Overview Runs a FastAPI server with its own SMTP listener on port 25 that gives each agent a real address, threaded mailbox and API. Incoming mail is checked for SPF, DKIM and DMARC and scanned for prompt injection. Outgoing mail goes through a relay you configure (SES, Resend, SendGrid, Postmark, Gmail) and can be held until a person approves it. Agents connect through REST, webhooks, WebSocket, Python and TypeScript SDKs, a CLI, or 96 MCP tools.
Who it is for: Engineers giving AI agents their own email addresses with human approval
Strengths Approval gate with emailed approve/reject links, expiry and per-message history Per-inbox API keys with read-only, send and review-only scopes Many integration paths: REST, signed webhooks, WebSocket, SDKs without dependencies, CLI, MCP SQLite by default, PostgreSQL supported; includes dashboard and Alembic migrations Weaknesses Single-user: one admin key, no customer accounts or multi-tenancy yet Receiving from large providers and off-host backups still in progress Receiving internet mail requires a public host, MX record and open port 25 Delivery and bounce tracking is built only for Amazon SES What it needs Python Needs SMTP relay (e.g. Amazon SES), PostgreSQL (optional), Node.js (dashboard) Quick answers Is open-agent-email open source? Yes. Its code is on GitHub under the Apache-2.0 license.
Can you run open-agent-email with Docker? Yes. Its repository has a Docker setup: a Dockerfile, a Compose file or a published image.
Also in Agent and MCP starters Rank Project Score 1 deepseek-harness Plugin-based agent harness from DeepSeek with a local Web UI 98 out of 100 score 2 composio TypeScript and Python SDKs that give agents authenticated tools across 1000+ apps 92 out of 100 score 3 conductor Durable workflow engine that orchestrates microservices and LLM agents from JSON 91 out of 100 score # 4mcp-use TypeScript framework for building MCP servers with React Views and an Inspector (opens in a new tab) 87 out of 100 score # 5a2ui Protocol and renderers for agents to stream native UI instead of text (opens in a new tab) 86 out of 100 score
How to choose Choose the framework you want to live with; templates are thin and the framework is the real dependency. Check where state lives (Durable Objects, Postgres, a managed platform) and whether that fits your hosting. Favor templates that ship tests or an eval hook so agent changes can be checked. Health
Releases No GitHub releases
Top contributor 64% of commits59 of 92 in the last 12 months
Security advisories NoneOn GitHub, in the last 12 months
OpenSSF Scorecard Not checked Read from GitHub, deps.dev and OpenSSF on 11 Nov 2026. Bots and coding-agent accounts are left out of the commit counts. Not part of the score: how we check .
License in plain words Apache-2.0 Permissive
Use it at work Yes
Change it and rebrand it Yes
Sell it or host it for others Yes Your part: Keep the notices and mark the files you change. It also grants you the contributors’ patent rights.
A plain summary, not legal advice. Read the license on GitHub ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Set it up Needs before it works: SMTP relay (e.g. Amazon SES), PostgreSQL (optional), Node.js (dashboard).
Bring in an engineer who knows open-agent-email . By the hour for upkeep and fixes, or a fixed price for a build. Our own engineering service; it never changes a rank.
Where to run it Referral links: if you sign up through one, we get a commission. They never change a rank.
Ask your AI assistant The rankings as an MCP server for Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT and any MCP client. Free, no key, read-only.
Setup for other apps → Claude Code claude mcp add archestack -- npx -y @archestack/mcpCopy
Connector URL https://mcp.archestack.com/mcpCopy
Then ask: Compare open-agent-email with its top alternatives on Archestack
Share this rank #25 of 54 in Agent and MCP starters on Archestack, as of 11 Nov 2026.
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