Source: https://cli.nylas.com/docs/commands/mcp-serve

# nylas mcp serve

Start the Nylas MCP server for AI assistant integration.

Written by [Qasim Muhammad](https://cli.nylas.com/authors/qasim-muhammad) Staff SRE

Published February 13, 2026

Updated June 21, 2026

## What does nylas mcp serve do?

The nylas mcp serve command starts a Model Context Protocol server that proxies the official Nylas MCP server, exposing email, calendar, and contacts tools to AI assistants such as Claude Code, Cursor, and VS Code. It communicates over STDIO, injects your grant ID automatically, and handles credentials via the system keyring. Run nylas auth login first, or use nylas mcp install to wire it into a client.

## Usage

```bash
nylas mcp serve
```

## 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 |

## Examples

The nylas mcp serve command starts a Model Context Protocol server that proxies the official Nylas MCP server, exposing email, calendar, and contacts tools to AI assistants such as Claude Code, Cursor, and VS Code.

### Start the MCP server (STDIO)

```bash
nylas mcp serve
```

### Auto-configure an AI assistant instead of running manually

```bash
nylas mcp install
```

## Example output

```text
Starting Nylas MCP server (STDIO)...
  Upstream: Nylas MCP server
  Tools discovered: email, calendar, contacts

Server ready. Waiting for client requests on stdin/stdout.
```

## Troubleshooting

### MCP server exits immediately

Run nylas auth login first. The MCP server needs valid credentials to register tools.

### AI assistant doesn't see the Nylas tools

Confirm the client's MCP config runs `nylas mcp serve` over STDIO. Use nylas mcp status to check the installation, or nylas mcp install to (re)configure it.

## Related commands

[nylas mcp installInstall MCP configuration for AI assistants (Claude, Cursor, VS Code).](https://cli.nylas.com/docs/commands/mcp-install)

[nylas mcp statusCheck the status of the Nylas MCP server.](https://cli.nylas.com/docs/commands/mcp-status)

[nylas mcp uninstallRemove MCP integration from an AI assistant.](https://cli.nylas.com/docs/commands/mcp-uninstall)

## Recommended guides

[ai-catalog.json: Agent Discovery for Your SitePublish ai-catalog.json at /.well-known so AI agents can discover your MCP servers, APIs, and knowledge files. The draft Google-backed spec, schema, and a live example.](https://cli.nylas.com/guides/ai-catalog-json-agent-discovery)

[Build a Strands Email AgentGive 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.](https://cli.nylas.com/guides/strands-email-agent)

[Cloudflare Agents Email ToolsUse 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.](https://cli.nylas.com/guides/cloudflare-agents-email)

[AI Calendar Assistant from the TerminalUse nylas calendar schedule ai and calendar ai for natural-language scheduling, focus-time protection, conflict resolution, and meeting-context extraction.](https://cli.nylas.com/guides/calendar-ai-assistant-cli)

[Set Up an MCP Calendar ServerExpose calendar tools to an AI client over MCP. Install nylas mcp, configure your assistant, and let it check availability and create events.](https://cli.nylas.com/guides/mcp-calendar-server-setup)

[Give an AI Agent Calendar AccessWrap 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.](https://cli.nylas.com/guides/give-agent-calendar-access)

Run `nylas mcp serve --help` for full help output.