Apple Mail MCP (imdinu)
An MCP server for Apple Mail on macOS: 8 read tools and body search through an FTS5 index on large mailboxes
- 73 ★ on the repository
- Last commit
Broad access
Why this level
- The server reads all messages and attachments in Apple Mail and passes them to the agent, and emails often hold personal and financial data
- The index needs Full Disk Access for the app that launches the server
Install
- Works in
In your terminal, with SkillFoxx CLI
npx skillfoxx add mcp/apple-mail-mcp-imdinuDetects the agents on your machine, shows the access level and pins the version.
Other ways to install
Access and checks
How we reviewBroad accessThe tool can change data, run commands or handle secrets.
- The server reads all messages and attachments in Apple Mail and passes them to the agent, and emails often hold personal and financial data
- The index needs Full Disk Access for the app that launches the server
This is third-party code. Review the repository files before installing.
What it does
The server lets an agent read and search mail in the Apple Mail app. It has eight tools: `list_accounts` and `list_mailboxes` show accounts and mailboxes, `get_emails` returns messages by filter (all, unread, flagged, today, last seven days) and `get_email` returns one full message with attachments. `search` covers subject, sender, body and attachments with a date range and highlighting, `get_email_links` extracts links and `get_email_attachment` extracts attachment content. Full-text body search runs through its own SQLite FTS5 index that covers the whole mailbox. The author compared the server with six other Apple Mail MCP servers on a mailbox of about 73 thousand messages: AppleScript servers hit timeouts and one competitor scans only the 5000 most recent messages. A single message is read straight from `.emlx` files in about 3 ms, and account and message lists come from the Envelope Index database with JXA kept as a fallback. The same commands work in the terminal without MCP: `apple-mail-mcp search`, `read`, `emails`, `accounts`, `mailboxes`, `extract`. The `apple-mail-mcp integrate claude` command prepares a skill file for Claude Code. Settings live in `~/.apple-mail-mcp/config.toml` or in `APPLE_MAIL_*` variables.
Who it is for. Mac users with a large Apple Mail mailbox who want to search messages, attachments and links through Claude Code or Claude Desktop.
Good fit when
- A mailbox holds tens of thousands of messages and you need to find an invoice by words from the body when the subject says nothing
- An agent has to pull an attachment from a supplier email and read its contents
- You want a summary of unread and flagged messages from the last seven days for a work account
- You need to collect all links to documents and services from a correspondence
Not a fit when
- You need to send, delete or move messages: the tool set only reads
- Mail lives in a web interface or another client: the server reads only the Apple Mail app on macOS
- You need access from Windows or Linux: the project targets macOS
Example request
Find in all my Apple Mail messages the October invoice emails that contain the word "contract" in the body and show the attachments.MCP
- Transport
- stdio
- Authentication
- not required
Environment variables
APPLE_MAIL_DEFAULT_ACCOUNT- Default Apple Mail account.
Limitations
Works only with Apple Mail on macOS. For a fresh index the app that launches the server (Claude Code, Claude Desktop or Terminal) needs Full Disk Access in the privacy settings. The index is built with `apple-mail-mcp index --verbose` and is recommended by the author for large mailboxes. The `get_attachment` tool is deprecated, use `get_email_attachment`.
The server reads your messages in full, including attachments, and passes them to the agent. The plugin and the mcpb bundle run the package published on PyPI through a launcher: uvx, then pipx, then a private environment. The license is GPL-3.0 or later.
How to disable. In Claude Code run `claude plugin uninstall apple-mail@imdinu`, in Claude Desktop remove the extension, in other clients remove the mail block from the config. The package is removed with `pipx uninstall apple-mail-mcp`, and the index and settings live in `~/.apple-mail-mcp/`. Revoke Full Disk Access in macOS settings.
FAQ
How do I install Apple Mail MCP in Claude Code?
Run `claude plugin marketplace add imdinu/apple-mail-mcp`, then `claude plugin install apple-mail@imdinu`. Grant Claude Code Full Disk Access so the index stays fresh.
How do I install it in Claude Desktop?
Download the `apple-mail-mcp-<version>.mcpb` file from the latest release page and double-click it. The extension starts the server with the `--watch` flag itself.
Can the server send emails?
No. All eight tools only read and search. Sending, deleting and moving messages are not part of the set.
How is it different from other Apple Mail MCP servers?
Body search runs through an FTS5 index that covers the whole mailbox. A competing server with such search scans only the 5000 most recent messages, and AppleScript servers hit timeouts on large mailboxes.
Can I use it without MCP?
Yes, the same commands run in the terminal: `apple-mail-mcp search "invoice" --after 2026-01-01 --limit 10`. All commands print JSON.
Discussion
No questions or reviews yet.
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Comparison with similar tools
Cards that share the main search query, and how they differ.
| Tool | Official | Authentication | Repository stars | Main difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Mail MCP (imdinu) (this card) | no | not required | 73 | |
| Apple Mail MCP Server | no | not required | 256 | another server for Apple Mail, while this one adds an FTS5 index for body search across the whole mailbox and attachment reading |
| apple-mail-mcp | no | not required | 111 | also works with Apple Mail, while this one focuses on full body-search coverage and speed on large mailboxes |
README in short
The description presents the server as the only Apple Mail MCP with full-text search across the whole mailbox and gives benchmarks on 73 thousand messages. It then covers installation by plugin, mcpb bundle and pipx, index building, configuration, the tool table and the CLI.