# 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.

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

## Facts

- Tool: `list_emails`
- 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: 5
- Recommended policy verdict: Allowed

## Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `limit` | integer | no |  |
| `offset` | integer | no |  |
| `account` | string | no |  |
| `mailbox` | string | no |  |
| `unread_only` | 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_emails",
    "arguments": {}
  }
}
```

## 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 own 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."

## Use case

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.

## 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_emails": {}
  }
}
```

## 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