Sendmux MCP Setup

Sendmux MCP setup

Use this skill to connect an agent client to Sendmux through MCP.

When to Use This Skill

• Use when connecting an agent client to Sendmux through hosted or local MCP.
• Use when choosing hosted remote OAuth, local stdio, or local HTTP bearer setup.
• Use when writing Sendmux MCP config for Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, VS Code, Copilot, Gemini CLI, Cline, or Windsurf.

Copy-Paste Example

User: "Configure Sendmux MCP for Claude Code using hosted OAuth if supported; otherwise use local stdio with env vars."

Boundaries

• Do not ask the user to paste API keys or bearer tokens.
• Use smx_mbx_ keys or scoped smx_agent_ tokens for Mailbox MCP tools.
• Use send-capable smx_mbx_ keys or owner-approved Sending-resource smx_agent_ tokens for Sending MCP tools.
• Use smx_root_ keys for Management MCP tools.
• Use hosted OAuth at https://mcp.sendmux.ai/mcp when the client supports remote MCP OAuth.
• Use local stdio when the client cannot use hosted OAuth or local HTTP.
• For local stdio or HTTP, pass Sendmux keys and owner-approved agent tokens through environment variables backed by the user's secret store; do not write raw tokens into checked-in MCP config.
• Use local HTTP bearer only for local/private MCP servers; the bearer token protects the MCP endpoint and is separate from the Sendmux API key used upstream.
• Use server-qualified names such as sendmux-mailbox:mailbox_search_message_snippets when a client needs fully-qualified tool names.

Install

pip install sendmux-mcp

Console scripts:

• sendmux-mcp — combined local server; requires --surfaces or SENDMUX_MCP_SURFACES.
• sendmux-mcp-mailbox — mailbox-only local server.
• sendmux-mcp-management — management-only local server.
• sendmux-mcp-sending — sending-only local server.
• sendmux-mcp-hosted — hosted runtime; do not use this for normal local agent setup.

Choose A Setup

Surface Map

For multi-mailbox grants, call mailbox_list_granted_mailboxes first and pass the returned mailbox_id to mailbox tools when targeting a mailbox.

Local Servers

Mailbox-only stdio:

SENDMUX_API_KEY="$SENDMUX_MBX_KEY" sendmux-mcp-mailbox

Management-only stdio:

SENDMUX_API_KEY="$SENDMUX_ROOT_KEY" sendmux-mcp-management

Sending-only stdio:

SENDMUX_API_KEY="$SENDMUX_MBX_KEY" sendmux-mcp-sending

Combined stdio:

SENDMUX_MCP_SURFACES=mailbox,management,sending \
SENDMUX_MAILBOX_API_KEY="$SENDMUX_MBX_KEY" \
SENDMUX_MANAGEMENT_API_KEY="$SENDMUX_ROOT_KEY" \
SENDMUX_SENDING_API_KEY="$SENDMUX_MBX_KEY" \
sendmux-mcp

Local HTTP bearer:

SENDMUX_API_KEY="$SENDMUX_MBX_KEY" \
SENDMUX_MCP_HTTP_BEARER_TOKEN="$SENDMUX_MCP_HTTP_BEARER_TOKEN" \
sendmux-mcp-mailbox --transport http --host 127.0.0.1 --port 8765 --path /mcp

Client header for that local HTTP server:

Authorization: Bearer $SENDMUX_MCP_HTTP_BEARER_TOKEN

/health returns selected surfaces for local HTTP servers.

Common JSON Clients

Use this shape for Cursor, Cline, and Windsurf/Cascade clients that read an mcpServers object.

Local stdio, one mailbox server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sendmux-mailbox": {
      "command": "sendmux-mcp-mailbox",
      "env": {
        "SENDMUX_API_KEY": "${env:SENDMUX_MBX_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Local stdio, all three surfaces:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sendmux": {
      "command": "sendmux-mcp",
      "args": ["--surfaces", "mailbox,management,sending"],
      "env": {
        "SENDMUX_MAILBOX_API_KEY": "${env:SENDMUX_MBX_KEY}",
        "SENDMUX_MANAGEMENT_API_KEY": "${env:SENDMUX_ROOT_KEY}",
        "SENDMUX_SENDING_API_KEY": "${env:SENDMUX_MBX_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Local/private HTTP bearer:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sendmux-local-http": {
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:8765/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${env:SENDMUX_MCP_HTTP_BEARER_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Hosted remote OAuth:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sendmux": {
      "url": "https://mcp.sendmux.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Client notes:

• Cursor: put project config at .cursor/mcp.json or global config at ~/.cursor/mcp.json; Cursor interpolates ${env:NAME} in command, args, env, url, and headers.
• Cline: use ~/.cline/mcp.json, the Cline MCP UI, or cline mcp; remote setup can ask for URL and headers.
• Windsurf/Cascade: use ~/.codeium/mcp_config.json or Settings > Tools > Windsurf Settings > Add Server; HTTP config accepts serverUrl or url.

Claude Code

Hosted remote OAuth:

claude mcp add --transport http sendmux https://mcp.sendmux.ai/mcp

Then run /mcp and complete the sign-in flow if prompted.

Local stdio:

claude mcp add --transport stdio \
  --env SENDMUX_API_KEY="$SENDMUX_MBX_KEY" \
  sendmux-mailbox -- sendmux-mcp-mailbox

Local HTTP bearer:

claude mcp add --transport http \
  sendmux-local-http http://127.0.0.1:8765/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $SENDMUX_MCP_HTTP_BEARER_TOKEN"

Project .mcp.json can also use mcpServers with type, url or command, args, env, and headers.

Codex

Use ~/.codex/config.toml for user-level config.

Local stdio:

[mcp_servers.sendmux_mailbox]
command = "sendmux-mcp-mailbox"
env_vars = ["SENDMUX_API_KEY"]

Run Codex with SENDMUX_API_KEY set to an smx_mbx_ key.

Combined stdio:

[mcp_servers.sendmux]
command = "sendmux-mcp"
args = ["--surfaces", "mailbox,management,sending"]
env_vars = ["SENDMUX_MAILBOX_API_KEY", "SENDMUX_MANAGEMENT_API_KEY", "SENDMUX_SENDING_API_KEY"]

Hosted remote OAuth:

[mcp_servers.sendmux]
url = "https://mcp.sendmux.ai/mcp"
oauth_resource = "https://mcp.sendmux.ai/mcp"

Local HTTP bearer:

[mcp_servers.sendmux_local_http]
url = "http://127.0.0.1:8765/mcp"
bearer_token_env_var = "SENDMUX_MCP_HTTP_BEARER_TOKEN"

VS Code And GitHub Copilot

VS Code stores MCP config in .vscode/mcp.json or user profile mcp.json under servers.

Local stdio:

{
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "sendmux-mbx-key",
      "description": "Sendmux mailbox API key",
      "password": true
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "sendmuxMailbox": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "sendmux-mcp-mailbox",
      "env": {
        "SENDMUX_API_KEY": "${input:sendmux-mbx-key}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Local HTTP bearer:

{
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "sendmux-mcp-token",
      "description": "Sendmux local MCP bearer token",
      "password": true
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "sendmuxLocalHttp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:8765/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${input:sendmux-mcp-token}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Hosted remote OAuth:

{
  "servers": {
    "sendmux": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.sendmux.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}

GitHub Copilot CLI can add servers interactively with /mcp add or non-interactively:

copilot mcp add sendmux-mailbox -- sendmux-mcp-mailbox
copilot mcp add --transport http sendmux https://mcp.sendmux.ai/mcp
copilot mcp add --transport http sendmux-local-http http://127.0.0.1:8765/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $SENDMUX_MCP_HTTP_BEARER_TOKEN"

Gemini CLI

Gemini CLI reads mcpServers from settings.json.

Local stdio:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sendmux-mailbox": {
      "command": "sendmux-mcp-mailbox",
      "env": {
        "SENDMUX_API_KEY": "$SENDMUX_MBX_KEY"
      },
      "trust": false
    }
  }
}

Hosted remote OAuth:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sendmux": {
      "httpUrl": "https://mcp.sendmux.ai/mcp",
      "trust": false
    }
  }
}

Local HTTP bearer:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sendmux-local-http": {
      "httpUrl": "http://127.0.0.1:8765/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer $SENDMUX_MCP_HTTP_BEARER_TOKEN"
      },
      "trust": false
    }
  }
}

Use /mcp auth sendmux if the hosted remote endpoint needs OAuth authentication.

Verification

After adding the server:

1. Restart or refresh MCP servers in the client.
2. Confirm the visible tools match the selected surfaces:
   • Mailbox-only: no management_* or sending_* tools.
   • Management-only: no mailbox_* or sending_* tools.
   • Sending-only: only sending_send_email and sending_send_email_batch.
3. Run one harmless read tool:
   • Mailbox: mailbox_get_me or mailbox_get_session.
   • Management: management_list_domains with a small limit.
   • Sending: list tools only unless the user confirms a real send.
4. If local HTTP returns 401, check the client Authorization header against SENDMUX_MCP_HTTP_BEARER_TOKEN.
5. If the process exits before connecting, check the Sendmux key prefix for the selected surface.

Routing

• First Sendmux API setup or first call: sendmux-getting-started.
• Sending body shape or send strategy: sendmux-send-email.
• Mailbox read, search, sync, triage, or reply: sendmux-mailbox-agent.
• Account-level management strategy: sendmux-management.
• Terminal command mechanics: sendmux-cli.
• Cheapest-call doctrine: sendmux-token-efficient-usage.

Limitations

• Does not ask for or write raw API keys into checked-in MCP config.
• Does not send email; the source says list Sending tools only unless the user confirms a real send.
• Requires client-specific MCP support for hosted OAuth, stdio, or HTTP bearer transport.