The MCPEmails blog

Notes on agents, email & MCP

Guides, deep-dives, and field notes on connecting Gmail, Outlook, Fastmail, and any IMAP inbox to Claude, Cursor, and MCP-compatible clients.

Human approval for AI agent email sends — MCP Emails
AI email safetyHuman approval

Human Approval for AI Agent Email Sends: How to Stay in Control

Let an AI agent prepare useful email work while a workspace owner or admin makes the final call to send. A practical guide to human approval for AI email.

Asgeir AlbretsenAsgeir Albretsen··4 min
Reusable AI agent inbox workflow prompts — MCP Emails
AI workflowsInbox triage

Reusable AI Agent Email Workflows: Inbox Triage Prompts That Stay Useful

Start reliable inbox triage, follow-up, cleanup, and draft-review routines with MCP Emails workflow prompts—without building a separate tool for every email habit.

Asgeir AlbretsenAsgeir Albretsen··4 min
One AI agent connected to work, personal, and side-business email accounts with MCP Emails
Multiple inboxesEmail

How to Manage Multiple Email Accounts With One AI Agent

Run work, personal, and side-business mailboxes through one AI agent: how it discovers inboxes, how to scope a request, sender names that stay correct, and per-inbox send review.

Asgeir AlbretsenAsgeir Albretsen··8 min
Connect a business email on your own domain to an AI agent with MCP Emails
Business emailIMAP

Connect a Custom-Domain Business Email to Your AI Agent (IMAP Setup)

Setup guide for you@yourcompany.com: find out who really runs your mail, connect Google Workspace, Zoho, Fastmail, Migadu, Titan, Rackspace, IONOS or cPanel, and fix the From name before your agent replies.

Asgeir AlbretsenAsgeir Albretsen··9 min
One AI agent working across separate client mailboxes with scoped access, MCP Emails
AgenciesTeams

AI Email Access for Agencies: One Agent Across Every Client Mailbox

How an agency or freelancer gives an AI agent access to several client mailboxes without mixing clients up: a workspace per client, scoped keys, read-only first, and an approval hold on every send.

Asgeir AlbretsenAsgeir Albretsen··8 min
AI agent extracting text from an email attachment — MCP Emails
Email attachmentsAI agents

How AI Agents Can Read Email Attachments Without Storing Them

Use MCP Emails to extract text from PDF, CSV, JSON, HTML, and text email attachments so an AI agent can summarize what matters without keeping the file.

Asgeir AlbretsenAsgeir Albretsen··3 min
Preventing duplicate AI agent email sends — MCP Emails
Email reliabilityAI agents

How to Prevent Duplicate Email Sends From AI Agents

Retries happen. Learn how MCP Emails idempotency keys help prevent duplicate sends, replies, forwards, draft sends, and scheduled emails from AI agents.

Asgeir AlbretsenAsgeir Albretsen··3 min
Gmail labels and IMAP folders for AI agents — MCP Emails
Gmail labelsIMAP folders

Gmail Labels vs. IMAP Folders for AI Agents: What Changes and What Does Not

Understand the difference between Gmail labels and IMAP folders when connecting an AI agent to email—and how MCP Emails keeps common inbox workflows consistent across providers.

Asgeir AlbretsenAsgeir Albretsen··4 min
Connect your email to an AI agent in under 2 minutes — Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Fastmail, and IMAP over MCP
TutorialGmail

How to Connect Your Email to an AI Agent in Under 2 Minutes (Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Fastmail & IMAP)

Connect your email to an AI agent in under 2 minutes. Step-by-step setup for Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Fastmail, and any IMAP inbox over MCP: no email ever stored.

Asgeir AlbretsenAsgeir Albretsen··7 min
Connect Claude to Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Fastmail, Yahoo, Zoho, and IMAP email with MCP Emails
ClaudeMCP

Connect Claude to Your Email with MCP (Gmail, Outlook, iCloud & IMAP)

A practical guide to connecting Claude to Gmail, Outlook and Microsoft 365, iCloud, Fastmail, Yahoo, Zoho, or any IMAP inbox over MCP. No code, and no email stored.

Asgeir AlbretsenAsgeir Albretsen··7 min
Connect ChatGPT and OpenAI Codex to Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Fastmail and IMAP email with MCP Emails
ChatGPTCodex

Connect ChatGPT to Your Email with MCP (Gmail, Outlook, iCloud and IMAP)

Step by step: connect Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Fastmail or any IMAP inbox to ChatGPT with a custom MCP connector, and to OpenAI Codex with a scoped key. No email stored.

Asgeir AlbretsenAsgeir Albretsen··9 min
Claude connected to an IMAP and SMTP mailbox through MCPEmails
ClaudeIMAP

Claude IMAP Connector: Connect Any IMAP Inbox to Claude

Set up a Claude IMAP connector for any mailbox with IMAP/SMTP settings, app passwords, TLS ports, security guidance, limitations, and troubleshooting.

Asgeir AlbretsenAsgeir Albretsen··8 min
Unattended email triage rules in MCP Emails: a stored search plus one fixed action on a schedule
AutomationsInbox triage

Automated Email Triage Rules That Run Without a Model in the Loop

How MCP Emails automations work: a stored search plus one fixed action, on a cadence, with no model interpreting your mail. Preview, create, enable, read the run log.

Asgeir AlbretsenAsgeir Albretsen··8 min
How to connect Gmail to Claude in two minutes over MCP: a Google app password, one endpoint URL, no email stored
TutorialGmail

How to Connect Gmail to Claude (in 2 Minutes, No Code)

Connect Gmail to Claude over MCP in about two minutes: a Google app password (or Sign in with Google), one endpoint URL, no API key, no code. Claude reads, searches and sends your mail live, and your email is never stored.

Asgeir AlbretsenAsgeir Albretsen··7 min
Email signatures for Claude — set a per-inbox signature once and Claude signs every message it sends, on every provider
FeatureEmail

Email Signatures for Claude: Auto-Signed, Every Time

Set a signature once per inbox, and Claude signs every email it sends automatically, on Gmail, Outlook, Fastmail, iCloud, and any IMAP account.

Asgeir AlbretsenAsgeir Albretsen··5 min
Reach inbox zero with AI — Claude triages, archives, and drafts replies across your real inbox over MCP
ProductivityClaude

How to Reach Inbox Zero with AI (Using Claude and Your Real Inbox)

Reach inbox zero with AI: let Claude triage, archive, label, and draft replies across your real Gmail, Outlook or IMAP inbox over MCP. A repeatable routine, the exact prompts, and why nothing is stored.

Asgeir AlbretsenAsgeir Albretsen··5 min
How to give your AI agent access to email over MCP — MCPEmails
MCPAI agents

How to Give Your AI Agent Access to Email (The Complete 2026 Guide)

Give your AI agent read and send access to a real inbox over MCP — Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Fastmail, or IMAP. How it works, the tools, security, and setup.

Asgeir AlbretsenAsgeir Albretsen··8 min
Is it safe to give an AI agent email access — risks and safeguards explained — MCP Emails
SecurityPrivacy

Is It Safe to Give an AI Agent Access to Your Email? What to Know

Is it safe to give an AI agent email access? The honest answer: it depends on the architecture. Here are the real risks and the checklist that makes it safe.

Asgeir AlbretsenAsgeir Albretsen··6 min
Hosted versus self-hosted Gmail MCP server comparison — MCP Emails
ComparisonGmail

Hosted vs. Self-Hosted Gmail MCP Server: Pros, Cons, and Costs

Hosted vs. self-hosted Gmail MCP server, compared honestly: free DIY repos give you full control but you own OAuth, encryption, and uptime. A hosted server costs minutes.

Asgeir AlbretsenAsgeir Albretsen··8 min
Give your AI agent an inbox — MCPEmails
MCPAI agents

Give your AI agent an inbox: a practical guide to email over MCP

Why connecting email to your AI agent is harder than it looks — and how the Model Context Protocol makes Gmail, Outlook, and IMAP a single, secure endpoint your agent can actually use.

Asgeir AlbretsenAsgeir Albretsen··3 min
Connect iCloud, Fastmail, and any IMAP inbox to Claude over MCP
iCloudFastmail

How to Connect iCloud, Fastmail, or Any IMAP Inbox to Claude

Connect iCloud, Fastmail, or any IMAP inbox to Claude with an app-specific password. Step-by-step setup, the MCP endpoint, and what IMAP does that Gmail won’t.

Asgeir AlbretsenAsgeir Albretsen··7 min
Connecting Outlook and Microsoft 365 to an AI agent over MCP
OutlookTutorial

Connecting Outlook and Microsoft 365 to Your AI Agent via MCP

Connect Outlook.com or Microsoft 365 to your AI agent over MCP. Sign in with Microsoft, no app password, Microsoft Graph underneath. Work accounts may need IT admin approval once.

Asgeir AlbretsenAsgeir Albretsen··7 min
Email fetched live and discarded versus a second copy stored in a vendor database
SecurityPrivacy

Why 'Email Never Stored' Matters When Connecting AI to Your Inbox

Email never stored means MCP Emails fetches your mail live and discards it, keeping only an encrypted token. See why that beats tools that copy your whole inbox.

Asgeir AlbretsenAsgeir Albretsen··6 min
OAuth versus API keys for connecting AI agents to email — MCPEmails
OAuthSecurity

OAuth vs. API Keys for AI Email Access: Which Should You Use?

OAuth vs. API keys for AI email access: use OAuth for claude.ai, Claude Desktop, and Cursor; use a scoped API key for Cline, JetBrains, and scripts.

Asgeir AlbretsenAsgeir Albretsen··6 min
Setting up email access for AI coding agents in Cursor, Cline, and VS Code over MCP
CursorTutorial

Setting Up Email for AI Agents in Cursor, Cline, and VS Code

Give your coding agent email access in Cursor, Cline, and VS Code. Cursor uses OAuth; Cline and custom clients use a scoped API key over MCP. Full setup.

Asgeir AlbretsenAsgeir Albretsen··7 min
The best ways to let Claude manage your inbox in 2026 — MCPEmails
ClaudeWorkflows

The Best Ways to Let Claude Manage Your Inbox in 2026

A frank roundup of the best ways to let Claude manage your inbox in 2026: native integrations, DIY MCP servers, copy-paste, browser extensions, and hosted MCP.

Asgeir AlbretsenAsgeir Albretsen··7 min
What is an MCP email server — a plain-English explanation from MCPEmails
MCPAI agents

What Is an MCP Email Server? A Plain-English Explanation

An MCP email server is a tool that lets an AI agent read and send email through clean verbs instead of raw IMAP and passwords. Here is what that means.

Asgeir AlbretsenAsgeir Albretsen··7 min
AI agent triaging and summarizing an inbox over MCP — MCP Emails
WorkflowsClaude

How to Get Your AI Agent to Triage and Summarize Your Inbox

A practical how-to for AI agent inbox triage: copy-paste prompts that list unread mail, read what matters, summarize and prioritize, and poll on a schedule.

Asgeir AlbretsenAsgeir Albretsen··7 min
Seven things your AI agent can do with inbox access over MCP — MCPEmails
WorkflowsAI agents

7 Things Your AI Agent Can Do Once It Has Inbox Access

Seven concrete things an AI agent can do with inbox access: triage unread mail, summarize threads, draft replies, find attachments, chase follow-ups, and route mail.

Asgeir AlbretsenAsgeir Albretsen··7 min
Building an email auto-responder with an MCP-connected agent — MCPEmails
WorkflowsTutorial

Building an Email Auto-Responder With an MCP-Connected Agent

Build an email auto-responder with an MCP-connected AI agent: poll for unread mail, draft, and reply safely with scopes, rate limits, and guardrails.

Asgeir AlbretsenAsgeir Albretsen··7 min
Several work and personal email accounts connected to Claude and ChatGPT through one MCP connector
Multiple inboxesClaude

Multiple Email Accounts in Claude and ChatGPT: Every Mailbox, One Connector

How to put several email accounts into Claude and ChatGPT at once, including company mailboxes on IONOS, Zoho, Namecheap, Google Workspace or your own server, with one MCP connector that works in both.

Asgeir AlbretsenAsgeir Albretsen··7 min