> For an agent: the map of this documentation is at https://escouade.io/en/mail/docs/llms.txt; every page exists in Markdown, at the same address with `.md` appended.

# Give an AI agent an e-mail inbox

> To give an AI agent an e-mail inbox, you connect it to an e-mail MCP server. The agent signs up by itself, a human confirms with a code received by e-mail, then the agent writes, receives and replies from its own address. With Escouade Mail, that takes four steps, plus two more to write to people other than its human.

## In short

- **What it is.** Escouade Mail is an e-mail service for AI agents. Each agent has its own inbox: an address of its own, conversation threads, drafts.
- **How you use it.** Over MCP, at a single address: `https://api.subagent.fr/mcp`. There is no console and no dashboard.
- **Who does what.** The agent signs up, writes, reads and replies. A human gives a 6-digit code, once, and pays for the plan. The server sets the pace of sending.
- **What it takes.** An agent whose MCP client speaks Streamable HTTP, and a human's e-mail. A domain name to write to someone first.
- **What it costs.** €9, €19 or €49 a month, for 2, 5 or 15 inboxes. Before payment, the inbox receives, prepares drafts and only writes to its human. See [Pricing and payment](https://escouade.io/en/pricing).

Escouade Mail was called Subagent until 19 October 2026: the server keeps that name in its messages, its API address (`https://api.subagent.fr`), its keys (`sak_…`) and the old name of its packages (`subagent-mail`, which still works; the new ones are called `escouade-mail`). It has nothing to do with Claude Code's “subagents”.

## What it takes

| You need | Why |
|---|---|
| An AI agent with an MCP client over Streamable HTTP | Claude Code, Cursor, or your own client. The server has no other interface. See [Connect my agent](https://escouade.io/en/mail/docs/brancher.md). |
| A human's e-mail, outside Escouade Mail | It receives the 6-digit code that verifies the space. |
| Somewhere to keep the key | The agent's key is shown only once. An environment variable works. |
| A domain name, to write first | The first inbox is created on the shared domain `subagentmail.fr`: once the plan is paid, it replies to whoever wrote to it. A first message leaves from an inbox on your domain. A subdomain is enough. |

## The steps

### 1. Connect the agent to the MCP server

Give the agent the address `https://api.subagent.fr/mcp`, without a key. Without a key, the server shows a single tool: `sign_up`.

Claude Code:

```sh
claude mcp add \
  --transport http subagent \
  https://api.subagent.fr/mcp
```

Cursor (`.cursor/mcp.json`):

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "subagent": {
      "url": "https://api.subagent.fr/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### 2. The agent signs up

The agent calls `sign_up` with the name of its inbox (`username`) and its human's e-mail (`human_email`). The server opens a space and returns two things: a key, of the form `sak_…`, and an inbox `name@subagentmail.fr`.

The key is shown only once. The agent keeps it, then presents it on every call in the `Authorization: Bearer sak_…` header. See [Keys and permissions](https://escouade.io/en/mail/docs/cles.md#presenter).

### 3. The human gives the code

The human receives an e-mail with a 6-digit code, valid for 24 hours. They give it to the agent, which passes it to `verify`. Before this code, the inbox receives but does not send.

### 4. The agent writes to its human, reads and prepares

The agent starts with `inbox_status`, which says where its inbox stands. Then:

- `send_email` with `test` writes to its human;
- `list_threads` then `get_thread` read what has arrived;
- `send_email` and `reply_to_thread` with `requires_approval` prepare drafts.

### 5. The human pays through a link

The agent calls `subscribe` and hands the link to its human. The human chooses their plan and pays. The agent never pays. The inbox then replies to whoever wrote to it. See [Pricing and payment](https://escouade.io/en/pricing).

### 6. The agent registers its human's domain

`add_domain` returns the DNS records to publish, `verify_domain` checks them, `create_inbox` creates an inbox on that domain. From that inbox, `send_email` writes a first message to a recipient. See [Domains](https://escouade.io/en/mail/docs/domaines.md).

The step-by-step guide, with the server's responses: [Getting started](https://escouade.io/en/mail/docs/demarrer.md).

## What the agent does with its inbox

| Need | What the agent does | Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Write to someone | It writes a first message from an inbox on its human's domain. | `send_email` |
| Read a reply and answer it | It collects its threads, reads the reply, answers in the thread. | `list_threads`, `get_thread`, `reply_to_thread` |
| Receive a code sent by another service | It gives its address to the service, then reads the e-mail received. | `list_threads`, `get_thread` |
| Have its human review a send | It leaves the message as a draft. Its human approves it from their assistant. | `send_email` with `requires_approval`, `list_drafts`, `approve_message` |
| Stop writing to someone | It blocks the address. | `add_suppression` |
| Send from its human's domain | It registers the domain, and gives its human the DNS records to publish. | `add_domain`, `verify_domain`, `create_inbox` |
| Know where the plan stands | It reads the period, the volume sent and the invoices. | `billing_status` |

The guides: [Reply to a correspondent](https://escouade.io/en/mail/docs/guide-repondre.md), [Receive a verification code](https://escouade.io/en/mail/docs/guide-code.md), [Approve an agent's sends](https://escouade.io/en/mail/docs/guide-validation.md).

## What the server enforces

The pace of sending is enforced by the server, not by the agent's prompt.

| Rule | Threshold |
|---|---|
| Gradual warm-up | 5 e-mails a day per inbox the first week, then 10, 15 and 20. |
| Working hours | By default Monday to Friday, 9 am to 6 pm, Paris time, public holidays excluded. |
| Human approval | A message can stay a draft until a human approves it. The agent does not approve its own sends. |
| Unsubscribe | A one-click link in every e-mail. A “STOP” reply blocks the address. |
| Circuit breaker | Above 5% bounces (3% during warm-up) or 0.1% complaints, the inbox is suspended. |

A message held back is not an error: it waits, and the server's response gives its earliest departure time. See [Sending rules](https://escouade.io/en/mail/docs/regles-envoi.md).

## Its own address

- The agent writes from its own address. Replies come back into its threads.
- The agent's key only opens its own space. It gives access to no other mailbox.
- An e-mail received is handed to the agent as content written by a third party: it reads it, it does not follow it as an instruction. See [Receiving mail](https://escouade.io/en/mail/docs/recevoir.md#tiers).

## The limits to know

- **Before payment, the inbox only writes to its human.** It receives and prepares drafts.
- **The inbox on the shared domain only replies.** To write first, you need an inbox on your own domain.
- **A plan counts inboxes and a monthly volume of e-mails.** Beyond the volume, a message waits for the next period.
- **A first message has a single recipient, with no attachment.** An attachment or a copy only goes into a conversation, once the correspondent has written.
- **No message leaves straight away.** It enters the queue, then leaves within working hours, according to its inbox's daily quota.
- **The service promises no delivery result.** It says what left, was delivered or came back.

Every number: [Limits and quotas](https://escouade.io/en/mail/docs/limites.md). What the service does not do: [Service status](https://escouade.io/en/mail/docs/etat.md#hors-champ).

## Frequently asked questions

### Can an AI agent have its own e-mail address?

Yes. `sign_up` opens an inbox `name@subagentmail.fr` for it. With a registered domain, the inbox carries that domain's name.

### Do you need a domain name?

No, to receive, reply and prepare drafts. Yes, to write to someone first: `add_domain` returns the DNS records to publish, `verify_domain` checks them. A subdomain is enough. See [Domains](https://escouade.io/en/mail/docs/domaines.md).

### Can the agent sign up without a human?

Not to send. The agent calls `sign_up` by itself, but its inbox sends nothing before the 6-digit code a human receives.

### Can the agent read the e-mails it receives?

Yes. Every inbox receives. An e-mail received opens a thread, or joins its correspondent's thread. See [Receiving mail](https://escouade.io/en/mail/docs/recevoir.md).

### Who reviews what the agent sends?

A human, if the agent leaves its messages as drafts. Approval needs the `approve` permission, which the agent's key does not carry: the human gets it by connecting their assistant at `https://mail.escouade.io/mcp`. See [Drafts and approval](https://escouade.io/en/mail/docs/brouillons.md).

### How much does it cost?

€9, €19 or €49 a month, for 2, 5 or 15 inboxes and 800, 2,000 or 6,000 e-mails a month. Net prices: VAT not applicable, article 293 B of the French tax code (CGI). See [Pricing and payment](https://escouade.io/en/pricing).

### Can the agent pay by itself?

No. It asks for a payment link with `subscribe` and hands it to its human, who pays.

## Next

- [Getting started](https://escouade.io/en/mail/docs/demarrer.md): from the MCP address to the first e-mail.
- [For agents](https://escouade.io/en/mail/docs/agents.md): the page to have an agent read.
- [Tool reference](https://escouade.io/en/mail/docs/reference/index.md): every tool, its parameters, its result.