Links
Quick Start
1. Prerequisites
- Node.js 20 or higher (required - the MCP server specifies
engines: { "node": ">=20" })
- Resend account (free tier available at https://resend.com)
- GitHub Copilot Pro or Cursor with Agent mode enabled
- VS Code Insider (required for full MCP support)
- npm or pnpm package manager
2. Clone and Build Resend MCP Server
git clone https://github.com/resend/mcp-send-email.git
cd mcp-send-email
npm install
npm run build
The build process:
- Compiles TypeScript to JavaScript
- Sets executable permissions on the built script (Unix/macOS)
- Creates the MCP server executable at
build/index.js
3. Create Resend API Key
- Visit https://resend.com/api-keys
- Create a new API key
- Copy the key to your clipboard (you'll need it for configuration)
4. (Optional) Verify Your Domain
To send emails from a custom domain:
- Go to https://resend.com/domains
- Add and verify your domain
- Update MCP configuration with
--sender flag (see Configuration section)
5. Configure MCP for Your Client
Choose your setup based on your GitHub Copilot tier:
For GitHub Copilot Coding Agent (Repository-level setup):
This is the recommended approach for team collaboration. Repository admins configure MCP servers at the repository level.
- Navigate to your repository on GitHub.com
- Go to Settings → Copilot → Coding agent
- Add the following JSON configuration:
{
"mcpServers": {
"resend": {
"type": "local",
"command": "node",
"args": ["/absolute/path/to/mcp-send-email/build/index.js"],
"env": {
"RESEND_API_KEY": "COPILOT_MCP_RESEND_API_KEY"
},
"tools": ["*"]
}
}
}
-
Set up the Copilot environment:
- Go to Settings → Environments
- Create new environment called
copilot
- Add secret:
COPILOT_MCP_RESEND_API_KEY with your API key value
-
Click Save and Copilot will validate the configuration
For VS Code Local Development (Developer setup):
If you're developing locally or prefer VS Code configuration:
- Create
.vscode/mcp.json in your project root:
{
"servers": {
"resend": {
"type": "command",
"command": "node",
"args": ["/absolute/path/to/mcp-send-email/build/index.js"],
"env": {
"RESEND_API_KEY": "re_xxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
}
}
}
}
- Get the absolute path to
build/index.js:
- Right-click
build/index.js in VS Code → Copy Path
For Cursor Agent Mode:
Open Cursor Settings (Cmd+Shift+P → "Cursor Settings") and add to MCP config:
{
"mcpServers": {
"resend": {
"type": "command",
"command": "node /absolute/path/to/mcp-send-email/build/index.js --key=re_xxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
}
}
}
For Claude Desktop:
- Open Claude Desktop settings
- Go to Developer tab → Edit Config
- Add configuration:
{
"mcpServers": {
"resend": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/absolute/path/to/mcp-send-email/build/index.js"],
"env": {
"RESEND_API_KEY": "re_xxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
"SENDER_EMAIL_ADDRESS": "[email protected]",
"REPLY_TO_EMAIL_ADDRESS": "[email protected]"
}
}
}
}
6. Test the Connection Using email.md Pattern
The official Resend repository includes a test pattern using an email.md file:
-
Create email.md in your project:
to: [email protected]
subject: Test from Resend MCP
content: This is a test email.
Hello! This is a test email sent via Resend MCP.
# You can also test CC and BCC:
# cc: [email protected]
# bcc: [email protected]
-
In Cursor (with Agent mode):
- Open the
email.md file
- Select all text (
Cmd+A / Ctrl+A)
- Press
Cmd+L / Ctrl+L (or use the context menu)
- Tell Cursor: "send this as an email" or "send this email using resend MCP"
- Make sure you're in Agent mode (toggle in chat dropdown)
-
In Claude Desktop:
- Paste the email.md content in the chat
- Ask Claude to send it: "Send this email using the resend tool"
-
In GitHub Copilot:
- Open email.md file
- Reference it in the chat: "@email.md send this email using resend"
If configured correctly, the email will be sent immediately and you'll receive confirmation.
Key Concepts
MCP Configuration Types
There are two main ways to configure Resend MCP with GitHub Copilot:
1. GitHub Copilot Coding Agent (Repository-level)
- Configuration in GitHub repository settings (Repository admin required)
- Used when assigning Copilot tasks to work on GitHub issues
- Requires explicit
tools array specifying which tools Copilot can use
- API keys stored as GitHub Actions secrets (prefixed with
COPILOT_MCP_)
- Autonomous execution without approval (security considerations apply)
2. VS Code Local Development
- Configuration in
.vscode/mcp.json (local developer setup)
- Used for local development with VS Code Insider
- API keys stored directly in config or environment variables
- Better for individual developers or testing
Resend MCP Server
The Resend MCP Server is a local Node.js application that exposes Resend's email functionality as tools for LLMs. It implements the Model Context Protocol, allowing AI agents to:
- Send emails via natural language commands (plain text or HTML)
- Schedule emails for future delivery
- Add recipients (To, CC, BCC)
- Configure sender information (From, Reply-To)
- Broadcast emails to audience segments
- Manage audiences - List Resend audiences for targeted sending
- Support HTML and plain text email bodies
Recent additions (as of early 2026):
- Broadcast and audience management tools for marketing campaigns
- Better error handling and validation via Zod schemas
MCP Configuration Methods
There are three ways to run the Resend MCP server:
- Command-type (VS Code/Cursor): Direct Node.js execution with inline arguments
- Stdio-type (Claude Desktop): Server handles I/O through environment variables
- HTTP-type (Remote/Cloud): Server exposed via HTTP endpoint
GitHub Copilot Coding Agent Specifics
For GitHub Copilot Coding Agent (repository-based setup):
-
Required tools array: Must specify which tools from the Resend MCP server Copilot can use
- Use
"tools": ["send_email", "schedule_email", ...] to allowlist specific tools
- Use
"tools": ["*"] to enable all tools
- Use case-specific tool names from the MCP server documentation
-
No approval required: Once configured, Copilot will use these tools autonomously without asking
-
Security consideration: Copilot will have automated access to the Resend API via the configured tools, so only enable the tools you need
-
Environment variable handling: API keys must be stored as GitHub Actions secrets with COPILOT_MCP_ prefix
- Reference them in config as
"COPILOT_MCP_RESEND_API_KEY" (without the value)
- GitHub automatically passes the secret value to the MCP server
Authentication
Resend MCP server requires:
- RESEND_API_KEY (required): Your Resend API key from https://resend.com/api-keys
- SENDER_EMAIL_ADDRESS (optional): Verified domain email. If not set, AI will prompt for it
- REPLY_TO_EMAIL_ADDRESS (optional): Email address for reply-to header
Verified Domains
By default, Resend allows sending to your own account email using the test domain [email protected]. To send to other addresses:
- For testing: Use the default
[email protected] sender (no verification needed)
- For custom domains: Verify your domain at https://resend.com/domains
- Create a sender email from your verified domain
- Configure it in MCP environment variables (
SENDER_EMAIL_ADDRESS)
Note: If you don't provide a SENDER_EMAIL_ADDRESS, the MCP server will prompt you each time you send an email.
Code Examples
Example 1: Simple Email via Copilot Chat
In VS Code Insider with GitHub Copilot Agent mode:
@workspace I need to send a notification email to [email protected] about the project completion. Use the resend MCP tool to send "Project ABC is now live" as the email body.
Example 2: HTML Email with Custom Configuration
Send an HTML email to [email protected] with subject "Monthly Report" and body formatted as an HTML table showing Q1 metrics. Use Resend MCP to send it.
Example 3: Email with CC/BCC
Send an email from [email protected] to [email protected] CC'ing [email protected] about account activation. Use Resend MCP.
Example 4: Scheduled Email
Schedule an email to be sent tomorrow at 9 AM using Resend MCP, reminding the team about the standup meeting.
Example 5: Integration with Data Processing
Read the CSV file users.csv, extract the top 10 active users with their emails, and send each a personalized thank you email using Resend MCP. Include their usage statistics in the email.
Advanced Features
Broadcast Emails
Send emails to audience segments in your Resend account:
Send a broadcast email to my 'premium_users' audience with subject 'New Feature Release' using Resend MCP
Audience Management
Query and work with audiences:
List all my audiences in Resend using the MCP tool
Best Practices
GitHub Copilot Coding Agent Security
Important: When configuring Resend MCP for GitHub Copilot Coding Agent:
-
Tool allowlisting - Only enable the specific tools Copilot needs:
"tools": ["send_email", "schedule_email"]
Instead of enabling all tools with "*"
-
Secret management - Never commit API keys to version control
- Store API keys as GitHub Actions secrets (Settings → Environments)
- Secret names must start with
COPILOT_MCP_
- Reference secrets by name in the configuration
-
Scope your API key - Consider using a restricted Resend API key if available
-
Review Copilot's actions - Check pull requests created by Copilot to verify emails would be sent appropriately
-
Environment isolation - Use the copilot environment to manage which repositories/workflows have access to your email sending capability
Configuration Management
-
Use .env.local for development:
RESEND_API_KEY=re_test_xxx
SENDER_EMAIL_ADDRESS=[email protected]
-
Separate configs per environment:
- Development: Test API key, limited recipients
- Production: Full API key, all recipients allowed
-
Document required env vars in README.md:
## Environment Variables
- RESEND_API_KEY: Resend API key (required)
- SENDER_EMAIL_ADDRESS: Ver
