Email Server MCP server

The MCP Email Server provides IMAP and SMTP functionality through the Model Context Protocol (MCP), allowing AI assistants to access and manage email accounts on behalf of users.

Installation Options

Using Smithery (Easiest Method)

Install the Email Server for Claude Desktop automatically using Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli install @ai-zerolab/mcp-email-server --client claude

Using UV (Recommended)

The simplest way to install and configure is using the uv package manager:

uvx mcp-email-server@latest ui

Then configure your MCP client with:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zerolib-email": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["mcp-email-server@latest", "stdio"]
    }
  }
}

Using Pip

Install from PyPI with pip:

pip install mcp-email-server

After installation, configure the server:

mcp-email-server ui

Using Docker

If Docker is available, you can use the Docker image:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zerolib-email": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["run", "-it", "ghcr.io/ai-zerolab/mcp-email-server:latest"]
    }
  }
}

The default config path is ~/.config/zerolib/mcp_email_server/config.toml.

Configuration and Usage

Setting Up with Claude Desktop

1. Install the server using one of the methods above
2. Run the configuration UI: mcp-email-server ui
3. Enter your email server details in the configuration interface
4. Open Claude Desktop and connect to the configured MCP server

Manual Client Configuration

To integrate with other MCP clients, find the path to the installed server:

which mcp-email-server

Then configure your client with:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zerolib-email": {
      "command": "{{ PATH_TO_SERVER }}",
      "args": ["stdio"]
    }
  }
}

Replace {{ PATH_TO_SERVER }} with the actual path from the which command.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues:

• Ensure your email provider allows IMAP/SMTP access
• Check that you've entered the correct server addresses and ports
• Verify your username and password are correct
• Some email providers may require app-specific passwords for third-party access

How to add this MCP server to Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > MCP and click "Add new global MCP server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "cursor-rules-mcp": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "cursor-rules-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explictly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.