How to Connect Claude to Gmail (and Is It Safe?)

Turn on Claude's Gmail connector so Claude can search, read, draft and send your email. It asks before it sends anything.

Picks: 2; ranked

To connect Claude to Gmail, go to Customize > Connectors, select Connect next to Gmail and sign in with Google. Claude can then search and read your mail, write drafts, and send, reply to or forward email, asking for your approval before each of those by default.

Google builds the connector and Anthropic has verified it. Claude sees attachment names and details but not what is inside them, and on Team and Enterprise plans an Owner has to turn Gmail on before members can connect. Answers link back to the emails Claude used, so you can check each one.

Good for

People who want Claude to find and summarize email without copying it into the chat
Anyone who wants replies drafted and sent from a chat, with a check before each one goes out
Team and Enterprise Owners deciding whether to turn Gmail on for staff
Developers who want the same Gmail access inside Claude Code

Install Claude

Claude app

1
In Claude, go to Customize > Connectors. In the desktop app, select Customize in the sidebar, then Connectors.
2
Find Gmail in the list and select Connect.
3
Sign in to your Google account and grant the requested permissions.
4
Check that the Connect button now reads Disconnect.
5
In a chat, select + at the lower left of the message box, select Connectors and turn on Gmail.

Requires A Claude account; Anthropic's Gmail guide lists paid plans, On Team or Enterprise, an Owner enables Gmail first.

Read-only mode: There is no read-only mode. Under Customize > Connectors > Gmail > Tool permissions, set send, reply, forward and trash to Needs approval or Blocked.

Pick the built-in connector. It searches, reads, drafts and sends, asking before each send. Google's preview server suits you only if email must never be sent by an AI: it drafts and labels but cannot send.

From the vendor's docs. Source.

Connect Gmail and handle your first email

Claude

1
Open your connectors
Go to Customize > Connectors in claude.ai. In the desktop app, select Customize in the sidebar, then Connectors.
2
Connect Gmail
Find Gmail in the list, select Connect and sign in to your Google account. When it works, the button reads Disconnect. On Team and Enterprise, Gmail appears only after an Owner enables it; members can ask for it with Request on its page in the connectors directory.
3
Turn it on in a chat
In a conversation, select + at the lower left of the message box, select Connectors and turn on Gmail. The toggle applies to that conversation only.
4
Ask about your email
Ask a question that needs your mail. Claude searches Gmail and cites the messages it used, so you can open each one to check.
Prompt
```
What did Sarah say about the project deadline?
```
5
Draft a reply
Ask Claude to write the reply as a Gmail draft, then read it in Gmail or in the chat.
Prompt
```
Draft a reply to Sarah confirming the new deadline of March 14. Save it as a draft, do not send it.
```
6
Approve before it sends
If you ask Claude to send, reply or forward, it asks for approval first. Choose Allow once for each message you have read. Avoid Always allow for sending unless you are sure.
Prompt
```
Send that reply to Sarah.
```
Tip: You can set sending tools to Needs approval or Blocked under Customize > Connectors > Gmail > Tool permissions.

Permissions

Medium risk

Claude can read your whole mailbox and send email in your name, and a cleverly written email could try to steer it. Keep the approval prompts on and block the tools you do not need.

What it can do

Read your data
Create and change things
Delete things
Read-only mode

Watch out for

It can send email in your name
Sending, replying and forwarding ask for approval by default. Read each message before you allow it, and do not choose Always allow for sending. support.claude.com
Claude can read any email in the account
Anything it finds can be pulled into the chat and sent to Anthropic. Connect only an account whose mail you are comfortable sharing that way. claude.com
Emails can hide instructions for the AI
A message from a stranger can try to steer Claude into sending or forwarding something. Keep approvals on and check what each action does. claude.com
It can trash messages and change labels
The connector includes trash, spam and label tools. Block the ones you do not need under Tool permissions. claude.com
Team Owners control the approval rules
On Team and Enterprise, Owners enable Gmail and decide whether members may let actions run without asking. support.claude.com

Security advisories

No published security advisories as of Nov 1, 2026.

Technical details

Turning on read-only	There is no read-only switch. Set send, reply, forward, trash and other write tools to Needs approval or Blocked under Customize > Connectors > Gmail > Tool permissions.
Talks to	Google's Gmail service. Anthropic, which receives the email content Claude reads
Sign-in and keys	You sign in with Google; Claude keeps the connection until you select Disconnect or remove its access in your Google Account.

Where it works

Where	Status	Note
Claude on the web	Native connector	Customize > Connectors > Gmail. Owners enable it first on Team and Enterprise.
Claude desktop app	Native connector	Same connector; select Customize in the sidebar, then Connectors.
Claude mobile app	Native connector	Available in chats once connected on web or desktop.
Claude Code	Native connector	Uses your claude.ai connectors when you sign in with your Claude account.
Google's Gmail MCP server	Official server	Drafts and labels as a custom connector; Workspace Developer Preview only.
ChatGPT	Native connector	Gmail is a Google app you can connect to ChatGPT. Access depends on plan, region, workspace and admin settings.
Gemini	Native connector	The Google Workspace app finds and summarizes information in Gmail.
Microsoft Copilot app	Native connector	Copilot connectors include Gmail for personal accounts.

Top picks

Claude's built-in Gmail connector is the default and sits in the install box. Listed here: official alternatives with a reviewed PlugWiki page, ranked by how directly they work with Gmail.

Verdict

Use Claude's built-in Gmail connector: it takes a minute to set up and asks before it sends. Pick Google's preview server only if your mail must never be sent by an AI.

The built-in Gmail connector is the right choice for most people. Its main limit is attachments: Claude sees their names and details but not their contents, so save files to Google Drive when you need them read.

Best for

Finding and summarizing threads
Drafting replies you check before sending
Answers with links to the source emails

Skip it if

You need Claude to read what is inside attachments
You want Claude to send email with no approval step and cannot set that up as an Owner
You cannot accept an AI reading the whole mailbox

Questions

Can Claude send emails from Gmail?

Yes. Claude can send, reply to and forward email from Gmail, and by default it asks for your approval before each one. On Team and Enterprise plans, Owners decide whether members can skip that approval.

Is the Claude Gmail connector free?

It costs nothing extra. Anthropic's support article says the Google Workspace connectors are available for all users, while its Gmail guide lists Pro, Max, Ultra, Team and Enterprise. If you are on Free, check whether Gmail shows under Customize > Connectors.

Why does Gmail not show up in my Claude connectors?

On Team and Enterprise plans, an Owner or Primary Owner has to enable Gmail for the organization first. Until then, select Request on its page in the connectors directory to ask your Owners.

Why does it say access blocked by my admin?

Your Google Workspace admin has to trust the Claude app. In the Google Admin console they add Claude as a trusted app under API controls; it takes about 15 minutes to apply.

Is it safe to connect Claude to Gmail?

Reasonably, if you keep the approvals on. Claude reaches only the account you connect and asks before it sends, but it can read the whole mailbox, and an email can contain instructions meant to steer an AI.

Can Claude read my email attachments?

No. It sees attachment names and details but not their contents. Save the file to Google Drive and use the Drive connector to have Claude read it.

Does it work on the Claude mobile app and in Claude Code?

Yes. Once connected, Gmail is available in chats on web, desktop and mobile, and in Claude Code when you sign in with your Claude account.

How do I disconnect Gmail from Claude?

Go to Customize > Connectors, select Gmail and choose Disconnect, then confirm. To revoke access on Google's side too, open myaccount.google.com/connections, find Claude and remove its access.

Claude's Gmail connector or Google's Gmail MCP server?

Use Claude's connector: it needs nothing beyond signing in and does more. Google's preview server only drafts and labels, and needs its Workspace developer preview, a Cloud project and your own sign-in client.

Does Anthropic train on my email?

On Free, Pro, Max and Ultra, chats are used for training only if Model Improvement is on in your privacy settings. Team and Enterprise content is not used by default.

Information

updated Nov 3, 2026

Made by: Anthropic
Connector directory: claude.ai/directory

In the Claude directory

Sources

Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from.

Show all 17

Gmail connector · claude.com
Get started with connectors · claude.com
claude.com · claude.com
developers.google.com · developers.google.com
support.claude.com · support.claude.com
claude.com · claude.com
Use connectors · support.claude.com
Manage third-party access to your Google Account · support.google.com
Is my data used for model training? · privacy.claude.com
Claude pricing · claude.com
Connectors directory · claude.com
code.claude.com · code.claude.com
Connected apps in ChatGPT · help.openai.com
support.google.com · support.google.com
support.microsoft.com · support.microsoft.com
Google app data controls FAQ · help.openai.com
Zapier MCP · docs.zapier.com