search_emails
Use this when the user wants to find specific emails on this Mac (Apple Mail — any account added to Mail.app). Searches by keyword, sender, or date. For a Microsoft 365 mailbox NOT added to Mail.app, use m365_search_emails. On machines with 3+ accounts, pass account=<name> (from list_email_accoun...
This record as markdown: /tools/com-local-mcp-local-mcp/search-emails.md
What search_emails does on Local
AI agents call search_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 | — | |
query | string | Yes | |
account | string | — | |
mailbox | string | — |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
Why search_emails is rated Low
This tool queries email data from Apple Mail and returns matching results. It performs a read-only operation similar to a search or filter function. While email content may be sensitive, the tool itself does not modify, delete, or execute any operations—it only retrieves and displays existing data.
From the tool's definition Tool description explicitly states it 'searches by keyword, sender, or date' and retrieves emails. The verb 'find' and 'search' indicate data retrieval with no modification or deletion. No side effects are mentioned.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs search_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 search_emails, this is the rule to start with:
search_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 search_emails call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about search_emails
Use this when the user wants to find specific emails on this Mac (Apple Mail — any account added to Mail.app). Searches by keyword, sender, or date. For a Microsoft 365 mailbox NOT added to Mail.app, use m365_search_emails. On machines with 3+ accounts, pass account=<name> (from list_email_accounts) to search a specific account and avoid timeouts. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Local MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
search_emails accepts 4 parameters: limit, query, account, mailbox. Required: query. 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 search_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.
search_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 search_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 search_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.
search_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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