gmail-mcp-server

Gmail MCP Server — read, send, search, and manage Gmail through Claude using Google's official API.

19 tools for emails, drafts, labels, threads, and attachments — powered by the official Google Gmail API with OAuth 2.0. Works with any Google account (personal Gmail or Google Workspace).

Tools

Email Operations (5)

Drafts (4)

Labels (3)

Message Management (4)

Attachments (2)

Related MCP server: Gmail MCP Local Server

Setup

This server uses Google's official Gmail API. You need to create OAuth 2.0 credentials once in Google Cloud Console — this takes about 5 minutes.

Step 1 — Create a Google Cloud Project

1. Go to console.cloud.google.com

2. Click the project dropdown at the top → "New Project"

3. Give it a name (e.g. gmail-mcp) and click Create

4. Make sure the new project is selected

Step 2 — Enable the Gmail API

1. In the left menu go to "APIs & Services" → "Library"

2. Search for "Gmail API"

3. Click it → click "Enable"

Step 3 — Configure OAuth Consent Screen

1. Go to "APIs & Services" → "OAuth consent screen"

2. Choose "External" (works for any Google account) → click Create

3. Fill in:

   • App name: Gmail MCP Server (or anything)

   • User support email: your email

   • Developer contact email: your email

4. Click Save and Continue

5. On the Scopes page, click "Add or Remove Scopes" and add these:

   https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.readonly
   https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.send
   https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.compose
   https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.modify
   https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.labels

6. Click Save and Continue

7. On Test users, click "Add Users" → add your Gmail address

8. Click Save and Continue → Back to Dashboard

Step 4 — Create OAuth Client ID

1. Go to "APIs & Services" → "Credentials"

2. Click "+ Create Credentials" → "OAuth client ID"

3. Application type: "Desktop app"

4. Name: Gmail MCP Server

5. Click Create

6. Click "Download JSON" — save this file, you'll need it next

Step 5 — Install & Authenticate

# Install the package
npm install -g @dev-hitesh-gupta/gmail-mcp-server

# Install dependencies for first run
npx playwright install chromium 2>/dev/null; true

# Create config directory and place your credentials
mkdir -p ~/.gmail-mcp
cp /path/to/downloaded-credentials.json ~/.gmail-mcp/credentials.json

# Authenticate — opens a browser window for Google sign-in
gmail-mcp-server auth

Your token is saved to ~/.gmail-mcp/token.json and auto-refreshed on expiry.

Step 6 — Add to Claude Code

claude mcp add gmail -- npx @dev-hitesh-gupta/gmail-mcp-server

Or manually in your Claude config (~/.claude/claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gmail": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@dev-hitesh-gupta/gmail-mcp-server"]
    }
  }
}

Multiple Accounts

You can connect multiple Gmail accounts by running separate server instances with different config directories:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gmail-work": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@dev-hitesh-gupta/gmail-mcp-server"],
      "env": { "GMAIL_MCP_CONFIG_DIR": "~/.gmail-mcp-work" }
    },
    "gmail-personal": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@dev-hitesh-gupta/gmail-mcp-server"],
      "env": { "GMAIL_MCP_CONFIG_DIR": "~/.gmail-mcp-personal" }
    }
  }
}

Authenticate each separately:

GMAIL_MCP_CONFIG_DIR=~/.gmail-mcp-work gmail-mcp-server auth
GMAIL_MCP_CONFIG_DIR=~/.gmail-mcp-personal gmail-mcp-server auth

Gmail Search Syntax

The gmail_search tool supports the full Gmail query language:

from:boss@company.com           # From specific sender
to:me                           # Sent to you
subject:invoice                 # Subject contains word
is:unread                       # Unread emails
is:starred                      # Starred emails
has:attachment                  # Has attachments
after:2024/01/01                # After date
before:2024/12/31               # Before date
label:work                      # Has label
in:inbox                        # In inbox
in:sent                         # In sent
in:spam                         # In spam

Combine queries:

from:client@company.com is:unread has:attachment
subject:urgent OR subject:important
from:boss@company.com after:2024/06/01

Configuration

Data & Auth Storage

All data is stored locally:

~/.gmail-mcp/
├── credentials.json    # Your Google OAuth client credentials
└── token.json          # Access + refresh token (auto-managed)

Security: Never commit credentials.json or token.json to version control. Add ~/.gmail-mcp/ to your .gitignore.

Troubleshooting

"Not authenticated" / "Credentials not found":

# Make sure credentials.json is in place
ls ~/.gmail-mcp/credentials.json

# Re-authenticate
gmail-mcp-server auth

Token expired:

rm ~/.gmail-mcp/token.json
gmail-mcp-server auth

"Access blocked" during Google sign-in: Your OAuth app is in test mode. Go to Google Cloud Console → OAuth consent screen → add your email under Test users.

Scope errors: Ensure all 5 Gmail scopes are added in the OAuth consent screen (Step 3 above).

Requirements

• Node.js 18+

• A Google account (personal Gmail or Google Workspace)

• Google Cloud project with Gmail API enabled (see setup above)

License

MIT — Hitesh Gupta