MailAtlas Docs

MailAtlas turns email into reusable application data, including cleaned text, HTML, inline images, and regular file attachments. Pick the path based on where the email lives and what you need to do next.

Start with files Quickstart from .eml files

Run the shipped fixtures, inspect one stored document, and export JSON from a local workspace.

Live mailbox Manual IMAP sync

Connect to a live mailbox, fetch selected folders, and rerun incrementally with stored cursors.

Command line CLI overview

See the core commands for ingest, sync, inspect, and export.

Embed it Python API

Use parse-only or storage-backed workflows inside your own application code.

Inspect outputs Document schema

Understand the normalized record shape, stored fields, and attachment or inline-asset references.

Decide if it fits When to use MailAtlas

See where MailAtlas fits well and where you should choose a different product category.

Pick the right input path

• ingest eml: use when you already have one or more .eml message files on disk.
• ingest mbox: use when you have one mbox mailbox file on disk.
• sync imap: use when MailAtlas should connect to a live mailbox and fetch selected folders incrementally.

An mbox file is a mailbox file on disk. It is not the same thing as IMAP sync. If the messages are still in a live inbox and you want MailAtlas to read them directly, use sync imap.

Know the terms

.eml

A single email message file on disk.

mbox

A mailbox file on disk that can contain many messages.

sync imap

The live-mailbox path for fetching selected folders over IMAP.

workspace

The directory that holds raw email, HTML snapshots, inline images, attachments, and exports.

document

The normalized MailAtlas record you can inspect, search, and export later.

export

A derived JSON, Markdown, HTML, or PDF artifact written from a stored document.

If you want copy-paste examples next, use Ingest .eml files or Ingest an mbox mailbox file.