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Choose the connection route before you start
“Connect Gemini to an app” describes several different products. Choosing the wrong route is the most common reason a setting or action appears to be missing.
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| Route | Best for | Requirements and setup | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal Connected Apps | Retrieving information or performing supported actions in productivity, communications, media, shopping and smart-home services | Sign in to Gemini, keep Keep Activity on, open Connected Apps, authorize the service, and use @ to select it when needed |
The list and supported actions vary by account, country, language, device and Gemini app |
| Google Workspace | Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Keep and Tasks workflows | Use the same Google account in Gemini and Workspace; Keep Activity must be on. Work or school accounts also need an eligible edition and administrator enablement | Connection does not grant every Workspace action; several file, image, comment and folder operations are unsupported |
| Android Device assistance | Alarms, timers, launching apps, media, selected settings and eligible notification actions | Use Gemini on Android. Notification access is required for reading or replying to notifications; some controls require the Google app to be the default digital assistant | Capabilities depend on the phone, manufacturer, settings and staged rollout |
| Custom MCP app | A compatible personal or third-party tool exposed through an MCP server | On the Gemini web app, add the server URL under Connected Apps and then select it with @. Google currently lists personal accounts, age 18 or older, US availability, English and Keep Activity on |
Google does not control or secure the third-party server. Documentation differs on whether ordinary-chat use is available or Spark-only |
| Gemini Spark | Scheduled tasks and workflows that continue beyond one chat turn | Describe the goal and schedule. Google currently lists a personal account, age 18 or older, Keep Activity on, and a Google AI Pro or Ultra subscription | Regional exclusions apply; tasks can request confirmation or user takeover and should be supervised |
The Connected Apps screen for your signed-in account is the authoritative inventory. Open an app’s details there before planning a workflow, because the visible list and supported actions are user-specific.
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Check eligibility and permissions first
Personal accounts and activity settings
Keep Activity is required for Workspace and most personal Connected Apps. If it is off, Google says only specified Android apps—including Device assistance, Phone, Messages and WhatsApp—remain available under the conditions shown in its help documentation. Turn it on only if you are comfortable with the associated activity history and retention settings.
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Work and school accounts
Workspace connections are controlled by the organization as well as by the user. The domain must have a qualifying Workspace edition, and an administrator must enable app access. Gmail Smart features may also need to be enabled. If the option is absent in a managed account, an administrator—not a different prompt—is usually the fix.
Location, language, device and subscription
Google varies Connected Apps by country, language, account type, device and Gemini app. Spark and custom MCP have additional age, region and subscription conditions. Treat these as eligibility gates, not troubleshooting steps you can bypass. A feature that appears in a help article may not appear in your account.
Connect a supported app step by step
- Open Gemini on the web or on the device where you intend to use the connection, and sign in to the correct Google account.
- Open Settings → Connected Apps. In some current interfaces the entry is under Personal Intelligence; Android and web placements can differ.
- Find the service and open its details. Read both the supported and unsupported action lists before enabling anything.
- Select Connect, Enable or the equivalent control, then complete the account-linking and consent screens. Grant only permissions that match the task you have in mind.
- Start a new conversation. When the route supports app selection, type
@and choose the service. State the operation and the relevant object clearly—for example, “Find the email from Jordan about the October invoice,” or “Add a 30-minute event tomorrow at 3 PM.” - Read Gemini’s response and any confirmation request. For a consequential change, open the destination app and confirm that the item was created, edited or sent.
Some Connected Apps are designed to work automatically when Gemini detects a relevant request. Selecting the app with @ is still the clearest way to ensure the intended service is used. The exact control and prompt flow can change by device and account.
Use Google Workspace connections safely
What Workspace can do
With an eligible connection, Gemini can search, summarize and answer questions about Gmail, Docs and Drive content; create, retrieve and edit Google Tasks; create and retrieve Keep notes and lists; and create or manage Calendar events. Useful requests include:
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- “Check my schedule for today and list the two events that need preparation.”
- “Find the message that contains the project deadline and extract the dates.”
- “Turn the action items in this conversation into Google Tasks due Friday.”
- “Save this packing list as a Keep note titled ‘Weekend trip’.”
- “What changed in the planning document since last week?”
For Workspace prompts, name the service or content type and use distinctive keywords instead of pasting a document or email URL. Each new conversation should explicitly request Workspace information or an action; follow-up prompts in the same chat can rely on the established context.
Actions Workspace does not provide
Google’s Workspace Connected Apps documentation lists several boundaries. The connection cannot access comments or images in Docs or Gmail, pictures or videos stored in Drive, create or move Drive folders, or count Drive items or storage. A request such as “move all these files into a new folder” may therefore fail even though Gemini can summarize the files themselves. Do not infer Spark capabilities from this list: Google documents some Spark Workspace actions separately.
Confirm and recover changes
Calendar edits, Tasks, Keep notes and drafted Gmail content can affect your real data. Ask Gemini to show the proposed title, date, recipients or text before confirming when the operation matters. Afterward, check the relevant app’s activity, item list or sent/draft folder. If the result is wrong, undo it in that service rather than asking Gemini to guess what changed.
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On Android, Gemini can manage alarms and timers, open apps, control media, change some settings and handle eligible notification tasks. Examples include “Set a 7:00 AM alarm,” “Open Maps,” “Pause the music,” or “Read my new notification.”
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Permissions that affect the result
- Notification access: required when Gemini must read or reply to notifications. Grant it in Android’s notification-access settings, and remove it later if you no longer need the capability.
- Default assistant: selected setting controls require the Google app to be the device’s default digital assistant.
- Device and rollout differences: manufacturer software, Android version, language and staged releases can change which commands are offered.
Google says some notification actions are rolling out gradually, and certain voice or media message types are not supported. If Gemini can read a notification but cannot reply, the limitation may be the message type rather than a missing permission.
Build scheduled workflows with Gemini Spark
Spark is the documented route when “automation” means a task that runs later or repeatedly. In Google’s terminology, a task is the goal, a schedule is when it runs, and a skill is reusable instruction about how to carry it out.
Create a task
- Open Spark in Gemini and describe the outcome in one sentence, such as “Every weekday at 8 AM, review new project email and prepare a five-bullet brief.”
- Specify the schedule, time zone, recurrence and any date range. Say which Connected Apps or Google services the task may use.
- Review the proposed steps, data sources and confirmation points. Edit the instructions before enabling the schedule.
- Save the task and monitor its first runs. Respond when Spark requests input or a takeover.
Spark can use some Connected Apps and Google services. Its documented Workspace actions include Calendar management, Gmail search and drafting, Drive file operations, Docs and Sheets editing, Keep notes and Tasks. Some shared-document edits require confirmation. Spark may browse logged-in websites or connected sources, so an unattended schedule should not be treated as a fully autonomous employee.
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Limits and supervision
Google’s Gemini Apps Help page states a maximum of 15 concurrent tasks (2026 product documentation). This is a volatile limit; verify it in the current Spark help page before relying on it for a larger operation. Regional exclusions apply, and Google advises monitoring tasks because they can pause for confirmation or user takeover.
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Connect a custom MCP app
Model Context Protocol (MCP) lets a compatible server expose tools and data to Gemini. This is appropriate when the service you need is not one of the standard Connected Apps and its provider supplies an MCP endpoint.
Setup on the Gemini web app
- Open Gemini on the web and sign in with the personal Google account that will own the connection.
- Go to Settings → Connected Apps and choose the option to add a custom app.
- Enter the MCP server URL exactly as provided by the server operator.
- Complete the authorization flow. If the server does not support Dynamic Client Registration, use the advanced options to enter the credentials the provider specifies.
- Start a chat and type
@to select the custom app when requesting its tool.
The server must follow MCP specifications. Google’s current help page lists personal accounts, age 18 or older, US availability, English and Keep Activity on as requirements. The provider’s privacy policy, terms and documentation determine how it handles the information sent to it.
Write-action confirmation and documentation conflict
Google states: “Currently, Gemini requires manual confirmation for any write actions, but Gemini can make mistakes.” Treat that as a safety floor, not a guarantee of perfect results. Google also warns that chat information and connected-source information can be shared with a custom app, and that a server may request more data than the task needs.
Google’s general Connected Apps help page says custom apps are available only to users with Spark access and within Spark tasks. The dedicated custom-app page describes use in Spark workflows or quick actions in chat. Because those pages disagree, do not promise ordinary-chat support: inspect the controls shown in your account and follow the narrower option if the interface offers only Spark.
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Prompt Gemini so it uses the right service
Vague prompts invite the wrong source or an unsupported operation. Include the app, object, action, constraints and desired confirmation state.
| Goal | Stronger prompt pattern | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Find information | @Gmail Find the latest message from Alex containing “renewal” and quote the date only. |
Names the source, sender and search term |
| Create an event | @Calendar Create a 45-minute event titled “Budget review” next Tuesday at 10:00 AM, and ask me to confirm before saving. |
Supplies duration, title and a confirmation requirement |
| Save a list | @Keep Save the following as a checklist named “Moving”: utilities, address change, insurance. |
Specifies the destination and format |
| Schedule automation | In Spark, every Monday at 9 AM, search Gmail for unread messages labeled “Client,” summarize them, and stop for approval before drafting replies. |
Defines recurrence, scope and a human checkpoint |
Ask Gemini to explain which app it used when the source matters. If the answer cites a limitation, do not work around it by granting broader permissions; use the service’s own interface for unsupported operations.
Troubleshoot common connection failures
“Why can’t I connect the Google Workspace app?”
- Confirm you are signed in with the intended account and that Keep Activity is on.
- For work or school accounts, ask the administrator whether the edition qualifies and app access is enabled.
- Check whether Gmail Smart features are enabled if Gmail functions are missing.
- Open the app’s details page and compare your request with its supported-action list.
“Why can’t I connect to an app?”
- The service may not be offered in your country, language, device or Gemini app.
- The app may require a different account type or an age or subscription condition.
- Android-only actions will not appear on the web, and staged features may not have reached your device.
- Turn on the specific permission required, such as notification access or default-assistant status, then reopen Gemini.
The app is connected but Gemini ignores it
Start a new chat, select the service with @, and name the exact item or action. Check the app’s unsupported list; “connected” does not mean unlimited access. For Workspace, use keywords and content types rather than a pasted URL.
A scheduled task stops or asks for help
Read the pause message. Spark may need confirmation, a login takeover or clarification. Reduce the task to a smaller scope, add explicit approval points and run it once manually before restoring the recurrence.
Protect data and make automation reversible
Connected services can expose email, documents, calendars, notes, notifications or third-party data. Google’s Privacy Hub says third-party services process information under their own privacy policies. For custom MCP apps, Google says it does not control, monitor or secure the server.
Quick Recap
- Read the provider’s privacy policy, terms and documentation before authorizing an MCP server.
- Compare requested permissions with the smallest data set the task needs.
- Do not put passwords, payment details or confidential content into a prompt unless the service’s handling is acceptable to you.
- Prefer drafts and confirmation steps for messages, shared-document edits, purchases and account changes.
- Review connected apps periodically and disconnect services you no longer use.
- Verify every important change in the destination service; Google warns that Gemini responses can be outdated or mistaken.
A practical preflight checklist
- Define whether you need a lookup, a one-off action, a phone control or a scheduled workflow.
- Choose Connected Apps, Workspace, Android Device assistance, Spark or MCP accordingly.
- Check the account, country, language, device, administrator and subscription requirements.
- Read the selected app’s supported and unsupported actions.
- Enable only the necessary permission and understand where data will be processed.
- Use an explicit prompt, select the app with
@when available and request confirmation for consequential writes. - Test with a harmless example, then verify the result directly in the connected service.
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