get_email

THE RISK

Low Risk

Why get_email needs a policy

This tool retrieves and queries email data without modification or side effects. It accesses existing email content by ID, which is a pure read operation. The server explicitly defines this as read-only access. No data is created, modified, deleted, or executed.

From the tool's definition Tool description states 'Retrieve the full content of a specific email by its message ID' and server description emphasizes 'read-only access to email accounts'.

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

POLICY

How to control get_email

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

policy.json

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

get_email 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 Mcp Imap — 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 Mcp Imap tools

Write mark_as_read Mark an email as read or unread Read get_recent_emails Get the most recent emails from a specific folder Read list_folders List all available email folders/mailboxes in the account Read search_emails Search for emails based on various criteria such as sender, subject, date range, or conten

All 5 Mcp Imap tools →

Read tools on other servers

M-Team MCP Server get_torrent_detail YouTube MCP Server search_channel Android Forensics ADB MCP Server parse_browser_history 0xarchive web3_challenge

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_email

What does the get_email tool do? +

Retrieve the full content of a specific email by its message ID. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Mcp Imap MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on get_email? +

Register the Mcp Imap MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for get_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 Mcp Imap. Nothing to install.

What risk level is get_email? +

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

Can I rate-limit get_email? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the get_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 get_email completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for get_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 get_email? +

get_email is provided by the Mcp Imap MCP server (mattias242/mcp-imap-server). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every Mcp Imap tool call.

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

CHECK YOUR STACK →