ComparisonUpdated October 22, 2026

HEY vs Command Mail: full access or scoped agent permissions?

HEY lets an AI agent do anything in HEY that you can, through the HEY CLI, while its built-in MCP server saves new messages and replies only as drafts.[1][3][4] Command Mail grants an agent individual permissions, such as reading without sending, and sets per mailbox whether its actions take effect or wait as suggestions.[9] If HEY is already your email provider, the CLI and draft-only mode cover a lot; if you want several existing addresses behind fixed agent limits, Command Mail is the closer fit.

Command Mail is our product. Everything about HEY here comes from HEY's own pages, HEY Help and the basecamp/hey-cli repository as read on 2026-10-22; we have not tested HEY ourselves.[1][3]

Updated: Fact-checked: About 8 min readAs Markdown

Contents
  1. What this comparison covers
  2. HEY vs Command Mail at a glance
  3. Where HEY is strong
  4. Where HEY's agent access stops short
  5. How Command Mail sets limits
  6. A worked example: a daily Screener routine
  7. When HEY is the better choice
  8. When Command Mail fits
  9. Who Command Mail is not for
  10. How to switch or set up both
  11. Further reading
  12. Frequently asked questions
  13. Sources

01What this comparison covers

HEY is a full email service from 37signals, with its own address, a calendar and apps for web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android.[2] Command Mail is an inbox that receives your existing addresses by forwarding, built for an agent you bring yourself, such as Claude, ChatGPT or Codex.[9] Both now offer agent access. The useful question is how much the agent may do and who sets that boundary.

HEY's agents page is blunt about it: "Agents can do anything in HEY you can do. And more, actually."[1] That is a design choice, and it explains most of the differences below.

02HEY vs Command Mail at a glance

QuestionHEYCommand Mail
Price (checked 2026-10-22; HEY plus applicable tax, Command Mail incl. VAT)HEY for You $99/year; HEY for Domains $12 per user per month, first user $10[2]Free €0; Pro €19 or €29 per month; Team €39 per person[9][10]
Agent accessCLI with a skill for Claude Code and Codex; local MCP server via hey mcp[4]hosted MCP server with OAuth, CLI, local MCP, REST[9]
Agent's scopethrough the CLI, the same as yours, read and write[3]only the permissions you grant when connecting[9]
Agent sendingMCP: never, drafts only; CLI: yes, directly[4][5]directly only with mail:send from a mailbox on auto, with send key and daily limit; approved drafts with mail:send-approved, not from mailboxes on read[9]
How to limit ithey mcp --read-only, --domains, hey logout[3][4]permissions per connection, autonomy level per mailbox[9]
Other addressesforwarding in, sending over SMTP; no IMAP, no import[6][7][8]forwarding; up to ten mailboxes on Pro[9]

03Where HEY is strong

HEY has its own opinionated way of handling email. First-time senders wait in the Screener until you let them in, tracking pixels are blocked, and each account has 100 GB of storage and a calendar.[2] If that workflow suits you, mail and scheduling come from one provider with nothing to wire together.

The CLI is carefully engineered. Every data command can answer in JSON, hey commands --json describes the whole surface, and the MCP server does not retry a failed write on its own, which reduces the risk of duplicate delivery.[4] The command reference documents edge cases in detail, for example that an address HEY would silently drop is refused before anything is sent.[5] The code is MIT licensed, and version 1.10.0 shipped on 2026-10-21.[13][12]

The MCP server errs on the side of caution. hey mcp forces new messages and replies to drafts, refuses requests to send or schedule, and reports any unexpected answer as a possible send so you can check before retrying.[4] A person then sends the draft from HEY or with hey draft send. --read-only drops every write action, and --domains narrows the tools to areas like boxes and search.[4]

Setup takes minutes. One install command, a browser sign-in, and the wizard connects Claude Code and Codex if it finds them.[3]

04Where HEY's agent access stops short

HEY states the trade-off in its own help article. Your agent gets the same access you have: every message in every box, your calendar, todos and contacts, none of it walled off, and the agent can write as well as read.[3] The two ways HEY offers to draw a line are hey mcp --read-only and signing out with hey logout.[3]

The CLI has no permission levels. It sends with hey compose and hey reply, moves threads to Trash with hey trash, marks spam with hey spam, and hey screener clear moves everything waiting in the Screener to Trash.[5] The draft-only rule applies to the MCP path. An agent with a terminal, such as Claude Code or Codex with the bundled skill, can run the same commands on the same keychain-stored sign-in.[4]

Outside accounts only arrive from now on. HEY accepts mail forwarded from other accounts and can send as them over SMTP, but it does not support IMAP or POP and does not import existing mail from Gmail, Outlook or iCloud.[6][7][8] An agent working in HEY sees what arrived after forwarding started.

05How Command Mail sets limits

When you connect an agent to Command Mail, you choose its permissions. mail:read reads and sorts, mail:draft writes drafts and never sends, mail:send-approved sends exactly the draft revision a person approved, and mail:send sends without approval.[9] Each one can be switched off, and sending without approval starts switched off.

Each mailbox also has an autonomy level: read, suggest, rules or auto.[9] An agent sends directly only from a mailbox on auto, with a unique send key per message, a daily limit and at most 20 recipients. On suggest, archiving, for example, becomes a suggestion; on rules, active rules run automatically. On both levels, mail only goes out through approved drafts. Permanent deletion and emptying Trash or Spam need both read and send permissions and a mailbox on auto.[9]

Command Mail treats incoming email as untrusted data and flags suspected prompt injection. Agents do not write on their own to automated senders, mailing lists or no-reply addresses; detection relies on header signals and can miss a case.[9]

Command Mail has limits of its own. Read access is account-wide, so autonomy levels do not separate what an agent can read across mailboxes. On suggest, flags and labels apply immediately, and an agent with read access can create rules and activate them when the mailbox or account default is on rules or auto. After connecting, check which level each mailbox is on. The operator is FYN Labs LLC in the United States, and the app and database run on Cloudflare.[11]

06A worked example: a daily Screener routine

HEY's own agents page suggests a routine: once a day, let receipts, shipping notices and clearly personal mail through the Screener, and screen out sales pitches, scams and anything misleading.[1] Through the CLI the agent does this with hey screener approve and hey screener deny. Either can be reversed with the opposite command, while --spam also trains HEY's filter and is harder to undo.[5] If the agent runs these commands directly, each decision takes effect at once. HEY's sources describe no built-in suggestion step like Command Mail's, though you can tell the agent to read first and show you its sorting before acting.

In Command Mail the same job depends on the mailbox's autonomy level. On suggest, the agent files its sorting as suggestions that you accept or reject in a batch. On rules, active rules run automatically, and on auto the agent acts directly.[9] Which setup is right depends on how far you trust the agent after a few weeks. In Command Mail, the mailbox level decides whether its sorting takes effect, and you can raise it one mailbox at a time.

07When HEY is the better choice

HEY is the better choice if you want a new email provider and like its Screener, Imbox and Feed approach. You get an @hey.com address or your own domain, a calendar and native apps on every major platform; HEY for You is billed yearly and HEY for Domains monthly.[2]

It also suits you if the agent's job is mostly writing drafts. The MCP server blocks sending in code and is explicit about uncertain outcomes; if you only register that server and give the agent no shell, the line is clear.[4]

And if you live in the terminal yourself, the TUI gives you a fast mail and calendar client right in the terminal.[1]

08When Command Mail fits

Command Mail fits when several existing addresses from different providers should land in one place and your agent should work there with narrow permissions. A sorting agent can read but not send, a second agent can only draft, and one mailbox can run on auto while the others stay on suggest.[9]

It also fits if you would rather not install anything locally. The hosted MCP server signs in with OAuth, and Claude, ChatGPT and other clients connect directly to https://commandmail.app/mcp.[9]

09Who Command Mail is not for

If you are looking for a complete email provider with native apps, a calendar and a fresh address, HEY or a conventional provider is the better match. Command Mail does not replace your current account: forwarding is not sync, and anything the agent archives stays untouched in the original mailbox.[10]

The free plan does not send; sending starts with Pro.[9] If you have strict data residency requirements, read the operator and hosting details first.[11]

10How to switch or set up both

From HEY to Command Mail: in HEY, open Forwarding & Sending and forward email out to your Command Mail address. HEY then forwards all non-spam mail and bypasses the Screener for it.[6] Connect your agent to Command Mail and start with mail:read and mail:draft only.

From another provider to HEY: use Connect an Address under Forwarding & Sending to set up forwarding and SMTP sending, and enable forwarding at Gmail or iCloud.[6] Then install the CLI and, for a cautious start, register hey mcp --read-only before allowing drafts.[4]

Running both side by side works, but you end up with two inboxes. Decide where the agent should work so archives and replies do not drift apart.

11Further reading

You can start Command Mail for free and give your agent read access only at first.

Frequently asked questions

Does HEY have an MCP server?

Yes. Running hey mcp starts a local stdio MCP server signed in to your HEY account. It saves new messages and replies only as drafts and never sends; other write actions remain available. With --read-only it serves read actions only.

Can an AI agent send email through HEY?

Not through the MCP server, which saves drafts. Through the CLI it can: hey compose, hey reply and hey draft send deliver mail, and an agent with terminal access can run those commands with the same sign-in.

Can I keep my Gmail address with HEY or Command Mail?

With both, through forwarding. HEY accepts forwarded mail and can send as the outside address over SMTP, but it does not read IMAP or import old mail. Command Mail also receives by forwarding, and in neither case do changes flow back to the original mailbox.

How much does HEY cost compared with Command Mail?

HEY for You is $99 a year and HEY for Domains is $12 per user per month, with the first user at $10. Command Mail has a free plan that does not send; Pro is €19 a month for the first 100 paying accounts and €29 after that. HEY quotes prices plus applicable tax; Command Mail includes VAT.

Can I use HEY and Command Mail together?

Yes. HEY can forward email out to an external address, including a Command Mail address. You then have two inboxes with separate state, so archiving in one does not change the other.

Sources

  1. HEY: AI agents welcome (CLI and TUI) hey.com, accessed
  2. HEY: Two flavors, two prices hey.com, accessed
  3. HEY Help: Using AI agents with HEY help.hey.com, accessed
  4. hey-cli: Coding agents and MCP github.com, accessed
  5. hey-cli: command reference github.com, accessed
  6. HEY Help: Forwarding help.hey.com, accessed
  7. HEY Help: Can I use HEY to check my other email accounts? help.hey.com, accessed
  8. HEY Help: Can I import my Gmail, Outlook, Apple email into HEY? help.hey.com, accessed
  9. Command Mail: llms.txt (pricing, permissions, connection) commandmail.app, accessed
  10. Command Mail: documentation commandmail.app, accessed
  11. Command Mail: privacy, operator and hosting commandmail.app, accessed
  12. hey-cli: releases github.com, accessed
  13. basecamp/hey-cli: repository and license github.com, accessed
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