Give Hermes an email address. Connect it with MCP.
Let Hermes read a request, send an email and follow the reply in its own inbox. Connect Robotomail with browser sign-in, then test a conversation using your verified email address.
One mailbox. A browser approval. Your first email conversation.
What Hermes can do with email
Give your agent a project address for requests, progress updates and follow-ups. It can read the latest message, look up the earlier conversation and prepare a reply without accessing your personal inbox.
For example, send it a project question, have it ask you for a deadline, and reply with that detail. The mailbox keeps the messages while Hermes runs the task. You decide which actions the agent can take.
MCP supports reading, sending and replying to plain-text email. For attachments, mailbox provisioning or webhooks in your own application, use the REST API.
Connect Hermes to Robotomail
Use a current Hermes installation. Create a Robotomail account and verify your email, then run the following in the terminal where your agent runs. Sign in and approve access when the browser opens.
hermes mcp add --url 'https://robotomail.com/mcp' --auth oauth robotomail
hermes mcp login robotomail
If you already added Robotomail, use the login command instead of creating another connection. Use the same runtime profile for configuration and login.
Ask the agent to list your Robotomail mailboxes. A successful connection returns your mailbox address and ID. If the tools do not appear, reload the client's MCP connection or start a new session.
Running Hermes over SSH? Use device login.
On a server without a browser, add the following entry to the active Hermes profile's config.yaml. Merge it with your existing MCP servers.
mcp_servers:
robotomail:
url: "https://robotomail.com/mcp"
auth: oauth
oauth:
flow: device
client_id: "https://robotomail.com/api/mcp/clients/hermes-device"
token_endpoint_auth_method: none
scope: "mail:read mail:send offline_access"
Run the login command in the same profile. Hermes displays a verification URL and code. Open that URL in your browser, approve access, and keep the terminal command running until it confirms login.
hermes mcp login robotomail --flow device
This lets the approval happen on your laptop while Hermes runs on the server. Device-login reference.
Send, receive and reply once
Start with your own email address so the complete test works on Free.
- Ask the agent to list your Robotomail mailboxes and select the address you want to use.
- From your verified account email, send that mailbox a message with the subject Project check-in and the question What do you need from me next?
- Give the agent the instruction below. Review its proposed reply, then tell it to send.
- Check your personal inbox. Reply to the agent's email with a new detail, then ask the agent to read the conversation again.
Find my latest received email with the subject Project check-in.
Show me the sender, subject and a short summary.
Draft a reply asking for the project deadline.
Wait for my approval before sending it as a reply to that message.
You have a working connection when the agent can read the incoming message, send the approved reply and read your follow-up. Sending tools act immediately when called; the request to wait is an instruction to your agent.
1 mailbox, 10 sends and 10 receives per month. Exchange mail only between your agent and your verified email address. Upgrade to email anyone. No credit card, no expiry. Allowances reset on the first of each month (UTC). Upgrade for higher limits or a custom domain.
If the first test gets stuck
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| No Robotomail tools | Confirm the MCP connection is enabled, finish browser approval, then reload the connection or agent session |
| Browser approval finishes but the CLI waits | Keep the login process running. Use the same local machine and browser session; for a remote Hermes host, use device login |
| Sending to somebody else fails on Free | Test with your verified account address or choose a paid plan |
| The agent cannot see your test email | Check the mailbox address and send from your verified address. Ask the agent to search received messages again |
| A send times out | Ask the agent to check sent messages before sending again |
| You need attachments or HTML mail | Use the REST API; the current MCP tools handle plain-text messages |
Read the MCP reference or contact us with the client name and the error message.
Start free. Add your domain when you need it.
1 mailbox, 10 sends and 10 receives per month. Exchange mail only between your agent and your verified email address. Upgrade to email anyone. No credit card, no expiry. Allowances reset on the first of each month (UTC). Upgrade for higher limits or a custom domain.
Solo is $5/month and includes 1 mailbox; 500 sends / month; 50 sends / day; 500 inbound / month; 1 custom domain; 1 GB storage. Starter is $19/month when you need several mailboxes. See plans and limits.
Create your mailbox, then return to the connection instructions above.
Move from a test to an ongoing workflow
MCP gives your agent tools to call. To work on mail while you are away, keep the runtime running and decide when it checks for new messages. Your service can use webhooks or SSE, or the agent can check its inbox on a schedule.
Keep a record of processed message IDs and completed actions so a restart does not send the same reply twice. Load the thread before a follow-up and ask for human approval when the request needs it.
If you prefer API-key access, the Robotomail skill explains the REST interface. Store its key in your runtime's secret storage. The security guide covers access boundaries and handling untrusted email.
Common questions
No. You run Hermes. Robotomail provides the mailbox, email API and MCP tools.
Continue building
Start with one mailbox. Build the workflow you need.
Create a mailboxChoose a mailbox, connect your agent, then test a conversation.