MCP Email Server: Enhance Your AI Application's Data Interaction Capabilities

Overview: What is MCP Email Server?

The MCP (Model Context Protocol) Email Server is an advanced Python application designed to facilitate interaction between AI applications and email accounts. Leveraging POP3 for secure mailbox access and SMTP for sending emails, this server enables detailed operations such as polling emails, fetching full emails, deleting emails, and sending both plain text and HTML emails over secured connections. By integrating with the Model Context Protocol, it provides a standardized interface that can be used by various AI applications like Claude Desktop, Continue, Cursor, and more.

🔧 Core Features & MCP Capabilities

The Email Server includes several key capabilities:

1. Poll Emails: The pollEmails function allows the AI application to query emails in the inbox, providing a list of email IDs along with key headers (Subject, From, Date, Message-ID).
2. Fetch Full Emails: Using the getEmailsById method, specific emails can be retrieved by ID, including detailed body content parsed from HTML and plain text.
3. Delete Emails: The server supports marking selected emails for deletion using deleteEmailsById. This function is critical for managing email storage but should be used judiciously to avoid disrupting workflow processes.
4. Send Emails: Both plain text (sendTextEmail) and HTML formatted (sendHtmlEmail) messages can be dispatched, giving AI applications flexibility in communication.

These features are backed by the Model Context Protocol, ensuring seamless integration with various AI tools through a standardized API.

⚙️ MCP Architecture & Protocol Implementation

The architecture of the Email Server is structured around the Model Context Protocol (MCP), which defines a set of methods and protocols for interaction. The server exposes these methods via an MCP client, enabling them to be called by AI applications such as Claude Desktop.

Mermaid: MCP Protocol Flow Diagram

graph TD
    A[AI Application] -->|MCP Client| B[MCP Protocol]
    B --> C[MCP Server]
    C --> D[Data Source/Tool]
    style A fill:#e1f5fe
    style C fill:#f3e5f5
    style D fill:#e8f5e8

Mermaid: Data Architecture Diagram

graph TD
    SubGraph[Email Server]
        E[POP3] --> F[Inbox Access/Update]
        G[SMTP] --> H[Email Sending/Receiving]
        F --> G
        H --> I[Email Storage/Delivery]
    style SubGraph fill:#a0cbe8

🚀 Getting Started with Installation

To deploy the Email Server, follow these steps:

1. Prerequisites: Ensure Python 3.12+ is installed and uv is available for use.
2. Environment Setup & Dependencies:

   uv venv
   source .venv/bin/activate  # Linux/macOS
   # .venv\Scripts\activate  # Windows
   
   uv pip install -e .
   

3. Configuration (.env file): Create a .env file with your email credentials and server details.
4. Configuration (Claude Desktop): Include the Email Server in the Claude Desktop developer configuration.

Once configured, restart Claude Desktop to ensure automatic connection to the MCP Server.

💡 Key Use Cases in AI Workflows

Workflow Scenario 1: Automated Notification System

An AI application could use the Email Server to implement an automated notification system. By polling for new emails and sending relevant notifications based on certain keywords or conditions, the server can trigger actions downstream, enhancing user experience and automation.

Workflow Scenario 2: Customer Support Integration

For a customer support application, the Email Server can be used to manage incoming support queries. Emails could be tagged automatically using pollEmails, prioritized for immediate attention, and forwarded to relevant agents with necessary context attached.

🔌 Integration with MCP Clients

The Email Server is compatible with several MCU clients:

• Claude Desktop: Full configuration with direct email processing.
• Continue: Partial compatibility through custom integration points.
• Cursor: Limited support focusing on data flow mechanisms.

Use the provided JSON snippet to configure your MCP client:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "email-mcp-server": {
            "command": "uv",
            "args": [
                "--directory",
                "/path/to/email-mcp-server",
                "run",
                "main.py"
            ],
            "env": {
                # Override .env file settings if needed
                #"EMAIL_USER": "...",
                #"EMAIL_PASS": "...",
                #"POP3_SERVER": "...",
                #"SMTP_SERVER": "...",
                #"SMTP_PORT": "...",
                #"SMTP_USE_SSL": "true/false"
            }
        }
    }
}

📊 Performance & Compatibility Matrix

MCP Email Server ensures seamless and efficient data exchange with AI applications. The following table illustrates compatibility across key MCP clients:

MCP Client	Resources	Tools	Prompts
Claude Desktop	✅	✅	✅
Continue	✅	✅	✅
Cursor	❌	✅	❌

This matrix helps developers integrate the Email Server into their AI workflows effectively.

🛠️ Advanced Configuration & Security

MCP Configuration Code Sample

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "email-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["run", "main.py"],
      "env": {
        "EMAIL_USER": "[email protected]",
        "EMAIL_PASS": "securepassword!",
        "POP3_SERVER": "pop.example.com",
        "SMTP_SERVER": "smtp.example.com",
        "SMTP_PORT": 465,
        "SMTP_USE_SSL": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Q: How do I ensure secure email communication?

   • A: Use SSL/TLS encryption for SMTP connections and securely manage email credentials.

2. Q: Can the Email Server handle large volumes of emails efficiently?

   • A: Yes, it supports efficient handling through optimized polling intervals and robust error management.

3. Q: Is it compatible with all AI applications using MCP?

   • A: While partial support exists for some clients like Continue, full compatibility is guaranteed for Claude Desktop and Cursor.

4. Q: How do I troubleshoot connection issues?

   • A: Check environment variables, ensure network connectivity, and verify configuration correctness against provided samples.

5. Q: Can custom prompts be integrated into this system?

   • A: Yes, prompt handling is supported through customizable configurations in the MCP client setup.

👨‍💻 Development & Contribution Guidelines

Contributions to improve and extend the functionality of the Email Server are welcome. For developers looking to enhance or modify this server:

1. Clone the repository.
2. Set up a local environment with uv and dependencies installed.
3. Run tests and contribute PRs for bug fixes or new features.

🌐 MCP Ecosystem & Resources

Explore more about the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and its applications at Official MCP Documentation. Join our community forums to engage with fellow developers and stay updated on MCP advancements.

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This comprehensive documentation positions the MCP Email Server as a robust tool for AI application integration, providing clear guidelines for implementation and support.