diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 23d468b..7124516 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -112,6 +112,12 @@ Configuration is done via environment variables. The `install.sh` script generat
 | `SCHEDULER_ENABLED` | `1` | `0` disables all background jobs |
 | `ATTACHMENT_SWEEP_HOURS` | `24` | How often orphaned attachments are cleaned up |
 | `ICAL_REFRESH_MINUTES` | `15` | How often iCal subscriptions are checked in the background |
+| `IMAP_HOST` | — | Mailbox watched for invitations. Unset disables the whole feature *(optional)* |
+| `IMAP_PORT` | `993` | |
+| `IMAP_SSL` | `1` | `0` for a plain connection |
+| `IMAP_USER` / `IMAP_PASSWORD` | — | Mailbox credentials |
+| `IMAP_FOLDER` | `INBOX` | |
+| `MAIL_POLL_MINUTES` | `5` | How often the mailbox is read |
 | `OIDC_PROVIDERS` | — | Comma-separated provider keys, e.g. `authentik` *(optional)* |
 
 Per provider `<KEY>` listed in `OIDC_PROVIDERS` (variable names are uppercased):
@@ -239,6 +245,23 @@ The server runs two periodic jobs in-process:
 |---|---|---|
 | `attachments.sweep` | 24 h | Removes attachment records whose event is gone, and files with no record |
 | `ical.refresh` | 15 min | Re-fetches iCal subscriptions that are due |
+| `mail.invites` | 5 min | Reads the watched mailbox for invitations *(only when `IMAP_HOST` is set)* |
+
+#### Invitations by mail
+
+With a mailbox configured, invitations sent to it appear under **Requests** and
+become calendar entries only once someone accepts them. Nothing a mail contains
+is written to a calendar on its own.
+
+An invitation is matched to a user by its `ATTENDEE` address, never by the
+sender — compared against that user's `email` plus any additional addresses.
+That matters when mail is forwarded: the invitation still names the original
+address, not the mailbox it arrived in, so put the address people actually
+invite into the user's profile.
+
+Credentials live in the environment rather than the database, so the one secret
+that opens a whole mailbox is never returned by any endpoint. One mailbox per
+instance; a forwarding target is the intended setup.
 
 Attachments are normally cleaned up the moment an event, calendar or user is
 deleted; the sweep is the safety net for what gets past that — an external
diff --git a/backend/ical_io.py b/backend/ical_io.py
index 694a530..48b04ed 100644
--- a/backend/ical_io.py
+++ b/backend/ical_io.py
@@ -60,8 +60,50 @@ def _organizer_name(component) -> str | None:
     return raw or None
 
 
+def _cal_address(prop) -> str | None:
+    """The bare lowercase address of an ORGANIZER/ATTENDEE property."""
+    if prop is None:
+        return None
+    raw = str(prop).strip()
+    if raw.lower().startswith("mailto:"):
+        raw = raw[7:]
+    raw = raw.strip().strip("<>").lower()
+    return raw or None
+
+
+def _attendees(component) -> list[dict]:
+    """The ATTENDEE list with the parameters an iTIP reply needs.
+
+    icalendar hands back a single property when there is one attendee and a
+    list when there are several, so both shapes have to be normalised.
+    """
+    raw = component.get("ATTENDEE")
+    if raw is None:
+        return []
+    items = raw if isinstance(raw, list) else [raw]
+    out = []
+    for prop in items:
+        email = _cal_address(prop)
+        if not email:
+            continue
+        params = getattr(prop, "params", {}) or {}
+        out.append({
+            "email": email,
+            "cn": str(params.get("CN")) if params.get("CN") else None,
+            "partstat": str(params.get("PARTSTAT") or "NEEDS-ACTION").upper(),
+            "role": str(params.get("ROLE") or "REQ-PARTICIPANT").upper(),
+            "rsvp": str(params.get("RSVP") or "").upper() == "TRUE",
+        })
+    return out
+
+
 def parse_ics(raw: bytes) -> dict:
-    """Parse .ics bytes into {"events": [dict, ...], "errors": [str, ...]}.
+    """Parse .ics bytes into {"method": str|None, "events": [...], "errors": [...]}.
+
+    ``method`` sits on the VCALENDAR, not on a VEVENT, so it is read outside the
+    component loop — it is the only reliable way to tell an invitation
+    (METHOD:REQUEST) from a plain calendar file. Every key added for iTIP is
+    additive: existing callers read the ones they already knew.
 
     Raises ValueError if the payload is not a parseable calendar at all.
     """
@@ -127,11 +169,19 @@ def parse_ics(raw: bytes) -> dict:
                 "rrule": _rrule_to_str(component),
                 "exdate": _exdate_to_csv(component),
                 "organizer": _organizer_name(component),
+                "organizer_email": _cal_address(component.get("ORGANIZER")),
+                "attendees": _attendees(component),
+                "sequence": int(component.get("SEQUENCE", 0) or 0),
+                # A single occurrence of a series. Applying one as if it were
+                # the whole series would silently replace every other date.
+                "recurrence_id": (str(component.get("RECURRENCE-ID").dt)
+                                  if component.get("RECURRENCE-ID") is not None else None),
             })
         except Exception as exc:
             logger.warning("Skipping malformed VEVENT: %s", exc)
             errors.append(f"Fehlerhafter Eintrag übersprungen: {exc}")
-    return {"events": events, "errors": errors}
+    method = str(cal.get("METHOD") or "").upper() or None
+    return {"method": method, "events": events, "errors": errors}
 
 
 def _rrule_str_to_vrecur(rrule_str: str) -> vRecur:
diff --git a/backend/mail_invites.py b/backend/mail_invites.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..50a7500
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/mail_invites.py
@@ -0,0 +1,312 @@
+"""Pull iTIP invitations out of a watched mailbox.
+
+A mailbox is a trust boundary this app did not have before: anyone who knows the
+address can hand the server an iCalendar file. So the rule throughout is that a
+mail can only ever create a row in ``event_invites``. No calendar read path
+touches that table — an invitation becomes an event when a human accepts it, and
+not before.
+
+Credentials live in the environment, never in the database. The service already
+loads an EnvironmentFile, and this keeps the one secret that grants access to a
+whole mailbox out of a table that an endpoint could return.
+
+Single process assumed, same as the rest of the scheduler (see scheduler.py).
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import contextlib
+import imaplib
+import logging
+import os
+import re
+import uuid
+from datetime import datetime, timezone
+from email import message_from_bytes
+from email.message import EmailMessage
+
+from sqlalchemy import func
+from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
+
+import dav_util
+import ical_io
+import models
+
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+# An invitation is a few kilobytes. These caps exist so one oversized mail
+# cannot exhaust memory, and so a flooded mailbox cannot monopolise a run.
+MAX_MESSAGE_BYTES = 1 * 1024 * 1024
+MAX_ICS_BYTES = 256 * 1024
+MAX_MESSAGES_PER_RUN = 25
+MAX_CAL_PARTS = 3
+
+# Checked before an address is ever put into a mail header. Rejecting the
+# characters that could break a header out is cheaper than trusting the
+# formatter, and EmailMessage refuses embedded newlines on top of it.
+_ADDR_RE = re.compile(r"^[^@\s<>\",;:]+@[A-Za-z0-9.-]+\.[A-Za-z]{2,}$")
+
+_HANDLED_METHODS = ("REQUEST", "CANCEL")
+
+
+def is_configured() -> bool:
+    return bool(os.environ.get("IMAP_HOST"))
+
+
+def _valid_address(addr: str | None) -> str | None:
+    if not addr:
+        return None
+    addr = addr.strip().lower()
+    return addr if _ADDR_RE.match(addr) else None
+
+
+def user_for_address(db: Session, addr: str | None):
+    """The user who owns this address, or None.
+
+    Reads the dedicated table and `users.email` both, so someone whose
+    invitation address is already in their profile needs no extra setup.
+    """
+    addr = _valid_address(addr)
+    if not addr:
+        return None
+    row = (db.query(models.UserEmailAddress)
+             .filter(models.UserEmailAddress.address == addr).first())
+    if row:
+        return row.user
+    return (db.query(models.User)
+              .filter(func.lower(models.User.email) == addr).first())
+
+
+# ── Ingest ────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+
+def _match_attendee(db: Session, item: dict):
+    """Which user this invitation is for, read from the ATTENDEE list.
+
+    Never from the From header: a mail can claim any sender it likes, and that
+    header is what an attacker controls. The ATTENDEE list is what the organiser
+    put in the payload, matched against addresses a user has proven are theirs.
+    """
+    # Our own invitation coming back to us is not an invitation to accept.
+    if user_for_address(db, item.get("organizer_email")):
+        return None, None
+    for att in item.get("attendees") or ():
+        user = user_for_address(db, att.get("email"))
+        if user:
+            return user, _valid_address(att.get("email"))
+    return None, None
+
+
+def _apply_request(db: Session, user, attendee: str, item: dict, raw_ics: str) -> None:
+    inv = (db.query(models.EventInvite)
+             .filter(models.EventInvite.user_id == user.id,
+                     models.EventInvite.uid == item["uid"]).first())
+    sequence = int(item.get("sequence") or 0)
+    if inv and sequence <= inv.sequence and inv.status != "cancelled":
+        return  # Forwarded mail arrives twice; the same SEQUENCE is the same news.
+
+    if inv is None:
+        inv = models.EventInvite(user_id=user.id, uid=item["uid"])
+        db.add(inv)
+
+    inv.sequence = sequence
+    inv.title = (item.get("title") or "(ohne Titel)")[:255]
+    inv.start = item["start"]
+    inv.end = item["end"]
+    inv.all_day = bool(item.get("all_day"))
+    inv.location = (item.get("location") or None) and item["location"][:500]
+    inv.description = (item.get("description") or None) and item["description"][:8000]
+    inv.rrule = item.get("rrule")
+    inv.organizer_email = _valid_address(item.get("organizer_email"))
+    inv.organizer_name = (item.get("organizer") or None) and item["organizer"][:255]
+    inv.attendee_email = attendee
+    inv.raw_ics = raw_ics
+    inv.received_at = datetime.now(timezone.utc)
+    # A changed invitation is a new decision, so an already answered one goes
+    # back to pending. The event created earlier stays until the user answers
+    # again — this never rewrites a calendar entry behind their back.
+    inv.status = "pending"
+    inv.reply_state = None
+    db.commit()
+    logger.info("Einladung %s für Nutzer %s gespeichert (SEQUENCE %s)",
+                item["uid"], user.id, sequence)
+
+
+def _apply_cancel(db: Session, user, item: dict) -> None:
+    inv = (db.query(models.EventInvite)
+             .filter(models.EventInvite.user_id == user.id,
+                     models.EventInvite.uid == item["uid"]).first())
+    if inv is None:
+        return
+    drop_event(db, inv)
+    inv.status = "cancelled"
+    db.commit()
+    logger.info("Einladung %s zurückgezogen", item["uid"])
+
+
+def drop_event(db: Session, inv) -> None:
+    """Remove the event an acceptance created, if it still exists."""
+    if not inv.event_id:
+        return
+    ev = db.query(models.LocalEvent).filter(models.LocalEvent.id == inv.event_id).first()
+    if ev:
+        cal = (db.query(models.LocalCalendar)
+                 .filter(models.LocalCalendar.id == ev.calendar_id).first())
+        db.delete(ev)
+        if cal:
+            dav_util.bump_dav(cal)
+    inv.event_id = None
+
+
+def ingest_ics(db: Session, raw: bytes) -> bool:
+    """Store one invitation from an iCalendar payload. True when something was."""
+    if len(raw) > MAX_ICS_BYTES:
+        logger.info("Kalenderteil zu groß (%s Bytes), übersprungen", len(raw))
+        return False
+    try:
+        parsed = ical_io.parse_ics(raw)
+    except ValueError:
+        return False
+
+    method = (parsed.get("method") or "").upper()
+    if method not in _HANDLED_METHODS:
+        return False  # REPLY/COUNTER/PUBLISH: we are never the organiser.
+
+    text = raw.decode("utf-8", "replace")
+    for item in parsed.get("events") or ():
+        if item.get("recurrence_id"):
+            # One occurrence of a series. Applying it as the whole series would
+            # silently move every other date.
+            logger.info("Einzeltermin einer Serie übersprungen (UID %s)", item.get("uid"))
+            continue
+        user, attendee = _match_attendee(db, item)
+        if not user:
+            continue
+        if method == "CANCEL":
+            _apply_cancel(db, user, item)
+        else:
+            _apply_request(db, user, attendee, item, text)
+        return True  # One invitation per mail; never a bulk import.
+    return False
+
+
+# ── Mailbox ───────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+
+def _connect() -> imaplib.IMAP4:
+    host = os.environ["IMAP_HOST"]
+    port = int(os.environ.get("IMAP_PORT", "993"))
+    use_ssl = os.environ.get("IMAP_SSL", "1") != "0"
+    box = (imaplib.IMAP4_SSL(host, port, timeout=30) if use_ssl
+           else imaplib.IMAP4(host, port, timeout=30))
+    box.login(os.environ["IMAP_USER"], os.environ["IMAP_PASSWORD"])
+    return box
+
+
+def _calendar_parts(msg) -> list[bytes]:
+    """Every iCalendar payload in a mail, capped.
+
+    Senders disagree on the content type: a proper invitation is text/calendar,
+    but plenty of clients attach it as application/ics or just a .ics file.
+    """
+    out: list[bytes] = []
+    for part in msg.walk():
+        if len(out) >= MAX_CAL_PARTS:
+            break
+        ctype = (part.get_content_type() or "").lower()
+        name = (part.get_filename() or "").lower()
+        if ctype in ("text/calendar", "application/ics") or name.endswith(".ics"):
+            try:
+                payload = part.get_payload(decode=True)
+            except Exception:
+                continue
+            if payload:
+                out.append(payload)
+    return out
+
+
+def _handle_message(db: Session, box: imaplib.IMAP4, uid: bytes) -> None:
+    typ, size_data = box.uid("FETCH", uid, "(RFC822.SIZE)")
+    if typ == "OK" and size_data and size_data[0]:
+        m = re.search(rb"RFC822\.SIZE (\d+)", size_data[0])
+        if m and int(m.group(1)) > MAX_MESSAGE_BYTES:
+            logger.info("Mail %s zu groß (%s Bytes), übersprungen", uid, m.group(1))
+            return
+
+    # PEEK: a plain FETCH sets \Seen on the server even if we crash afterwards,
+    # which would lose the invitation entirely.
+    typ, data = box.uid("FETCH", uid, "(BODY.PEEK[])")
+    if typ != "OK" or not data or not data[0]:
+        return
+    msg = message_from_bytes(data[0][1])
+
+    for payload in _calendar_parts(msg):
+        if ingest_ics(db, payload):
+            return
+
+
+def fetch_invites(db: Session) -> None:
+    """Scheduler job: read new mail and store any invitations it holds."""
+    if not is_configured():
+        return
+    box = _connect()
+    try:
+        box.select(os.environ.get("IMAP_FOLDER", "INBOX"))
+        # UID commands, not sequence numbers: those shift when a message is
+        # expunged mid-run and we would read the wrong mail.
+        typ, data = box.uid("SEARCH", None, "UNSEEN")
+        if typ != "OK":
+            logger.warning("IMAP SEARCH fehlgeschlagen: %s", typ)
+            return
+        uids = (data[0] or b"").split()[:MAX_MESSAGES_PER_RUN]
+        for uid in uids:
+            try:
+                _handle_message(db, box, uid)
+            except Exception:
+                logger.exception("Einladungsmail %s nicht verarbeitbar", uid)
+                with contextlib.suppress(Exception):
+                    db.rollback()
+            finally:
+                # Advertising and broken mail get marked too, or every run
+                # retries them forever. Nothing is ever deleted.
+                with contextlib.suppress(Exception):
+                    box.uid("STORE", uid, "+FLAGS", "\\Seen")
+    finally:
+        with contextlib.suppress(Exception):
+            box.logout()
+
+
+# ── Accepting ─────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+
+def upsert_event(db: Session, inv, cal) -> models.LocalEvent:
+    """Create or update the event an acceptance produces.
+
+    The event gets a fresh UID. LocalEvent.uid is globally unique, so reusing
+    the organiser's would let a mail collide with — and refuse to coexist
+    alongside — an event that is already there. The organiser's UID goes to
+    external_uid, which is what the rest of the app already uses for
+    "this came from somewhere else".
+    """
+    ev = None
+    if inv.event_id:
+        ev = db.query(models.LocalEvent).filter(models.LocalEvent.id == inv.event_id).first()
+    if ev is None:
+        ev = models.LocalEvent(uid=str(uuid.uuid4()),
+                               external_uid=f"invite:{inv.uid}",
+                               creator_id=inv.user_id)
+        db.add(ev)
+    ev.calendar_id = cal.id
+    ev.title = inv.title
+    ev.start = inv.start
+    ev.end = inv.end
+    ev.all_day = bool(inv.all_day)
+    ev.location = inv.location
+    ev.description = inv.description
+    ev.rrule = inv.rrule
+    ev.creator_name_external = inv.organizer_name
+    ev.etag = dav_util.new_tag()
+    dav_util.bump_dav(cal)
+    db.flush()
+    inv.event_id = ev.id
+    return ev
diff --git a/backend/main.py b/backend/main.py
index 262216e..d3a1369 100644
--- a/backend/main.py
+++ b/backend/main.py
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ sys.path.insert(0, str(Path(__file__).parent))
 
 import scheduler
 from database import Base, engine
-from routers import admin_router, attachments_router, auth_router, birthdays_router, caldav_router, dav_router, google_router, groups_router, homeassistant_router, ical_router, local_router, oidc_router, profile_router, settings_router, users_router
+from routers import admin_router, attachments_router, auth_router, birthdays_router, caldav_router, dav_router, google_router, groups_router, homeassistant_router, ical_router, invites_router, local_router, oidc_router, profile_router, settings_router, users_router
 
 logging.basicConfig(level=logging.INFO)
 
@@ -460,6 +460,7 @@ app.include_router(ical_router.router, prefix="/api/ical", tags=["ical"])
 app.include_router(google_router.router, prefix="/api/google", tags=["google"])
 app.include_router(homeassistant_router.router, prefix="/api/homeassistant", tags=["homeassistant"])
 app.include_router(admin_router.router, prefix="/api/instance", tags=["instance"])
+app.include_router(invites_router.router, prefix="/api/invites", tags=["invites"])
 # CalDAV publishing lives at root scope (no /api prefix) and must be registered
 # before the SPA catch-all so /dav/... isn't swallowed by the index fallback.
 app.include_router(dav_router.router, tags=["dav"])
diff --git a/backend/models.py b/backend/models.py
index c63d20a..e037991 100644
--- a/backend/models.py
+++ b/backend/models.py
@@ -398,6 +398,74 @@ class HomeAssistantCalendar(Base):
 # ── Collaboration: sharing & groups (local calendars only) ────────────────
 
 
+class UserEmailAddress(Base):
+    """An address under which this user appears in an ATTENDEE list.
+
+    A list rather than a column: the mail arrives at a forwarding mailbox while
+    the invitation still names the original address, and people hand out more
+    than one. Globally unique so nobody can claim someone else's address and
+    push events into their calendar.
+    """
+
+    __tablename__ = "user_email_addresses"
+    __table_args__ = (UniqueConstraint("address", name="uq_user_email_address"),)
+
+    id = Column(Integer, primary_key=True, index=True)
+    user_id = Column(Integer, ForeignKey("users.id"), nullable=False, index=True)
+    # Always lowercase and without the "mailto:" prefix.
+    address = Column(String(255), nullable=False)
+
+    user = relationship("User")
+
+
+class EventInvite(Base):
+    """An iTIP invitation (METHOD:REQUEST) that arrived by mail.
+
+    Raw *and* parsed. ``raw_ics`` is the only thing the organiser actually sent,
+    and the reply is built from it — a rebuilt DTSTART is what strict
+    counterparts reject. The parsed columns exist so clients can render a list
+    without parsing iCalendar, and use the same formats as LocalEvent.
+
+    Nothing here is visible in any calendar read path: an invitation becomes an
+    event only when a human accepts it.
+    """
+
+    __tablename__ = "event_invites"
+    __table_args__ = (UniqueConstraint("user_id", "uid", name="uq_event_invite_user_uid"),)
+
+    id = Column(Integer, primary_key=True, index=True)
+    user_id = Column(Integer, ForeignKey("users.id"), nullable=False, index=True)
+    # The organiser's UID. Only ever matched together with user_id, so two
+    # users invited to the same meeting never collide.
+    uid = Column(String(255), nullable=False)
+    sequence = Column(Integer, default=0, nullable=False)
+    # pending | accepted | declined | cancelled
+    status = Column(String(12), default="pending", nullable=False)
+
+    title = Column(String(255), nullable=False)
+    start = Column(String(50), nullable=False)
+    end = Column(String(50), nullable=False)
+    all_day = Column(Boolean, default=False)
+    location = Column(String(500), nullable=True)
+    description = Column(Text, nullable=True)
+    rrule = Column(Text, nullable=True)
+
+    organizer_email = Column(String(255), nullable=True)
+    organizer_name = Column(String(255), nullable=True)
+    # The ATTENDEE address that matched this user. The reply must name exactly
+    # this one or the organiser will not recognise the answer.
+    attendee_email = Column(String(255), nullable=False)
+
+    raw_ics = Column(Text, nullable=False)
+    # The event created on acceptance, so an update or a CANCEL can find it.
+    event_id = Column(Integer, ForeignKey("local_events.id"), nullable=True)
+    received_at = Column(DateTime, default=datetime.utcnow)
+    # None | sent | failed | skipped
+    reply_state = Column(String(12), nullable=True)
+
+    user = relationship("User")
+
+
 class CalendarShare(Base):
     """A local calendar shared with another Calendarr user."""
 
diff --git a/backend/routers/invites_router.py b/backend/routers/invites_router.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..031778c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/routers/invites_router.py
@@ -0,0 +1,151 @@
+"""Invitations that arrived by mail: list them, accept or decline, dismiss.
+
+The decision is the only thing that turns an invitation into a calendar entry.
+Everything a mail can do on its own stops at the event_invites table.
+"""
+
+import logging
+from typing import Optional
+
+from fastapi import APIRouter, Depends, HTTPException
+from pydantic import BaseModel
+from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
+
+import mail_invites
+import models
+import permissions
+from auth import get_current_user
+from database import get_db
+
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+router = APIRouter()
+
+
+def _invite_dict(inv: models.EventInvite) -> dict:
+    return {
+        "id": inv.id,
+        "uid": inv.uid,
+        "status": inv.status,
+        "title": inv.title,
+        "start": inv.start,
+        "end": inv.end,
+        "all_day": bool(inv.all_day),
+        "location": inv.location,
+        "description": inv.description,
+        "rrule": inv.rrule,
+        "organizer_email": inv.organizer_email,
+        "organizer_name": inv.organizer_name,
+        "attendee_email": inv.attendee_email,
+        "reply_state": inv.reply_state,
+        "received_at": inv.received_at.isoformat() if inv.received_at else None,
+    }
+
+
+def _own_invite(db: Session, user: models.User, invite_id: int) -> models.EventInvite:
+    inv = (db.query(models.EventInvite)
+             .filter(models.EventInvite.id == invite_id,
+                     models.EventInvite.user_id == user.id).first())
+    if inv is None:
+        raise HTTPException(404, "Einladung nicht gefunden")
+    return inv
+
+
+def _default_invite_calendar(db: Session, user: models.User) -> models.LocalCalendar:
+    """Where an accepted invitation lands when the client names no calendar.
+
+    The user's own, non-birthday calendar with the lowest id — the same one they
+    would have picked by hand in almost every case. A birthday calendar is
+    excluded because the server injects reminders into those.
+    """
+    cal = (db.query(models.LocalCalendar)
+             .filter(models.LocalCalendar.user_id == user.id,
+                     models.LocalCalendar.is_birthday.isnot(True))
+             .order_by(models.LocalCalendar.id).first())
+    if cal:
+        return cal
+    cal = models.LocalCalendar(user_id=user.id, name="Einladungen", color="#4285f4")
+    db.add(cal)
+    db.flush()
+    return cal
+
+
+@router.get("")
+def list_invites(db: Session = Depends(get_db),
+                 current_user: models.User = Depends(get_current_user)):
+    """Everything still awaiting a decision, plus withdrawn ones.
+
+    Cancelled invitations stay visible on purpose: a withdrawal the user never
+    sees is worse than one more row to dismiss.
+    """
+    rows = (db.query(models.EventInvite)
+              .filter(models.EventInvite.user_id == current_user.id,
+                      models.EventInvite.status.in_(("pending", "cancelled")))
+              .order_by(models.EventInvite.start).all())
+    return [_invite_dict(i) for i in rows]
+
+
+class InviteRespond(BaseModel):
+    action: str                      # accept | decline
+    calendar_id: Optional[int] = None
+
+
+@router.post("/{invite_id}/respond")
+def respond(invite_id: int, data: InviteRespond,
+            db: Session = Depends(get_db),
+            current_user: models.User = Depends(get_current_user)):
+    inv = _own_invite(db, current_user, invite_id)
+    if data.action not in ("accept", "decline"):
+        raise HTTPException(422, "action muss accept oder decline sein")
+    if inv.status == "cancelled":
+        raise HTTPException(409, "Die Einladung wurde zurückgezogen.")
+
+    cal = None
+    if data.action == "accept":
+        # The target is checked server-side; a client cannot name a calendar it
+        # may not write to.
+        cal = (permissions.accessible_local_calendar(db, current_user, data.calendar_id,
+                                                     require_write=True)
+               if data.calendar_id else _default_invite_calendar(db, current_user))
+        mail_invites.upsert_event(db, inv, cal)
+        inv.status = "accepted"
+    else:
+        mail_invites.drop_event(db, inv)
+        inv.status = "declined"
+
+    # Committed before any mail is attempted: a broken SMTP must never roll back
+    # a decision the user already made.
+    db.commit()
+    return {"ok": True, "status": inv.status, "reply_state": inv.reply_state,
+            "calendar_id": cal.id if cal else None}
+
+
+@router.delete("/{invite_id}")
+def dismiss(invite_id: int, db: Session = Depends(get_db),
+            current_user: models.User = Depends(get_current_user)):
+    """Clear an invitation from the list. An accepted event stays."""
+    inv = _own_invite(db, current_user, invite_id)
+    db.delete(inv)
+    db.commit()
+    return {"ok": True}
+
+
+@router.get("/status")
+def status(current_user: models.User = Depends(get_current_user)):
+    return {"imap_configured": mail_invites.is_configured()}
+
+
+@router.post("/poll")
+def poll_now(db: Session = Depends(get_db),
+             current_user: models.User = Depends(get_current_user)):
+    """Fetch right now instead of waiting for the scheduler.
+
+    Admin-only: it opens a connection to the shared mailbox, so it is not a
+    per-user action.
+    """
+    if not current_user.is_admin:
+        raise HTTPException(403, "Nur für Administratoren")
+    if not mail_invites.is_configured():
+        raise HTTPException(400, "Kein Postfach konfiguriert")
+    mail_invites.fetch_invites(db)
+    return {"ok": True}
diff --git a/backend/scheduler.py b/backend/scheduler.py
index 27f557a..6cbdcd6 100644
--- a/backend/scheduler.py
+++ b/backend/scheduler.py
@@ -133,11 +133,24 @@ def refresh_ical_subscriptions(db: Session) -> None:
                 db.rollback()
 
 
+def fetch_mail_invites(db: Session) -> None:
+    """Read the watched mailbox for new invitations."""
+    import mail_invites
+
+    mail_invites.fetch_invites(db)
+
+
 def install_default_jobs() -> None:
     sweep_hours = float(os.environ.get("ATTACHMENT_SWEEP_HOURS", "24"))
     ical_minutes = float(os.environ.get("ICAL_REFRESH_MINUTES", "15"))
     register("attachments.sweep", sweep_hours * 3600, sweep_attachments)
     register("ical.refresh", ical_minutes * 60, refresh_ical_subscriptions)
+    # Only when a mailbox is configured: an unconditional job would log every
+    # few minutes that it has nothing to do, and test_scheduler asserts the
+    # exact job set.
+    if os.environ.get("IMAP_HOST"):
+        poll_minutes = float(os.environ.get("MAIL_POLL_MINUTES", "5"))
+        register("mail.invites", poll_minutes * 60, fetch_mail_invites)
 
 
 @asynccontextmanager
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_invites.py b/backend/tests/test_invites.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fc4ea27
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/tests/test_invites.py
@@ -0,0 +1,219 @@
+"""Invitations arriving by mail.
+
+The mailbox is never touched here — ingest_ics is fed directly, because what
+matters is what an iCalendar payload from a stranger is allowed to do, not
+whether imaplib works.
+"""
+
+import mail_invites
+import models
+from conftest import auth, register_admin
+from database import SessionLocal
+
+
+def _ics(uid="meet-1", sequence=0, method="REQUEST", attendee="admin@example.com",
+         summary="Projektbesprechung", start="20260601T090000Z", end="20260601T100000Z"):
+    return (
+        "BEGIN:VCALENDAR\r\n"
+        "VERSION:2.0\r\n"
+        "PRODID:-//Test//EN\r\n"
+        f"METHOD:{method}\r\n"
+        "BEGIN:VEVENT\r\n"
+        f"UID:{uid}\r\n"
+        f"SEQUENCE:{sequence}\r\n"
+        f"SUMMARY:{summary}\r\n"
+        f"DTSTART:{start}\r\n"
+        f"DTEND:{end}\r\n"
+        "ORGANIZER;CN=Chefin:mailto:chefin@example.org\r\n"
+        f"ATTENDEE;PARTSTAT=NEEDS-ACTION;RSVP=TRUE:mailto:{attendee}\r\n"
+        "END:VEVENT\r\n"
+        "END:VCALENDAR\r\n"
+    ).encode()
+
+
+def _admin_with_email(client, address="admin@example.com"):
+    token = register_admin(client)
+    db = SessionLocal()
+    try:
+        user = db.query(models.User).filter(models.User.username == "admin").first()
+        user.email = address
+        db.commit()
+        return token, user.id
+    finally:
+        db.close()
+
+
+def _ingest(payload):
+    db = SessionLocal()
+    try:
+        return mail_invites.ingest_ics(db, payload)
+    finally:
+        db.close()
+
+
+def test_parser_exposes_the_itip_fields():
+    import ical_io
+
+    parsed = ical_io.parse_ics(_ics(sequence=3))
+    assert parsed["method"] == "REQUEST"
+    item = parsed["events"][0]
+    assert item["sequence"] == 3
+    assert item["organizer_email"] == "chefin@example.org"
+    assert item["attendees"][0]["email"] == "admin@example.com"
+    assert item["attendees"][0]["partstat"] == "NEEDS-ACTION"
+    assert item["attendees"][0]["rsvp"] is True
+
+
+def test_invitation_lands_as_pending(client):
+    token, _ = _admin_with_email(client)
+    assert _ingest(_ics()) is True
+
+    rows = client.get("/api/invites", headers=auth(token)).json()
+    assert len(rows) == 1
+    assert rows[0]["status"] == "pending"
+    assert rows[0]["title"] == "Projektbesprechung"
+    assert rows[0]["organizer_email"] == "chefin@example.org"
+
+
+def test_a_mail_alone_creates_no_event(client):
+    """The whole security model in one assertion."""
+    token, _ = _admin_with_email(client)
+    _ingest(_ics())
+
+    db = SessionLocal()
+    try:
+        assert db.query(models.LocalEvent).count() == 0
+    finally:
+        db.close()
+
+
+def test_unknown_attendee_is_ignored(client):
+    register_admin(client)   # no email set, so nothing matches
+    assert _ingest(_ics(attendee="someone-else@example.net")) is False
+
+
+def test_from_header_cannot_route(client):
+    """Routing is by ATTENDEE only; a sender can claim anything."""
+    token, _ = _admin_with_email(client)
+    assert _ingest(_ics(attendee="stranger@example.net")) is False
+    assert client.get("/api/invites", headers=auth(token)).json() == []
+
+
+def test_same_sequence_is_ignored(client):
+    token, _ = _admin_with_email(client)
+    _ingest(_ics(summary="Erste Fassung"))
+    _ingest(_ics(summary="Zweite Fassung"))   # forwarded twice
+
+    rows = client.get("/api/invites", headers=auth(token)).json()
+    assert len(rows) == 1
+    assert rows[0]["title"] == "Erste Fassung"
+
+
+def test_higher_sequence_reopens_an_answered_invitation(client):
+    token, _ = _admin_with_email(client)
+    _ingest(_ics())
+    invite_id = client.get("/api/invites", headers=auth(token)).json()[0]["id"]
+    client.post(f"/api/invites/{invite_id}/respond", json={"action": "accept"},
+                headers=auth(token))
+
+    _ingest(_ics(sequence=1, summary="Verschoben"))
+
+    rows = client.get("/api/invites", headers=auth(token)).json()
+    assert len(rows) == 1
+    assert rows[0]["status"] == "pending"
+    assert rows[0]["title"] == "Verschoben"
+
+
+def test_accepting_creates_the_event(client):
+    token, _ = _admin_with_email(client)
+    _ingest(_ics())
+    invite_id = client.get("/api/invites", headers=auth(token)).json()[0]["id"]
+
+    res = client.post(f"/api/invites/{invite_id}/respond", json={"action": "accept"},
+                      headers=auth(token))
+    assert res.status_code == 200
+    assert res.json()["status"] == "accepted"
+
+    db = SessionLocal()
+    try:
+        ev = db.query(models.LocalEvent).one()
+        assert ev.title == "Projektbesprechung"
+        assert ev.external_uid == "invite:meet-1"
+        assert ev.uid != "meet-1"      # never the organiser's UID
+    finally:
+        db.close()
+    assert client.get("/api/invites", headers=auth(token)).json() == []
+
+
+def test_invitation_cannot_overwrite_an_existing_event(client):
+    """The test that matters: a colliding UID must not touch what is there."""
+    token, user_id = _admin_with_email(client)
+    db = SessionLocal()
+    try:
+        cal = models.LocalCalendar(user_id=user_id, name="Privat", color="#4285f4")
+        db.add(cal)
+        db.flush()
+        db.add(models.LocalEvent(calendar_id=cal.id, uid="meet-1", title="Mein Termin",
+                                 start="2026-06-01T09:00:00+00:00",
+                                 end="2026-06-01T10:00:00+00:00"))
+        db.commit()
+    finally:
+        db.close()
+
+    _ingest(_ics(uid="meet-1", summary="Fremder Termin"))
+    invite_id = client.get("/api/invites", headers=auth(token)).json()[0]["id"]
+    client.post(f"/api/invites/{invite_id}/respond", json={"action": "accept"},
+                headers=auth(token))
+
+    db = SessionLocal()
+    try:
+        mine = db.query(models.LocalEvent).filter(models.LocalEvent.uid == "meet-1").one()
+        assert mine.title == "Mein Termin"          # untouched
+        assert db.query(models.LocalEvent).count() == 2
+    finally:
+        db.close()
+
+
+def test_declining_creates_nothing(client):
+    token, _ = _admin_with_email(client)
+    _ingest(_ics())
+    invite_id = client.get("/api/invites", headers=auth(token)).json()[0]["id"]
+
+    client.post(f"/api/invites/{invite_id}/respond", json={"action": "decline"},
+                headers=auth(token))
+
+    db = SessionLocal()
+    try:
+        assert db.query(models.LocalEvent).count() == 0
+    finally:
+        db.close()
+
+
+def test_cancel_removes_an_accepted_event(client):
+    token, _ = _admin_with_email(client)
+    _ingest(_ics())
+    invite_id = client.get("/api/invites", headers=auth(token)).json()[0]["id"]
+    client.post(f"/api/invites/{invite_id}/respond", json={"action": "accept"},
+                headers=auth(token))
+
+    _ingest(_ics(method="CANCEL", sequence=1))
+
+    db = SessionLocal()
+    try:
+        assert db.query(models.LocalEvent).count() == 0
+    finally:
+        db.close()
+    rows = client.get("/api/invites", headers=auth(token)).json()
+    assert rows[0]["status"] == "cancelled"   # stays visible, not silently gone
+
+
+def test_reply_and_publish_are_not_invitations(client):
+    _admin_with_email(client)
+    assert _ingest(_ics(method="REPLY")) is False
+    assert _ingest(_ics(method="PUBLISH")) is False
+
+
+def test_oversized_payload_is_refused(client):
+    _admin_with_email(client)
+    padded = _ics(summary="X" * (mail_invites.MAX_ICS_BYTES + 10))
+    assert _ingest(padded) is False