Integrate with Claude Desktop via MCP

The mailbot MCP server exposes inbox, message, thread, and compliance operations as structured tools. When connected to Claude Desktop (or any MCP client), Claude can read your inbox, send mail, and act on threads without you copying API responses by hand.

This guide focuses on Claude Desktop. The same server works with Claude Code, Cursor, and other MCP-compatible clients.

What you can do once connected​

Once Claude Desktop has access to the mailbot MCP server, you can ask things like:

• "Create a sandbox inbox called triage and tell me its address."
• "List unread messages in support@mydomain.com from the last 24 hours."
• "Reply to the most recent thread with this draft, but ask me to confirm first."
• "Check whether mydomain.com is fully compliant for sending."

Claude will call the right MCP tool, show the structured result, and then take the next step in conversation.

Prerequisites​

• Claude Desktop installed
• a mailbot API key from getmail.bot/dashboard
• Node.js 20+ on the machine running Claude Desktop (the MCP server runs locally via npx)

Step 1: Get your API key​

In the dashboard, go to API Keys and copy a key that starts with mb_. Treat it like any other secret. The MCP server runs on your machine, but the key is what authorizes calls against your account.

Step 2: Edit Claude Desktop's config​

Open the Claude Desktop config file:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Add the mailbot MCP server entry. If you already have other servers, add this alongside them:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mailbot": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["mailbot-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "MAILBOT_API_KEY": "mb_your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Save and quit Claude Desktop, then reopen. The mailbot tools should now appear in the tools menu inside any conversation.

Step 3: Confirm the connection​

Open a fresh conversation and ask:

"List my mailbot inboxes."

Claude should call list_inboxes and return the structured list. If you see an authentication error, double-check the MAILBOT_API_KEY value in the config.

Available tools​

The MCP server exposes:

Practical patterns​

Triage with confirmation​

Tell Claude to never send without you confirming:

"For any auto-reply you draft, show me the draft first and wait for me to say 'send'."

Claude will surface the draft, you approve, then it calls send_email or reply_to_email.

Daily summary​

"Every morning, summarize unread mail across all my inboxes from the last 24 hours and tell me which threads need a reply."

Claude walks list_inboxes → list_messages → get_thread and produces a digest.

Drafting in voice​

Give Claude a few past threads as samples and it will match your tone in drafts. The get_thread tool returns the full message history, so you can ask Claude to read the thread context before drafting.

Security notes​

• The MCP server runs locally. Your API key never leaves your machine.
• Rotate the key in the dashboard if you suspect compromise. Update claude_desktop_config.json with the new value.
• For shared machines, consider using a sandbox-only key with limited scope (a key tied to an account whose only inboxes are sandbox).
• All calls Claude makes are visible in the audit log under your API key. Review periodically.

Troubleshooting​

Related concepts​

• Inboxes
• Threads and conversation context

Related API​

• List inboxes
• Send message
• Reply to message