Claude's Gmail Connector: How to Connect Claude to Gmail

Claude’s Gmail connector lets you ask questions about email in a Google account and use any Gmail actions the connection permits. To connect it, open Claude’s connector directory, authorize Google access, then turn Gmail on in the chat where you want to use it. Google’s authorization screen is where you approve the access Claude requests.

For a separate way to keep email on your own computer, mailmd is a free, open source tool that copies messages into readable, searchable Markdown files (plain-text files with simple formatting). The main choice is whether you want Claude to work with connected Gmail or want a local copy of your mail.

Connect Gmail in Claude #

A connector is a link that lets Claude retrieve information from another service. Google uses OAuth, a sign-in and permission process that lets you approve access without giving Claude your Google password.

1. Sign in to Claude on the web or desktop. Open Customize → Connectors and, if shown, choose Discover to browse the directory.
2. Find Gmail, review its listing, and select the connect button.
3. Sign in to the Google account with the mailbox you want to use. Review the requested permissions and approve them.
4. Return to Claude and confirm that Gmail shows as connected.
5. Open a chat, select + → Connectors, and turn on Gmail for that conversation.

Connecting Gmail to your Claude account does not automatically enable it in every chat. The Claude setup instructions distinguish the account connection from the conversation-level toggle.

Start with a specific request, such as: “Find messages from alex@example.com about the budget review and summarize the latest decision.” Open the linked source messages to check important details.

Check which Gmail actions your connection allows #

Claude’s official pages describe different Gmail capabilities. The dedicated Gmail documentation describes a read-only connection. Anthropic’s Google Workspace help page and Google’s Gmail connector listing also describe tools for drafting or sending email and changing messages.

The documentation does not explain whether these differences reflect separate versions or different rollouts. Check the features and permissions shown in your Claude account before relying on an action. For a first test, ask Claude to find and summarize a message. If the connector offers sending or other changes, review the permission prompt and the action itself before approving it.

Anthropic’s pages also give conflicting information about which plans include connectors: the Workspace help page says connectors are available to all users, while the Gmail-specific page lists paid plans. If Gmail does not appear, check your plan and ask a Claude organization owner whether the connector is enabled. Google Workspace administrators can also restrict which apps access organization data.

Use email search and summaries carefully #

Ask for a sender, subject, or date range to make a search more specific. A useful prompt might be: “Find emails from the finance team this month about the renewal. Separate confirmed decisions from open questions and link the messages you used.”

Google’s documentation for its Gmail search tool says search results can contain thread summaries, which summarize groups of related email messages. A separate request retrieves all messages in a thread. Results can also arrive across pages. These details describe Google’s documented tool, so they do not establish how every Claude connection behaves. For decisions, amounts, deadlines, and recipients, check the original email rather than relying on a summary alone.

Consider where Gmail data goes #

Anthropic says retrieved connector data is stored on its servers with the associated chat and that raw Gmail connector content is not used to train its models. Its consumer data policy distinguishes retrieved connector content from email text pasted directly into a conversation. Its commercial policy describes separate terms for commercial accounts.

Treat instructions inside incoming emails as email content, not as permission to send messages or change account settings. For work mail, check your organization’s rules before connecting the account.

When mailmd is a better fit #

Claude’s connector is suited to asking questions about Gmail inside Claude. mailmd is suited to keeping a copy of email as files on your computer. It reads mail without marking it as read, moving it, deleting it, or sending anything. Each message becomes a Markdown file, and the archive includes attachments alongside messages. You can search the files with tools such as rg or grep, or use a coding agent from the mail folder to examine them.

To try mailmd by hand, install it and sync:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vincentsch/mailmd/main/install.sh | sh
mailmd connect gmail --client-secret client_secret.json
mailmd sync

To use the Gmail API, Google’s interface for software that accesses Gmail, mailmd requires your own OAuth app in Google Cloud. Gmail can also connect through IMAP, a standard for accessing email, with an app password. For either route, mailmd saves messages under ~/mail/<account>. See the mailmd repository for setup details.

mailmd is not a mail client and does not import messages back into Gmail or free mailbox storage by itself. It fits readers who want a file-based archive they can inspect and back up. Try mailmd if that is a better match than a live connector.