Better MCP server for Email (IMAP/SMTP) with composite tools optimized for AI agents
Better MCP server for Email (IMAP/SMTP) with composite tools optimized for AI agents. The better mcp server wraps that behind the Model Context Protocol, so an assistant can use it through 7 defined tools rather than through you.
Everything the assistant can do here goes through one of these:
messages — search, read, mark_read, mark_unread, flag, unflag, move, archive, trashfolders — listattachments — list, downloadsend — new, reply, forwardconfig — status, setup_status, setup_start, setup_reset, setup_complete, set, cache_clearconfig__open_relay — -help — -Being a remote server, there is no local install. You register the endpoint with your client, authorise it once, and the tools appear.
You will need 8 environment variables: EMAIL_CREDENTIALS, OUTLOOK_CLIENT_ID, PUBLIC_URL, CREDENTIAL_SECRET, MCP_DCR_SERVER_SECRET, YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID, ACCOUNT_ID, YOUR_PUBLIC_URL. The server will not start without them, which is usually why the tools fail to appear on a first run. Keep credentials in your client's env block or a secrets manager rather than in a file you might commit.
Plenty of team communication servers cover similar ground. The differences that matter in practice are scope of access and how much setup stands between you and a working tool call. Better's toolset — messages, folders, attachments and 4 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by GitHub Actions; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.
SyncDev reviews every entry in this directory against the project's own documentation before publishing, and revisits them as servers change.
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| messages | search, read, mark_read, mark_unread, flag, unflag, move, archive, trash |
| folders | list |
| attachments | list, download |
| send | new, reply, forward |
| config | status, setup_status, setup_start, setup_reset, setup_complete, set, cache_clear |
| config__open_relay | - |
| help | - |
{
"mcpServers": {
"better-email": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["--yes", "@n24q02m/better-email-mcp@latest"],
"env": {
"EMAIL_CREDENTIALS": "user@gmail.com:app-password"
}
}
}
}Configuration as documented by the project. Restart the client after saving.
| Variable | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| EMAIL_CREDENTIALS | Configuration value read at startup. | Optional |
| OUTLOOK_CLIENT_ID | Configuration value read at startup. | Optional |
| PUBLIC_URL | Endpoint or connection string the server talks to. | Yes |
| CREDENTIAL_SECRET | Credential the server authenticates with. | Yes |
| MCP_DCR_SERVER_SECRET | Credential the server authenticates with. | Yes |
| YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID | Configuration value read at startup. | Optional |
| ACCOUNT_ID | Configuration value read at startup. | Optional |
| YOUR_PUBLIC_URL | Endpoint or connection string the server talks to. | Yes |
Your assistant inside the workspace — read channels, search history, post messages and tame the noise.
Inbox intelligence — search, read, draft and send Gmail through your assistant with OAuth auto-setup.
Read and write Jira, Confluence, Bitbucket, JSM and Compass from your AI client — with your own permissions.
Read and send Telegram messages through your assistant — chats, channels and history via the client API.
Enables Discord bot integration with Model Context Protocol (MCP) compatible applications like Claude Desktop.
Exposes REST APIs defined by OpenAPI specifications as Model Context Protocol (MCP) tools, facilitating seamless integration into MCP-based workflows.