che-apple-mail

che-apple-mail-mcp is a native Swift MCP server that exposes 42 tools to automate and script Apple Mail (Mail.app) on macOS. The server bundles a comprehensive set of capabilities, including accounts, mailbox management, email operations, composing and sending, drafts, attachments, VIP handling, rules, signatures, SMTP server management, synchronization, and various utility helpers for parsing addresses and headers. You run the built binary and connect via Claude (or compatible MCP clients) to issue natural language requests or direct tool invocations to manage mail, search content, modify flags/colors, or perform bulk actions across mailboxes. To use it with Claude, you typically build the project, start the binary, and register the MCP server so Claude can call the available tools directly or via natural language prompts.

To use the tools, you can either describe your intent in natural language (e.g., list accounts, list emails in a mailbox, search for emails about a topic, send a new email, or create a rule) or call specific tools directly (e.g., list_accounts, search_emails, set_flag_color, check_for_new_mail). The server supports extensive mail operations across Accounts, Mailboxes, Emails, Actions, Compose, Drafts, Attachments, VIP, Rules, Signatures, SMTP, Sync, and Utilities, giving you end-to-end automation for most Mail.app scripting tasks.

Prerequisites:

• macOS 13.0+ with Apple Mail configured
• Xcode Command Line Tools
• Swift toolchain available on macOS

Step 1: Clone the repository and build the binary

git clone https://github.com/kiki830621/che-apple-mail-mcp.git
cd che-apple-mail-mcp
swift build -c release

Step 2: (Optional) Verify the built binary location

ls -l .build/release/CheAppleMailMCP

Step 3: Configure Claude or your MCP client

• For Claude Desktop/Code, point to the built binary when registering the MCP server. Use the full path to the binary:

/che-apple-mail-mcp/.build/release/CheAppleMailMCP

• If you’re integrating manually, ensure your MCP config references the exact path to the binary and passes no extra required arguments.

Step 4: Grant necessary permissions

• Ensure Claude (or your automation tool) has Automation permissions for Mail.app as described in the README, to allow Apple events.

Step 5: Run and test

• Start the server binary. Connect via your MCP client and issue tool calls or natural language commands such as: list_accounts, list_mailboxes, list_emails, search_emails, send a new email, etc.

• The server relies on Mail.app being open and configured with at least one account. If Mail.app is not responding, ensure it's running and the accounts are configured.
• If you encounter permission issues with Apple Events or Automation, re-check System Settings > Privacy & Security > Automation and grant the appropriate Access to CheAppleMailMCP and related terminal/Claude processes.
• For long-running mailbox scans, some operations may take longer; consider targeting specific mailboxes or narrow searches to avoid timeouts.
• The MCP framework supports a broad set of tools; consult the 42 tools list in the README to understand available actions and their expected inputs.
• When building from source, keep an eye on macOS security prompts related to automation and scripting permissions; these prompts may require manual approval.