Returns IMAP folder paths, delimiters, flags. Use the
AI agents call email_folders to retrieve information from MCP Email Service without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool queries and returns metadata about email folder structure (paths, delimiters, flags) without creating, modifying, deleting, or executing anything. It is a pure read operation that retrieves information for discovery or configuration purposes. The incomplete description ('Use the') suggests documentation was cut off, but the functional purpose is clear: information retrieval only.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'email_folders' and description state it 'Returns IMAP folder paths, delimiters, flags' — a retrieval operation with no modification or side effects.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access email_folders gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and MCP Email Service, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for email_folders:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"email_folders": {}
}
}email_folders is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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Returns IMAP folder paths, delimiters, flags. Use the. It is categorised as a Read tool in the MCP Email Service MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the MCP Email Service MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for email_folders: 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 MCP Email Service. Nothing to install.
email_folders 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 email_folders 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 email_folders. 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.
email_folders is provided by the MCP Email Service MCP server (leeguooooo/mailbox). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Start from MCP Email Service, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.
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16 MCP Email Service tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.