Claude Desktop connects to IMAP through the CData MCP Server for Email using the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

When you launch Claude, it automatically detects MCP connections registered during setup. These connections are created and saved using the MCP Configuration Tool, which is installed with the MCP Server.

Each saved connection is recognized by Claude and can be referenced by name when asking questions.

Installing Claude

Claude Desktop is a standalone application that enables natural language querying across supported data sources using the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

To connect to IMAP via MCP, you first need to install the Claude Desktop application.

You can download the latest version from the official Claude Download Page.

After installing Claude Desktop, you can configure your MCP connection using the CData MCP Driver for IMAP.

How Claude Uses the Server

When you ask Claude a question, it launches the corresponding MCP Server connection, reads the available tool descriptions provided by the connector, and generates a secure query in the background.

There is no need to write SQL or teach Claude how to query your data. Each tool is self-describing, and Claude consumes those descriptions to determine how to retrieve the right information.

Example Prompts

After setup, you can ask Claude natural-language questions like:

• "Which emails did I receive from [email protected] last month?"
• "What are the most recent email messages in my inbox?"
• "Download the PDF file attached to the email titled 'Meeting Agenda'."
• "Send an email to [email protected] with the subject 'Leave Request' and attach my timesheet."
• "Flag all emails with attachments in the 'Invoices' folder"
• "Label all emails from [email protected] as 'DevOps'."
• "Apply the 'To Review' label to all starred messages."
• "Retrieve and move all emails from last week that are labeled 'Urgent' to the 'Resolved' folder."
• "Get the text content of flagged emails received over the weekend."
• "Show me all emails with attachments in the 'Projects' folder."

Claude securely executes the query using the MCP Server and responds using the live results from IMAP.