What is Claude Post Email Management

ClaudePost is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that offers an intuitive interface for managing emails through natural language conversations with Claude. It allows users to seamlessly search, read, and send emails securely and efficiently, integrating with existing email services, particularly Gmail.

Use cases

Users can perform various email tasks such as searching for specific messages using keywords and date ranges, reading email content with threading, and sending emails with CC support. It is particularly useful for busy professionals looking to streamline their email management without needing to interact directly with email clients.

How to use

To use ClaudePost, install the necessary dependencies, set up the project environment, including creating a ‘.env’ file with email credentials, and configure Claude Desktop with the appropriate command-line arguments. Once set up, users can interact with their emails via natural language commands through the Claude Desktop application.

Key features

Key features include email search by date and keywords, daily email statistics, full email content reading with threading support, the ability to send emails with CC recipients, and secure handling through TLS. The server runs automatically through Claude Desktop, requiring no manual management.

Where to use

ClaudePost can be used wherever Claude Desktop is installed, making it suitable for office environments, remote work setups, and personal email management. Its integration with popular email providers like Gmail ensures broad applicability for diverse user needs.

ClaudePost

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides a seamless email management interface through Claude. This integration allows you to handle emails directly through natural language conversations with Claude, supporting features like searching, reading, and sending emails securely.

Features & Demo

Email Search and Reading

• 📧 Search emails by date range and keywords
• 📅 View daily email statistics
• 📝 Read full email content with threading support

Email Composition and Sending

• ✉️ Send emails with CC recipients support
• 🔒 Secure email handling with TLS

Prerequisites

• Python 3.12 or higher
• A Gmail account (or other email provider)
• If using Gmail:
  • Two-factor authentication enabled
  • App-specific password generated
• Claude Desktop application

Setup

1. Install uv:

   # MacOS/Linux
   curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
   
   # Remember to restart your terminal after installation
   

2. Clone and set up the project:

   # Clone the repository
   git clone https://github.com/ZilongXue/claude-post.git
   cd claude-post
   
   # Create and activate virtual environment
   uv venv
   source .venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate
   
   # Install dependencies
   uv pip install -e .
   

3. Create a .env file in the project root:

   [email protected]
   EMAIL_PASSWORD=your-app-specific-password
   IMAP_SERVER=imap.gmail.com
   SMTP_SERVER=smtp.gmail.com
   SMTP_PORT=587
   

4. Configure Claude Desktop:

   First, make sure you have Claude for Desktop installed. You can install the latest version here. If you already have Claude for Desktop, make sure it’s updated to the latest version.

   Open your Claude Desktop configuration file:

   # MacOS
   ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
   
   # Create the file if it doesn't exist
   mkdir -p ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude
   touch ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
   

   Add the following configuration:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "email": {
         "command": "/Users/username/.local/bin/uv",
         "args": [
           "--directory",
           "/path/to/claude-post/src/email_client",
           "run",
           "email-client"
         ]
       }
     }
   }
   

   Replace /Users/username and /path/to/claude-post with your actual paths.

   After updating the configuration, restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect.

Running the Server

The server runs automatically through Claude Desktop:

• The server will start when Claude launches if configured correctly
• No manual server management needed
• Server stops when Claude is closed

Usage Through Claude

You can interact with your emails using natural language commands. Here are some examples:

Search Emails

• “Show me emails from last week”
• “Find emails with subject containing ‘meeting’”
• “Search for emails from [email protected] between 2024-01-01 and 2024-01-07”
• “Search sent emails from last month”

Read Email Content

• “Show me the content of email #12345”
• “What’s the full message of the last email from HR?”

Email Statistics

• “How many emails did I receive today?”
• “Show me daily email counts for the past week”

Send Emails

• “I want to send an email to [email protected]”
• “Send a meeting confirmation to [email protected]”

Note: For security reasons, Claude will always show you the email details for confirmation before actually sending.

Project Structure

claude-post/
├── pyproject.toml
├── README.md
├── LICENSE
├── .env                    # Not included in repo
├── .python-version        # Python version specification
└── src/
    └── email_client/
        ├── __init__.py
        ├── __main__.py
        └── server.py       # Main implementation

Security Notes

• Use app-specific passwords instead of your main account password
• For Gmail users:
  1. Enable 2-Step Verification in your Google Account
  2. Generate an App Password for this application
  3. Use the App Password in your .env file

Logging

The application logs detailed information to email_client.log. Check this file for debugging information and error messages.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.