# Gmail MCP server: official Google preview, open source or hosted

> Is there an official Gmail MCP server? Yes, as a Google Developer Preview without a send tool. What it does, how to set it up, and which other routes exist.

Updated: 2026-10-19 · Fact-checked: 2026-10-19 · Canonical: https://commandmail.app/en/guides/gmail-mcp-server · Deutsch: https://commandmail.app/de/anleitungen/gmail-mcp-server-optionen.md

Yes, Google offers an official Gmail MCP server at `https://gmailmcp.googleapis.com/mcp/v1`. It is a Developer Preview, though: you need to be accepted into Google's preview program and bring your own Google Cloud project and OAuth client.[^1][^3] The server searches, reads, drafts and labels mail; its published tool list has no send tool.[^2] If you just want Gmail inside Claude, the built-in connector involves far less setup.[^4]

Command Mail is our product and appears below as a fourth option. This guide is based on vendor documentation and GitHub data retrieved on 2026-10-19. We have not run Google's preview ourselves with our own Cloud project.

## Four things people mean by "Gmail MCP server"

Searches for a Gmail MCP server mix up four different things: Google's hosted server, the built-in connectors in AI apps, open-source servers you run yourself, and hosted services that bring their own inbox. What separates them is who owns the OAuth client, whether the agent can send, and how much setup you take on.[^1][^4][^5][^6]

| Route | Run by | Sending | Setup | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Gmail MCP | Google | No send tool; drafts only | Preview application, Cloud project, OAuth client | Developer Preview |
| Claude Gmail connector | Anthropic | Yes, approval before each send by default; Team/Enterprise owners can relax this for members | Connect from Claude's menu; Team/Enterprise owners must enable it first | Available to all users per Anthropic |
| google_workspace_mcp | Open source (MIT), self-hosted | Depends on tool tier; read-only mode available | Own OAuth client, `uvx workspace-mcp` | Actively maintained |
| GongRzhe/Gmail-MCP-Server | Open source (MIT) | Yes per README (`send_email`), also deletion | Local via `npx`, own OAuth client | Archived, last push 2025-08-06 |
| Command Mail | FYN Labs (hosted) | Pro and above: approved drafts, or separately enabled autonomous sending with limits | Gmail forwarding, OAuth on the MCP server | Generally available |

Sources: Google,[^1][^2] Anthropic,[^4] GitHub[^5][^6] and Command Mail.[^8] Star counts and push dates are snapshots from 2026-10-19. They indicate attention, not active users or security review.

## What Google's official server can do

Google's reference page lists ten tools: `search_threads`, `get_thread`, `get_message`, `list_labels`, `list_drafts`, `create_draft`, `label_thread`, `unlabel_thread`, `label_message` and `unlabel_message`.[^2] The setup page's navigation also shows `create_label`. Treat whatever your client receives from `tools/list` after connecting as the authoritative list.[^1][^2]

Google's own example shows the intended split. The agent writes a draft with `create_draft`, and you review and send it in Gmail.[^1] There is no delete tool in the list either. The OAuth consent screen requests `gmail.readonly` and `gmail.compose`, but a granted scope does not prove that a tool uses all of it.

The server acts with the signed-in user's permissions and inherits that account's data governance. Google explicitly warns about indirect prompt injection: anyone feeding untrusted email to a language model should screen prompts and responses, for example with Model Armor or a documented solution of their own.[^1]

## Prerequisites

You need membership in the Google Workspace Developer Preview Program. You apply with your Workspace account and Cloud project details, and Google says the process should be done within a couple of days.[^3] Features usually stay in the preview for three to six months.

If you are building a product, read the terms first. Preview features may not be included in public applications before Google announces general availability.[^3] That makes the server fine for an internal experiment and unsuitable, for now, as the base of something you ship to customers.

You also need the gcloud CLI, installed, up to date and initialized with `gcloud init`, plus a Google Cloud project and an MCP host. For Claude.ai or Claude Desktop, Google names the Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans.[^1]

## Steps: add Google's Gmail MCP server to Claude

These steps follow Google's instructions for Claude.[^1]

1. Confirm your preview membership and pick the Cloud project that was registered.[^3]
2. Enable the Gmail API and the Gmail MCP API:[^1]
   `gcloud services enable gmail.googleapis.com --project=PROJECT_ID`
   `gcloud services enable gmailmcp.googleapis.com --project=PROJECT_ID`
3. In the Cloud console, open **Google Auth Platform → Branding** and create the consent screen. Choose **Internal** as the audience, or **External** with yourself added as a test user.
4. Under **Data Access → Add or Remove Scopes**, paste `https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.readonly` and `https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.compose`, add them and save.
5. Under **Google Auth Platform → Clients → Create Client**, create a web application. Add `https://claude.ai/api/mcp/auth_callback` as the redirect URI, select **Use this client for an AI-powered agent**, then copy the client ID and secret.
6. In Claude, open **Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector**. Name it Gmail, enter `https://gmailmcp.googleapis.com/mcp/v1`, put the client ID and secret under **Advanced settings** and click **Add**.

Other clients need the same details: the server URL, Streamable HTTP transport and OAuth 2.0 with a client marked as an AI agent. Google documents a separate Antigravity configuration in `~/.gemini/config/mcp_config.json`.[^1]

## Did it work?

Start with a read-only question whose answer you already know, such as "What did Ariel say in her last email about our marketing plan?" The client should call `search_threads` and then `get_thread`.[^1] Check the sender, date and wording against the original message in Gmail.

Next, ask for a draft and open Gmail's Drafts folder. If the draft is there and nothing was sent, the server behaves the way Google describes it.

## Troubleshooting the official server

**Requests are rejected.** Check that the OAuth client has **Use this client for an AI-powered agent** selected. If you cannot change that on an existing client, Google suggests a new, separate client for agent use.[^1]

**You have to sign in again about every hour.** Your client is not getting a refresh token. Google only issues one when the authorization request includes `access_type=offline`; the OIDC `offline_access` scope is not enough. Add `prompt=consent` to get a new token for a user who already granted access.[^1]

**The server does not appear or reports missing permission.** Check that the project is registered for the preview and that both APIs are enabled. An administrator can also review OAuth log events in the security investigation tool.[^1][^3]

## When another route fits better

**Claude's built-in connector** is, in our assessment, the route with the least setup if you simply want Gmail in Claude. Anthropic offers it to all users; on Team and Enterprise, an owner has to enable the connectors for the organization first. It searches, reads and drafts, and it can send, reply and forward, asking for approval before each of those actions by default, and Team and Enterprise owners decide whether members may turn that off. It sees attachment metadata, not attachment content.[^4] ChatGPT has a separate Gmail app, covered in [connect Gmail to ChatGPT](https://commandmail.app/en/guides/connect-gmail-to-chatgpt).

**google_workspace_mcp** suits people who want to self-host, need more than Gmail, and do not want to wait for preview access. It is MIT-licensed, covers twelve Workspace services and offers tool tiers (`--tool-tier core`), a read-only mode and per-service selection (`--tools gmail`).[^5] You create the OAuth client yourself, and hosting and updates are your job.

**GongRzhe/Gmail-MCP-Server** can send, delete and create filters according to its README. The repository is archived, though, and its last push was on 2025-08-06.[^6] Existing installs may keep working without receiving fixes. We would not choose it for a new setup.

**gws** lives in the `googleworkspace` GitHub organization, yet its README says it is not an officially supported Google product, and it is not an MCP server. It is a command-line tool for Workspace APIs, with commands such as `gws gmail +send` that coding agents can call directly.[^7]

## Using Gmail through Command Mail

Command Mail is a hosted inbox with an MCP server at `https://commandmail.app/mcp`. Sign-in uses OAuth 2.1 with PKCE and dynamic client registration, so you do not need a Google Cloud project.[^8] In Claude Code, run `claude mcp add --transport http commandmail https://commandmail.app/mcp`.

Gmail reaches Command Mail through forwarding. Command Mail receives copies of new messages, and forwarding gives it no access to your Gmail mailbox. Changes in Command Mail do not flow back to Gmail, and older mail needs a separate import. Command Mail sends only from an address set up for sending there, not as your Gmail address.[^8]

Its value is different from Google's server: addresses from several providers in one inbox, permissions you can switch off one by one when connecting, and autonomy levels per mailbox. There are two ways to send. With `mail:send-approved`, an agent sends exactly the draft revision a person approved. With `mail:send`, it sends without individual approval, but only from mailboxes on the `auto` level, with a daily limit and at most 20 recipients per message; that permission is off when you connect. Free reads, sorts and drafts without sending. Pro adds sending at €19 per month for the first 100 paying accounts and €29 after that.[^8]

Command Mail is the wrong fit if you want the agent to change labels, archive state or read status in your actual Gmail account; Google's server or Claude's connector handle that. See [permissions and autonomy](https://commandmail.app/en/docs/permissions-and-autonomy) for the permission model and the [email MCP server comparison](https://commandmail.app/en/compare/best-email-mcp-servers) for more servers.

## Next steps

First decide whether your agent should work in the original mailbox or in a copy. For the original, most people need only the built-in connector or, with preview access, Google's server. If you need several addresses and finer permissions, read [using multiple email accounts with one AI agent](https://commandmail.app/en/guides/multiple-email-accounts-ai-agent).

[Start Command Mail free](https://commandmail.app/login?signup=1) and connect your agent when it fits.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is there an official Gmail MCP server from Google?

Yes. Google runs a remote MCP server for Gmail at https://gmailmcp.googleapis.com/mcp/v1. It is part of the Google Workspace Developer Preview Program, so you have to apply and set up your own Google Cloud project with an OAuth client.

### Can the official Gmail MCP server send email?

Not according to Google's published tool list. It searches and reads threads, lists labels and drafts, creates drafts and adds or removes labels. You send the draft yourself in Gmail.

### Is GongRzhe's Gmail MCP server still maintained?

No. The repository is archived on GitHub and its last push was on 2025-08-06, so it will not receive fixes. For a new setup, pick a maintained project or one of the official routes.

### Is gws from the googleworkspace organization an official Gmail MCP server?

No. gws is a command-line tool for Google Workspace APIs that agents can call. Its README states that it is not an officially supported Google product, and it is not an MCP server.

### Do I need a Gmail MCP server to use Gmail with Claude?

Usually not. Claude has a built-in Gmail connector that Anthropic makes available to all users; it can also send, asking for approval before each send by default; on Team and Enterprise, owners decide whether members may skip that prompt. Google's own server is added to Claude as a custom connector, and Google lists the Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans for that.

## Sources

1. [Google: Configure the Gmail MCP server](https://developers.google.com/workspace/gmail/api/guides/configure-mcp-server), accessed 2026-10-19
2. [Google: MCP Reference gmailmcp.googleapis.com](https://developers.google.com/workspace/gmail/api/reference/mcp), accessed 2026-10-19
3. [Google: Google Workspace Developer Preview Program](https://developers.google.com/workspace/preview), accessed 2026-10-19
4. [Anthropic: Use Google Workspace connectors](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/10166901-use-google-workspace-connectors), accessed 2026-10-19
5. [GitHub: taylorwilsdon/google_workspace_mcp (README and API snapshot)](https://github.com/taylorwilsdon/google_workspace_mcp), accessed 2026-10-19
6. [GitHub: GongRzhe/Gmail-MCP-Server (README and API snapshot, archived)](https://github.com/GongRzhe/Gmail-MCP-Server), accessed 2026-10-19
7. [GitHub: googleworkspace/cli (gws)](https://github.com/googleworkspace/cli), accessed 2026-10-19
8. [Command Mail: llms.txt with plans, scopes and connection options](https://commandmail.app/llms.txt), accessed 2026-10-19

[^1]: [Google: Configure the Gmail MCP server](https://developers.google.com/workspace/gmail/api/guides/configure-mcp-server), accessed 2026-10-19
[^2]: [Google: MCP Reference gmailmcp.googleapis.com](https://developers.google.com/workspace/gmail/api/reference/mcp), accessed 2026-10-19
[^3]: [Google: Google Workspace Developer Preview Program](https://developers.google.com/workspace/preview), accessed 2026-10-19
[^4]: [Anthropic: Use Google Workspace connectors](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/10166901-use-google-workspace-connectors), accessed 2026-10-19
[^5]: [GitHub: taylorwilsdon/google_workspace_mcp (README and API snapshot)](https://github.com/taylorwilsdon/google_workspace_mcp), accessed 2026-10-19
[^6]: [GitHub: GongRzhe/Gmail-MCP-Server (README and API snapshot, archived)](https://github.com/GongRzhe/Gmail-MCP-Server), accessed 2026-10-19
[^7]: [GitHub: googleworkspace/cli (gws)](https://github.com/googleworkspace/cli), accessed 2026-10-19
[^8]: [Command Mail: llms.txt with plans, scopes and connection options](https://commandmail.app/llms.txt), accessed 2026-10-19

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