# Forward Email

Hooks your agent up to Forward Email: domains, DNS checks, aliases, SMTP sending, mailboxes and calendars.

- MCP server · `type=mcp` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf (Devin Desktop), Cline, Zed, Gemini CLI · ★ 2
- Author: forwardemail
- License: not stated · policy=link-only · description only; the file stays with the author
- Source: https://github.com/forwardemail/mcp-server
- Updated: 2026-09-28
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/forward-email

## What it does

This MCP server connects an agent to a Forward Email account. From the chat you can list domains, verify DNS records, create aliases, send mail over SMTP, and reach mailboxes and calendars.

It runs locally over stdio via `npx -y @forwardemail/mcp-server`. Three environment variables are required: `FORWARD_EMAIL_API_KEY`, `FORWARD_EMAIL_ALIAS_USER` and `FORWARD_EMAIL_ALIAS_PASSWORD`. No API key means no authorization, so create one in your Forward Email account first.

Setup is a single terminal command for Claude, Codex and Gemini CLI. Cursor and GitHub Copilot take a JSON block instead — `mcpServers` in one, `servers` in the other. Skip the alias user and password and SMTP sending stays dead.

## Requirements
- Needs: Node.js (commands run via npx)
- Environment variables: `FORWARD_EMAIL_API_KEY`, `FORWARD_EMAIL_ALIAS_USER`, `FORWARD_EMAIL_ALIAS_PASSWORD` — keys and tokens: ask the human for the values, never commit them or put them in shared files.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

**Platform CLI**
```bash
claude mcp add --env FORWARD_EMAIL_API_KEY=<FORWARD_EMAIL_API_KEY> --env FORWARD_EMAIL_ALIAS_USER=<FORWARD_EMAIL_ALIAS_USER> --env FORWARD_EMAIL_ALIAS_PASSWORD=<FORWARD_EMAIL_ALIAS_PASSWORD> --transport stdio forward-email -- npx -y @forwardemail/mcp-server
```
Replace <…> with your own values

### Codex

**Platform CLI**
```bash
codex mcp add forward-email --env FORWARD_EMAIL_API_KEY=<FORWARD_EMAIL_API_KEY> --env FORWARD_EMAIL_ALIAS_USER=<FORWARD_EMAIL_ALIAS_USER> --env FORWARD_EMAIL_ALIAS_PASSWORD=<FORWARD_EMAIL_ALIAS_PASSWORD> -- npx -y @forwardemail/mcp-server
```
Replace <…> with your own values

### Cursor

**Config file**
File `.cursor/mcp.json`:
```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "forward-email": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "@forwardemail/mcp-server"
            ],
            "env": {
                "FORWARD_EMAIL_API_KEY": "<FORWARD_EMAIL_API_KEY>",
                "FORWARD_EMAIL_ALIAS_USER": "<FORWARD_EMAIL_ALIAS_USER>",
                "FORWARD_EMAIL_ALIAS_PASSWORD": "<FORWARD_EMAIL_ALIAS_PASSWORD>"
            }
        }
    }
}
```
Replace <…> with your own values

### GitHub Copilot

**Config file**
File `.vscode/mcp.json`:
```json
{
    "servers": {
        "forward-email": {
            "type": "stdio",
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "@forwardemail/mcp-server"
            ],
            "env": {
                "FORWARD_EMAIL_API_KEY": "<FORWARD_EMAIL_API_KEY>",
                "FORWARD_EMAIL_ALIAS_USER": "<FORWARD_EMAIL_ALIAS_USER>",
                "FORWARD_EMAIL_ALIAS_PASSWORD": "<FORWARD_EMAIL_ALIAS_PASSWORD>"
            }
        }
    }
}
```
Replace <…> with your own values

### Gemini CLI

**Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini mcp add -e FORWARD_EMAIL_API_KEY=<FORWARD_EMAIL_API_KEY> -e FORWARD_EMAIL_ALIAS_USER=<FORWARD_EMAIL_ALIAS_USER> -e FORWARD_EMAIL_ALIAS_PASSWORD=<FORWARD_EMAIL_ALIAS_PASSWORD> forward-email npx -y @forwardemail/mcp-server
```
Replace <…> with your own values

## When to use it
- check a domain's DNS records before moving mail
- add an alias for a new service without creating a mailbox
- send mail from a script over SMTP
- list which domains sit on the account
- cross-check a calendar against project tasks

## Example prompts
- List every domain in my Forward Email account and the DNS status of each
- Create an alias `support@example.com` that forwards to my main inbox
- Send an email with the subject "Deploy is done" to `team@example.com` over SMTP

## Similar
- [email-deliverability-engineer](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/agents/email-deliverability-engineer.md) — subagent · ★ 26093
- [send-email](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/send-email.md) — skill · 652 installs
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- [email-smtp-send](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/email-smtp-send.md) — skill · 6800 installs
- [Email (IMAP/SMTP)](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/email-imapsmtp.md) — MCP server · ★ 13

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