mail · Apple MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What mail does on Apple MCP

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

WHY IT NEEDS A POLICY

Why mail needs a policy

While the tool includes read operations ('read unread emails, search emails'), the presence of 'send emails' capability elevates it to Write category. Sending emails creates new data in the system and has external side effects (messages reach recipients).

From the tool's definition Tool description explicitly states it can 'send emails' in addition to read/search capabilities. The 'send emails' functionality is a write operation that modifies the mail system state.

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

mail Rate-limited

mail 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.

View as policy code

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "mail": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "mail_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 30,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

LIMIT THIS TOOL →

Instant setup, no code required.

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: every tool call is checked against your rule before it reaches Apple MCP, so you can run agents against it safely.

FAQ

Questions about mail

What does the mail tool do? +

Interact with Apple Mail app - read unread emails, search emails, and send emails. It is categorised as a Write tool in the 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 mail? +

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

What risk level is mail? +

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

Can I rate-limit mail? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the mail 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 mail completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for mail. 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 mail? +

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