AWS SES Email MCP server

This MCP server enables you to send emails using AWS SES directly from Cursor or Claude Desktop, eliminating the need for copy-pasting. It supports plain text and HTML emails with features like CC, BCC, reply-to, and email scheduling.

Prerequisites

Before setting up the server, ensure you have:

• AWS SES account set up and configured
• Verified email domain or individual email addresses in AWS SES
• AWS credentials (Access Key ID and Secret Access Key) with SES permissions
• Node.js installed on your system

Installation

Via Smithery (Recommended)

Install aws-ses-mcp for Claude Desktop automatically using Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli install @omd01/aws-ses-mcp --client claude

Manual Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/omd01/aws-ses-mcp.git
cd aws-ses-mcp

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Build the project:

npm run build

Configuration

Email Format

Create a file called email.md with content in this format:

{
  "to": "[email protected]",
  "subject": "Test!",
  "text": "This is a test email.",
  "cc": ["[email protected]"],
  "bcc": ["[email protected]"]
}

Setup Instructions

For Cursor

1. Go to Cursor Settings → MCP → Add new MCP server

2. Configure with these settings:

   • Name: aws-ses-mcp (or your preferred name)
   • Type: command
   • Command:

   node ABSOLUTE_PATH_TO_MCP_SERVER/build/index.js \
   --aws-access-key-id=YOUR_AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID \
   --aws-secret-access-key=YOUR_AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY \
   --aws-region=YOUR_AWS_REGION \
   --sender=YOUR_SENDER_EMAIL \
   --reply-to=REPLY_TO_EMAIL
   

For Claude Desktop

Add this configuration to your MCP config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "aws-ses-mcp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["ABSOLUTE_PATH_TO_MCP_SERVER/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID": "YOUR_AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID",
        "AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY": "YOUR_AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY",
        "AWS_REGION": "YOUR_AWS_REGION",
        "SENDER_EMAIL_ADDRESS": "YOUR_SENDER_EMAIL",
        "REPLY_TO_EMAIL_ADDRESSES": "REPLY_TO_EMAILS_COMMA_SEPARATED"
      }
    }
  }
}

Using the MCP Server

1. Create or edit email.md with your email content
2. In Cursor:
   • Open the email.md file
   • Select the content
   • Press cmd+l (or ctrl+l)
   • Tell Cursor to "send this as an email"
   • Ensure Cursor chat is in Agent mode

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues:

• Check the console logs for detailed request/response information
• Verify your AWS credentials and permissions
• Ensure your sender email is verified in AWS SES
• Review the AWS SES console for any bounces or complaints

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.