# list_email_folders

Lists the full folder (mailbox) tree for Apple Mail (Mail.app) accounts, including nested subfolders. Use this to discover the exact folder names that move_email(target_mailbox=...) and list_emails(mailbox=...) expect. Outlook.com, Exchange, Gmail, iCloud and IMAP accounts added to Mail.app are all included. For a Graph-only Microsoft 365 mailbox not added to Mail.app, use m365_list_emails instead. Pass account=<name> (from list_email_accounts) to enumerate one account fully; without it, every account is walked which can be slow on macOS 15+. Message counts are off by default (slow on IMAP) — pass include_counts=true to add unread/total per folder.

Agent View of the PolicyLayer registry record for `list_email_folders`. HTML page: https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/list-email-folders

## Facts

- Tool: `list_email_folders`
- Server: Local (`local-mcp`) — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp.md
- Install: `npx -y local-mcp`
- Homepage: https://github.com/lanchuske/local-mcp
- Risk category: Read (Low risk)
- Registry record: grade F, identity unverified
- Server auth posture: open
- Server CORS policy: *
- Server rate-limited: no
- Parameters: 2
- Recommended policy verdict: Allowed

## Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `account` | string | no |  |
| `include_counts` | boolean | no |  |

Parameters from the server's own tool schema.

## Example call (MCP tools/call, JSON-RPC 2.0)

```json
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 1,
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "list_email_folders",
    "arguments": {}
  }
}
```

## Why list_email_folders is rated Low

This tool performs a query-only operation that retrieves the structure of email folders without creating, modifying, or deleting any data. It has no side effects beyond reading metadata about folder hierarchies. While it accesses potentially sensitive email account structure information, the capability itself is read-only and presents minimal risk of misuse compared to tools that can move or delete emails.

From the tool's own definition: "Tool description explicitly states 'Lists the full folder (mailbox) tree' and 'Use this to discover the exact folder names'. The verb 'Lists' indicates data retrieval with no modification."

Risk signals: Bulk/mass operation — affects multiple targets

## Use case

AI agents call list_email_folders to retrieve information from Local without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.

## Recommended policy (PolicyLayer)

Verdict: **Allowed**. Enforced by the PolicyLayer MCP gateway (https://policylayer.com/mcp-gateway) before a call reaches Local:

```json
{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "list_email_folders": {}
  }
}
```

## Other tools on Local (233)

- `delete_calendar_event` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/delete-calendar-event.md
- `delete_reminder` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/delete-reminder.md
- `delete_reminder_list` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/delete-reminder-list.md
- `m365_delete_event` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/m365-delete-event.md
- `onedrive_delete_file` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/onedrive-delete-file.md
- `recipe_delete` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/recipe-delete.md
- `chrome_click` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/chrome-click.md
- `chrome_evaluate_js` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/chrome-evaluate-js.md
- `chrome_fill_form` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/chrome-fill-form.md
- `chrome_go_back` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/chrome-go-back.md
- `chrome_navigate` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/chrome-navigate.md
- `chrome_type` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/chrome-type.md
- `chrome_wait_for` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/chrome-wait-for.md
- `nordvpn_diagnose` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/nordvpn-diagnose.md
- `notion_open_page` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/notion-open-page.md
- `recipe_run` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/recipe-run.md
- `run_diagnostics` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/run-diagnostics.md
- `run_terminal_command` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/run-terminal-command.md
- `safari_click` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/safari-click.md
- `safari_evaluate_js` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/safari-evaluate-js.md
- `safari_fill_form` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/safari-fill-form.md
- `safari_go_back` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/safari-go-back.md
- `safari_navigate` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/safari-navigate.md
- `safari_query_selector_all` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/safari-query-selector-all.md
- `safari_type` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/safari-type.md
- `safari_wait_for` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/safari-wait-for.md
- `screen_record_start` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/screen-record-start.md
- `screen_record_stop` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/screen-record-stop.md
- `setup_install` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/setup-install.md
- `ui_click` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/ui-click.md
- …and 203 more: https://policylayer.com/tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp.md

## For agents

This record is a snapshot. Live verdicts and the full registry:

- Check every server in your MCP config at once: `npx -y policylayer stack`
- Vet a server before you add it: install the mcp-precheck skill — `npx skills add https://policylayer.com` (skill text: https://policylayer.com/skill.md)
- Query the registry over MCP: endpoint `https://api.policylayer.com/mcp` — tools `check_mcp_server`, `check_mcp_stack`, `check_tool`, `search_registry`, `get_change_events`

---

Source: the PolicyLayer MCP registry — one continuously verified record per MCP server. Full record: https://policylayer.com/registry?q=com-local-mcp-local-mcp · API: https://policylayer.com/registry/api · Policy library: https://policylayer.com/policies/com-local-mcp-local-mcp