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Gmail MCP Server

by cristip73

Communication/EmailGmailClaudeEmailAPI

The Gmail MCP Server enables Claude Desktop App to interact with Gmail, providing capabilities for reading, searching, and sending emails. It uses the Model Context Protocol to provide a standardized interface.

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Last updated: N/A

Gmail MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables Claude Desktop App (or any other app that supports MCP) to interact with Gmail, providing capabilities for reading, searching, and sending emails through a standardized interface.

Installation

Prerequisites

  • Node.js 16 or later
  • npm

Setup Steps

  1. Create a Google Cloud Project and enable the Gmail API:

    • Go to Google Cloud Console
    • Create a new project
    • Enable the Gmail API
    • Create OAuth credentials (Desktop application)
    • Download the credentials JSON file as gcp-oauth.keys.json

  2. Clone and Install:

    git clone https://github.com/cristip73/MCP-email-server.git
cd MCP-email-server
npm install

  3. Build the Server:

    npm run build

  4. Authenticate with Gmail:

    npm run auth

    This will open a browser window to authenticate with your Google account.

  5. Make Package available to Claude:

    npm link

Usage with Claude

Claude Desktop

Add the MCP server to Claude Desktop:

Go into Claude Desktop settings then go into Developer Mode then choose Edit Config and edit the JSON file

Example of a local config file for Claude Desktop.

If you have multiple MCPs be careful with you syntax. You should add them under "mcpServers" not copy the whole section below. Ask AI for help if you are unsure.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "email-server": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/email-server/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
          "TIME_ZONE": "GMT+2",
          "DEFAULT_ATTACHMENTS_FOLDER": "/Users/username/CLAUDE/Attachments"
      }     
    }
  }
}

IMPORTANT: Set the DEFAULT_ATTACHMENTS_FOLDER to a valid path on your system.

IMPORTANT: Set the TIME_ZONE to your local timezone in GMT format. Eg: GMT+2, GMT-5, etc. Otherwise the date and time of the emails will be off, it is set to GMT+0 by default by Gmail.

The server will work also without any TIME_ZONE or DEFAULT_ATTACHMENTS_FOLDER, but your timezone will be off and you will not be able to save attachments.

For Claude Code Editor, you can add the server by running the following command:

claude mcp add email-server -- /path/to/email-server/build/index.js

Purpose

This server bridges Claude AI with Gmail API, allowing Claude to:

  • Send emails and replies
  • Search and retrieve emails with advanced filters
  • Read email content and attachments
  • Work with Gmail categories and labels

By implementing the Model Context Protocol, it gives Claude the ability to perform authenticated Gmail operations while maintaining security and privacy.

Project Structure

src/
├── index.ts                 # Entry point and server initialization
├── server.ts                # MCP server implementation
├── client-wrapper.ts        # Gmail API client wrapper with multi-account support
├── tool-handler.ts          # Tool registration and request routing
├── prompt-handler.ts        # Prompt management and template system
├── version.ts               # Version information
├── utils.ts                 # Shared utilities for dates, emails, etc.
├── timezone-utils.ts        # Timezone handling and configuration
└── tools/                   # Tool implementations by domain
    ├── email-read-tools.ts  # Tools for reading emails
    ├── email-send-tools.ts  # Tools for sending, replying and forwarding emails
    ├── email-search-tools.ts # Tools for searching and filtering emails
    ├── email-label-tools.ts # Tools for managing labels and message states
    ├── email-attachment-tools.ts # Tools for listing and saving attachments
    ├── email-draft-tools.ts # Tools for managing email drafts
    └── timezone-tool.ts     # Tool for verifying timezone configuration

Core Components

  • index.ts: Entry point for the application, handles authentication and server initialization
  • server.ts: Implements the MCP server functionality, registers handlers for tools and prompts
  • client-wrapper.ts: Wraps Gmail API functionality, implements category support, message transformation, and multi-account handling
  • tool-handler.ts: Routes tool requests to appropriate handlers and formats responses
  • prompt-handler.ts: Manages templates and examples for common Gmail operations
  • utils.ts: Provides utility functions for date formatting, email creation, content extraction, and proper UTF-8 encoding
  • timezone-utils.ts: Handles timezone parsing, conversion, and formatting for consistent date handling
  • tools/: Contains domain-specific implementations for email operations
    • email-read-tools.ts: Tools for reading emails and extracting content
    • email-send-tools.ts: Tools for sending emails, replying and forwarding
    • email-search-tools.ts: Tools for searching and filtering emails
    • email-label-tools.ts: Tools for managing labels and message states (read/unread, archive/unarchive)
    • email-attachment-tools.ts: Tools for listing attachments and saving them securely to disk
    • email-draft-tools.ts: Tools for creating, updating, listing, and sending email drafts
    • timezone-tool.ts: Tool for verifying timezone configuration and comparing time formats

Configuration

The server supports the following configuration:

  • TIME_ZONE: Timezone configuration in format like 'GMT+2' or 'GMT-5' (default: 'GMT+0')
  • DEFAULT_ATTACHMENTS_FOLDER: Path to the directory where email attachments can be saved (e.g., '/Users/username/CLAUDE/attachments')

Features

Email Operations

  • Send Email: Send new emails with support for CC, BCC, and attachments
  • Reply: Reply to existing emails while maintaining thread context
  • Reply All: Reply to all recipients in a thread while filtering out your own addresses
  • Forward: Forward emails to other recipients with original headers and formatting
  • Read Email: Retrieve and display email content, headers, and attachments
  • Search Emails: Search emails using Gmail's query syntax with enhanced features

Draft Management

  • Create Drafts: Save email drafts for later editing or sending
  • List Drafts: View all saved drafts with pagination support
  • Update Drafts: Edit existing drafts with full content modification
  • Send Drafts: Convert saved drafts to sent emails
  • Delete Drafts: Remove drafts that are no longer needed

Advanced Functionality

  • Pagination: Navigate through large result sets with pageToken support
  • Gmail Categories: Filter by Gmail's categories (Primary, Social, Promotions, etc.)
  • Time Filtering: Search by predefined time periods (today, yesterday, last 24h)
  • Unread Status: Automatic handling of unread email filtering
  • HTML Content: Process and display both HTML and plain text email content
  • Thread Context: Maintain email threading for proper conversation context
  • Multi-Account Support: Automatic handling of multiple sending addresses and aliases
  • Smart Reply Addressing: Selection of correct sending address based on original recipient
  • UTF-8 Encoding: Proper encoding of international characters in subject and body content
  • Secure Attachment Handling: Restricted attachment saving to designated folder with path validation

Label Management

  • Custom Labels: Create, update, and delete custom labels
  • Label Visibility: Control visibility of labels in message list and label list
  • Label Colors: Configure text and background colors for visual organization
  • Message States: Mark messages as read/unread, archive/unarchive messages
  • Trash Management: Move messages to trash

Time Zone Support

  • Display and Query Emails: Display and query emails in the user's local time zone
  • Time Zone Verification: Check the configured time zone and see current time adjustments
  • Configurable Offset: Support for custom GMT offsets (GMT+2, GMT-5, etc.)
  • Consistent Formatting: All timestamps displayed with the configured timezone
  • Date Calculations: Search filters like "today" and "yesterday" properly adjusted for timezone

Attachment Management

  • List Attachments: View all attachments in an email with full metadata (name, size, type)
  • Save Attachments: Securely save attachments to the configured DEFAULT_ATTACHMENTS_FOLDER
  • Path Security: Validation and normalization to prevent path traversal attacks
  • File Integrity: Verification of saved files with size validation and error reporting
  • Automatic Selection: Intelligent handling when no specific attachment ID is provided
  • Multiple Attachments: Support for emails with multiple attachments
  • Folder Creation: Automatic creation of necessary directories when saving attachments
  • Error Handling: Comprehensive error handling for failed attachment operations

Available Tools

Send Email

send_email

Send a new email message.

Parameters:

  • to: Array of recipient email addresses (required)
  • subject: Email subject (required)
  • body: Email body content (required)
  • cc: Array of CC recipients
  • bcc: Array of BCC recipients
  • inReplyTo: Message ID to reply to
  • threadId: Thread ID to add the message to

Reply All Email

reply_all_email

Reply to an email and include all original recipients (TO and CC).

Parameters:

  • messageId: ID of the message to reply to (required)
  • body: Email body content (required)
  • additionalRecipients: Additional recipients to include in the reply
  • excludeRecipients: Recipients to exclude from the reply
  • from: Specific send-as email address to use as sender (optional)

The tool automatically handles:

  • Including all original recipients (TO and CC)
  • Excluding your own email address to prevent self-replies
  • Setting proper email headers for threading
  • Using the correct FROM address based on the original recipient

Forward Email

forward_email

Forward an email to other recipients.

Parameters:

  • messageId: ID of the message to forward (required)
  • to: List of recipients to forward the email to (required)
  • additionalContent: Additional content to add before the forwarded message
  • cc: List of CC recipients
  • from: Specific send-as email address to use as sender (optional)

The tool automatically handles:

  • Formatting the forwarded message with proper headers
  • Adding "Fwd:" prefix to subject if not already present
  • Including original email headers (From, Date, Subject, To, Cc)
  • Maintaining thread context with original email
  • Excluding your own email addresses from recipients lists

List Send-As Accounts

list_send_as_accounts

List all accounts and email addresses that can be used for sending emails.

Parameters: None

Returns:

  • List of all send-as accounts with their properties
  • Default account information
  • Information about verification status and display names

Get Recent Emails

get_recent_emails

Get recent emails with support for time filters, categories, and read status.

Parameters:

  • hours: Number of hours to look back
  • maxResults: Maximum number of results to return (default: 25)
  • query: Additional Gmail search query
  • pageToken: Token for the next page of results
  • category: Filter by Gmail category (primary, social, promotions, updates, forums)
  • timeFilter: Predefined time filter (today, yesterday, last24h)
  • autoFetchAll: Automatically fetch all results (up to 100) without requiring pagination

Read Email

read_email

Read a specific email by ID and extract its content.

Parameters:

  • messageId: ID of the email message to retrieve (required)

Search Emails

search_emails

Search for emails using Gmail query syntax with support for categories and time filters.

Parameters:

  • query: Gmail search query (required)
  • maxResults: Maximum number of results to return (default: 25)
  • pageToken: Token for the next page of results
  • category: Filter by Gmail category (primary, social, promotions, updates, forums)
  • timeFilter: Predefined time filter (today, yesterday, last24h)
  • autoFetchAll: Automatically fetch all results (up to 100) without requiring pagination

Label Management Tools

List Labels
list_labels

List all labels in the user's mailbox.

Parameters: None

Get Label
get_label

Get details about a specific label.

Parameters:

  • labelId: ID of the label to retrieve (required)
Create Label
create_label

Create a new label in the user's mailbox.

Parameters:

  • name: Name of the label to create (required)
  • messageListVisibility: Controls the label's visibility in the message list (show or hide)
  • labelListVisibility: Controls the label's visibility in the label list (labelShow, labelShowIfUnread, or labelHide)
  • textColor: Text color in hex format (e.g., #000000)
  • backgroundColor: Background color in hex format (e.g., #ffffff)
Update Label
update_label

Update an existing label.

Parameters:

  • labelId: ID of the label to update (required)
  • name: New name for the label
  • messageListVisibility: Controls the label's visibility in the message list (show or hide)
  • labelListVisibility: Controls the label's visibility in the label list (labelShow, labelShowIfUnread, or labelHide)
  • textColor: Text color in hex format (e.g., #000000)
  • backgroundColor: Background color in hex format (e.g., #ffffff)
Delete Label
delete_label

Delete a label from the user's mailbox.

Parameters:

  • labelId: ID of the label to delete (required)
Modify Labels
modify_labels

Add or remove labels from a message.

Parameters:

  • messageId: ID of the message to modify (required)
  • addLabelIds: Array of label IDs to add to the message
  • removeLabelIds: Array of label IDs to remove from the message

Message Management Tools

Mark as Read
mark_as_read

Mark a message as read.

Parameters:

  • messageId: ID of the message to mark as read (required)
Mark as Unread
mark_as_unread

Mark a message as unread.

Parameters:

  • messageId: ID of the message to mark as unread (required)
Archive Message
archive_message

Archive a message (remove from inbox).

Parameters:

  • messageId: ID of the message to archive (required)
Unarchive Message
unarchive_message

Move a message back to inbox.

Parameters:

  • messageId: ID of the message to move to inbox (required)
Trash Message
trash_message

Move a message to trash.

Parameters:

  • messageId: ID of the message to move to trash (required)

Draft Management Tools

Create Draft
create_draft

Create a new draft email without sending it.

Parameters:

  • to: Array of recipient email addresses (required)
  • subject: Email subject (required)
  • body: Email body content (required)
  • cc: Array of CC recipients
  • bcc: Array of BCC recipients
  • from: Specific send-as email address to use as sender
Get Draft
get_draft

Retrieve the contents of a specific draft.

Parameters:

  • draftId: ID of the draft to retrieve (required)
List Drafts
list_drafts

List all drafts in the email account.

Parameters:

  • maxResults: Maximum number of drafts to return (default: 20)
  • pageToken: Token for the next page of results
  • query: Search filter for drafts
Update Draft
update_draft

Update the content of an existing draft.

Parameters:

  • draftId: ID of the draft to update (required)
  • to: New list of recipient email addresses (required)
  • subject: New email subject (required)
  • body: New email body content (required)
  • cc: New list of CC recipients
  • bcc: New list of BCC recipients
  • from: New specific send-as email address to use as sender
Delete Draft
delete_draft

Permanently delete a draft.

Parameters:

  • draftId: ID of the draft to delete (required)
Send Draft
send_draft

Send an existing draft.

Parameters:

  • draftId: ID of the draft to send (required)

Time Zone Tool

Get Timezone Info
get_timezone_info

Display information about the configured timezone in the system.

Parameters: None

Returns:

  • Configured timezone (from the TIME_ZONE variable)
  • Calculated offset in hours
  • Current date and time adjusted to the timezone
  • Current date and time in UTC for comparison

Attachment Management Tools

List Attachments
list_attachments

List all attachments in an email.

Parameters:

  • messageId: ID of the message for which to list attachments (required)

Returns:

  • List of all attachments with their details (name, type, size)
  • Count of attachments in the email
Save Attachment
save_attachment

Save an attachment from an email to the configured DEFAULT_ATTACHMENTS_FOLDER.

Parameters:

  • messageId: ID of the message containing the attachment (required)
  • attachmentId: ID of the attachment (optional if the message has only one attachment)
  • targetPath: Filename or relative path where the attachment will be saved (will be saved inside the DEFAULT_ATTACHMENTS_FOLDER)

The tool automatically:

  • Downloads the attachment
  • Saves it to the specified path within DEFAULT_ATTACHMENTS_FOLDER
  • Validates file integrity
  • Creates necessary directories if they don't exist
  • Prevents path traversal attacks (all files are saved within DEFAULT_ATTACHMENTS_FOLDER)

Example Prompts

  • "Send an email to [email protected] with subject 'Meeting Tomorrow'"
  • "Get my emails from the last 24 hours"
  • "Search for emails from [email protected]"
  • "Find unread emails in my Primary category from yesterday"
  • "Show me promotional emails containing 'discount' received today"
  • "Create a new label called 'Project X' with blue background"
  • "Show all my Gmail labels"
  • "Mark this email as unread"
  • "Archive all emails from this newsletter"
  • "Move this email to my 'Important' label"
  • "Create a draft to the team about the upcoming meeting"
  • "Show me all my saved drafts"
  • "Update my draft to include new information"
  • "Send the draft I created earlier"
  • "Delete the draft that I no longer need"
  • "What's my current timezone configuration?"
  • "Save the attachment from this email to my documents folder"
  • "Forward this report to the management team"

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.