
Zero
Open-source, self-hostable email app that connects Gmail and other providers, with AI agent features.
- Stars
- 10.9k
- Forks
- 1.3k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- TypeScript
- Last update
- 10 days ago
- Type
- App
What it is
Zero is an open-source email app that you can run on your own server instead of relying only on a hosted service. It can connect to Gmail and other email providers so you can read mail from several accounts in one inbox. The project says it adds AI agents and language models to help with email, and that it does not track or sell user data, though data sent through connected providers falls under their own policies.
- Run a local copy of the email web app on your own machine for testing
- Connect a Gmail account through Google OAuth and read threads in one interface
- Explore AI-assisted email features built into the project
- Adapt the Next.js and TypeScript code for your own email workflows
Great for
- Developers who want to self-host an email client and modify it
- Privacy-minded users willing to set up their own server
- Teams experimenting with AI features on top of email
- People who want a single inbox across Gmail and other providers
Not ideal for
- Non-technical users who want a ready-to-use mail service, since setup needs Node.js, pnpm, Docker, a database and Google Cloud credentials
- Anyone needing a proven production email system, since the latest release is v0.1 and the README does not describe maturity or support levels
How to get it
- 1
Clone and build from source
You'll need: Node.js v18 or higher · pnpm v10 or higher · Docker v20 or higher
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/Mail-0/Zero.gitInstall dependencies
pnpm installStart the local database
pnpm docker:db:upStart the app
pnpm dev - 2
Run it
- Clone the repo and run pnpm install
- Start the local PostgreSQL database with pnpm docker:db:up
- Set up environment variables with pnpm nizzy env and initialize tables with pnpm db:push
- Run pnpm dev and open http://localhost:3000 in your browser
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Set up Google OAuth and enable the Gmail and People APIs to connect a Gmail account
- Use the documented database commands (db:studio, db:generate, db:migrate) to inspect and manage data
- Review the Sync section's THREAD_SYNC_MAX_COUNT and THREAD_SYNC_LOOP variables when tuning sync behavior
- Read the contributing guide if you plan to extend the app
Downloads
Strengths
- Open source under the MIT license, so the code can be inspected and reused
- Built on widely used tools such as Next.js, React, TypeScript and PostgreSQL
- Clear README setup steps with a video tutorial and a devcontainer option
Trade-offs
- Setup is multi-step and requires several external accounts and services (Google Cloud, Autumn, Twilio for SMS)
- The README is truncated and does not fully document features or production deployment
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zero (this) | 10.9k | App | intermediate | 10 days ago | Developers who want to self-host an email client and modify it |
| web-check | 35.3k | App | intermediate | 4 days ago | Developers checking how a site is configured |
| quivr | 39.6k | Framework | advanced | 4 days ago | Developers building a search or monitoring pipeline over a stream of documents |
| macOS-Security-and-Privacy-Guide | 22.6k | Learning resource | intermediate | 4 days ago | Mac owners who want a checklist of security and privacy settings to work through |
| RemoveWindowsAI | 13.6k | Dev tool | beginner | 7 days ago | Windows 11 users who want Copilot and Recall removed |
| user.js | 13k | Dev tool | intermediate | 6 days ago | Desktop Firefox users who want stronger privacy defaults |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.