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Gmail MCP server: Google's official server for Claude and other AI apps

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Tools
11
5 read · 6 change
Works in
1
supported apps
Risk
Medium
can write
Auth
OAuth
sign in, no key

Google's own server that lets your AI assistant search and read your Gmail, write drafts and manage labels. Preview only for now.

Most people cannot use this yet: it only works for members of Google's Workspace Developer Preview Program, and you set it up through your own Google Cloud project. Once you are in, it lets Claude and other assistants search your mail, read threads, write drafts and add or remove labels. It cannot send or delete email, so you press send yourself in Gmail. If you just want Claude to search your inbox today, Claude's built-in Gmail connector or a community server is the quicker route.

Good for

  • Google Workspace developers already accepted into Google's Developer Preview Program
  • People who want Claude to read and draft email but never send it on its own
  • Workspace admins testing AI access to company mail before a wider rollout
  • Anyone who sorts email with labels and wants help tagging threads in bulk

Works in

1 supported · 13 should work

Tap an app to see how to set it up and any known problems.

Install Gmail MCP

Claude Code

  1. 1

    Copy this prompt.

    Add the Gmail MCP server to Claude Code. Run this command:

claude mcp add --transport http gmail https://gmailmcp.googleapis.com/mcp/v1

Then check that it loaded and tell me if I need to sign in or restart.
  2. 2

    Paste it into Claude Code. It shows the change and asks before running it.

Requires Google Workspace Developer Preview Program membership, Your own Google OAuth client ID and secret.

Read-only mode: There's no read-only mode. The server cannot send or delete email; review drafts and label changes before you approve them.

Before any app can connect, join Google's Workspace Developer Preview Program, enable the Gmail API and the Gmail MCP API in a Google Cloud project, add the gmail.readonly and gmail.compose scopes to the OAuth consent screen, and create a Web application OAuth client with "Use this client for an AI-powered agent" selected. Google's guide does not cover this app. Its setup has you create your own OAuth client, so this app must let you enter that client ID and secret and you must add the app's redirect URI to the client.

Built from the package data we hold. Not yet tested by us.

Tools

  • Searches your inbox and lists matching conversations with a short preview

    Finds email conversations that match a Gmail search, such as a sender, subject or date, and shows a preview of each. It does not return the full text; reading a whole conversation is a separate step.

    Try: “Find emails from Acme about the contract renewal this month”

    Read · search_threads

  • Opens a whole email conversation so the assistant can read every reply

    Reads a full email conversation, with every message in it, so the assistant can summarise it or answer questions about it. It can also fetch just subjects and previews to save space.

    Try: “Summarise the thread with the landlord about the lease”

    Read · get_thread

  • Reads one specific email in full, including the names of its attachments

    Opens a single email when the assistant already knows which one you mean, for example the latest reply in a thread. It shows the full text and lists attachment names, but does not download the files.

    Try: “What are the attachment names in the email I just got from HR?”

    Read · get_message

  • Writes a draft email or reply for you to review and send yourself

    Writes a new email or a reply and saves it in your Drafts folder. Nothing is sent: you open Gmail, check it and press send. Drafts cannot include attachments yet.

    Try: “Draft a reply to Sam thanking him and proposing Tuesday at 2pm”

    Write · create_draft

  • Lists the drafts waiting in your Drafts folder

    Shows the drafts you have saved, with their subjects, so the assistant can find one it wrote earlier or check what is still unsent.

    Try: “Which drafts have I not sent yet?”

    Read · list_drafts

  • Adds one of your labels to a whole conversation

    Puts a label on every email in a conversation, including replies that arrive later. Use it to file or flag conversations in bulk.

    Try: “Label all threads from the accountant as Taxes”

    Write · label_thread

  • Removes a label from a whole conversation

    Takes a label off every email in a conversation, for example to move a thread out of a project folder or mark it as no longer important.

    Try: “Remove the Follow up label from the thread with Dana”

    Write · unlabel_thread

  • Adds a label to a single email

    Puts one or more labels on a single email rather than the whole conversation.

    Try: “Star the last email from my manager”

    Write · label_message

  • Removes a label from a single email

    Takes one or more labels off a single email, such as marking it read by removing Unread.

    Try: “Mark the newsletter from this morning as read”

    Write · unlabel_message

  • Creates a new label in your Gmail

    Adds a new label to your Gmail so the assistant can start filing mail under it.

    Try: “Create a label called Receipts 2026”

    Write · create_label

  • Used by the assistant behind the scenes

    Looks up your labels so it can apply the right one

    Lists the labels you have created so the assistant knows their exact names before it adds or removes them. Built-in labels such as Inbox and Starred are not listed.

    Try: “What labels do I have?”

    Read · list_labels

From the official docs

Pros and cons

Good

  • Built and hosted by Google, so there is nothing to install or keep running.
  • You sign in with your Google account; no passwords or tokens in a config file.
  • It writes drafts but cannot send, so nothing leaves your outbox without you.
  • It cannot delete or trash email.
  • It asks for just two Gmail permissions, one to read mail and one to compose it.
  • Search and thread tools can return just headers or snippets instead of whole emails.

Watch out

  • Only members of Google's Workspace Developer Preview Program can use it.
  • Setup needs your own Google Cloud project, two enabled APIs and an OAuth client.
  • Google documents setup for only Claude and Antigravity.
  • Free Claude accounts get only one custom connector, and Team and Enterprise members need an Owner to add it.
  • Drafts cannot include attachments yet.
  • Without extra settings, it asks you to sign in again about every hour.

Permissions

medium risk · 5 things to watch

Medium risk

The assistant can read your whole mailbox, and a cleverly written email could try to steer it. Connect a mailbox you are comfortable sharing with your AI provider and review every draft and label change before you approve it.

What it can do

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

Watch out for

  • It can read every email in the account

    Any thread or message can be pulled into the chat and sent to your AI provider. Connect only accounts whose mail you are comfortable sharing that way. developers.google.com

  • Emails can hide instructions for the AI

    Google warns about indirect prompt injection. Do not ask it to work through mail from unknown senders, and check each action before you approve it. developers.google.com

  • The sign-in also allows sending mail

    The server has no send tool, but the compose permission it asks for lets the same token send email through the Gmail API. Keep your OAuth client secret private. developers.google.com

  • It cannot send or delete email

    Its actions stop at drafts and labels. You review and send drafts yourself in Gmail. developers.google.com

  • Preview software with no guarantees

    Google offers pre-release APIs without warranties and may change or drop them. Do not build anything critical on it yet. developers.google.com

Security advisories

No published security advisories as of Nov 1, 2026.

Technical details
Turning on read-onlyNo documented read-only mode. Google's setup asks for gmail.readonly and gmail.compose on the consent screen; running with gmail.readonly alone is not documented.
Talks toGoogle's Gmail MCP endpoint (gmailmcp.googleapis.com). Your AI provider, which receives the email content it reads
Scopes

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.readonly

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.compose

Alternatives

Use Google's server if you are in its preview program and want drafts only, with no chance of an email going out by itself. Everyone else should pick a community server: the ArtyMcLabin fork is the maintained successor of the archived GongRzhe server, and all of them can send mail.

ServerOfficialRunsSign-inCan send emailWeekly downloads
For Gmail
Gmail MCP serverThis pageOfficialHostedAccountNo–
klodr gmail-mcpCommunityLocalAccountYes1.1K/wk
Shinzo Labs gmail-mcpCommunityLocalAccountYes637/wk
ArtyMcLabin Gmail MCPCommunityLocalAccountYes349/wk
Other tools for the same job
GongRzhe Gmail, archivedCommunityLocalAccountYes19K/wk

What people say

People like that it stops at drafts and dislike how much setup it takes before the first prompt.

What people like

  • Reviewers like that it can search, read and draft but leaves sending to you.

Common complaints

  • Getting started takes a preview sign-up, a Cloud project, two APIs and an OAuth client.

In their words

BlogJul 2026
“Yes, Google ships an official Gmail MCP server, in preview and draft-only.”
Nick TimmsBlogJul 2026
“it can search your mail, read threads, and prepare drafts, but a human presses send.”
Nick Timms

Questions

Can I use Google's Gmail MCP server yet?

Only if you join the Google Workspace Developer Preview Program. You apply with a Workspace account and a Google Cloud project, and Google says approval should take a couple of days.

Does it work with a personal @gmail.com account?

Google does not say it does. The preview program asks for a Google Workspace account and does not mention personal Gmail, so plan on a Workspace account.

What is the Gmail MCP server URL?

https://gmailmcp.googleapis.com/mcp/v1. It only answers once your Cloud project is in the preview and you sign in with your own OAuth client.

Can it send email?

No. This preview server writes drafts, and you open Gmail to review and send them. Claude's built-in Gmail connector is a separate product and can send, reply and forward after you approve each action. Community servers such as the ArtyMcLabin fork can also send.

Can it delete my email?

No. It has no delete or trash action. It can add and remove labels and create new ones.

Is it free?

Google lists no price for the preview. Claude supports custom connectors on every plan (Free, Pro, Max, Ultra, Team and Enterprise), so any plan can add it. Free is limited to one custom connector, and on Team and Enterprise only an Owner (or an Enterprise role with Manage access to Libraries) can add it.

Why does it keep asking me to sign in?

Without a refresh token the sign-in lasts about an hour. Google's fix is to add access_type=offline to the sign-in request, plus prompt=consent to get a new refresh token.

How is it different from Claude's built-in Gmail connector?

They are separate things. Claude's built-in Gmail connector is built by Google, has 29 tools and needs no Cloud project. It searches and reads mail, writes drafts, and can send, reply and forward, asking for your approval before each of those by default. Google's preview server on this page (gmailmcp.googleapis.com) is a different product: you add it yourself as a custom connector, it needs the preview program and your own OAuth client, and it cannot send.

Google's Gmail server or a community one?

Pick Google's if you are in the preview and want drafts only. Pick a community server if you need sending, attachments or a personal account; you run it on your own computer with your own Google credentials.

Can it attach files to drafts?

Not yet. Google says drafts with attachments are not supported.

Examples

  • Ask what a contact said in their last email

    What did Priya say in her last email to me?

  • Have it draft a reply for you to check and send

    Draft a reply to the latest invoice email saying we will pay by Friday. Don't send it.

  • Tag a batch of threads with one of your labels

    Find this week's newsletters and add my Read Later label to them.

Information

updated Nov 1, 2026

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Streamable HTTP
Auth
OAuth

DocsLink

Other Gmail MCP servers

See all

Sources

Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from. Issues, quotes and findings above link to their own source.

Show all 16
  1. Configure the Gmail MCP server · developers.google.com
  2. Use Google Workspace connectors · support.claude.com
  3. Gmail connector listing · claude.com
  4. Get started with custom connectors using remote MCP · support.claude.com
  5. Claude pricing · claude.com
  6. MCP Reference: gmailmcp.googleapis.com · developers.google.com
  7. Google Workspace Developer Preview Program · developers.google.com
  8. Gmail connector · claude.com
  9. Choose Gmail API scopes · developers.google.com
  10. create_draft · developers.google.com
  11. ArtyMcLabin/Gmail-MCP-Server · github.com
  12. Gmail MCP Server: Google's Official Preview, Community Options, and the Safe Setup · dragapp.com
  13. klodr/gmail-mcp · github.com
  14. shinzo-labs/gmail-mcp · github.com
  15. GongRzhe/Gmail-MCP-Server · github.com
  16. search_threads · developers.google.com

Facts from the official MCP registry, GitHub, npm, PyPI and the Docker catalog. Updated Nov 1, 2026.