Medium Risk

send_email

Send an email using Apple Mail

How to control send_email ↓

What send_email does on Python Apple MCP

AI agents use send_email to create or update resources in Python Apple MCP — usually the action step of a workflow, after the agent has gathered context. Every call changes real data in your Python Apple MCP environment.

Medium Risk

Why send_email needs a policy

Sending an email creates a new data artifact (the sent message in Mail) and has external side effects (delivery to recipient), making it a Write action rather than Read. However, it is not Destructive (emails can be recalled/deleted), not Financial (no monetary transfer), and not Execute (it's not arbitrary code execution—it's a specific, bounded operation).

From the tool's definition Tool name is 'send_email' and description states 'Send an email using Apple Mail'. This creates a new email message, which is a reversible write operation.

Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access send_email gives an agent:

How to control send_email

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Python Apple MCP, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for send_email:

policy.json
{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "send_email": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "send_email_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 30,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

send_email stays usable, but capped — an agent stuck in a loop can't make hundreds of changes a minute. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

  1. Create a free account and register Python Apple MCP — nothing to install.
  2. Add this policy — paste it, or build it visually.
  3. Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.
LIMIT THIS TOOL →

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Related tools and policies

Go deeper

Questions about send_email

What does the send_email tool do? +

Send an email using Apple Mail. It is categorised as a Write tool in the Python Apple MCP MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.

How do I enforce a policy on send_email? +

Register the Python Apple MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for send_email: 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 Python Apple MCP. Nothing to install.

What risk level is send_email? +

send_email is a Write tool with medium risk. Write tools should be rate-limited to prevent accidental bulk modifications.

Can I rate-limit send_email? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the send_email 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.

How do I block send_email completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for send_email. 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.

What MCP server provides send_email? +

send_email is provided by the Python Apple MCP server (jxnl/python-apple-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every Python Apple MCP tool call.

Start from Python Apple MCP, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.

Free to start. No card required.

13 Python Apple MCP tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.

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