MCP, or Model Context Protocol, is an open standard for how AI models interact with data sources and tools. An MCP server allows different services to connect with AI applications.
Fastmail has an MCP server that you can use to connect an AI tool to your Fastmail account, such as Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, or Perplexity. At this time, Fastmail does not offer direct integrations with any AI tools.
Use of an MCP server is optional, and is intended for customers who are expressly interested in using AI tools with their Fastmail account. For more information, please see our blog post.
- What can I do with Fastmail's MCP server?
- How do I use Fastmail's MCP server?
- Reviewing and removing AI client access
- Privacy and data handling
What can I do with Fastmail's MCP server?
You can use Fastmail's MCP server to connect your Fastmail account to any AI client that supports MCP and allows you to use an external server.
Depending on how you'd like to use the AI client with your Fastmail account, you can choose some or all of the following levels of access:
- Read-only access: The AI client can search and read your mail, contacts, and calendars.
- Write access: The AI client can draft replies, move, delete, and organize your mail, and update your contacts and calendars.
- Send access: The AI client can send emails on your behalf.
Examples
Below are some examples of ways you could prompt an AI client to interact with your Fastmail account.
If you grant read-only access:
- "What's on my calendar for tomorrow?"
- "Summarize this email for me."
- "Create a to-do list based on emails I received in the last three days."
- "Find Hannah's address in my contacts"
If you grant write access:
- "Draft a reply to this email."
- "Update the phone number for this contact."
- "Move all messages from this company into a new folder."
If you grant send access:
- "Send an email to Hannah informing her that I will not be at today's meeting."
How do I use Fastmail's MCP server?
Generally speaking, setup will look something like this:
- Add the URL for Fastmail's MCP server to your AI client's list of MCP servers. The URL is:
https://api.fastmail.com/mcp - Follow the steps onscreen to authenticate the connection via OAuth 2.0. (Your normal Fastmail password should be used here, so you do not need to set up an app password.)
- Select which levels of access you would like the AI client to have (you can choose more than one):
- The AI client can search and read your mail, contacts, and calendars.
- The AI client can draft replies, move, delete, and organize your mail, and update your contacts and calendars.
- The AI client can send emails on your behalf.
The exact steps for setup will differ depending on the AI client you're using. If you need assistance finding the documentation for your AI client, please feel free to reach out to our support team, and we can guide you in the right direction.
Reviewing and removing AI client access
Once an AI client has been successfully connected to your Fastmail account, the AI client will be listed as an app under Settings → Privacy & Security → Connected apps.
You can review the AI client's access details at any time, which include the following:
- The name of the AI client
- What the AI client has access to
- The date and time access was first given
- The date, time, and IP/location of most recent access
To review an AI client's access details:
- Log in to the Fastmail web interface and go to the Settings → Privacy & Security screen.
- Find the Connected apps & API tokens section. Click Manage app passwords and access.
- Find the AI client and click on it.
You can remove the AI client's access at any time. To remove it:
- Log in to the Fastmail web interface and go to the Settings → Privacy & Security screen.
- Find the Connected apps & API tokens section. Click Manage app passwords and access.
- Find the AI client and click on it.
- Click Remove access.
- Click OK if you are sure you want to continue, as this action cannot be undone.
- A Verify it's you box may appear. Enter your password and click Continue. (For more information, see our Password-protected actions help page.)
- You will return to the Connected apps screen, where you can confirm that the AI client has been removed.
Privacy and data handling
When you connect an AI client to your Fastmail account, any data that the AI client accesses (such as emails, calendar events, or contacts) is subject to that provider's own privacy policy and data handling practices.
Fastmail has no control over how connected AI clients store, process, or use your data. Before connecting an AI client, we recommend reviewing its privacy policy.
Depending on your profession or location, connecting your email to a third-party AI client may have legal or compliance implications.
If your email contains sensitive, confidential, or regulated information — such as health records, legal communications, or personal data belonging to others — you should seek appropriate advice before connecting an AI client to your account.