Gmail MCP Server

# Claude Usage Examples This file contains practical examples of how to interact with the Gmail MCP server through Claude Desktop. > **🛡️ Safety Notice**: By default, this server creates email drafts instead of sending emails directly. This prevents accidental sends and allows you to review before sending. ## Getting Started First, make sure the Gmail MCP server is properly configured in Claude Desktop. You should see a 🔌 icon indicating the MCP connection. ## Basic Email Operations ### List Recent Emails ``` Show me my 10 most recent emails ``` ### Check Unread Emails ``` List my unread emails ``` ### Get Specific Email Details ``` Show me the full content of email ID 18abc123def456 ``` ## Email Composition (Safe Draft Mode) > **✅ Recommended**: These examples create drafts by default for your safety. ### Simple Email Draft ``` Create a draft email to john@example.com with the subject "Meeting Tomorrow" and tell him we need to reschedule to 3 PM ``` ### Email Draft with CC ``` Create a draft email to the team at team@company.com with CC to manager@company.com about the project status update ``` ### Professional Email Draft ``` Compose a draft email to client@company.com thanking them for their business and asking if they need anything else ``` ### ⚠️ Direct Sending (Disabled by Default) If you have `GMAIL_ALLOW_DIRECT_SEND=true` enabled, you can use: ``` Send an email directly to john@example.com with subject "Urgent: Meeting Change" ``` **Warning**: This bypasses the safety review step. ## Email Search and Management ### Search by Sender ``` Find all emails from Alice Smith from the last week ``` ### Search by Subject ``` Search for emails with "invoice" in the subject from the last month ``` ### Find Emails with Attachments ``` Show me emails with PDF attachments from this week ``` ### Complex Search ``` Find all unread emails from the company domain that mention "meeting" or "project" ``` ## Draft Management ### Create Reply Draft ``` Create a draft reply to the latest email from support@company.com ``` ### Draft Reply with Custom Content ``` Create a draft reply to the most recent email from my boss saying "Thanks for the update. I'll have the report ready by Friday." ``` ### Draft Reply to Specific Person ``` Draft a reply to the most recent email from Alice saying "I agree with your proposal. Let's schedule a call to discuss the details." ``` ## Practical Workflows ### Daily Email Triage ``` 1. Show me all unread emails 2. For high-priority emails, create draft replies 3. List emails with attachments that need review ``` Example commands: ``` Show me my unread emails from today Create a draft reply to the latest email from [important contact] Find emails with attachments I received today ``` ### Project Communication ``` 1. Search for project-related emails 2. Get details of the latest project update 3. Send status update to team ``` Example commands: ``` Search for emails about "Project Alpha" from the last week Get full details of the most recent email about Project Alpha Send an email to the project team with an update on our progress ``` ### Client Follow-up ``` 1. Find recent emails from clients 2. Create follow-up drafts 3. Schedule reminders ``` Example commands: ``` Find emails from clients from the last 3 days Create a draft follow-up email for the latest client inquiry Show me emails that might need responses ``` ## Advanced Usage ### Automated Email Analysis ``` Analyze my recent emails and tell me: 1. Who are my most frequent contacts? 2. What topics come up most often? 3. Which emails might need urgent responses? ``` ### Email Organization Help ``` Look at my recent emails and suggest: 1. Which ones I can archive 2. Which ones need immediate action 3. Which ones should be forwarded to team members ``` ### Meeting Coordination ``` 1. Find emails about upcoming meetings 2. Create confirmation drafts 3. Check for scheduling conflicts ``` Example commands: ``` Search for emails about meetings this week Create draft confirmations for all meeting requests Show me calendar-related emails from today ``` ## Email Templates and Patterns ### Thank You Email ``` Send a thank you email to [recipient] for [specific reason] ``` ### Follow-up Email ``` Create a polite follow-up email to [recipient] about [topic] from our conversation last week ``` ### Meeting Request ``` Send a meeting request to [recipient] to discuss [topic] next week ``` ### Project Update ``` Send a project status update to the team covering [key points] ``` ## Troubleshooting Commands ### Check Connection ``` List my recent emails to test the Gmail connection ``` ### Verify Authentication ``` Show me my Gmail profile information ``` ### Test Search ``` Search for any email to test the search functionality ``` ## Best Practices ### 1. Be Specific Instead of: "Send an email" Use: "Create a professional email draft to client@company.com about the project deadline extension" ### 2. Use Natural Language Claude understands context, so you can say: "Reply to that email from yesterday about the meeting" ### 3. Combine Operations "Find the latest email from John, get its full content, and create a draft reply" ### 4. Provide Context "Search for emails about the budget meeting and show me the most recent one with full details" ### 5. Use Follow-up Questions After getting search results: "Show me the full content of email #3 from that list" ### 6. Safety First Always prefer draft creation: "Create a draft reply" instead of "Send a reply" ## Common Patterns ### Morning Email Check ``` "Show me my unread emails from overnight and highlight any urgent ones" ``` ### End of Day Cleanup ``` "Help me identify which emails I can archive and which need responses tomorrow" ``` ### Project Status ``` "Find all emails about [project name] from this week and summarize the key points" ``` ### Client Communication ``` "Check for any client emails that need urgent responses and help me prioritize them" ``` ## Error Handling If you encounter errors: 1. **Authentication Error**: "The Gmail connection seems to have an issue. Let me test it." 2. **Search No Results**: "Try a broader search term or different time frame" 3. **Send Error**: "Check the recipient email address and try again" Remember: Claude can help you troubleshoot issues and suggest alternative approaches! ## 🛡️ Safety Best Practices ### Always Review Before Sending 1. Create drafts with the MCP server 2. Go to Gmail → Drafts 3. Review and edit if needed 4. Send manually when ready ### Draft Creation Examples ``` ✅ "Create a draft email..." ✅ "Draft a reply saying..." ✅ "Compose a draft for..." ⚠️ "Send an email..." (disabled by default) ⚠️ "Email them directly..." (requires explicit enabling) ``` ### Review Your Drafts ``` "List my current email drafts" "Show me all drafts created today" "Help me review my pending drafts" ```