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Architecture

inboxmcp is a cloud MCP server that makes email mailboxes accessible to AI assistants. You connect a mailbox once through the portal (IMAP/SMTP or Microsoft 365); compatible AI assistants then use the MCP interface to read from — and, depending on plan, write to — those mailboxes.

Components

ComponentEndpointFunction
Portalapp.inboxmcp.ioAccount management, mailbox setup, billing
REST APIapi.inboxmcp.ioAccount control surface used by the portal
MCP endpointmcp.inboxmcp.ioThe URL AI assistants register as their connector
Auth servermcp.inboxmcp.ioOAuth 2.1 with Dynamic Client Registration (RFC 7591)
ProcessinginternalExecutes IMAP / SMTP / Microsoft Graph operations; the only component that holds the private key for decrypting stored credentials

Authentication

The MCP endpoint is protected with OAuth 2.1 and Dynamic Client Registration (RFC 7591). The flow is identical for every compatible client:

  1. The client points at the MCP URL https://mcp.inboxmcp.io/mcp.
  2. The client registers with the auth server — either automatically via Dynamic Client Registration or with a Client ID + Secret you provisioned manually in the portal.
  3. The user is sent to the inboxmcp portal to sign in and confirm access.
  4. The client receives an access token and a refresh token. All further requests are signed with the access token in the Authorization: Bearer … header.

Per-vendor setup guides live under AI assistants.

Further reading