diff --git a/src/paperless/settings.py b/src/paperless/settings.py
index 000904aef..27c609e8d 100644
--- a/src/paperless/settings.py
+++ b/src/paperless/settings.py
@@ -1171,6 +1171,15 @@ if DEBUG:  # pragma: no cover
     EMAIL_BACKEND = "django.core.mail.backends.filebased.EmailBackend"
     EMAIL_FILE_PATH = BASE_DIR / "sent_emails"
 
+###############################################################################
+# Email Preprocessors                                                         #
+###############################################################################
+
+EMAIL_GNUPG_HOME: Final[Optional[str]] = os.getenv("PAPERLESS_EMAIL_GNUPG_HOME")
+EMAIL_ENABLE_GPG_DECRYPTOR: Final[bool] = __get_boolean(
+    "PAPERLESS_ENABLE_GPG_DECRYPTOR",
+)
+
 
 ###############################################################################
 # Soft Delete
diff --git a/src/paperless_mail/mail.py b/src/paperless_mail/mail.py
index 93efdb844..84d916962 100644
--- a/src/paperless_mail/mail.py
+++ b/src/paperless_mail/mail.py
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ from datetime import timedelta
 from fnmatch import fnmatch
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
-from typing import Callable
 from typing import Optional
 from typing import Union
 
@@ -45,6 +44,7 @@ from paperless_mail.models import MailAccount
 from paperless_mail.models import MailRule
 from paperless_mail.models import ProcessedMail
 from paperless_mail.preprocessor import MailMessageDecryptor
+from paperless_mail.preprocessor import MailMessagePreprocessor
 
 # Apple Mail sets multiple IMAP KEYWORD and the general "\Flagged" FLAG
 # imaplib => conn.fetch(b"<message_id>", "FLAGS")
@@ -428,12 +428,22 @@ class MailAccountHandler(LoggingMixin):
 
     logging_name = "paperless_mail"
 
-    _message_preprocessors: list[Callable[[MailMessage], MailMessage]] = []
+    _message_preprocessor_types: list[type[MailMessagePreprocessor]] = [
+        MailMessageDecryptor,
+    ]
 
-    def __init__(self, *gpgArgs, **gpgkwArgs) -> None:
+    def __init__(self) -> None:
         super().__init__()
-        self._message_preprocessors.append(MailMessageDecryptor(*gpgArgs, **gpgkwArgs))
         self.renew_logging_group()
+        self._init_preprocessors()
+
+    def _init_preprocessors(self):
+        self._message_preprocessors: list[MailMessagePreprocessor] = []
+        for preprocessor_type in self._message_preprocessor_types:
+            if preprocessor_type.able_to_run():
+                self._message_preprocessors.append(preprocessor_type())
+            else:
+                self.log.debug(f"Skipping mail preprocessor {preprocessor_type.NAME}")
 
     def _correspondent_from_name(self, name: str) -> Optional[Correspondent]:
         try:
@@ -542,7 +552,7 @@ class MailAccountHandler(LoggingMixin):
 
     def _preprocess_message(self, message: MailMessage):
         for preprocessor in self._message_preprocessors:
-            message = preprocessor(message)
+            message = preprocessor.run(message)
         return message
 
     def _handle_mail_rule(
diff --git a/src/paperless_mail/preprocessor.py b/src/paperless_mail/preprocessor.py
index 145a0f400..8a11697c0 100644
--- a/src/paperless_mail/preprocessor.py
+++ b/src/paperless_mail/preprocessor.py
@@ -1,22 +1,53 @@
+import abc
 from email import message_from_bytes
 from email import policy
 from email.message import Message
 
+from django.conf import settings
 from gnupg import GPG
 from imap_tools import MailMessage
 
 from documents.loggers import LoggingMixin
 
 
-class MailMessageDecryptor(LoggingMixin):
+class MailMessagePreprocessor(abc.ABC):
+    """
+    Defines the interface for preprocessors that alter messages before they are handled in MailAccountHandler
+    """
+
+    NAME: str = "MailMessagePreprocessor"
+
+    @staticmethod
+    @abc.abstractmethod
+    def able_to_run() -> bool:
+        """
+        Return True if the conditions are met for the preprocessor to run, False otherwise
+
+        If False, run(message) will not be called
+        """
+
+    @abc.abstractmethod
+    def run(self, message: MailMessage) -> MailMessage:
+        """
+        Performs the actual preprocessing task
+        """
+
+
+class MailMessageDecryptor(MailMessagePreprocessor, LoggingMixin):
     logging_name = "paperless_mail_message_decryptor"
 
-    def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
+    NAME = "MailMessageDecryptor"
+
+    def __init__(self):
         super().__init__()
         self.renew_logging_group()
-        self._gpg = GPG(*args, **kwargs)
+        self._gpg = GPG(gnupghome=settings.EMAIL_GNUPG_HOME)
 
-    def __call__(self, message: MailMessage) -> MailMessage:
+    @staticmethod
+    def able_to_run() -> bool:
+        return settings.EMAIL_ENABLE_GPG_DECRYPTOR
+
+    def run(self, message: MailMessage) -> MailMessage:
         if not hasattr(message, "obj"):
             self.log.debug("Message does not have 'obj' attribute")
             return message
diff --git a/src/paperless_mail/tests/test_mail.py b/src/paperless_mail/tests/test_mail.py
index 018bc8fc0..ced18eac5 100644
--- a/src/paperless_mail/tests/test_mail.py
+++ b/src/paperless_mail/tests/test_mail.py
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import pytest
 from django.core.management import call_command
 from django.db import DatabaseError
 from django.test import TestCase
+from django.test import override_settings
 from imap_tools import NOT
 from imap_tools import EmailAddress
 from imap_tools import FolderInfo
@@ -273,10 +274,11 @@ class TestMail(
         self.reset_bogus_mailbox()
 
         self.messageEncryptor = MessageEncryptor()
-
-        self.mail_account_handler = MailAccountHandler(
-            gnupghome=self.messageEncryptor.gpg_home,
-        )
+        with override_settings(
+            EMAIL_GNUPG_HOME=self.messageEncryptor.gpg_home,
+            EMAIL_ENABLE_GPG_DECRYPTOR=True,
+        ):
+            self.mail_account_handler = MailAccountHandler()
 
         super().setUp()
 
@@ -1368,10 +1370,13 @@ class TestMail(
         self.assertEqual(encrypted_message.attachments[0].filename, "encrypted.asc")
         self.assertEqual(encrypted_message.text, "")
 
-        message_decryptor = MailMessageDecryptor(
-            gnupghome=self.messageEncryptor.gpg_home,
-        )
-        decrypted_message = message_decryptor(encrypted_message)
+        with override_settings(
+            EMAIL_ENABLE_GPG_DECRYPTOR=True,
+            EMAIL_GNUPG_HOME=self.messageEncryptor.gpg_home,
+        ):
+            message_decryptor = MailMessageDecryptor()
+            self.assertTrue(message_decryptor.able_to_run())
+            decrypted_message = message_decryptor.run(encrypted_message)
 
         self.assertEqual(len(decrypted_message.attachments), 2)
         self.assertEqual(decrypted_message.attachments[0].filename, "f1.pdf")