Content
# Instantly MCP Server (Python)
A lightweight, robust Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for the **Instantly.ai V2 API**, built with FastMCP.
<!-- mcp-name: io.github.instantly-ai/instantly-mcp -->
## Features
- **38 tools** across 6 categories (accounts, campaigns, leads, emails, analytics, background_jobs)
- **Dual transport support**: HTTP (remote deployment) + stdio (local)
- **Lazy loading**: Reduce context window by loading only specific tool categories
- **Multi-tenant support**: Per-request API keys for HTTP deployments
- **Comprehensive error handling**: Detailed, actionable error messages
- **Rate limiting**: Automatic tracking from API response headers
- **Dynamic timeouts**: Extended timeouts for search and bulk operations
## Quick Start
### Installation
```bash
# Clone or navigate to the repository
cd instantly-mcp-python
# Install with pip
pip install -e .
# Or install dependencies directly
pip install fastmcp httpx pydantic python-dotenv
```
### Configuration
Set your Instantly API key:
```bash
export INSTANTLY_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"
```
Or create a `.env` file:
```env
INSTANTLY_API_KEY=your-api-key-here
```
### Running the Server
#### HTTP Mode (Recommended for Remote Deployment)
```bash
# Using FastMCP CLI
fastmcp run src/instantly_mcp/server.py --transport http --port 8000
# Using Python directly
python -m instantly_mcp.server --transport http --port 8000
# Or with uvicorn for production
uvicorn instantly_mcp.server:mcp.app --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000
```
#### stdio Mode (Local Development)
```bash
# Using FastMCP CLI
fastmcp run src/instantly_mcp/server.py
# Using Python directly
python -m instantly_mcp.server
```
## Tool Categories
### Accounts (6 tools)
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `list_accounts` | List email accounts with filtering |
| `get_account` | Get account details and warmup status |
| `create_account` | Create account with IMAP/SMTP credentials |
| `update_account` | Update account settings |
| `manage_account_state` | Pause, resume, warmup control, test vitals |
| `delete_account` | ⚠️ Permanently delete account |
### Campaigns (8 tools)
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `create_campaign` | Create email campaign (two-step process) |
| `list_campaigns` | List campaigns with pagination |
| `get_campaign` | Get campaign details and sequences |
| `update_campaign` | Update campaign settings |
| `activate_campaign` | Start campaign sending |
| `pause_campaign` | Stop campaign sending |
| `delete_campaign` | ⚠️ Permanently delete campaign |
| `search_campaigns_by_contact` | Find campaigns a contact is enrolled in |
### Leads (12 tools)
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `list_leads` | List leads with filtering |
| `get_lead` | Get lead details |
| `create_lead` | Create single lead |
| `update_lead` | Update lead (⚠️ custom_variables replaces all) |
| `list_lead_lists` | List lead lists |
| `create_lead_list` | Create lead list |
| `update_lead_list` | Update lead list |
| `get_verification_stats_for_lead_list` | Get email verification stats |
| `add_leads_to_campaign_or_list_bulk` | Bulk add up to 1,000 leads |
| `delete_lead` | ⚠️ Permanently delete lead |
| `delete_lead_list` | ⚠️ Permanently delete lead list |
| `move_leads_to_campaign_or_list` | Move/copy leads between campaigns/lists |
### Emails (6 tools)
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `list_emails` | List emails with filtering |
| `get_email` | Get email details |
| `reply_to_email` | 🚨 Send real email reply |
| `count_unread_emails` | Count unread inbox emails |
| `verify_email` | Verify email deliverability |
| `mark_thread_as_read` | Mark email thread as read |
### Analytics (3 tools)
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `get_campaign_analytics` | Campaign metrics (opens, clicks, replies) |
| `get_daily_campaign_analytics` | Day-by-day performance |
| `get_warmup_analytics` | Account warmup metrics |
### Background Jobs (2 tools)
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `list_background_jobs` | List async background jobs with pagination |
| `get_background_job` | Get details of a specific background job |
## Lazy Loading (Context Window Optimization)
Reduce context window usage by loading only the categories you need:
```bash
# Load only accounts and campaigns (14 tools instead of 38)
export TOOL_CATEGORIES="accounts,campaigns"
# Load only leads and analytics
export TOOL_CATEGORIES="leads,analytics"
```
Valid categories: `accounts`, `campaigns`, `leads`, `emails`, `analytics`, `background_jobs`
## Authentication Methods
The server supports multiple authentication methods for flexibility:
### 1. URL-based Authentication
Include your API key directly in the URL path:
```
https://your-server.com/mcp/YOUR_API_KEY
```
### 2. Header Authentication
```
URL: https://your-server.com/mcp
Header: Authorization: YOUR_API_KEY
```
*Note: Bearer token prefix is optional*
### 3. Custom Header
```
URL: https://your-server.com/mcp
Header: x-instantly-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY
```
### 4. Environment Variable
```bash
export INSTANTLY_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"
```
## MCP Client Configuration
### Claude Desktop
Add to `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`:
#### stdio Mode (Local)
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"instantly": {
"command": "python",
"args": ["-m", "instantly_mcp.server"],
"env": {
"INSTANTLY_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
}
}
}
}
```
#### HTTP Mode with URL Auth (Recommended)
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"instantly": {
"url": "https://your-server.com/mcp/YOUR_API_KEY"
}
}
}
```
#### HTTP Mode with Header Auth
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"instantly": {
"url": "https://your-server.com/mcp",
"transport": "streamable-http",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "your-api-key-here"
}
}
}
}
```
### Cursor IDE
Add to `~/.cursor/mcp.json`:
#### With URL Authentication
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"instantly": {
"url": "https://your-server.com/mcp/YOUR_API_KEY"
}
}
}
```
#### With Header Authentication
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"instantly": {
"url": "https://your-server.com/mcp",
"transport": "streamable-http",
"headers": {
"x-instantly-api-key": "your-api-key-here"
}
}
}
}
```
## DigitalOcean App Platform Deployment
### App Spec
```yaml
name: instantly-mcp
services:
- name: instantly-mcp
source:
git:
branch: main
repo_clone_url: https://github.com/your-username/instantly-mcp-python.git
build_command: pip install -e .
run_command: python -m instantly_mcp.server --transport http --port 8080
http_port: 8080
instance_size_slug: basic-xxs
instance_count: 1
envs:
- key: INSTANTLY_API_KEY
scope: RUN_TIME
type: SECRET
- key: PORT
scope: RUN_TIME
value: "8080"
```
### Dockerfile (Alternative)
```dockerfile
FROM python:3.11-slim
WORKDIR /app
COPY pyproject.toml .
COPY src/ src/
RUN pip install -e .
EXPOSE 8000
CMD ["python", "-m", "instantly_mcp.server", "--transport", "http", "--host", "0.0.0.0", "--port", "8000"]
```
## Multi-Tenant HTTP Mode
For deployments serving multiple users, the server supports per-request API keys:
```bash
# Start server without default API key
python -m instantly_mcp.server --transport http --port 8000
# Clients provide API key via header
curl -X POST http://localhost:8000/mcp \
-H "x-instantly-api-key: user-specific-api-key" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"method": "tools/list"}'
```
## Error Handling
The server provides detailed, actionable error messages:
```json
{
"error": {
"code": "invalid_api_key",
"message": "Instantly API key is required. Provide via:\n - INSTANTLY_API_KEY environment variable\n - api_key parameter\n - x-instantly-api-key header (HTTP mode)"
}
}
```
## Rate Limiting
The server automatically tracks rate limits from API response headers:
```python
# Access via get_server_info tool
{
"rate_limit": {
"remaining": 95,
"limit": 100,
"reset_at": "2024-01-15T12:00:00"
}
}
```
## Project Structure
```
instantly-mcp-python/
├── src/
│ └── instantly_mcp/
│ ├── __init__.py # Package exports
│ ├── server.py # FastMCP server (~180 lines)
│ ├── client.py # API client (~200 lines)
│ ├── models/ # Pydantic models
│ │ ├── __init__.py
│ │ ├── common.py # Pagination
│ │ ├── accounts.py # Account models
│ │ ├── campaigns.py # Campaign models
│ │ ├── leads.py # Lead models
│ │ ├── emails.py # Email models
│ │ └── analytics.py # Analytics models
│ └── tools/ # Tool implementations
│ ├── __init__.py # Lazy loading logic
│ ├── accounts.py # 6 account tools
│ ├── campaigns.py # 8 campaign tools
│ ├── leads.py # 12 lead tools
│ ├── emails.py # 6 email tools
│ ├── analytics.py # 3 analytics tools
│ └── background_jobs.py # 2 background job tools
├── pyproject.toml # Dependencies
├── env.example # Environment template
└── README.md # This file
```
## Comparison with TypeScript Version
| Aspect | TypeScript | Python FastMCP |
|--------|------------|----------------|
| Lines of Code | ~5,000+ | ~1,500 |
| Tool Registration | Manual handlers | `@mcp.tool` decorator |
| Input Validation | Zod schemas | Pydantic (auto) |
| Error Messages | Manual | Auto from Pydantic |
| HTTP Server | Custom transport | Built-in |
| Context Window | Larger schemas | Smaller, cleaner |
## API Reference
For detailed API documentation, see: [Instantly V2 API Docs](https://developer.instantly.ai/api/v2)
## License
MIT License
## Contributing
Contributions welcome! Please open an issue or PR.
