[WIP] Programmable Email

What is Programmable Email?

Programmable Email is an MCP server that connects Claude (or any MCP client) with Gmail using local OAuth tokens. It is designed for experimentation and testing purposes, and any emails fetched will be sent to Claude’s servers.

How to use Programmable Email?

Obtain Gmail OAuth credentials (credentials.json and token.json), build the Docker image with docker build -t programmable-email ., then configure Claude Desktop’s claude_desktop_config.json to run the image. Open or restart Claude, then ask Claude to retrieve your recent unread emails.

Key features of Programmable Email

• Connects Claude or any MCP client to Gmail
• Uses local OAuth tokens for authentication
• Runs inside a Docker container
• Retrieves recent unread emails from Gmail
• Designed for experimentation and testing
• Fetched emails are sent to Claude’s servers

Use cases of Programmable Email

• Retrieve and review recent unread emails via Claude
• Experiment with MCP-based email tool integration
• Test OAuth workflow for Gmail in a local MCP setup

FAQ from Programmable Email

What are the prerequisites?

Docker and Claude Desktop for Mac are required.

How do I get Gmail OAuth credentials?

Follow the Google Workspace guide to create a personal OAuth client ID for a server-side application. Place credentials.json in the root directory.

Where does token.json come from?

It is automatically generated the first time you use your Google OAuth credentials.

What are the current limitations?

Only a subset of Gmail search capabilities is available. Send functionality is not yet implemented. All fetched emails are sent to Claude’s servers.

Is Programmable Email production-ready?

No, it is intended for experimentation and testing only.