Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor to any IMAP/SMTP mailbox via MCP. Read, search, and send email securely — Simply.com, iCloud, Microsoft 365, and more.
Overview
Read and send email over IMAP and SMTP for any provider — connect multiple mailboxes with provider presets or custom server settings.
Distinct from Gmail, which uses Google OAuth and the Gmail API. Use Email for Simply.com, One.com, Fastmail, Microsoft 365, and other IMAP/SMTP hosts.
Prerequisites
- An email account with IMAP and SMTP enabled
- Mailbox password (or app-specific password for iCloud and some providers)
- A stackgate.ai account
Getting credentials
- Sign in to stackgate.ai and open Integrations → Email.
- Click Activate and add one or more mailboxes.
- Choose a provider preset (e.g. Simply.com) or Custom to enter IMAP/SMTP settings manually.
- Enter mailbox ID, label, email address, and password.
- Save — the hub verifies IMAP and SMTP login before enabling the integration.
Simply.com example
- IMAP:
mail.simply.com, port993, SSL - SMTP:
smtp.simply.com, port587, TLS (STARTTLS) - Username: your full email address
iCloud Mail
Generate an app-specific password — do not use your main Apple ID password.
Using with AI clients
- Dedicated endpoint:
POST /mcp/email - Private gateway:
email__*tools
Typical workflow: list_mailboxes → list_folders → list_messages → get_message → download_attachment (use part_number from attachments) / send_message.
Set store_in_temp_storage=true on download_attachment to store an attachment in Temp Storage and receive a file_id for cross-tool handoff (e.g. WordPress upload).
Always pass mailbox, folder, and uid together when reading a message.
Troubleshooting
- Authentication failed — verify email address and password; for iCloud use an app-specific password.
- SMTP send failures — confirm SMTP host, port, and encryption match your provider docs.
- Empty search results — IMAP search runs within one folder; try
INBOXand broaden filters.
Available tools
-
list_mailboxes
List configured email mailboxes for this account (id, label, email_address).
-
list_folders
List IMAP mail folders for a configured mailbox.
-
list_messages
List or search messages in a mail folder. Returns summaries; use get_message for full content.
-
get_message
Get a message by mailbox, folder, and IMAP UID, including headers and body.
-
download_attachment
Download an IMAP message attachment by mailbox, folder, UID, and part_number. Returns metadata plus embedded binary content for files under 10 MB, or a resource_link for larger files (fetch bytes via resources/read). Pass mime_type and filename from get_message attachments when available. Set store_in_temp_storage=true to store in temp storage and receive a file_id for cross handoff.
-
send_message
Send an email from a configured mailbox. Supports plain text or HTML body.
MCP endpoint:
https://stackgate.ai/mcp/email
(HTTP) or via the
private gateway.
Related workflows
Multi-integration playbooks that use Email to solve concrete business outcomes.