diff --git a/modoboa/lib/exceptions.py b/modoboa/lib/exceptions.py
index 82c1135f0..aa2bb26c4 100644
--- a/modoboa/lib/exceptions.py
+++ b/modoboa/lib/exceptions.py
@@ -66,3 +66,12 @@ class PermDeniedException(ModoboaException):
         if self.msg:
             return _("Permission denied: %s" % self.msg)
         return _("Permission denied")
+
+
+class ImapError(ModoboaException):
+
+    def __init__(self, reason):
+        self.reason = reason
+
+    def __str__(self):
+        return str(self.reason)
diff --git a/modoboa/lib/imaputils.py b/modoboa/lib/imaputils.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..14e19bd63
--- /dev/null
+++ b/modoboa/lib/imaputils.py
@@ -0,0 +1,302 @@
+# coding: utf-8
+"""
+:mod:`imaputils` --- Extra IMAPv4 utilities
+-------------------------------------------
+"""
+import imaplib
+import re
+import ssl
+from functools import wraps
+
+from django.utils.translation import ugettext as _
+
+from modoboa.lib import parameters, imap_utf7  # NOQA
+from modoboa.lib.connections import ConnectionsManager
+from modoboa.lib.exceptions import InternalError
+
+from .exceptions import ImapError
+
+# imaplib.Debug = 4
+
+
+class capability(object):
+
+    """
+    Simple decorator to check if the server presents the required
+    capability. If not, a fallback method is called instead.
+
+    :param name: the capability name (upper case)
+    :param fallback_method: a method's name
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, name, fallback_method):
+        self.name = name
+        self.fallback_method = fallback_method
+
+    def __call__(self, method):
+        @wraps(method)
+        def wrapped_func(cls, *args, **kwargs):
+            if self.name in cls.capabilities:
+                return method(cls, *args, **kwargs)
+            return getattr(cls, self.fallback_method)(cls, **kwargs)
+
+        return wrapped_func
+
+
+class IMAPconnector(object):
+
+    """The IMAPv4 connector."""
+
+    __metaclass__ = ConnectionsManager
+
+    list_base_pattern = (
+        r'\((?P<flags>.*?)\) "(?P<delimiter>.*)" "?(?P<name>[^"]*)"?'
+    )
+    list_response_pattern_literal = re.compile(
+        r'\((?P<flags>.*?)\) "(?P<delimiter>.*)" \{(?P<namelen>\d+)\}')
+    list_response_pattern = re.compile(list_base_pattern)
+    listextended_response_pattern = \
+        re.compile(list_base_pattern + r'\s*(?P<childinfo>.*)')
+
+    def __init__(self, user=None, password=None):
+        self.__hdelimiter = None
+        self.address = parameters.get_admin("IMAP_SERVER", "core")
+        self.port = int(parameters.get_admin("IMAP_PORT", "core"))
+        self.login(user, password)
+
+    def _cmd(self, name, *args, **kwargs):
+        """IMAP command wrapper
+
+        To simplify errors handling, this wrapper calls the
+        appropriate method (``uid`` or FIXME) and then check the
+        return code. If an error has occured, an ``ImapError``
+        exception is raised.
+
+        For specific commands commands (FETCH, ...), the result is
+        parsed using the IMAPclient module before being returned.
+
+        :param name: the command's name
+        :return: the command's result
+        """
+        if name in ['FETCH', 'SORT', 'STORE', 'COPY', 'SEARCH']:
+            try:
+                typ, data = self.m.uid(name, *args)
+            except imaplib.IMAP4.error as e:
+                raise ImapError(e)
+            if typ == "NO":
+                raise ImapError(data)
+            return data
+
+        try:
+            typ, data = self.m._simple_command(name, *args)
+        except imaplib.IMAP4.error as e:
+            raise ImapError(e)
+        if typ == "NO":
+            raise ImapError(data)
+        if 'responses' not in kwargs:
+            if name not in self.m.untagged_responses:
+                return None
+            return self.m.untagged_responses.pop(name)
+        res = []
+        for r in kwargs['responses']:
+            if r not in self.m.untagged_responses:
+                return None
+            res.append(self.m.untagged_responses.pop(r))
+        return res
+
+    @property
+    def hdelimiter(self):
+        """Return the default hierachy delimiter.
+
+        This is a simple way to retrieve the default delimiter (see
+        http://www.imapwiki.org/ClientImplementation/MailboxList).
+
+        :return: a string
+        """
+        if self.__hdelimiter is None:
+            data = self._cmd("LIST", "", "")
+            m = self.list_response_pattern.match(data[0])
+            if m is None:
+                raise InternalError(_("Failed to retrieve hierarchy delimiter"))
+            self.__hdelimiter = m.group('delimiter')
+        return self.__hdelimiter
+
+    def refresh(self, user, password):
+        """Check if current connection needs a refresh
+
+        Is it really secure?
+        """
+        if self.m is not None:
+            try:
+                self._cmd("NOOP")
+            except ImapError:
+                if hasattr(self, "current_mailbox"):
+                    del self.current_mailbox
+            else:
+                return
+
+        self.login(user, password)
+
+    def login(self, user, passwd):
+        """Custom login method
+
+        We connect to the server, issue a LOGIN command. If
+        successfull, we try to record a eventuel CAPABILITY untagged
+        response. Otherwise, we issue the command.
+
+        :param user: username
+        :param passwd: password
+        """
+        import socket
+
+        if isinstance(user, unicode):
+            user = user.encode("utf-8")
+        if isinstance(passwd, unicode):
+            passwd = passwd.encode("utf-8")
+        try:
+            secured = parameters.get_admin("IMAP_SECURED", "core")
+            if secured == "yes":
+                self.m = imaplib.IMAP4_SSL(self.address, self.port)
+            else:
+                self.m = imaplib.IMAP4(self.address, self.port)
+        except (socket.error, imaplib.IMAP4.error, ssl.SSLError) as error:
+            raise ImapError(_("Connection to IMAP server failed: %s" % error))
+
+        data = self._cmd("LOGIN", user, passwd)
+        self.m.state = "AUTH"
+        if "CAPABILITY" in self.m.untagged_responses:
+            self.capabilities = \
+                self.m.untagged_responses.pop('CAPABILITY')[0].split()
+        else:
+            data = self._cmd("CAPABILITY")
+            self.capabilities = data[0].split()
+
+    def logout(self):
+        """Logout from server."""
+        try:
+            self._cmd("CHECK")
+        except ImapError:
+            pass
+        self._cmd("LOGOUT")
+        del self.m
+        self.m = None
+        if hasattr(self, "current_mailbox"):
+            del self.current_mailbox
+
+    def _listmboxes_simple(self, topmailbox='INBOX', mailboxes=None, **kwargs):
+        # data = self._cmd("LIST", "", "*")
+        if not mailboxes:
+            mailboxes = []
+        (status, data) = self.m.list()
+        newmboxes = []
+        for mb in data:
+            flags, delimiter, name = self.list_response_pattern.match(
+                mb).groups()
+            name = name.strip('"').decode("imap4-utf-7")
+            mdm_found = False
+            for idx, mdm in enumerate(mailboxes):
+                if mdm["name"] == name:
+                    mdm_found = True
+                    descr = mailboxes[idx]
+                    break
+            if not mdm_found:
+                descr = dict(name=name)
+                newmboxes += [descr]
+
+            if re.search("\%s" % delimiter, name):
+                parts = name.split(delimiter)
+                if "path" not in descr:
+                    descr["path"] = parts[0]
+                    descr["sub"] = []
+                if self._parse_mailbox_name(descr["sub"], parts[0], delimiter,
+                                            parts[1:]):
+                    descr["class"] = "subfolders"
+                continue
+
+        from operator import itemgetter
+        mailboxes += sorted(newmboxes, key=itemgetter("name"))
+
+    @capability('LIST-EXTENDED', '_listmboxes_simple')
+    def _listmboxes(self, topmailbox, mailboxes):
+        """Retrieve mailboxes list."""
+        pattern = (
+            "{0}{1}%".format(topmailbox.encode("imap4-utf-7"), self.hdelimiter)
+            if topmailbox else "%"
+        )
+        resp = self._cmd("LIST", "", pattern, "RETURN", "(CHILDREN)")
+        newmboxes = []
+        for mb in resp:
+            if not mb:
+                continue
+            if type(mb) in [str, unicode]:
+                flags, delimiter, name, childinfo = \
+                    self.listextended_response_pattern.match(mb).groups()
+            else:
+                flags, delimiter, namelen = (
+                    self.list_response_pattern_literal.match(mb[0]).groups()
+                )
+                name = mb[1][0:int(namelen)]
+            flags = flags.split(' ')
+            name = name.decode("imap4-utf-7")
+            mdm_found = False
+            for idx, mdm in enumerate(mailboxes):
+                if mdm["name"] == name:
+                    mdm_found = True
+                    descr = mailboxes[idx]
+                    break
+            if not mdm_found:
+                descr = dict(name=name)
+                newmboxes += [descr]
+
+            if r'\Marked' in flags or r'\UnMarked' not in flags:
+                descr["send_status"] = True
+            if r'\HasChildren' in flags:
+                if r'\NonExistent' in flags:
+                    descr["removed"] = True
+                descr["path"] = name
+                descr["sub"] = []
+
+        from operator import itemgetter
+        mailboxes += sorted(newmboxes, key=itemgetter("name"))
+
+    def getmboxes(self, user, topmailbox=""):
+        """Returns a list of mailboxes for a particular user
+
+        By default, only the first level of mailboxes under
+        ``topmailbox`` is returned.
+
+        :param user: a ``User`` instance
+        :param topmailbox: the mailbox where to start in the tree
+        :return: a list
+        """
+        if topmailbox:
+            md_mailboxes = []
+        else:
+            md_mailboxes = [
+                {"name": "INBOX", "class": "fa fa-inbox"},
+                {"name": parameters.get_user(user, "DRAFTS_FOLDER"),
+                 "class": "fa fa-file"},
+                {"name": 'Junk', "class": "fa fa-fire"},
+                {"name": parameters.get_user(user, "SENT_FOLDER"),
+                 "class": "fa fa-envelope"},
+                {"name": parameters.get_user(user, "TRASH_FOLDER"),
+                 "class": "fa fa-trash"}
+            ]
+        self._listmboxes(topmailbox, md_mailboxes)
+
+        return md_mailboxes
+
+
+def get_imapconnector(request):
+    """Simple shortcut to create a connector
+
+    :param request: a ``Request`` object
+    """
+    imapc = IMAPconnector(user=request.user.username,
+                          password=request.session["password"])
+    return imapc
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    import doctest
+    doctest.testmod()