Missive MCP setup

A Missive MCP setup needs the Missive entitlement on your mcp-core license and one Missive API token in .env. With that, Claude reads conversations, messages, contacts, tasks and analytics. Sending mail and changing conversations only appears when the seat runs in read-write mode and a sender address is set.

What do you need for a Missive MCP setup?

You need a running mcp-core installation and the Missive add-on on the same license. New to mcp-core? Start with the mcp-core install guide and return to the Missive MCP setup afterwards.

• An active license with the tool:missive entitlement. The add-on is the Missive MCP server.
• A Missive API token, created in your Missive account settings.
• For write mode: a verified email alias in that Missive account to send from.
• A seat in My Account → MCP Self-hosted with the Missive tool ticked.

Bought the add-on after you installed mcp-core? No reinstall and no new download. The add-on is added to your license, and an email lists the env vars the tool needs.

Which env vars does the Missive MCP setup read?

The tool reads one required variable and two optional ones. The .env in your download already contains MISSIVE_API_TOKEN= and the optional lines commented out.

A typical block for read-write use:

MISSIVE_API_TOKEN=your-missive-api-token
[email protected]

MISSIVE_FROM_ADDRESS is fixed on purpose. Claude can set a display name, but never pick another From address. That closes off sending as any alias it happens to guess. The same values can also live in My Account → MCP Self-hosted → Tools. They are stored encrypted there, a running mcp-core picks them up without a new download, and they override .env.

Which tools does a read-only Missive MCP setup give Claude?

In read-only mode, Claude gets 14 tools to read your inbox and none that change it. This is the default for every seat unless you pick read-write.

• Conversations: missive_list_conversations, missive_get_conversation
• Messages: missive_list_messages, missive_get_message
• Per conversation: missive_list_conversation_posts, missive_list_conversation_comments, missive_list_conversation_drafts
• Tasks: missive_list_tasks
• Contacts: missive_list_contacts, missive_get_contact, missive_list_contact_books, missive_list_contact_groups
• Analytics: missive_create_analytics_report, missive_get_analytics_report

missive_list_conversations needs at least one filter: a mailbox (inbox, all, assigned, closed, snoozed, flagged, trashed, junked or drafts), a team inbox or a shared label. It returns 25 conversations by default, 50 at most, and gives Claude an until value to page further back. Requesting an analytics report is a read: it creates a report in Missive but changes no conversations.

What does read-write mode add to the Missive MCP setup?

Read-write mode registers seven extra tools that act on your inbox. You choose the mode per seat when you add it in My Account → MCP Self-hosted → Seats; MISSIVE_MODE is only the fallback. See entitlements vs. tool modes for how the license and the mode work together.

• missive_send_message: a new email or a reply in an existing conversation, always from MISSIVE_FROM_ADDRESS
• missive_create_task: a standalone task (needs a team or assignees) or a subtask on a conversation
• missive_update_conversation and missive_merge_conversations
• missive_create_post: a post in a conversation, with a notification title
• missive_create_contact and missive_update_contact

Some things are not in the tool because Missive’s REST API has no endpoint for them: creating comments, updating or completing a task after creation, teams, users, shared labels and canned responses.

How do you restart mcp-core and test the Missive MCP setup?

Run the update script from the folder you unzipped. It pulls the image and restarts mcp-core with your current .env.

./mcp-update.sh

If you just bought the add-on, trigger a license check so the entitlement arrives now:

docker exec mcp-core npm run refresh-license

In Claude, ask it to run mcp_status. It shows the license state, the active seat, its tools and the mode per tool. Then try “list the 10 newest conversations in my inbox”. Which client uses which seat token is covered in MCP seats.

Which errors come up during a Missive MCP setup?

These messages come from the tool itself, so you can match them word for word.

• No Missive tools in Claude: the container log says “MISSIVE_API_TOKEN is not set”. Add the token, run ./mcp-update.sh, and check the entitlement and the seat’s tool list.
• “MISSIVE_FROM_ADDRESS is not configured — cannot send”: read-write is on but the sender is missing. Set it to a verified alias of the account and restart.
• “Provide at least one of mailbox, team_inbox, or shared_label”: Claude listed conversations without a filter. Ask for a specific mailbox.
• “Missive API rate limit hit”: Missive allows 5 concurrent requests, 300 per minute and 900 per 15 minutes. Wait for the retry time in the message.
• “Missive API error 401”: the token is wrong or was revoked. Create a new token in Missive and replace it.
• “Rate limit exceeded for this tool”: this is mcp-core’s own per-seat limit. Wait the seconds it mentions.

Once mcp_status lists the tool and a test query returns conversations, the Missive MCP setup is complete. The other add-ons are covered in the MCP setup guides.