email mcp server by cdata
This read-only MCP Server allows you to connect to Email data from Claude Desktop through CData JDBC Drivers. Free (beta) read/write servers are available at https://www.cdata.com/solutions/mcp
Overview
CData's Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server for Email
What
CData's Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server for Email is a specialized server designed to provide read-only access to email data. It leverages the CData JDBC Driver for Email, which connects to email services and exposes them as relational SQL models. This allows large language models (LLMs) like Claude Desktop to query live email data using natural language, eliminating the need for SQL queries.
Features
- Read-Only Access: The MCP Server allows users to retrieve email data without the ability to modify it, ensuring data integrity.
- Natural Language Queries: Users can ask questions in plain English, making it easier to interact with email data.
- Integration with LLMs: Seamlessly integrates with AI clients like Claude Desktop for enhanced data retrieval capabilities.
- Simplified Setup: The server is designed for easy installation and configuration, making it accessible for users with varying technical expertise.
How
To set up the CData MCP Server for Email, follow these steps:
-
Clone the Repository:
git clone https://github.com/cdatasoftware/email-mcp-server-by-cdata.git cd email-mcp-server-by-cdata
-
Build the Server:
mvn clean install
This will create the JAR file:
CDataMCP-jar-with-dependencies.jar
. -
Download and Install the CData JDBC Driver for Email: Visit CData JDBC Driver for Email to download the driver.
-
License the JDBC Driver: Navigate to the
lib
folder in the installation directory and run the licensing command. -
Configure Your Connection: Create a
.prp
file for your JDBC connection with the necessary properties. -
Using the Server with Claude Desktop: Create a configuration file for Claude Desktop to add the MCP server.
-
Run the Server: Execute the command to run the MCP Server.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the purpose of the CData MCP Server for Email?
A: The server allows users to query live email data using natural language, making it easier to access and analyze email information without needing SQL knowledge.
Q: Can I modify the email data using this server?
A: No, this server is designed for read-only access to ensure data integrity.
Q: How do I integrate the MCP Server with Claude Desktop?
A: You need to create a configuration file for Claude Desktop that specifies the MCP server settings, including the path to the JAR file and the properties file.
Q: What types of queries can I perform with the MCP Server?
A: You can ask questions about your email data, such as retrieving specific information or analyzing trends, all in natural language.
Q: Where can I find support if I encounter issues?
A: You can contact the CData Support Team or join the CData Community for assistance.
Details
email-mcp-server-by-cdata
CData's Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server for Email
:heavy_exclamation_mark: This project builds a read-only MCP server. For full read, write, update, delete, and action capabilities and a simplified setup, check out our free CData MCP Server for Email (beta).
Purpose
We created this read-only MCP Server to allow LLMs (like Claude Desktop) to query live data Email supported by the CData JDBC Driver for Email.
CData JDBC Driver connects to Email by exposing them as relational SQL models.
This server wraps that driver and makes Email data available through a simple MCP interface, so LLMs can retrieve live information by asking natural language questions — no SQL required.
Setup Guide
- Clone the repository:
git clone https://github.com/cdatasoftware/email-mcp-server-by-cdata.git cd email-mcp-server-by-cdata
- Build the server:
This creates the JAR file: CDataMCP-jar-with-dependencies.jarmvn clean install
- Download and install the CData JDBC Driver for {source}: https://www.cdata.com/drivers/email/download/jdbc
- License the CData JDBC Driver:
- Navigate to the
lib
folder in the installation directory, typically:- (Windows)
C:\Program Files\CData\CData JDBC Driver for Email\
- (Mac/Linux)
/Applications/CData JDBC Driver for Email/
- (Windows)
- Run the command
java -jar cdata.jdbc.email.jar --license
- Enter your name, email, and "TRIAL" (or your license key).
- Navigate to the
- Configure your connection to the data source (Salesforce as an example):
-
Run the command
<img src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/a5b5237b-79c1-472c-8c2f-3f9eb1ac9627" title="CData JDBC Driver Connectiong String utility." width=384px />java -jar cdata.jdbc.email.jar
to open the Connection String utility. -
Configure the connection string and click "Test Connection"
Note: If the data sources uses OAuth, you will need to authenticate in your browser.
-
Once successful, copy the connection string for use later.
-
- Create a
.prp
file for your JDBC connection (e.g.email.prp
) using the following properties and format:- Prefix - a prefix to be used for the tools exposed
- ServerName - a name for your server
- ServerVersion - a version for your server
- DriverPath - the full path to the JAR file for your JDBC driver
- DriverClass - the name of the JDBC Driver Class (e.g. cdata.jdbc.email.EmailDriver)
- JdbcUrl - the JDBC connection string to use with the CData JDBC Driver to connect to your data (copied from above)
- Tables - leave blank to access all data, otherwise you can explicitly declare the tables you wish to create access for
Prefix=email ServerName=CDataEmail ServerVersion=1.0 DriverPath=PATH\TO\cdata.jdbc.email.jar DriverClass=cdata.jdbc.email.EmailDriver JdbcUrl=jdbc:email:InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH; Tables=
Using the Server with Claude Desktop
-
Create the config file for Claude Desktop ( claude_desktop_config.json) to add the new MCP server, using the format below. If the file already exists, add the entry to the
mcpServers
in the config file.Windows
{ "mcpServers": { "{classname_dash}": { "command": "PATH\\TO\\java.exe", "args": [ "-jar", "PATH\\TO\\CDataMCP-jar-with-dependencies.jar", "PATH\\TO\\email.prp" ] }, ... } }
Linux/Mac
{ "mcpServers": { "{classname_dash}": { "command": "/PATH/TO/java", "args": [ "-jar", "/PATH/TO/CDataMCP-jar-with-dependencies.jar", "/PATH/TO/email.prp" ] }, ... } }
If needed, copy the config file to the appropriate directory (Claude Desktop as the example). Windows
cp C:\PATH\TO\claude_desktop_config.json %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Linux/Mac
cp /PATH/TO/claude_desktop_config.json /Users/{user}/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json'
-
Run or refresh your client (Claude Desktop).
Note: You may need to fully exit or quit your Claude Desktop client and re-open it for the MCP Servers to appear.
Running the Server
- Run the follow the command to run the MCP Server on its own
java -jar /PATH/TO/CDataMCP-jar-with-dependencies.jar /PATH/TO/Salesforce.prp
Note: The server uses
stdio
so can only be used with clients that run on the same machine as the server.
Usage Details
Once the MCP Server is configured, the AI client will be able to use the built-in tools to read, write, update, and delete the underlying data. In general, you do not need to call the tools explicitly. Simply ask the client to answer questions about the underlying data system. For example:
- "What is the correlation between my closed won opportunities and the account industry?"
- "How many open tickets do I have in the SUPPORT project?"
- "Can you tell me what calendar events I have today?"
The list of tools available and their descriptions follow:
Tools & Descriptions
In the definitions below, {servername}
refers to the name of the MCP Server in the config file (e.g. {classname_dash}
above).
{servername}_get_tables
- Retrieves a list of tables available in the data source. Use the{servername}_get_columns
tool to list available columns on a table. The output of the tool will be returned in CSV format, with the first line containing column headers.{servername}_get_columns
- Retrieves a list of columns for a table. Use the{servername}_get_tables
tool to get a list of available tables. The output of the tool will be returned in CSV format, with the first line containing column headers.{servername}_run_query
- Execute a SQL SELECT query
JSON-RPC Request Examples
If you are scripting out the requests sent to the MCP Server instead of using an AI Client (e.g. Claude), then you can refer to the JSON payload examples below – following the JSON-RPC 2.0 specification - when calling the available tools.
source_get_tables
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 1,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "source_get_tables",
"arguments": {}
}
}
source_get_columns
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 2,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "source_get_columns",
"arguments": {
"table": "Account"
}
}
}
source_run_query
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 3,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "source_run_query",
"arguments": {
"sql": "SELECT * FROM [Account] WHERE [IsDeleted] = true"
}
}
}
Troubleshooting
- If you cannot see your CData MCP Server in Claude Desktop, be sure that you have fully quit Claude Desktop (Windows: use the Task Manager, Mac: use the Activity Monitor)
- If Claude Desktop is unable to retrieve data, be sure that you have configured your connection properly. Use the Connection String builder to create the connection string (see above) and copy the connection string into the property (.prp) file.
- If you are having trouble connecting to your data source, contact the CData Support Team.
- If you are having trouble using the MCP server, or have any other feedback, join the CData Community.
License
This MCP server is licensed under the MIT License. This means you are free to use, modify, and distribute the software, subject to the terms and conditions of the MIT License. For more details, please see the LICENSE file in the project repository.
All Supported Sources
<table> <tr><td>Access</td><td>Act CRM</td><td>Act-On</td><td>Active Directory</td></tr> <tr><td>ActiveCampaign</td><td>Acumatica</td><td>Adobe Analytics</td><td>Adobe Commerce</td></tr> <tr><td>ADP</td><td>Airtable</td><td>AlloyDB</td><td>Amazon Athena</td></tr> <tr><td>Amazon DynamoDB</td><td>Amazon Marketplace</td><td>Amazon S3</td><td>Asana</td></tr> <tr><td>Authorize.Net</td><td>Avalara AvaTax</td><td>Avro</td><td>Azure Active Directory</td></tr> <tr><td>Azure Analysis Services</td><td>Azure Data Catalog</td><td>Azure Data Lake Storage</td><td>Azure DevOps</td></tr> <tr><td>Azure Synapse</td><td>Azure Table</td><td>Basecamp</td><td>BigCommerce</td></tr> <tr><td>BigQuery</td><td>Bing Ads</td><td>Bing Search</td><td>Bitbucket</td></tr> <tr><td>Blackbaud FE NXT</td><td>Box</td><td>Bullhorn CRM</td><td>Cassandra</td></tr> <tr><td>Certinia</td><td>Cloudant</td><td>CockroachDB</td><td>Confluence</td></tr> <tr><td>Cosmos DB</td><td>Couchbase</td><td>CouchDB</td><td>CSV</td></tr> <tr><td>Cvent</td><td>Databricks</td><td>DB2</td><td>DocuSign</td></tr> <tr><td>Dropbox</td><td>Dynamics 365</td><td>Dynamics 365 Business Central</td><td>Dynamics CRM</td></tr> <tr><td>Dynamics GP</td><td>Dynamics NAV</td><td>eBay</td><td>eBay Analytics</td></tr> <tr><td>Elasticsearch</td><td>Email</td><td>EnterpriseDB</td><td>Epicor Kinetic</td></tr> <tr><td>Exact Online</td><td>Excel</td><td>Excel Online</td><td>Facebook</td></tr> <tr><td>Facebook Ads</td><td>FHIR</td><td>Freshdesk</td><td>FTP</td></tr> <tr><td>GitHub</td><td>Gmail</td><td>Google Ad Manager</td><td>Google Ads</td></tr> <tr><td>Google Analytics</td><td>Google Calendar</td><td>Google Campaign Manager 360</td><td>Google Cloud Storage</td></tr> <tr><td>Google Contacts</td><td>Google Data Catalog</td><td>Google Directory</td><td>Google Drive</td></tr> <tr><td>Google Search</td><td>Google Sheets</td><td>Google Spanner</td><td>GraphQL</td></tr> <tr><td>Greenhouse</td><td>Greenplum</td><td>HarperDB</td><td>HBase</td></tr> <tr><td>HCL Domino</td><td>HDFS</td><td>Highrise</td><td>Hive</td></tr> <tr><td>HubDB</td><td>HubSpot</td><td>IBM Cloud Data Engine</td><td>IBM Cloud Object Storage</td></tr> <tr><td>IBM Informix</td><td>Impala</td><td>Instagram</td><td>JDBC-ODBC Bridge</td></tr> <tr><td>Jira</td><td>Jira Assets</td><td>Jira Service Management</td><td>JSON</td></tr> <tr><td>Kafka</td><td>Kintone</td><td>LDAP</td><td>LinkedIn</td></tr> <tr><td>LinkedIn Ads</td><td>MailChimp</td><td>MariaDB</td><td>Marketo</td></tr> <tr><td>MarkLogic</td><td>Microsoft Dataverse</td><td>Microsoft Entra ID</td><td>Microsoft Exchange</td></tr> <tr><td>Microsoft OneDrive</td><td>Microsoft Planner</td><td>Microsoft Project</td><td>Microsoft Teams</td></tr> <tr><td>Monday.com</td><td>MongoDB</td><td>MYOB AccountRight</td><td>MySQL</td></tr> <tr><td>nCino</td><td>Neo4J</td><td>NetSuite</td><td>OData</td></tr> <tr><td>Odoo</td><td>Office 365</td><td>Okta</td><td>OneNote</td></tr> <tr><td>Oracle</td><td>Oracle Eloqua</td><td>Oracle Financials Cloud</td><td>Oracle HCM Cloud</td></tr> <tr><td>Oracle Sales</td><td>Oracle SCM</td><td>Oracle Service Cloud</td><td>Outreach.io</td></tr> <tr><td>Parquet</td><td>Paylocity</td><td>PayPal</td><td>Phoenix</td></tr> <tr><td>PingOne</td><td>Pinterest</td><td>Pipedrive</td><td>PostgreSQL</td></tr> <tr><td>Power BI XMLA</td><td>Presto</td><td>Quickbase</td><td>QuickBooks</td></tr> <tr><td>QuickBooks Online</td><td>QuickBooks Time</td><td>Raisers Edge NXT</td><td>Reckon</td></tr> <tr><td>Reckon Accounts Hosted</td><td>Redis</td><td>Redshift</td><td>REST</td></tr> <tr><td>RSS</td><td>Sage 200</td><td>Sage 300</td><td>Sage 50 UK</td></tr> <tr><td>Sage Cloud Accounting</td><td>Sage Intacct</td><td>Salesforce</td><td>Salesforce Data Cloud</td></tr> <tr><td>Salesforce Financial Service Cloud</td><td>Salesforce Marketing</td><td>Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement</td><td>Salesforce Pardot</td></tr> <tr><td>Salesloft</td><td>SAP</td><td>SAP Ariba Procurement</td><td>SAP Ariba Source</td></tr> <tr><td>SAP Business One</td><td>SAP BusinessObjects BI</td><td>SAP ByDesign</td><td>SAP Concur</td></tr> <tr><td>SAP Fieldglass</td><td>SAP HANA</td><td>SAP HANA XS Advanced</td><td>SAP Hybris C4C</td></tr> <tr><td>SAP Netweaver Gateway</td><td>SAP SuccessFactors</td><td>SAS Data Sets</td><td>SAS xpt</td></tr> <tr><td>SendGrid</td><td>ServiceNow</td><td>SFTP</td><td>SharePoint</td></tr> <tr><td>SharePoint Excel Services</td><td>ShipStation</td><td>Shopify</td><td>SingleStore</td></tr> <tr><td>Slack</td><td>Smartsheet</td><td>Snapchat Ads</td><td>Snowflake</td></tr> <tr><td>Spark</td><td>Splunk</td><td>SQL Analysis Services</td><td>SQL Server</td></tr> <tr><td>Square</td><td>Stripe</td><td>Sugar CRM</td><td>SuiteCRM</td></tr> <tr><td>SurveyMonkey</td><td>Sybase</td><td>Sybase IQ</td><td>Tableau CRM Analytics</td></tr> <tr><td>Tally</td><td>TaxJar</td><td>Teradata</td><td>Tier1</td></tr> <tr><td>TigerGraph</td><td>Trello</td><td>Trino</td><td>Twilio</td></tr> <tr><td>Twitter</td><td>Twitter Ads</td><td>Veeva CRM</td><td>Veeva Vault</td></tr> <tr><td>Wave Financial</td><td>WooCommerce</td><td>WordPress</td><td>Workday</td></tr> <tr><td>xBase</td><td>Xero</td><td>XML</td><td>YouTube Analytics</td></tr> <tr><td>Zendesk</td><td>Zoho Books</td><td>Zoho Creator</td><td>Zoho CRM</td></tr> <tr><td>Zoho Inventory</td><td>Zoho Projects</td><td>Zuora</td><td>... Dozens More</td></tr> </table>Server Config
{
"mcpServers": {
"{classname_dash}": {
"command": "PATH\TO\java.exe",
"args": [
"-jar",
"PATH\TO\CDataMCP-jar-with-dependencies.jar",
"PATH\TO\email.prp"
]
}
}
}