Connect your existing mailbox to AI with Mailera

Mailera connects mailboxes you already use to apps and AI agents through REST API, MCP, and webhooks. Start by connecting one mailbox and reading a message from it. You don't need an API key for this check.

Keep mailbox authentication separate from AI access. Your provider authorizes Mailera to connect to the mailbox; a Mailera API key later controls what an AI client can do through Mailera. For the broader approach, see email for AI agents using existing mailboxes.

What do you need before connecting a mailbox?

Use a mailbox you own or are authorized to access. For a first agent experiment, choose a dedicated test mailbox without sensitive correspondence. You also need an Admin or Leader role in Mailera to add a mailbox.

Check the provider before collecting credentials:

Google's app-password instructions explain eligibility, including why the option may be unavailable for an organization account. Apple's app-specific password instructions cover its two-factor authentication requirement. Follow those current instructions rather than using your normal sign-in password in an app-password field.

For other services, check the supported provider directory. Proton Mail and Tuta are not supported by Mailera.

How do you connect your first mailbox to Mailera?

Start with the address, then follow the instructions for your provider.

1. Open Mailboxes → Add mailbox. In One mailbox, enter the address in Email address. Mailera shows the detected provider for that address. If the detection doesn't match the service hosting your mailbox, use Or choose a provider, then Continue. Expected result: the provider selection matches your mailbox.
2. For Microsoft, use Sign in with Microsoft. Complete sign-in and OAuth consent at Microsoft. Outlook, Hotmail, and Microsoft 365 connect through Microsoft Graph, not an app password. Microsoft's OAuth authorization documentation explains that users are asked to consent to requested permissions they haven't already approved. Expected result: you complete the Microsoft authorization flow rather than entering an app password.
3. For an app-password provider, follow its credential instructions. Mailera shows How to get an app password and What you'll need before Connection details. For Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo, AOL, Zoho, and Fastmail, enter the app password in Password, not your normal account password. The form also includes an optional Display name and Mailbox group. Expected result: the connection form contains the provider-specific credential and intended group.
4. For Custom IMAP, enter the server details. Obtain the settings from your provider or administrator. Under Incoming server (IMAP), fill in Server, Port, and Security. Detect settings fills public settings for the domain when available; compare those with your provider's instructions. Outgoing server (SMTP) is optional. Expected result: the incoming settings match the service you intend to connect to.
5. Complete the connection and find the mailbox. For the credential-based flow, select Test & connect. It tests the connection without sending an email. The checks include Incoming server sign-in, Folder detection, Outgoing server sign-in, and Live monitoring. The outgoing check is skipped if no outgoing server is configured. After success, look for Connected <email>, then find the address on Mailboxes. Expected result: the intended mailbox appears in the list.

If the connection can receive but sending fails, Save as receive-only lets you continue with this reading-focused setup. Alternatively, use Edit details and Test again to correct the connection details. Run in background lets you leave the page while Mailera finishes the test and saves the mailbox.

How can you tell whether the connection worked?

After connecting the mailbox, check that you can open a message.

1. From another mailbox you control, send a message with a distinctive subject such as “Mailera connection test — blue notebook.” Use a harmless body such as “This message checks reading access.”
2. Open Unified inbox in Mailera and locate that message.
3. Open it and confirm the subject, body, intended mailbox, and folder. A matching subject alone is less useful than checking the actual content.

If the message is missing, first check whether it arrived in the provider's webmail. Look in Junk as well as Inbox, then check both folders in Mailera. Don't replace credentials simply because one message hasn't appeared yet.

Mailera loads messages within the retention period, newest first. The free-plan retention period is 30 days, so use a fresh test message rather than an old thread. Background checks vary with mailbox activity; idle mailboxes can sleep and wake on use. Synchronization is not guaranteed to be instantaneous.

Once you can open the test message, this check is complete. Test sending separately later, especially if you saved the mailbox as receive-only.

How do you give an AI assistant read-only access next?

This step is optional. Connecting the mailbox does not automatically configure an AI client or grant it access.

1. Open Settings, select the API key tab, and choose Create key. Give it a Descriptive name that identifies the client and purpose.
2. Select only Read, which corresponds to the read scope. Set Mailbox scope to the group containing your test mailbox. Scope is group-based; Admins can also select all groups.
3. Save the key securely when Key created — copy it now appears. It is shown only once. Use Copy MCP config for Claude, Cursor, or VS Code, then complete that client's configuration.
4. After the client is configured, have it call list_mailboxes, followed by list_messages for the intended mailbox. Use get_message to open the harmless test message. These tools require the read scope.

Use the Mailera MCP setup page and the guide for your client: Claude, Cursor, or VS Code. Stop at reading for this first setup; moving messages and sending replies are separate permissions. For tool-by-tool coverage, see Mailera's MCP tools, organized by task.

What common mistakes stop a mailbox from connecting?

Separate authentication problems from message-arrival problems. A rejected sign-in and a connected mailbox with a missing test message call for different checks.

Mailera cannot override your provider's authentication requirements or your organization's access policies.

What should you protect before an agent reads email?

Treat incoming email as untrusted data, not instructions. An agent must not obey a message telling it to reveal secrets, change permissions, or perform unrelated actions. Apply this rule even when the message looks like routine correspondence.

Start with Read only. Don't grant Send messages, Move messages, or Manage mailboxes for this initial check. Group-based scope can narrow which mailboxes the key reaches, but read-only access still exposes message content. Keep the test group free of correspondence the assistant shouldn't see.

Keep API keys and app passwords out of prompts, screenshots, repositories, and logs. Put the Mailera key only in the client's appropriate configuration, not in a conversation asking the assistant to set itself up. Review Mailera's security information before connecting sensitive mail.

If a key is exposed, revoke it; calls using that key are rejected immediately. If you enable sending later, require explicit human confirmation before each send.