Connect Email (IMAP/SMTP) to VS Code

To use Email (IMAP/SMTP) in VS Code, connect your Email (IMAP/SMTP) account in Manyplug and add Manyplug to VS Code once. VS Code then gets 8 Email (IMAP/SMTP) tools, for example: “List folders”, “Search mail”, and “Read a message”. It takes about 3 minutes and works on the free plan.

Connect Email (IMAP/SMTP) Free plan, no card

1. Connect Email (IMAP/SMTP) in Manyplug

Click “Connect Email (IMAP/SMTP)” and paste the key or app password into Manyplug’s form:

Your email address and an app password. Takes about two minutes.

Enter your email address in the form.
Create an app password in your mail account’s security settings: the steps for your provider are right here.
Paste it into the form and click Connect. Manyplug checks the mailbox right away.

App password: steps for your provider

Gmail / Google Workspace

Turn on 2-Step Verification for your Google account, if it is not on yet.Open 2-Step Verification
Open App passwords, type Manyplug as the app name and click Create.Open App passwords
Copy the 16-letter password and paste it into the form. Spaces do not matter.

Outlook.com / Microsoft 365

Microsoft accounts no longer accept passwords over IMAP. Connect the Outlook service instead: it signs in with Microsoft.

iCloud Mail

Sign in to your Apple Account and open Sign-In and Security → App-Specific Passwords.Open Apple Account
Click Add (+), name it Manyplug and copy the password (xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx).
In the form, use your @icloud.com address, not the Apple Account email, if they differ.

Fastmail

Open Settings → Privacy & Security → Manage app passwords and access, then New app password.Open Fastmail app passwords
Choose access to Mail (IMAP/SMTP), name it Manyplug and click Generate.
Copy the password and paste it into the form.

Yahoo Mail

Open Account security in your Yahoo account and choose Generate app password. If Yahoo asks, turn on 2-step verification first.Open Yahoo account security
Name the app Manyplug, click Generate and copy the password.
Paste it into the form. Your regular Yahoo password does not work here.

Yandex Mail

In Yandex Mail settings, open Email clients and allow access via IMAP with app passwords.Open mail client settings
Open Yandex ID → Security → App passwords, choose Mail, name it Manyplug and create it.Open app passwords
Copy the password and paste it into the form.

Mail.ru

Open Mail.ru account → Security → Passwords for external apps and add one.Open passwords for external apps
Name it Manyplug, choose full access to the mailbox (IMAP, SMTP), copy the password and paste it into the form.

Other server

Find the IMAP and SMTP server names and ports in your provider’s help or ask your mail admin. For Zoho, for example, they are imap.zoho.com and smtp.zoho.com (zoho.eu for EU accounts), and IMAP is turned on in Zoho Mail settings.
In the form, choose Other server and fill them in under Advanced settings.
Use an app password if your provider offers them, otherwise the mailbox password.

Several mailboxes? Connect each one; the AI can search them one by one or all at once.
Proton Mail offers IMAP only through the Proton Mail Bridge app on your own computer, so it cannot be connected from the cloud yet.

2. Add Manyplug to VS Code

GitHub Copilot in agent mode.

Click “Install in VS Code” or add the server to .vscode/mcp.json.

Install in VS Code

{
  "servers": {
    "manyplug": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://manyplug.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Start the server in the MCP list and sign in when VS Code asks.

Full guide: VS Code

3. Ask VS Code

Show today’s unread emails in my Fastmail.
Find the hotel booking confirmation for Lisbon.
Reply to Tom’s last email that I am in.
Move last week’s newsletters to Archive.

What VS Code can do in Email (IMAP/SMTP)

Each action can be turned off per account, and changes can wait for your OK.

Action	Access
List folders Mail folders with their role (inbox, sent, trash…) and message and unread counts.	Reads
Search mail Finds messages in a folder, newest first, with date, sender, subject, a snippet and read status.	Reads
Read a message Opens a message as plain text without the quoted history, with headers and attachments.	Reads
Send an email Sends a new plain-text email from this mailbox.	Risky
Reply Replies in the same thread, optionally to all recipients.	Risky
Forward Forwards a message with all its attachments and an optional note.	Risky
Move messages Moves messages to the archive, trash, junk or any other folder.	Makes changes
Mark messages Marks messages read or unread and flags or unflags them.	Makes changes

Questions

Can I connect two Email (IMAP/SMTP) accounts to VS Code?

Yes. Connect each one in Manyplug under its own name, for example Work and Personal. VS Code can use one of them or all at once.

Will VS Code change anything in Email (IMAP/SMTP) without asking?

By default these actions wait for your approval before they run: “Send an email”, “Reply”, and “Forward”. Other changes follow your rules, which you can make stricter per account.

Do I need an official Email (IMAP/SMTP) MCP server for this?

No. Manyplug connects to Email (IMAP/SMTP) itself with a key or app password you paste into its form, and gives VS Code the tools through one MCP address, together with your other services.

Is it free to connect VS Code to Manyplug?

Yes. New workspaces get 14 days of Pro free, then the free plan keeps going with 150 actions a month and up to 3 connected accounts. No card needed. Paid plans start at $5 a month.

Does VS Code see my passwords or API keys?

No. Keys are entered on Manyplug’s own pages, stored encrypted with a separate key per account, and the AI only receives tool results.

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