Gmail MCP Server

What is Gmail MCP Server?

Gmail MCP Server is an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that provides Gmail integration capabilities to MCP clients like Claude Desktop. It uses secure OAuth2 authentication to read emails from your Gmail account.

How to use Gmail MCP Server?

Set up a Google Cloud Project, enable the Gmail API, and create OAuth 2.0 credentials. Install the server in a conda environment with Python 3.12, then configure it in your Claude Desktop config file by providing paths to the credentials and token files. On first run, you authorize the application in your browser.

Key features of Gmail MCP Server

• View the 10 most recent emails from your inbox
• Search emails using standard Gmail search syntax
• Secure OAuth2 authentication (read‑only access)
• Automatic token refresh

Use cases of Gmail MCP Server

• Ask a coding assistant to check recent emails
• Search for specific messages by sender, date, or subject
• Retrieve recent messages without leaving your workflow

FAQ from Gmail MCP Server

What resources and tools does the server provide?

It provides a resource gmail://inbox/recent that returns your 10 most recent emails, and a tool search_emails that accepts a Gmail search query and optional max_results parameter (default 10).

How do I authenticate with Gmail?

You must create OAuth 2.0 credentials in Google Cloud Console and save them as credentials.json. The first time you access Gmail through the server, a browser window prompts you to authorize the application; after that, a token file stores your session.

What permissions does the server request?

The server requests only read access to your Gmail account. No write permissions are requested.

What environment variables are required?

GMAIL_CREDENTIALS_FILE (path to your OAuth credentials file) and GMAIL_TOKEN_FILE (path where the authentication token will be saved).

How is my data stored and secured?

Credentials are stored locally in the token file. Access can be revoked at any time through your Google Account settings. The server uses OAuth2 with automatic token refresh.