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The Inbound MCP (Model Context Protocol) server allows AI assistants to interact with your Inbound account to manage domains, endpoints, and emails.

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Quick Start

The fastest way to get started is using Inbound’s hosted MCP server at mcp.inbound.new/mcp.

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Cursor

Add to your Cursor MCP config (.cursor/mcp.json in your project or global config): 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "inbound": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.inbound.new/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "x-inbound-api-key": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

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OpenCode

Add to your opencode.json config: 
{
  "mcp": {
    "inbound": {
      "type": "remote",
      "url": "https://mcp.inbound.new/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "x-inbound-api-key": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

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Claude Desktop

Add to your Claude Desktop config (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS): 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "inbound": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@inbound/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "INBOUND_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}
Claude Desktop uses STDIO transport and runs the MCP server locally via npx.

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Authentication

The MCP server authenticates using your Inbound API key. Get your API key from the dashboard.

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Domain Restriction (Optional)

To restrict all operations to a single domain (and its subdomains), add the x-inbound-domain header: 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "inbound": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.inbound.new/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "x-inbound-api-key": "your-api-key",
        "x-inbound-domain": "example.com"
      }
    }
  }
}
This will filter results to show only example.com and subdomains like mail.example.com, support.example.com, etc.

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Available Tools

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Domains

ToolDescription
list_domainsList all domains in your account (respects domain restriction)

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Endpoints

ToolDescription
list_endpointsList webhook and email forwarding endpoints
create_endpointCreate a webhook, email forward, or email group endpoint

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Emails

ToolDescription
list_emailsList sent, received, and scheduled emails with filtering
get_emailGet detailed information about a specific email including full content
send_emailSend or schedule an email

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Threads

ToolDescription
list_threadsList email conversations with previews
get_threadGet all messages in a thread

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Example Usage

Once configured, you can ask your AI assistant to:
  • “List all my domains”
  • “Show me the last 10 received emails”
  • “Send an email to support@example.com with subject ‘Hello’”
  • “Create a webhook endpoint for notifications@mydomain.com”
  • “Show me the conversation thread with john@example.com”
  • “Get the full content of email ID abc123”

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Available Prompts

The MCP server includes a getting-started prompt that teaches the AI assistant how to use Inbound effectively. Most AI assistants will automatically discover and use this prompt.

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Self-Hosting

You can also run the MCP server locally:

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Installation

npm install @inbound/mcp
# or
pnpm add @inbound/mcp
# or
bun add @inbound/mcp

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Running

# HTTP server (for Cursor, OpenCode, etc.)
INBOUND_API_KEY=your-api-key npx @inbound/mcp start:http

# STDIO server (for Claude Desktop)
npx @inbound/mcp
The HTTP server runs on port 3002 by default. Configure your client to use http://localhost:3002/mcp.

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Troubleshooting

Make sure your API key is valid and has the necessary permissions. Check the MCP server logs for authentication errors.
Ensure the x-inbound-domain header value matches exactly with your domain name in Inbound (case-sensitive).
If self-hosting, verify the server is running and the port is accessible. For the hosted version, check your network connectivity.

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Security

Never commit your API key to version control. Use environment variables or a secrets manager.
Best practices:
  • Use environment variables for API keys: "x-inbound-api-key": "$INBOUND_API_KEY"
  • Restrict operations to specific domains using x-inbound-domain
  • Regularly rotate your API keys
  • Use separate API keys for different environments (dev, staging, production)