Command
nylas mcp install
Install MCP configuration for AI assistants (Claude, Cursor, VS Code).
Written by Qasim Muhammad Staff SRE
What does nylas mcp install do?
The nylas mcp install command gives AI assistants direct access to your email, calendar, and contacts via the Model Context Protocol (MCP). It writes the JSON configuration for Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code Copilot, or Windsurf so the assistant can send emails, read messages, create events, and manage contacts on your behalf. Run with --all to configure every detected assistant at once.
Usage
nylas mcp install [--assistant cursor]Flags
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
| --json | Output as JSON |
| --no-color | Disable color output |
| --verbose(-v) | Enable verbose output |
| --config | Custom config file path |
| --help(-h) | Show help for the command |
| --limit | Limit results (most list commands) |
| --yes(-y) | Skip confirmations |
| --assistant | Target assistant (claude-code, cursor, etc.) |
| --all | Install for all detected assistants |
| --binary(-b) | Path to nylas binary (default: auto-detect) |
Examples
The nylas mcp install command gives AI assistants direct access to your email, calendar, and contacts via the Model Context Protocol (MCP).
Interactive setup
nylas mcp installCursor only
nylas mcp install --assistant cursorExample output
✓ Nylas MCP configured for Claude Desktop
Config: /Users/you/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Restart Claude Desktop to load the Nylas MCP server.Troubleshooting
MCP not detected by assistant
Restart the assistant after install. Check config path for your assistant.
Recommended guides
Build a Strands Email Agent
Give a Strands Agents SDK agent email access using the Nylas CLI as a @tool. One function reaches Gmail, Outlook, and 4 more providers — no OAuth code needed.
Cloudflare Agents Email Tools
Use the Cloudflare Agents SDK to build a stateful email agent on Workers — connect to the Nylas MCP server over HTTP and call email tools in TypeScript.
AI Calendar Assistant from the Terminal
Use nylas calendar schedule ai and calendar ai for natural-language scheduling, focus-time protection, conflict resolution, and meeting-context extraction.
Set Up an MCP Calendar Server
Expose calendar tools to an AI client over MCP. Install nylas mcp, configure your assistant, and let it check availability and create events.
Give an AI Agent Calendar Access
Wrap nylas calendar availability and events as agent tools: read-only by default, draft-before-create for writes, and an OAuth scope the agent can't widen.
Set Up an MCP Contacts Server
Expose contact search and read tools to an AI client over MCP with nylas mcp install. Configure, verify, and call address-book tools.
Run nylas mcp install --help for full help output.