported Email Providers

The setup wizard includes pre-configured settings for:

• Gmail / Google Workspace
• Microsoft Outlook / Hotmail / Live
• Yahoo Mail
• Apple iCloud Mail
• GMX
• WEB.DE
• IONOS (1&1)
• ProtonMail (with Bridge)
• Fastmail
• Zoho Mail
• AOL Mail
• mailbox.org
• Posteo
• Custom IMAP servers

Configuration

Claude Code (CLI)

If you use Claude Code in the terminal, add the MCP server with a single command:

Step 1: Make sure you have built the project first (see Manual Installation).

Step 2: Run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add imap -- node /absolute/path/to/imap-mcp-server/dist/index.js

Important: Replace /absolute/path/to/imap-mcp-server with the actual path where you cloned the repository. For example:

# macOS/Linux example:
claude mcp add imap -- node /Users/yourname/imap-mcp-server/dist/index.js

# Windows example:
claude mcp add imap -- node C:\Users\yourname\imap-mcp-server\dist\index.js

Step 3: Verify it was added:

claude mcp list

You should see imap in the list of configured MCP servers. That's it — the IMAP tools are now available in your Claude Code sessions.

Tip: If you want to remove the server later, run:

claude mcp remove imap

Claude Desktop (GUI App)

Add the IMAP MCP server to your Claude Desktop configuration file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "imap": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/imap-mcp-server/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Usage

Once configured, the IMAP MCP server provides the following tools in Claude:

Account Management

• imap_add_account: Add a new IMAP account

  Parameters:
  - name: Friendly name for the account
  - host: IMAP server hostname
  - port: Server port (default: 993)
  - user: Username
  - password: Password
  - tls: Use TLS/SSL (def
  

... View full README on GitHub