Gmail MCP Server

Enables AI assistants to interact with Gmail through natural language for comprehensive email management.

Local serverstdioPython 19

What is the Gmail MCP server?

Enables AI assistants to interact with Gmail through natural language for comprehensive email management. Exposed over MCP by the gmail mcp server, that capability becomes something an assistant can invoke while it works, not something you go and do afterwards.

What it actually does

A powerful and feature-rich Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Gmail integration, written in Python. This server enables AI assistants like Claude to interact with Gmail through natural language, providing comprehensive email management capabilities.

Its toolset

Everything the assistant can do here goes through one of these:

  • Prerequisites — The Prerequisites tool exposed by this server
  • Installation — The Installation tool exposed by this server
  • Configuration — Store your credentials securely and specify their location when running the server:

Adding it to your client

Installation goes through your MCP client rather than a global install: point it at @modelcontextprotocol/inspector on npm and it is fetched when the client starts. The copy-paste blocks for Claude Desktop, Claude Code and Cursor are further down this page.

Configuration

  • Python 3.8+ - Google Cloud project with Gmail API enabled - OAuth 2.0 credentials

When to reach for it

Among the team communication options, the useful question is rarely "what can it do" but "what does it cost you to run" — permissions, credentials, and how much of your context its toolset consumes. Gmail's toolset — Prerequisites, Installation, Configuration — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by theposch; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

This entry was verified against Gmail's own documentation before publication; SyncDev keeps the directory reviewed rather than auto-generated.

Caveats

  • It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
  • MCP clients confirm each tool call by default. Leave that on until you have watched what the gmail mcp server does with a few real requests.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
PrerequisitesThe Prerequisites tool exposed by this server.
InstallationThe Installation tool exposed by this server.
ConfigurationStore your credentials securely and specify their location when running the server:

How to install the Gmail MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gmail-2": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/inspector"]
    }
  }
}

Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.

Configuration

  • Python 3.8+ - Google Cloud project with Gmail API enabled - OAuth 2.0 credentials

Example prompts to try

  • Use Gmail to Prerequisites.
  • Use Gmail to Installation.
  • Use Gmail to Configuration.

Frequently asked questions

Gmail MCP provides complete email management (send, read, trash), draft management (create, edit), advanced label management (list, create, apply), powerful search & filtering, and archive management.