get_recent_emails

THE RISK

Low Risk

Why get_recent_emails needs a policy

This tool only reads email data from the inbox without altering, deleting, or executing any operations. It has minimal blast radius—an AI agent misuse would result in unauthorized viewing of email metadata/content, which is a privacy concern but not destructive or executable. Classified as Read with low severity.

From the tool's definition Tool retrieves 'most recent emails from inbox' with no modification, deletion, or execution capabilities mentioned. Purely a query/retrieval operation.

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

POLICY

How to control get_recent_emails

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

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "get_recent_emails": {}
  }
}

get_recent_emails is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

Create a free account and register Fastmail MCP Server — nothing to install.
Add this policy — paste it, or build it visually.
Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.

CAP THIS TOOL →

Free to start. No card required.

EXPLORE

Related tools and policies

More Fastmail MCP Server tools

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All 38 Fastmail MCP Server tools →

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Go deeper

The MCP Attack Database → Documented attack patterns against MCP deployments — and the policies that stop them.
Data exfiltration → How read access becomes an exfiltration channel when chained with untrusted content.
MCP token cost → What connecting this server costs in context-window tokens on every request.
Rate Limiting MCP Tool Calls: A Practical Guide →
MCP Security: Why Prompt Guardrails Aren't Enough →

FAQ

Questions about get_recent_emails

What does the get_recent_emails tool do? +

Get the most recent emails from inbox (like top-ten). It is categorised as a Read tool in the Fastmail MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on get_recent_emails? +

Register the Fastmail MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for get_recent_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 Fastmail MCP Server. Nothing to install.

What risk level is get_recent_emails? +

get_recent_emails is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.

Can I rate-limit get_recent_emails? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the get_recent_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.

How do I block get_recent_emails completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for get_recent_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.

What MCP server provides get_recent_emails? +

get_recent_emails is provided by the Fastmail MCP Server MCP server (madllama25/fastmail-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every Fastmail MCP Server tool call.

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

CHECK YOUR STACK →