Apple Mail MCP

Apple Mail MCP

A local, stdio-based Model Context Protocol server for Apple Mail on macOS.

It talks only to the Apple Mail app already configured on the user's Mac. It does not need IMAP/SMTP passwords or open a network port.

Safety model

• Mailbox and message tools are read-only by default.
• create_draft opens an unsent, visible draft in Apple Mail.
• send_email requires user_approved: true. MCP clients should call it only after the user has approved the exact message.
• Message changes such as marking, flagging, and moving also require user_approved: true.
• Dynamic content is passed to osascript as arguments, not interpolated into AppleScript source.
• Every write action has a local, metadata-only JSONL audit entry. Bodies and credentials are never written to that log.
• The approval inbox and relationship context are stored only in the local JSON data store described below.

The MCP server itself is local. However, an MCP client may send tool results to an AI model or another service. Only connect clients and models you trust with mail content.

Requirements

• macOS with Apple Mail configured
• Node.js 20+
• Permission for the host application (for example Codex or Terminal) to control Mail under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Automation

Install

npm (recommended)

npm install -g @jakobf1/apple-mail-mcp

Then configure your MCP client with the installed command:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apple-mail": {
      "command": "apple-mail-mcp"
    }
  }
}

From source

git clone https://github.com/YOUR_ACCOUNT/apple-mail-mcp.git
cd apple-mail-mcp
npm install
npm run build

Add to an MCP client

If you installed from source rather than npm, use the compiled server over stdio:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apple-mail": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/apple-mail-mcp/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Restart the MCP client after saving its configuration. The first call will trigger the normal macOS automation permission prompt.

Optional sender policy

To allow sending only from specific configured Apple Mail addresses, configure a comma-separated allowlist when launching the server:

{
  "env": {
    "APPLE_MAIL_MCP_ALLOWED_SENDERS": "hello@example.com"
  }
}

Write-action audit metadata is stored locally at ~/.apple-mail-mcp/audit.jsonl by default. Set APPLE_MAIL_MCP_AUDIT_LOG to use another local path.

AI-first local workspace

The approval inbox and relationship context share a local JSON store at ~/.apple-mail-mcp/data.json by default. It contains queued draft bodies and the contact notes you intentionally save, so treat it as private mail data. Set APPLE_MAIL_MCP_DATA_STORE to use another local path.

APPLE_MAIL_MCP_DRY_RUN=true validates sends but prevents delivery. You can also enforce recipient restrictions with APPLE_MAIL_MCP_ALLOWED_RECIPIENTS, APPLE_MAIL_MCP_ALLOWED_RECIPIENT_DOMAINS, and a local time window such as APPLE_MAIL_MCP_SENDING_WINDOW=09:00-18:00.

Tools

Tool	What it does
list_accounts	Lists configured Apple Mail accounts and sender addresses.
list_mailboxes	Lists the top-level mailboxes in an account.
list_messages	Returns inbox or mailbox summaries without message bodies.
search_messages	Searches recent messages by sender or subject.
get_message	Reads one message body by id, with a configurable length limit.
create_draft	Opens a visible, unsent outgoing message.
send_email	Hands an approved message to Apple Mail for delivery.
create_reply_draft	Opens a visible reply draft and preserves Apple Mail's reply recipient/subject handling.
set_message_read_status	Marks one approved message read or unread.
set_message_flag_status	Flags or unflags one approved message.
move_message	Moves one approved message to another mailbox.
get_audit_log	Reads the local metadata-only audit trail.
get_send_policy / preview_send	Inspects or validates the active send safeguards without delivery.
queue_email_for_approval / list_approval_queue	Stores proposed emails locally for human review.
approve_queued_email / discard_queued_email	Applies an explicitly approved queue decision.
save_contact_context / get_contact_context	Maintains private relationship notes, tone, commitments, and follow-up dates.
get_contact_brief	Combines a saved contact profile with recent inbox summaries.
list_follow_up_radar	Surfaces saved contacts that are due for a human-approved follow-up.
get_work_mode / set_work_mode	Switches between focused policies such as inbox zero, sales follow-up, support, and deep work.
save_thread_summary	Saves a user-approved local thread summary with its source message ids.
get_daily_briefing	Combines unread messages, pending approvals, and due follow-ups into a safe daily action brief.

Scope and non-goals

This project is local-only. It is not an SMTP server, does not manage credentials, and does not bypass macOS privacy prompts. It deliberately excludes deletion, attachment export, background scheduling, and automatic sending.

Publishing and registry metadata

The package is published as @jakobf1/apple-mail-mcp. Its MCP Registry identity is io.github.jakobfigur/apple-mail-mcp; see server.json for portable install metadata.

License

MIT