Apple Mail MCP Server

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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.

Quick Start

Prerequisites: macOS with Apple Mail configured, Python 3.7+

git clone https://github.com/patrickfreyer/apple-mail-mcp.git
cd apple-mail-mcp
python3 -m venv venv && source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

Add to your Claude Desktop config (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apple-mail": {
      "command": "/path/to/apple-mail-mcp/venv/bin/python3",
      "args": ["/path/to/apple-mail-mcp/apple_mail_mcp.py"]
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop and grant Mail.app permissions when prompted.

Tip: An .mcpb bundle is also available on the Releases page for one-click install in Claude Desktop.

Tools (26)

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
get_email_with_content	Search emails with full content preview
get_unread_count	Unread count per account
list_accounts	List all configured Mail accounts
get_recent_emails	Recent emails from a specific account
get_recent_from_sender	Recent emails from a sender with time-range filters
search_emails	Advanced multi-criteria search (subject, sender, dates, attachments)
search_by_sender	Find all emails from a specific sender
search_email_content	Full-text search in email bodies
search_all_accounts	Cross-account unified search
get_newsletters	Detect newsletter and subscription emails
get_email_thread	Conversation thread view

Organization

Tool	Description
list_mailboxes	Folder hierarchy with message counts
move_email	Move emails between folders (supports nested paths)
update_email_status	Batch mark read/unread, flag/unflag
manage_trash	Soft delete, permanent delete, empty trash

Composition

Tool	Description
compose_email	Send new emails (TO, CC, BCC)
reply_to_email	Reply or reply-all with optional CC/BCC
forward_email	Forward with optional message, CC/BCC
manage_drafts	Create, list, send, and delete drafts

Attachments

Tool	Description
list_email_attachments	List attachments with names and sizes
save_email_attachment	Save attachments to disk

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

User Preferences (Optional)

Set the USER_EMAIL_PREFERENCES environment variable to give the assistant context about your workflow:

{
  "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.

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

Email Management Skill

A companion Claude Code Skill is included that teaches Claude expert email workflows (Inbox Zero, daily triage, folder organization). Install it alongside the MCP for intelligent, multi-step email management:

cp -r skill-email-management ~/.claude/skills/email-management

See skill-email-management/README.md for details.

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

Project Structure

apple-mail-mcp/
├── apple_mail_mcp.py          # Main MCP server (26 tools)
├── requirements.txt           # Python dependencies
├── apple-mail-mcpb/           # MCP Bundle build files
├── skill-email-management/    # Email Management Expert Skill
├── CHANGELOG.md
├── 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

License

MIT -- see LICENSE.

Links

• Changelog
• Issues
• Discussions
• FastMCP
• Model Context Protocol