diff --git a/src/apps/officer-web/Screens/Dashboard/Email/EmailList.tsx b/src/apps/officer-web/Screens/Dashboard/Email/EmailList.tsx
index 3b92cede..8703fa1b 100644
--- a/src/apps/officer-web/Screens/Dashboard/Email/EmailList.tsx
+++ b/src/apps/officer-web/Screens/Dashboard/Email/EmailList.tsx
@@ -68,6 +68,26 @@ export const EmailList = () => {
     }
   }, [folder, data?.total, allCount]);
 
+  // Live updates: while /email is open, listen for new-mail pushes (IMAP IDLE → SSE) and refetch.
+  // The EventSource closes automatically when this component unmounts (i.e. when you leave /email).
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const token = localStorage.getItem('BEARER_TOKEN');
+    if (!token) return;
+    const es = new EventSource(`/api/email/events?token=${encodeURIComponent(token)}`);
+    es.onmessage = (ev) => {
+      try {
+        if ((JSON.parse(ev.data) as { type?: string }).type === 'new-mail') {
+          queryClient.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: ['email-messages'] });
+          queryClient.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: ['email-messages-all-count'] });
+          queryClient.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: ['email-accounts'] });
+        }
+      } catch {
+        /* ignore non-JSON keepalives */
+      }
+    };
+    return () => es.close();
+  }, [queryClient]);
+
   const handleFolderChange = (newFolder: string) => {
     setFolder(newFolder);
     setPage(1);
diff --git a/src/server.tsx b/src/server.tsx
index e9ea1862..2a43455d 100644
--- a/src/server.tsx
+++ b/src/server.tsx
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import { findEntryByProxyId, touchEntry } from './servers/api/dev-server/router'
 import officerWeb from './apps/officer-web/index.html';
 import { startBrowserRelay } from './servers/api/browser/relay';
 import { registerSidecar, unregisterSidecar, handleSidecarMessage } from './servers/sidecar-registry';
+import { broadcastEmailNew } from './servers/api/email/email';
 import type { SidecarRegistration } from './servers/sidecar/registration-protocol';
 import { toShellUsername } from './servers/data-path';
 
@@ -71,6 +72,12 @@ const sidecarWebsocket = {
         return;
       }
 
+      // Email IDLE watcher reporting new mail → push to that user's /email SSE clients.
+      if (msg.type === 'email:new' && typeof msg.userEmail === 'string') {
+        broadcastEmailNew(msg.userEmail);
+        return;
+      }
+
       const id = sidecarConnections.get(ws);
       if (id) {
         handleSidecarMessage(id, msg);
diff --git a/src/servers/api/email/email.ts b/src/servers/api/email/email.ts
index 9ab1d122..b32f11bc 100644
--- a/src/servers/api/email/email.ts
+++ b/src/servers/api/email/email.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,60 @@ export const emailRouter = createRouter();
 
 emailRouter.route('/accounts', accountsRouter);
 
+// ── Real-time: per-user SSE stream of email events (fed by the IMAP IDLE watcher) ──
+const emailSseClients = new Map<string, Set<ReadableStreamDefaultController<Uint8Array>>>();
+
+// Called from the sidecar-message handler when the IDLE watcher saves new mail for a user.
+export function broadcastEmailNew(userEmail: string): void {
+  const set = emailSseClients.get(userEmail);
+  if (!set || set.size === 0) return;
+  const payload = new TextEncoder().encode(`data: ${JSON.stringify({ type: 'new-mail' })}\n\n`);
+  for (const ctrl of set) {
+    try {
+      ctrl.enqueue(payload);
+    } catch {
+      /* dead controller — cleaned up on cancel */
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+// EventSource endpoint (auth via ?token= handled by userMiddleware). The frontend opens this only
+// while on /email, so events stop the moment you navigate away.
+emailRouter.get('/events', (ctx) => {
+  const email = ctx.get('user').email;
+  const enc = new TextEncoder();
+  let controllerRef: ReadableStreamDefaultController<Uint8Array>;
+  let ping: ReturnType<typeof setInterval>;
+  const stream = new ReadableStream<Uint8Array>({
+    start(controller) {
+      controllerRef = controller;
+      let set = emailSseClients.get(email);
+      if (!set) {
+        set = new Set();
+        emailSseClients.set(email, set);
+      }
+      set.add(controller);
+      controller.enqueue(enc.encode('retry: 3000\n\n'));
+      ping = setInterval(() => {
+        try {
+          controller.enqueue(enc.encode(': ping\n\n'));
+        } catch {
+          /* closed */
+        }
+      }, 25_000);
+    },
+    cancel() {
+      clearInterval(ping);
+      const set = emailSseClients.get(email);
+      set?.delete(controllerRef);
+      if (set && set.size === 0) emailSseClients.delete(email);
+    },
+  });
+  return new Response(stream, {
+    headers: { 'Content-Type': 'text/event-stream', 'Cache-Control': 'no-cache', Connection: 'keep-alive' },
+  });
+});
+
 emailRouter.get('/messages', async (ctx) => {
   const email = ctx.get('user').email;
   const page = Number(ctx.req.query('page') ?? '1');
diff --git a/src/servers/sidecar/email/email-idle.ts b/src/servers/sidecar/email/email-idle.ts
index 8103305d..d2438879 100644
--- a/src/servers/sidecar/email/email-idle.ts
+++ b/src/servers/sidecar/email/email-idle.ts
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ const RECONCILE_MS = 5 * 60_000;
 
 const watchers = new Map<number, Watcher>();
 let reconcileTimer: ReturnType<typeof setInterval> | null = null;
+let notifyNewMail: ((userEmail: string) => void) | null = null;
 
 async function resolveAuth(account: Account): Promise<{ user: string; pass?: string; accessToken?: string } | null> {
   if (account.authType === 'oauth') {
@@ -46,7 +47,10 @@ async function runSync(w: Watcher): Promise<void> {
     const user = await getUserById(w.account.userId);
     if (!user) return;
     const result = await performResync({ accountId: w.account.id, userEmail: user.email, userId: user.id });
-    if (result.saved > 0) console.log(`[email-idle] ${w.account.email}: ${result.saved} new`);
+    if (result.saved > 0) {
+      console.log(`[email-idle] ${w.account.email}: ${result.saved} new`);
+      notifyNewMail?.(user.email);
+    }
   } catch (err) {
     console.error(`[email-idle] sync failed for ${w.account.email}:`, err instanceof Error ? err.message : err);
   } finally {
@@ -141,8 +145,9 @@ async function reconcile(): Promise<void> {
   }
 }
 
-export function initEmailIdle(): void {
+export function initEmailIdle(onNewMail?: (userEmail: string) => void): void {
   if (reconcileTimer) return;
+  notifyNewMail = onNewMail ?? null;
   console.log('[email-idle] starting IMAP IDLE watchers');
   setTimeout(() => void reconcile(), 5_000);
   reconcileTimer = setInterval(() => void reconcile(), RECONCILE_MS);
diff --git a/src/servers/sidecar/email/index.ts b/src/servers/sidecar/email/index.ts
index cbd01f09..ef40d73a 100644
--- a/src/servers/sidecar/email/index.ts
+++ b/src/servers/sidecar/email/index.ts
@@ -85,8 +85,9 @@ const connection = createSidecarConnector({
   onConnected() {
     // Start email cron once connected (so queue commands can reach API server)
     initEmailCron();
-    // Real-time push via IMAP IDLE; the cron above is the slow backstop.
-    initEmailIdle();
+    // Real-time push via IMAP IDLE; the cron above is the slow backstop. On new mail, tell the API
+    // server so it can push an SSE event to that user's open /email page.
+    initEmailIdle((userEmail) => connection.send({ type: 'email:new', userEmail }));
   },
 });
 
diff --git a/src/servers/sidecar/protocol.ts b/src/servers/sidecar/protocol.ts
index 96e1e80b..95f039cf 100644
--- a/src/servers/sidecar/protocol.ts
+++ b/src/servers/sidecar/protocol.ts
@@ -50,6 +50,8 @@ export type SidecarEvent =
   | { type: 'vnc:stopped'; id: string }
   | { type: 'vnc:status'; id: string; session: VncSessionInfo | null }
   | { type: 'vnc:error'; id: string; error: string }
+  // Email
+  | { type: 'email:new'; userEmail: string }
   // Generic
   | { type: 'error'; id?: string; error: string };