#3434th of 128 in MCP servers for developers
maildev
Local SMTP catcher with a web inbox and an optional MCP server
- Stars
- 6.2k
- License
- MIT
- Last commit
- Sep 2026
- Last release
- Sep 2026
- Language
- TypeScript
5,878 on 22 Apr 20266,162 on 11 Nov 2026
From GitHub's daily star counts.
Checked on GitHub.
Overview
MailDev is a Node.js SMTP server for development that accepts mail on port 1025 and shows it in a React web UI on port 1080, with HTML, text and header views, attachments and live updates over WebSocket. It also has a REST API, a Node.js API, optional relay to a real SMTP server, and an `--mcp` flag that exposes the inbox to MCP clients at `/mcp`.
Who it is for: Developers who need a local inbox to test app email, including via agents
Strengths
- Install with npm or `docker run -p 1080:1080 -p 1025:1025 maildev/maildev`
- Selective or auto relay to an outgoing SMTP server, with allow/deny rules
- MCP endpoint lets agents search emails and extract verification links and tokens
- Optional web basic auth, HTTPS, mail persistence directory and `--max-emails` cap
Weaknesses
- MCP is a side feature; the core job is catching mail, not agent tooling
- Keeps all emails in memory by default; about 150 MB heap per 10,000 emails
- v3 is a full rewrite; v2 users must follow the upgrade guide
What it needs
- no GPU
- Docker
- Needs Node.js
- port 1080
What changed
“#525 8aafc97 Thanks @djfarrelly! - Complete project re-build”
- v2.2.1 ↗ (opens in a new tab)Security fix
CVE-2024-27448. “Fix CVE-2024-27448, #487 via #508”
- v2.1.0 ↗ (opens in a new tab)Security fix
CVE-2022-41940, CVE-2022-2421. “Security: upgrade socket.io to fix CVE-2022-41940 and CVE-2022-2421 #447”
From the release notes. No flag means the note does not say so, not that the upgrade is safe.
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