list_emails
Use this when the user wants to see or triage their inbox on this Mac (Apple Mail — any account added to Mail.app: iCloud, Gmail, IMAP, Exchange). Lists email headers (subject, sender, date, unread); call read_email(message_id) for the full body. For a Microsoft 365 mailbox NOT added to Mail.app,...
This record as markdown: /tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/list-emails.md
What list_emails does on Local
AI agents call list_emails 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.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
limit | integer | — | |
offset | integer | — | |
account | string | — | |
mailbox | string | — | |
unread_only | boolean | — |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
Why list_emails is rated Low
list_emails retrieves email metadata (headers, sender, date, unread status) from the user's mailbox without making any changes. It supports pagination but performs no write, delete, or execute operations. This is a standard read operation with minimal blast radius—the only risk is unauthorized access to email metadata, which is low severity in a local, GDPR-compliant context where the user controls the machine.
From the tool's definition Tool description explicitly states 'when the user wants to see or triage their inbox' and 'Lists email headers (subject, sender, date, unread)'. The tool retrieves and queries email data without modification or deletion.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs list_emails safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Local, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For list_emails, this is the rule to start with:
list_emails is read-only, so it stays allowed. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect Local, apply this rule, and every list_emails call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about list_emails
Use this when the user wants to see or triage their inbox on this Mac (Apple Mail — any account added to Mail.app: iCloud, Gmail, IMAP, Exchange). Lists email headers (subject, sender, date, unread); call read_email(message_id) for the full body. For a Microsoft 365 mailbox NOT added to Mail.app, use m365_list_emails. IMPORTANT: On machines with 3+ accounts, always pass account=<name> (from list_email_accounts) to avoid timeouts. Without account, all accounts are scanned which can be slow on macOS 15+. Supports pagination: use offset to page through results (e.g. offset=20 for page 2 with limit=20). The limit parameter is capped at 50 per call (default 20); to read more, page with offset rather than requesting a larger limit. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Local MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
list_emails accepts 5 parameters: limit, offset, account, mailbox, unread_only. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.
Register the Local MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for list_emails: allow, deny, rate-limit, or require approval. Point your MCP client at the PolicyLayer proxy URL and the rule is enforced on every call, before it reaches Local. Nothing to install.
list_emails is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the list_emails rule in your PolicyLayer policy. For example, setting max: 10 and window: 60 limits the tool to 10 calls per minute. Rate limits are tracked per agent session and reset automatically.
Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for list_emails. The AI agent will receive a policy violation error and cannot call the tool. You can also include a reason field to explain why the tool is blocked.
list_emails is provided by the Local MCP server (local-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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