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Claude

How to Connect Gmail to an MCP Server (Google’s 2026 Setup)

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Use Google’s hosted Gmail MCP server at https://gmailmcp.googleapis.com/mcp/v1. You must enable both the Gmail API and Gmail MCP API in a Google Cloud project, configure Google OAuth consent and scopes, create OAuth client credentials, then add the server to an MCP-capable client over Streamable HTTP. Google currently labels the service Developer Preview, so check the official setup guide for UI changes before you begin.

What you need before connecting

  • A Google Cloud project where you can manage APIs and OAuth settings.
  • An MCP client that supports remote Streamable HTTP servers and OAuth 2.0 callbacks.
  • A Google account allowed to use the project. For an External OAuth app, you may also need to add your account as a test user.
  • Google Cloud CLI (gcloud) if you want to follow Google’s command-line setup. The CLI should be installed, updated, signed in, and initialized.

The exact callback URI and credential screens depend on the MCP host. Google documents specific flows for Antigravity and Claude, plus generic parameters for other clients.

Connect Gmail to Google’s remote MCP server

1. Select or create a Google Cloud project

Open the Google Cloud Console, select the project that will own the OAuth configuration, and note its project ID. Keep the same project selected when enabling APIs and creating credentials; mixing projects is a common cause of authorization errors.

2. Enable the Gmail services

In APIs & Services, enable both services:

  1. gmail.googleapis.com — Gmail API.
  2. gmailmcp.googleapis.com — Gmail MCP API.

With gcloud, run:

gcloud services enable gmail.googleapis.com gmailmcp.googleapis.com --project=YOUR_PROJECT_ID

Replace YOUR_PROJECT_ID with the selected project ID. If gcloud reports that the service is unavailable, confirm the account, project, and CLI login before retrying.

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3. Configure Google OAuth consent

In Google Auth Platform, complete the Branding, Audience, and Data Access sections before creating an OAuth client. Google’s sample uses an Internal audience where that option exists. Otherwise choose External and add the Google accounts that will test the connection under authorized test users.

Use the scopes named in Google’s Gmail MCP setup:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.readonly for searching and reading Gmail data.
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.compose for creating drafts.

Explain these permissions to users before authorization. Gmail scopes are classified by sensitivity; restricted scopes can trigger OAuth verification, and storing or transmitting restricted-scope data on a server can require a security assessment. Review Google’s current scope documentation for requirements that apply to your app and account type.

4. Create an OAuth client

Create the OAuth client type required by your MCP host and record its client ID and client secret. The redirect or callback URI is host-specific. Do not guess it: copy the exact URI supplied by your client’s custom-connector or remote-server instructions.

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5. Add the server in your MCP client

For a client other than the specifically documented Antigravity or Claude flows, use these connection values:

Field Value
Server name gmail
URL https://gmailmcp.googleapis.com/mcp/v1
Transport Streamable HTTP
Authentication OAuth 2.0

Save the connector, start the OAuth flow, choose the Google account, review the requested scopes, and approve only if the client and server are trusted. Your host may ask for the OAuth client ID, secret, authorization URL, token URL, or redirect URI in separate fields.

Claude-specific connection

Google’s Claude instructions require a supported Claude.ai or Claude Desktop plan—Enterprise, Pro, Max, or Team—and a custom connector configured with your Google OAuth client ID and secret. Follow the current Claude connector screens for its callback URI, then enter the Gmail MCP URL above.

6. Verify the connection

After authorization, ask the client to perform a read-only search first, for example:

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What did Ariel say in her last email about our marketing plan?

Then test draft creation:

Draft an email to [email protected] saying that I approve the marketing plan.

The draft tool creates a Gmail draft for your review. Google’s published tool list does not include a send-email tool, so do not assume this connection can send messages automatically.

What the Gmail MCP server can do

Google describes this as a Gmail API-provided MCP server for LLM applications. Its documented global and toolset endpoint is https://gmailmcp.googleapis.com/mcp/v1. The reference lists these tools:

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  • search_threads — search Gmail conversations.
  • get_thread and get_message — retrieve thread or message content.
  • list_labels — list available Gmail labels.
  • label_message and label_thread — apply labels.
  • unlabel_message and unlabel_thread — remove labels.
  • list_drafts — list drafts.
  • create_draft — create a draft for review.

There is no documented send tool in that list. Google marks the hosted service as part of the Workspace Developer Preview Program, so tool coverage and availability may change.

Security and administrator checks

Protect against prompt injection

Email is untrusted input. A malicious message can contain instructions designed to make an AI client modify, disclose, or delete data. Google’s explicit warning is: “Never connect Gmail MCP server to untrusted or unverified applications.” Use a trusted client, treat message content as data rather than instructions, screen prompts and responses, and review every consequential action—especially labels, drafts, and any downstream automation.

Check Workspace administrator policy

Workspace administrators can review third-party applications and requested OAuth scopes, mark apps Trusted, Limited, or Blocked, and restrict access to Google services. A policy can prevent users from authorizing an app that requests restricted services even when the OAuth setup is otherwise correct. If authorization is blocked, ask an administrator to review the app and scopes in the Admin console rather than repeatedly retrying.

Use least privilege

Request only the documented read and compose scopes. Keep OAuth client secrets out of source control, rotate them if exposed, and revoke the Google connection when the client is no longer needed.

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Troubleshooting common connection failures

“API not enabled” or service-disabled errors

Cause: One of the two required services is disabled, or the client and APIs belong to different projects.

Fix: In the selected project, verify both gmail.googleapis.com and gmailmcp.googleapis.com. Re-run the gcloud command and wait briefly for propagation.

OAuth consent screen rejects the account

Cause: An External app is still in testing and your account is not an authorized test user, or an Internal audience is unavailable for your account organization.

Fix: Add the account under test users for an External app, or use the audience type permitted by your Workspace organization.

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Redirect URI mismatch

Cause: The callback registered in Google Cloud does not exactly match the URI used by the MCP host.

Fix: Copy the callback from the host’s connector documentation, including scheme, path, port, and trailing slash, then update the OAuth client.

Insufficient permission or scope errors

Cause: The OAuth client was authorized without one of the required scopes, or an administrator restricted the requested service.

Fix: Disconnect the integration, authorize again with gmail.readonly and gmail.compose, and have an administrator review the app status if policy blocks it.

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The client cannot connect to the URL

Cause: The host may support only local stdio MCP servers, not remote Streamable HTTP, or may require a different OAuth field layout.

Fix: Confirm remote Streamable HTTP and OAuth 2.0 support in the host. Use the host’s exact custom-connector instructions; the endpoint itself is https://gmailmcp.googleapis.com/mcp/v1.

Search works but drafting fails

Cause: The connection has read-only authorization, or the client did not request gmail.compose.

Fix: Reauthorize with both documented scopes and confirm that the account and administrator policy permit compose access.

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Google OAuth logs show a denied request

Use Google Workspace OAuth logs to identify the application, user, scope, and policy decision. This is especially useful when an administrator’s Trusted, Limited, or Blocked setting—not your MCP configuration—is the cause.

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Operational guidance: reliability, privacy, and cost

Preview status and changing interfaces

The Gmail MCP service is in Developer Preview. Treat Google’s setup and reference pages as the authority for current fields, tools, and availability. Client interfaces can change independently, so document your connector settings for your team and retest after host or Google Workspace updates.

Data handling

The remote server and your MCP host are separate trust boundaries. Determine who operates each service, where OAuth tokens are stored, and whether prompts or returned message content are logged. Avoid sending sensitive email content to an unverified client.

Usage and billing

Google’s setup documentation does not establish a per-message price for this MCP connection. Any charges or quotas associated with your Google Cloud project, Workspace edition, or MCP host should be checked in those products’ current terms.

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Or skip the browser setup

If your goal is website screenshots for documentation or agent workflows rather than Gmail authorization, ScreenshotNeo provides a single-call screenshot API and an MCP server. It removes cookie banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; bot checks, blank pages, failed loads, timeouts, and cache hits are not billed, with the result identified by X-Page-Verdict and X-Billed headers. Its MCP tools—take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf—work with Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients.

For a direct request, see the ScreenshotNeo documentation:

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There is a free plan with 1,000 screenshots per month and no card required. Paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots. Create a free ScreenshotNeo account.

FAQ

What URL do I use for the Gmail MCP server?

Use https://gmailmcp.googleapis.com/mcp/v1 with Streamable HTTP and OAuth 2.0.

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Which Gmail OAuth scopes are required?

Google’s documented setup names https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.readonly and https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.compose.

Can Gmail MCP send email?

Google’s published reference lists draft creation but no send-email tool, so the documented integration should not be treated as an automatic sender.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Gmail MCP server available to every Google account?

Availability depends on Google Workspace policies, OAuth audience settings, and the service’s Developer Preview status. Administrators can restrict or block authorization.

Do I need Claude to use Gmail MCP?

No. Claude has documented setup instructions, but any MCP-capable client that supports remote Streamable HTTP and OAuth 2.0 can use the generic connection parameters.

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The Bottom Line

Enable both Gmail services, authorize the two documented scopes, configure the host’s exact OAuth callback, and test with search before creating a draft. Keep the preview status and email prompt-injection risk in mind.

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