Nylas MCP server

The Nylas MCP server gives AI agents typed tools for email, calendar, and contacts — no SDK integration or API calls required. Your agent asks to “list my emails” or “create an event,” and the MCP server handles the Nylas API calls.

Works with any MCP-compatible client: Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code, OpenAI Codex CLI, and more.

Before you begin

You need a Nylas API key and a connected account (grant). If you haven’t set these up yet:

Get started with the CLI — run nylas init to create an account, generate an API key, and connect a test account in one command.
Get started with the Dashboard — do the same steps through the web UI.

Quickstart: Nylas CLI (fastest)

If you have the Nylas CLI installed, one command registers the MCP server with your agent:

Verify it’s running:

nylas mcp status

That’s it. Your agent now has access to 16 email, calendar, and contacts tools. Skip to available tools to see what’s included.

Manual setup

If you’re not using the CLI, add the Nylas MCP server config to your tool’s config file. Replace <NYLAS_API_KEY> with your actual key.

// ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS)
// %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "Nylas": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.us.nylas.com",
        "--transport",
        "http-first",
        "--header",
        "Authorization: Bearer <NYLAS_API_KEY>"
      ]
    }
  }
}

// ~/.cursor/mcp.json (macOS/Linux)
// %APPDATA%\Cursor\mcp.json (Windows)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nylas": {
      "type": "streamable-http",
      "url": "https://mcp.us.nylas.com",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer <NYLAS_API_KEY>"
      }
    }
  }
}

# ~/.codex/config.toml (global) or .codex/config.toml (project)
# Set NYLAS_API_KEY in your environment -- don't put the key directly in this file

[mcp_servers.nylas]
url = "https://mcp.us.nylas.com"
bearer_token_env_var = "NYLAS_API_KEY"

After saving, restart your tool. Verify the connection:

Claude Desktop: Check Settings > Developer > Local MCP servers — Nylas should show as “running.”
Cursor: Check Settings > Tools & MCP — look for a green dot next to the Nylas server.

MCP server URLs

The MCP server URL depends on where your Nylas application stores data. Use the URL that matches your application’s data residency region.

Region	URL
US (default)	`https://mcp.us.nylas.com`
EU	`https://mcp.eu.nylas.com`

Authentication uses a Bearer token with your Nylas API key in the Authorization header — the same key you use for direct API calls.

Available tools

The MCP server exposes these tools to your agent:

Tool	What it does
`list_messages`	List and search email messages
`list_threads`	List and search email threads
`create_draft`	Create a draft email
`update_draft`	Edit an existing draft
`confirm_send_draft`	Required before sending a draft (safety confirmation)
`send_draft`	Send a previously created draft
`confirm_send_message`	Required before sending a message (safety confirmation)
`send_message`	Send an email directly
`get_folder_by_id`	Get folder details
`list_calendars`	List all calendars
`list_events`	List events in a calendar
`create_event`	Create a calendar event
`update_event`	Update an existing event
`availability`	Check availability across users
`get_grant`	Look up a grant by email address
`current_time`	Get current Unix timestamp
`epoch_to_datetime`	Convert Unix timestamp to human-readable date

Security

Timeouts and reconnection

The MCP server enforces a 90-second timeout per request. Connections are stateless — each request is independent. Your client should handle timeouts gracefully and retry as needed.

What’s next

Give your agent email access — CLI commands for email operations
Give your agent calendar access — CLI commands for calendar operations
Authentication — how grants and OAuth work
API reference — full endpoint documentation
CLI guides — detailed MCP setup guide on cli.nylas.com