IMAP MCP Pro

License: Dual — Personal Free / Commercial Paid Latest release

An enterprise-grade Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides production-ready IMAP email integration with advanced reliability features, comprehensive monitoring, and secure account management.

Professional Edition — Enhanced fork with Level 1-3 reliability features, circuit breaker pattern, metrics, and bulk operations for commercial and large-scale deployments.

📜 License at a glance

Free for personal, educational, and non-profit use. Paid commercial license required for any business, SaaS, revenue-generating, or multi-tenant deployment.

Contact for commercial licensing: [email protected] Full terms: LICENSE · License section below

Features

100+ MCP tools across email/folder/account/category/scoring/subscription/dns-firewall/usercheck/staging/cache/diagnostics — every IMAP4rev2 (RFC 9051) operation we use is exposed. See the full categorized list with exact count in docs/TOOL_CATALOG.md (generated from the manifest on every build), or run imap_list_tools for the live catalog at runtime.

Core Features

• 🔐 Secure Account Management: Encrypted credential storage with AES-256 encryption
• 🚀 Connection Pooling: Efficient IMAP connection management
• 📧 Comprehensive Email Operations: Search, read, mark, delete emails
• ✉️ Email Sending: Send, reply, and forward emails via SMTP
• 📁 Folder Management: List folders, check status, get unread counts
• 🔄 Multiple Account Support: Manage multiple IMAP accounts simultaneously
• 🛡️ Type-Safe: Built with TypeScript for reliability
• 🌐 Web-Based Setup Wizard: Easy account configuration with provider presets
• 📱 15+ Email Providers: Pre-configured settings for Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and more
• 🔗 Auto SMTP Configuration: Automatic SMTP settings based on IMAP provider

Local Message Cache + Auto-installed Skills (v2.17.0+)

• Local SQLite header cache for fast sender enumeration. imap_sync_folder_cache populates a per-folder cache; imap_search_cache runs group_by_sender / by_domain / by_address queries against it in milliseconds. Validated end-to-end against a 1500-message INBOX: cold sync 1.7s, warm group-by-sender 4ms.
• UIDVALIDITY-aware delta sync: subsequent syncs only fetch new UIDs. Mailbox renumbering is detected automatically and triggers a full resync.
• Cache-miss is explicit: imap_search_cache returns a structured cache_miss error when a folder has not been synced — no silent IMAP fallback. The skill orchestrates the order.
• Auto-installed skills: bundled Claude skills (unsubscribe-cleanup in v2.17.0) are copied to ~/.claude/skills/imap-mcp-pro/ on server startup. Idempotent: skips when versions match, updates when the bundle is newer, preserves on-disk content with a higher version. Disable via IMAP_MCP_SKIP_SKILLS_INSTALL=1.
• Skill updates from public GitHub (v2.17.4+): two new tools, imap_check_skill_updates and imap_update_skills, let you pull newer skill versions from this repo without reinstalling the .mcpb. No PAT needed — the default source is the MCP's own public repo. See docs/SKILLS.md for the full guide including the trust model.

v2.0 Reliability & Attachments (v2.15.0+)

• Auto-Sent-folder placement: every imap_send_email archives to the right Sent folder by provider (Gmail / Outlook / iCloud / Fastmail / Yahoo / Hostinger / Zoho / GMX / ProtonMail). Bcc preserved in the archive copy per RFC 5322 §3.6.3. Failures queue for background retry, not lost.
• Pooled SMTP with classified retry: nodemailer pool, exponential backoff for transient failures, immediate surface (no retry) for auth failures with provider-specific guidance (e.g. "Gmail requires an app password, generate at...").
• Path-based attachments (attachmentPaths): pass absolute file paths instead of base64. Server validates against an allowed-dirs whitelist (with per-user override), realpath + symlink-target check, size caps, RFC 2183 filename sanitization.
• Chunked attachment uploads: for clients without server filesystem access. 4-tool workflow (stage_init → stage_append × N → stage_finalize → imap_send_email stagedAttachmentIds=[...]). Out-of-order chunks reassemble; duplicate chunkIndex is idempotent; SHA-256 verification on finalize.
• Diagnostic tools: imap_test_smtp, imap_test_sent_folder, imap_get_smtp_metrics, imap_list_unarchived_sends, imap_list_staged_attachments.

Enterprise Features (Pro Edition)

Level 1: Enhanced Connectivity

• ⚡ Enhanced Keepalive: RFC 2177 compliant NOOP commands every 29 minutes
• 🔌 Connection Monitoring: Real-time connection health tracking
• ✅ Connection Validation: Proactive connection state verification

Level 2: Advanced Reliability

• 🔄 Automatic Reconnection: Exponential backoff (1s → 2s → 4s → 8s → 60s max)
• ♻️ Retry Logic: Transparent retry wrapper for all operations (max 5 attempts)
• 🏥 Health Checks: Periodic NOOP every 29 minutes to prevent timeouts
• 📊 Connection State Machine: DISCONNECTED → CONNECTING → CONNECTED → RECONNECTING → ERROR
• ⚡ Bulk Operations: Efficient bulk delete, read, and mark operations

Level 3: Production-Grade Resilience

• 🛡️ Circuit Breaker: Prevents cascading failures (5 failures opens, 2 successes closes)
• 📦 Operation Queue: Queues operations during outages, replays when reconnected (1000 max)
• 📈 Comprehensive Metrics: Per-connection and per-operation metrics (ops, success rate, latency, uptime%)
• 🎯 Graceful Degradation: Read-only mode, result caching (5-min TTL), fallback to last known good data
• 🔍 Enhanced Monitoring: Real-time metrics via MCP tools (imap_get_metrics, imap_get_operation_metrics)

Multi-Tenant / MSP Deployments

🏢 Commercial License Available for MSPs

IMAP MCP Pro supports multi-user configurations for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) with a commercial license:

• 👥 User Isolation: Complete data isolation between customers
• 🔐 Per-Customer Authentication: Separate credentials for each tenant
• 🛡️ Role-Based Access Control: Admin and user roles with granular permissions
• 📊 Usage Tracking: Per-customer API usage and metrics
• 🎛️ Centralized Management: Manage multiple customer deployments from single installation

Configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "imap-customer-a": {
      "env": {
        "MCP_USER_ID": "customer-a"
      }
    },
    "imap-customer-b": {
      "env": {
        "MCP_USER_ID": "customer-b"
      }
    }
  }
}

Contact for Commercial Licensing:

• Email: [email protected]
• Commercial license required for MSP/multi-tenant deployments
• Noncommercial use is free under the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0

Installation

Claude Desktop Extension (.mcpb) — Recommended for end users

The fastest path to a working setup is to install IMAP MCP Pro as a Claude Desktop Extension (.mcpb). This bundles everything (Node runtime, dependencies, native modules) into one archive and renders a native settings panel in Claude Desktop — no terminal, no JSON editing.

1. Download the latest .mcpb for your platform from the Releases page (e.g. imap-mcp-pro-2.14.0-macos-arm64.mcpb).
2. In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Extensions → Install Extension… and select the downloaded file.
3. Fill in the settings panel that appears:
   • Data Directory — where to store the database and cache (default: ~/.imap-mcp-pro)
   • Log Level — INFO is fine for day-to-day; DEBUG for troubleshooting
   • Maximum Attachment Size — default 25 MiB
   • Allowed Attachment Directories — optional, only needed for path-based attachment sends
   • Encryption Key — leave blank to auto-generate a file-based key (stored at ~/.imap-mcp/.encryption-key, mode 600); credentials are encrypted with AES-256-GCM (recommended)
   • User ID — default for single-user installs
4. Click Enable. Run a quick test by asking Claude What IMAP accounts do I have?.

To add accounts after install, ask Claude to use imap_add_account_auto (with provider auto-detection) or use the Web UI: imap-setup from the command line.

To upgrade, download a newer .mcpb and re-install — your data directory is preserved.

macOS — Package Installer (Recommended)

Download the latest .dmg from the Releases page:

1. Open IMAP-MCP-Pro-x.x.x.dmg
2. Double-click the .pkg inside
3. Follow the installer — it will:
   • Prompt for the Web UI port (default: 4500)
   • Offer to configure Claude Desktop automatically (if installed)
   • Install the ImapMCPControl menu bar app
   • Register and start the background service

After install the envelope icon appears in your menu bar. Use Preferences… (⌘,) to change settings at any time.

What gets installed:

Path	Contents
~/.local/share/imap-mcp-pro/	Server files, bundled Node.js runtime
~/Applications/ImapMCPControl.app	Menu bar status/control app
~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.templeofepiphany.imap-mcp-pro.plist	Background service definition
~/.imap-mcp/	Database and encryption keys (created on first run)

macOS — Upgrade

Run the same .pkg installer over an existing installation. The installer detects the previous version and:

• Preserves your port setting and Claude Desktop configuration
• Stops the service, replaces server files, then restarts automatically
• Does not touch ~/.imap-mcp/ (your accounts and data)

Linux / Manual Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/Temple-of-Epiphany/imap-mcp-pro.git
cd imap-mcp-pro

2. Install dependencies and build:

npm install
npm run build

3. Install and start the service:

make install

Account Setup

Web-Based Setup Wizard (Recommended)

After installation, run the setup wizard:

npm run setup

Or if installed globally:

imap-setup

This will:

1. Start a local web server
2. Open your browser to the setup wizard
3. Guide you through adding email accounts with pre-configured settings

Supported Email Providers

The setup wizard includes pre-configured settings for:

• Gmail / Google Workspace
• Microsoft Outlook / Hotmail / Live
• Yahoo Mail
• Apple iCloud Mail
• GMX
• WEB.DE
• IONOS (1&1)
• ProtonMail (with Bridge)
• Fastmail
• Hostinger
• Zoho Mail
• AOL Mail
• mailbox.org
• Posteo
• Custom IMAP servers

Configuration

Claude Desktop Configuration

macOS pkg installer: Claude Desktop is configured automatically during install. You can also manage it via Preferences… → Claude Desktop Integration in the menu bar app.

Manual configuration — edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "imap-mcp-pro": {
      "command": "/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/.local/share/imap-mcp-pro/runtime/node/bin/node",
      "args": ["/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/.local/share/imap-mcp-pro/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_USER_ID": "YOUR_USERNAME"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop after any config change.

Environment Variables

The following environment variables can be configured in your Claude Desktop configuration:

Variable	Description	Default	Required
MCP_USER_ID	User identifier for multi-tenant deployments. Isolates accounts and data per user.	default	No
PORT	Port number for the Web UI server	4500	No
NODE_ENV	Node environment mode. Set to development for detailed error stack traces.	production	No
IMAP_MCP_VERSION	Version identifier (automatically set by installer)	(package version)	No

Example multi-user configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "imap-work": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/imap-mcp-pro/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_USER_ID": "work",
        "PORT": "4500"
      }
    },
    "imap-personal": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/imap-mcp-pro/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_USER_ID": "personal",
        "PORT": "3001"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: Each MCP_USER_ID creates separate:

• Account storage (database)
• CleanTalk API key configuration
• Web UI instance (on specified PORT)
• Session data and credentials

Usage

Once configured, the IMAP MCP server provides the following tools in Claude:

Account Management

• imap_add_account: Add a new IMAP account

  Parameters:
  - name: Friendly name for the account
  - host: IMAP server hostname
  - port: Server port (default: 993)
  - user: Username
  - password: Password
  - tls: Use TLS/SSL (default: true)
  

• imap_list_accounts: List all configured accounts

• imap_remove_account: Remove an account

  Parameters:
  - accountId: ID of the account to remove
  

• imap_connect: Connect to an account

  Parameters:
  - accountId OR accountName: Account identifier
  

• imap_disconnect: Disconnect from an account

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account to disconnect
  

Email Operations

• imap_search_emails: Search for emails

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  - folder: Folder name (default: INBOX)
  - from, to, subject, body: Search criteria
  - since, before: Date filters
  - seen, flagged: Status filters
  - limit: Max results (default: 50)
  

• imap_get_email: Get full email content

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  - folder: Folder name
  - uid: Email UID
  

• imap_get_latest_emails: Get recent emails

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  - folder: Folder name (default: INBOX)
  - count: Number of emails (default: 10)
  

• imap_mark_as_read/unread: Change email read status

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  - folder: Folder name
  - uid: Email UID
  

• imap_delete_email: Delete an email

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  - folder: Folder name
  - uid: Email UID
  

• imap_send_email: Send a new email

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID to send from
  - to: Recipient email address(es)
  - subject: Email subject
  - text: Plain text content (optional)
  - html: HTML content (optional)
  - cc: CC recipients (optional)
  - bcc: BCC recipients (optional)
  - replyTo: Reply-to address (optional)
  - attachments: Array of attachments (optional)
    - filename: Attachment filename
    - content: Base64 encoded content
    - path: File path to attach
    - contentType: MIME type
  

• imap_reply_to_email: Reply to an existing email

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  - folder: Folder containing the original email
  - uid: UID of the email to reply to
  - text: Plain text reply content (optional)
  - html: HTML reply content (optional)
  - replyAll: Reply to all recipients (default: false)
  - attachments: Array of attachments (optional)
  

• imap_forward_email: Forward an existing email

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  - folder: Folder containing the original email
  - uid: UID of the email to forward
  - to: Forward to email address(es)
  - text: Additional text to include (optional)
  - includeAttachments: Include original attachments (default: true)
  

• imap_copy_email: Copy an email to another folder

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  - sourceFolder: Source folder name (default: INBOX)
  - uid: Email UID to copy
  - targetFolder: Target folder name
  

• imap_bulk_copy_emails: Bulk copy multiple emails to another folder

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  - sourceFolder: Source folder name (default: INBOX)
  - uids: Array of email UIDs to copy
  - targetFolder: Target folder name
  

• imap_move_email: Move an email to another folder

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  - sourceFolder: Source folder name (default: INBOX)
  - uid: Email UID to move
  - targetFolder: Target folder name
  

• imap_bulk_move_emails: Bulk move multiple emails to another folder

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  - sourceFolder: Source folder name (default: INBOX)
  - uids: Array of email UIDs to move
  - targetFolder: Target folder name
  

Automatic Chunking (Smart Bulk Operations)

All bulk operations now automatically use chunking for >50 UIDs! You don't need to choose between regular and chunked tools - the system intelligently handles this for you.

How it works:

• ≤50 UIDs: Fast single-batch processing
• >50 UIDs: Automatic chunked processing (100 UIDs per chunk)
• Progress tracking: Real-time logging in server logs
• Error recovery: Continues processing if individual chunks fail

Chunked Bulk Operations (Large-Scale Processing)

For explicit control over chunking behavior:

• imap_bulk_mark_emails_chunked: Mark emails in chunks for large operations

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  - folder: Folder name (default: INBOX)
  - uids: Array of email UIDs to mark (supports 1000+ UIDs)
  - operation: Mark operation (read, unread, flagged, unflagged, answered, unanswered, draft, not-draft, deleted, undeleted)
  - chunkSize: Number of emails per chunk (default: 100)
  
  Returns:
  - processed: Number of successfully processed emails
  - failed: Number of failed emails
  - errors: Array of error details for failed chunks
  

• imap_bulk_delete_emails_chunked: Delete emails in chunks for large operations

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  - folder: Folder name (default: INBOX)
  - uids: Array of email UIDs to delete (supports 1000+ UIDs)
  - expunge: Permanently expunge deleted emails (default: false)
  - chunkSize: Number of emails per chunk (default: 100)
  
  Returns:
  - processed: Number of successfully deleted emails
  - failed: Number of failed emails
  - errors: Array of error details for failed chunks
  

• imap_bulk_get_emails_chunked: Fetch emails in chunks for large operations

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  - folder: Folder name (default: INBOX)
  - uids: Array of email UIDs to fetch (supports 1000+ UIDs)
  - fields: Fields to fetch (headers, body, or full)
  - chunkSize: Number of emails per chunk (default: 100)
  
  Returns:
  - count: Number of successfully fetched emails
  - totalRequested: Total number of UIDs requested
  - emails: Array of fetched email objects
  

Use Case Example: Processing 1700 unread emails to mark bulk marketing messages for deletion:

1. Search for unread emails: imap_search_emails with seen: false
2. Fetch headers in chunks: imap_bulk_get_emails_chunked with 1700 UIDs and chunkSize: 100
3. Filter marketing emails in your application logic
4. Delete in chunks: imap_bulk_delete_emails_chunked with filtered UIDs

Benefits:

• Prevents circuit breaker trips by processing in small batches
• Continues processing even if individual chunks fail
• Provides progress tracking and error reporting
• 100ms delay between chunks prevents server overload

Folder Operations

• imap_list_folders: List all folders

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  

• imap_folder_status: Get folder information

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  - folder: Folder name
  

• imap_get_unread_count: Count unread emails

  Parameters:
  - accountId: Account ID
  - folders: Specific folders (optional)
  

Removal

macOS

Use the menu bar app or run from the project directory:

# Interactive uninstall (prompts before removing data)
make uninstall

# Or run the script directly
distributions/osx/scripts/uninstall.sh

The uninstaller:

• Stops and removes the LaunchAgent
• Removes ~/Applications/ImapMCPControl.app
• Removes ~/.local/share/imap-mcp-pro/
• Forgets pkgutil receipts
• Prompts before removing ~/.imap-mcp/ (your accounts and data)
• Prompts before removing the Claude Desktop MCP entry

Linux

make uninstall

---

Backup and Restore

Your data lives in ~/.imap-mcp/ and consists of:

File	Contents
data.db	SQLite database — all accounts, settings, and history
.encryption-key	AES-256 encryption key for stored passwords
.key	Secondary key file

Important: A backup without the key files cannot decrypt stored passwords. Always back up the entire ~/.imap-mcp/ directory together.

Backup

Menu bar app: Preferences… → Database → Backup
Saves a .zip containing the database and both key files.

Command line:

# Save to ~/imap-mcp-pro-backup-YYYY-MM-DD.zip
make backup

# Save to a specific path
scripts/backup.sh /path/to/backup.zip

Restore

Menu bar app: Preferences… → Database → Restore
Select a .zip backup — the service stops, data is replaced, service restarts.

Command line:

make restore FILE=/path/to/backup.zip

# Or directly
scripts/restore.sh /path/to/backup.zip

The restore script stops the service before replacing files and restarts it automatically when done.

---

Security

• Credentials are encrypted using AES-256-GCM encryption
• Encryption keys are stored separately in ~/.imap-mcp/
• Database is stored at ~/.imap-mcp/data.db
• Never commit or share your encryption keys or database

Privacy Policy

IMAP MCP Pro runs entirely on your device and sends no data to the publisher — there is no telemetry and no server operated by us. It processes only the email accounts you configure; credentials are encrypted at rest (AES-256-GCM) and all local files are owner-only. Data leaves your machine only at your direction: to your own IMAP/SMTP servers, to optional integrations you enable (UserCheck for spam checks, a DNS-over-HTTPS provider for firewall checks), and to the Claude client you use. Data persists locally only until you delete it (remove an account, clear the cache, or delete ~/.imap-mcp/).

Full policy — data collected, storage, third-party sharing, retention, and contact: PRIVACY.md.

Development

Running in Development Mode

npm run dev

Building

npm run build

Project Structure

src/
├── index.ts           # MCP server entry point
├── services/
│   ├── imap-service.ts    # IMAP connection management
│   ├── smtp-service.ts    # SMTP service for sending emails
│   └── database-service.ts # Encrypted account/user storage (SQLite)
├── tools/
│   ├── index.ts          # Tool registration
│   ├── account-tools.ts  # Account management tools
│   ├── email-tools.ts    # Email operation tools (including send/reply/forward)
│   └── folder-tools.ts   # Folder operation tools
└── types/
    └── index.ts          # TypeScript type definitions

Example Usage in Claude

1. Add an account: "Add my Gmail account with username [email protected]"

2. Check new emails: "Show me the latest 5 emails from my Gmail account"

3. Search emails: "Search for emails from [email protected] in the last week"

4. Send an email: "Send an email to [email protected] with subject 'Project Update'"

5. Reply to emails: "Reply to the latest email from my boss"

6. Forward emails: "Forward the email with subject 'Meeting Notes' to [email protected]"

7. Manage folders: "List all folders in my email account and show unread counts"

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

• Ensure your IMAP server settings are correct
• Check if your email provider requires app-specific passwords
• Verify that IMAP is enabled in your email account settings
• For sending emails, ensure your account has SMTP access enabled

SMTP Configuration

The server automatically configures SMTP settings based on your IMAP provider. If you need custom SMTP settings, you can specify them when adding an account:

{
  "smtp": {
    "host": "smtp.example.com",
    "port": 587,
    "secure": false
  }
}

Common IMAP Settings

• Gmail:

  • Host: imap.gmail.com
  • Port: 993
  • Requires app-specific password

• Outlook/Hotmail:

  • Host: outlook.office365.com
  • Port: 993

• Yahoo:

  • Host: imap.mail.yahoo.com
  • Port: 993
  • Requires app-specific password

Troubleshooting

Where do logs go?

Claude Desktop captures the server's stderr to per-server log files:

Platform	Path
macOS	~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp-server-imap-mcp-pro.log
Windows	%APPDATA%\Claude\logs\mcp-server-imap-mcp-pro.log
Linux	~/.local/state/Claude/logs/mcp-server-imap-mcp-pro.log

Look for lines like [startup] stage=pre-handshake outcome=ok duration_ms=12 to confirm the server is starting cleanly. If pre-handshake exceeds 2 s, you'll see an outcome=warning line.

Common failures

"Configuration valid" but tools fail at runtime Run node /path/to/server/dist/index.js --validate-config (or via the .mcpb extension's bundled server). It prints every resolved value and flags filesystem permission issues separately from schema errors.

Database errors on startup (exit 2) Usually permissions on the data directory. Check database.path from --validate-config — the parent directory must be writable.

Tools return "warming up" responses on first call Background services are still initializing (post-handshake stage). Wait a few seconds and retry. If it persists, check the log for an outcome=error line.

Server appears unresponsive in Claude Desktop Most often a pre-handshake timeout. Confirm with --validate-config first; if that's OK, check the log for the pre-handshake duration_ms — anything over 2000 will time out.

Configuration not picking up env var Run --validate-config and look at the [source] tag next to the field. Sources, highest precedence first: cli > env > file > default. If [default] is shown when you expected [env], the env var name may be wrong — see the canonical mapping in src/config/server-config.ts:ENV_VAR_MAPPING.

Inspecting the config schema

node dist/index.js --print-config-schema | jq .

Returns the full JSON Schema for ServerConfig — type, defaults, descriptions, validation bounds for every field.

Inspecting the tool catalog

node dist/index.js --print-tools-manifest | jq '.tools | length'

Documentation

• EXAMPLES.md — worked Claude conversation transcripts for common workflows
• docs/SKILLS.md — bundled skills, auto-install behavior, GitHub-update tooling, contributor guide
• docs/ARCHITECTURE.md — codebase map, startup stages, response-shape policy, contributor guide
• docs/sdk_audit_2026-04-29.md — MCP SDK alignment audit
• RFC 9051 (IMAP4rev2) full text in rfc/rfc9051.txt

License

Free for personal use. Paid for commercial use.

This software is distributed under a Dual License Model: the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0 for noncommercial use, plus a separate commercial license for everything else. The license you operate under depends entirely on how you use the software.

✅ Noncommercial use — FREE (PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0)

You may use, copy, modify, and distribute this software at no cost when your use is for a permitted (noncommercial) purpose under the PolyForm Noncommercial License, including:

• Personal email management on your own accounts
• Educational use (students, instructors, classroom)
• Academic research projects
• Internal operations of qualifying non-profit organizations
• Open source project development
• Evaluation, testing, and proof-of-concept work

You may make changes and new works for any permitted (noncommercial) purpose. (PolyForm Noncommercial imposes no share-alike/copyleft obligation.)

💼 Commercial License — PAID (required)

A paid commercial license is required before you may use this software for any of the following:

• Business email operations of a for-profit company
• Any SaaS product, hosted service, or paid offering
• Multi-tenant or MSP (Managed Service Provider) deployments
• Production deployments of revenue-generating services
• Re-distribution as part of a commercial product
• Use by an organization that generates revenue (other than qualifying non-profits' internal operations)

If your use isn't on the free list above, you need a commercial license — even if you're not directly charging users for the email feature.

Getting a commercial license

Contact: [email protected] Organization: Temple of Epiphany

Commercial license terms include support and maintenance, priority bug fixes, production deployment rights, and legal indemnification. Both perpetual and subscription options are available.

Not sure which applies to you?

If your use case isn't an obvious fit for the non-commercial list, default to assuming you need a commercial license and email us — happy to clarify.

Full legal terms: LICENSE.

Attribution

This project is an enterprise-enhanced fork of the original IMAP MCP Server created by Michael Nikolaus.

Original Project: https://github.com/nikolausm/imap-mcp-server Original Author: Michael Nikolaus Original License: MIT License (applies to base code only)

Temple of Epiphany has added extensive enterprise features (Levels 1-3) which are subject to the dual-license model above.

Contributing

We welcome contributions! For commercial use contributions, contributors agree that their contributions will be subject to the project's dual-license model.

Please feel free to submit Pull Requests for:

• Bug fixes
• Documentation improvements
• New features
• Performance enhancements

For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.