What is the Claude Gmail connector? Connecting Gmail, sending email, pricing, security and Turkish
You connect Gmail with your Google account from Customize › Connectors in Claude; then you ask Claude about emails on a topic, and Claude searches your Gmail and reads and summarizes emails and threads. It is an official connection; Claude works only when you ask for something and only within your own Gmail permissions. It sees only attachment details, not their content. Anthropic's own pages contradict each other on whether it can send email and whether it is on the free plan; this guide shows both versions clearly and explains how to check on your account.
- What it does
- Lets Claude search your Gmail and summarize emails
- Type
- Official connector (remote MCP)
- Sending email
- Sources contradict each other
- Where
- Claude web, desktop, mobile; Claude Code
- Attachments
- Details only, not content
- Turkish
- No connector-specific commitment
- Price
- Plan requirement unclear
- "October internet bill": due October 18.
- "Electricity bill reminder": due October 21.
- "Hosting renewal": the email does not state a due date.
What does Claude's Gmail connector do?
The connector is an official connection that gives Claude access to your Gmail account. Once connected, you can search your emails in plain language and have Claude read and summarize threads. In the Claude directory the connector's maker is shown as Google and its label as "Anthropic verified"; it was added to the directory in March 2026. Google's remote MCP server runs behind it (MCP is the standard AI programs use to connect to outside services).
It sees only attachment details, not their content. The sources contradict each other on sending permission.
In its answer, Claude states which emails it used as sources and links to the originals when possible; you can drill into a source with a follow-up question. Claude can also look at metadata such as the email subject, sender and attachment details.
Who it helps: anyone with an overflowing inbox: consultants, business owners, sales and support teams. Instead of wrestling with the search box to find an email, you describe it to Claude.
How do you connect Gmail to Claude?
You connect once, and the browser asks you to sign in with your Google account. The steps come from Claude's help pages; button names vary slightly between pages (Connect, Add to your team).
- Open claude.ai or Claude Desktop and go to Customize then Connectors.
- Find Gmail and click Connect.
- Sign in with your Google account and approve the requested permissions. Google's consent screen also mentions permission to send email; Claude's pages say that by default Claude asks for your approval before every send, reply and forward.
- Once connected, the Connect button turns into Disconnect. In a chat, check that the Gmail toggle is on under + › Connectors next to the message box, then ask a question about your email.
The connection is set up on the web or desktop; it becomes available in the mobile app once you sign in with your account. Claude's general connectors page describes setting up connectors on mobile as beta. There is no Gmail-specific mobile line.
- An Owner or Primary Owner takes the first step. They enable Gmail for the organization from Organization settings then Connectors. This step gives no one access; each member also signs in with their own Google account.
- Members connect their own accounts. Gmail appears under Customize then Connectors and the member clicks Connect. Without permission they see a "Request" button; the request goes to the Owner.
- Actions can be limited. Under Customize then Connectors then Gmail then Tool permissions, tool groups or individual tools are set to "Always allow", "Needs approval" or "Blocked"; the limit the owner sets applies across the organization.
- A Google Workspace account may need admin approval. If a block message appears, the Workspace admin marks "Claude" as "Trusted" at admin.google.com › Security › Access and data control › API controls › Manage third-party app access; wait about 15 minutes for Google's policy to propagate.
- First connect Gmail on claude.ai (Customize then Connectors); it cannot be added in Claude Code with claude mcp add.
- In Claude Code, sign in with your Claude account (
/login); the connectors you connected on claude.ai come over automatically. - Type
/mcpin the session; the servers from claude.ai are listed.
The Claude Code documentation states that local OAuth is not supported for Gmail and Google Calendar. In sessions running on an API key or a cloud provider sign-in, claude.ai connectors are not loaded; check the active sign-in with /status.
Can Claude send email from Gmail? What else can it do?
Two of Anthropic's own pages answer this question differently. The Claude Help Center and the connector directory list writing drafts, sending, replying to and forwarding email. The Gmail page in Claude Docs, however, describes the connector as read-only. Both pages are dated October 1–2, 2026; the official sources don't make clear which one is current.
| Action | Help Center and directory | Claude Docs Gmail page |
|---|---|---|
| Searching and reading email | Available | Available |
| Creating drafts | Available | Says it "cannot create" |
| Sending, replying, forwarding | Available; by default asks for approval before each one | Says it "cannot send" |
| Editing labels and filters | Label and thread management available | Says read-only |
| Moving to trash | In the directory's tool list; no permanent-delete tool appears | Says read-only |
| Attachment content | Not available, only attachment details (metadata) | Cannot see embedded images |
- Check on your own account. Look at the tool list under Customize then Connectors then Gmail then Tool permissions. If tools named send_message, reply and forward are there, sending tools are defined on your account.
- Turn them off if you don't want them. Set the write and send tools to "Needs approval" or "Blocked". To turn the connector off entirely in a chat, use the toggle under + › Connectors.
- Approve outgoing email yourself. The Help Center says that by default Claude asks for approval before every send. On Team and Enterprise, owners decide whether members can run these actions without approval.
!Even if no send tool appears on your account, you can have Claude write the email as a draft in the chat and send it yourself in Gmail. Read the text yourself before sending an important email.
Where does the Gmail connector work?
Places named in the official documentation: Claude (web), Claude Desktop, the mobile app (after connecting on web or desktop), Cowork and Claude Code (if you signed in with your claude.ai account). There is only a general sentence about the Claude API's MCP connector; no instructions specific to these three Google connectors appear.
This page says nothing about assistants other than Claude (ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot); their Gmail connections are covered on their own help pages.
What can Claude see and change in my Gmail?
- Emails and threads (content and metadata)
- Only attachment details, not their content
- Labels, filters and the drafts list
Draft, send, reply, forward and label actions are in the directory's tool list; but Claude Docs describes the connector as read-only. See what it can do in the Tool permissions list on your account (the "Does it send?" section above).
The directory listing has tools for moving an email or thread to the trash and deleting labels. No tool named permanent delete appears.
Claude accesses only the Gmail data of the Google account you connected; it cannot go beyond your existing permissions in Google. It works only when you ask for something and with the minimum information needed.
Under Customize then Connectors then Gmail then Tool permissions you can set each tool or tool group to "Always allow", "Needs approval" or "Blocked". Putting write tools on approval is a good start.
On Team and Enterprise, the Owner enables the connector for the organization and limits tool permissions across the organization. On a Google Workspace account, the Workspace admin may have to mark Claude as "Trusted".
!Both Anthropic and Google warn that an AI session can be steered by instructions hidden inside emails from untrusted sources (prompt injection). When you have Claude process emails from senders you don't know, keep the write and send tools in particular on approval. The "Verified" label is not a security audit or a guarantee.
Is the Gmail connector free?
No official page lists a separate charge for the connector. The sources do, however, contradict each other on which Claude plans include it. A Google account is required; Gmail itself also works with a free account.
| Source | What it says |
|---|---|
| Claude Help Center (Google Workspace connectors) | The Gmail, Calendar and Drive connectors are for "all users" on Claude and Claude Desktop |
| Claude Docs: Gmail page | On Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans |
| Claude pricing page | The "Connectors" row says "Yes" for the Free, Pro and Max plans; the row is general, not specific to Gmail |
| Google's own MCP route (manual setup) | Requires an Enterprise, Pro, Max or Team plan on the Claude side |
- Open the Customize then Connectors list on your account and look for Gmail.
- If you see a Connect button, try connecting; if it connects, your plan includes it.
- On Team and Enterprise, if Gmail is not in the list, the Owner or Primary Owner has not enabled the connector for the organization.
Settling the plan question requires Anthropic to update its two pages. This guide does not say whether it is or isn't on the free plan.
Does the Gmail connector work with Turkish emails?
| Reading and summarizing Turkish emailsUnclear | The official sources make no connector-specific commitment for Turkish. Claude's help page says in general that it replies in the language you write in. |
|---|---|
| Claude's interface languageUnclear | Claude's official language page (August 6, 2026) does not list Turkish; the Claude guide notes that a Turkish menu was seen in the settings of a paid account on October 14, 2026. |
| Access from TurkeyYes | Turkey is on Anthropic's list of supported regions (page dated May 12, 2026). The official pages show no connector-specific restriction for Turkey. |
What happens to my Gmail data? Training, retention, account limit
Anthropic states that it does not train its models on Gmail, Drive and Calendar connector data. Exception: if you allowed model improvement on a consumer plan, content you copy from the connector and paste into a chat may be used for training.
Data retrieved through the connector is stored, encrypted, on Anthropic's servers together with the related chat. Deleting the chat also deletes the retrieved data.
Connected services process data on their own infrastructure under their own terms; this may be outside the United States. Transfers are encrypted.
Reported by users Users report that connecting a second Google account replaces the first. The official page says "the Google account you connect" and does not state a limit explicitly.
!For correspondence that belongs to clients or other people, first check your organization's data rules and your obligations under data protection law (in Turkey, KVKK, the Personal Data Protection Law). This is not legal advice.
Common problems and fixes
| What happens | What to do |
|---|---|
| I connected it, but Claude doesn't use Gmail | In each chat, check that the Gmail toggle is on under + › Connectors. On a team account, the Owner must have enabled the connector for the organization. Reported by users Users report the connector not appearing in unattended tasks and scheduled jobs. |
| "You may need to reconnect with your Google account" error | Customize then Connectors then Gmail then Disconnect (Disconnect again in the confirmation). Google will ask you to sign in again next time. If that doesn't fix it, find Claude at myaccount.google.com/connections and choose "Delete all connections". |
| "Access blocked: your institution's admin needs to review Claude" | The Google Workspace admin must mark Claude as "Trusted" (admin.google.com › Security › Access and data control › API controls › Manage third-party app access); wait about 15 minutes. |
| Gmail isn't in the list on a team account | The Owner or Primary Owner must enable the connector under Organization settings then Connectors. |
| "This corporate identity belongs to an Enterprise" message | Your email domain has been verified by an Enterprise and connections are restricted to its own Claude accounts. Sign in to your organization's Claude account and connect there. |
| Gmail doesn't show up in Claude Code | Connect Gmail on claude.ai, sign in to Claude Code with your Claude account via /login, and confirm with /status that the active sign-in is your claude.ai subscription. Adding it with claude mcp add does not work. |
| Reported by users Labeling, archiving or marking as read gives an "insufficient authentication scopes" error | Reported in several GitHub issues; no official source gives a fix. Try disconnecting and reconnecting. |
| It can't read the text in an attachment | Expected behavior: the connector sees only attachment details, not their content. Download the file and upload it to the chat. |
How do you disconnect Gmail?
- Disconnect in Claude. Customize then Connectors then Gmail then Disconnect; click Disconnect again in the confirmation window. The connector stays in the list and shows Connect again.
- To turn it off in just one chat, switch off the Gmail toggle under + › Connectors in that chat; the connection pauses but Claude stays signed in.
- Remove it from the list entirely. Remove from the three-dot menu (Claude Docs). On a team, the Owner removes it for the organization under Organization settings then Connectors.
- Revoke the permission on the Google side. Find the Claude connection at myaccount.google.com/connections, open its settings and choose "Delete all connections".
Once you disconnect, Claude loses access to Gmail; your emails stay in Gmail. Data retrieved through the connector is stored with the chat, so if you want it deleted, delete the related chats too.
What can it do? Feature map
The list below shows each task separately. Because the official sources contradict each other on the plan requirement and on sending, the price lines say "Plan requirement unclear"; each line shows how to check on your own account.
Reading
- Find and summarize emails in your inbox with a question like "What did Sarah write about the project deadline?"Requires a connectionPlan terms not clearAn answer with links to the source emails · The official sources contradict each other on the plan requirement (Help Center: all users; Claude Docs: Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise)What you can do: In Claude, find Gmail in the Customize then Connectors list; if you see a Connect button, try connecting. On Team and Enterprise, if it is not in the list, an admin has not enabled the connector
Writing
- Have Claude prepare a reply draft to an email and save it to your Gmail draftsRequires a connectionPlan terms not clearA Gmail draft or text in the chat · The Help Center lists creating drafts; the Claude Docs Gmail page describes the connector as read-onlyWhat you can do: Look for the draft tool (create_draft) in the Customize then Connectors then Gmail then Tool permissions list; if it is not there, copy the draft from the chat
- Have Claude send, reply to or forward an emailRequires a connectionPlan terms not clearA sent email · Help Center: sending, replying and forwarding are available, and by default each asks for approval first. Claude Docs: the connector is read-only and cannot sendWhat you can do: Look for the send_message, reply and forward tools in the Customize then Connectors then Gmail then Tool permissions list; if they are there, set each one to "Needs approval" or "Blocked"
Organizing
- Have Claude apply labels to emails, create labels or add a filterRequires a connectionPlan terms not clearLabeled emails · The directory page lists label and filter tools; Claude Docs says read-only. Reported by users Some users report permission errors with label and archive actionsWhat you can do: Check the label tools in the Customize then Connectors then Gmail then Tool permissions list; if you get an error, disconnect and reconnect
- Have Claude move an email or thread to the trash, or mark it as spamRequires a connectionPlan terms not clearAn email moved to the trash or marked as spam · The directory page has move-to-trash and spam tools; no permanent-delete tool appears. Claude Docs says read-onlyWhat you can do: Look for the trash and spam tools in the Customize then Connectors then Gmail then Tool permissions list; set them to "Blocked" if you don't want them
Labels: "Requires a connection" means linking another account or app; "Requires separate setup" means installing a separate program. Pricing is listed per feature; a product having a free plan doesn't mean every feature is free. Compiled from official sources on October 14, 2026.
Often confused: Google's own Gmail MCP, the Docs add-on, ChatGPT
| What | What it does |
|---|---|
| Claude's Gmail connector (this page) | A ready-made connector you connect from Customize then Connectors; labeled "Made by Google" and "Anthropic verified" in the Claude directory. |
| Google's own Gmail MCP server (Developer Preview) | The developer route to the same Google endpoint: set up manually as a custom connector with Developer Preview Program membership, a Google Cloud project and your own OAuth client. Google's documentation requires an Enterprise, Pro, Max or Team plan on the Claude side and lists the gmail.readonly and gmail.compose permission scopes. The tool list on Google's page is shorter than the directory's. |
| Claude for Google Docs, Sheets, Slides add-on | A beta add-on installed from the Google Workspace Marketplace that opens inside the file. Claude's help page describes it as separate from the Gmail, Drive and Calendar connectors. |
| Docs, Sheets and Slides connectors (beta) | Three connectors separate from the Drive connector; you edit the file together in a pane next to the chat. Unrelated to Gmail. |
Gmail connections in ChatGPT, Gemini and other assistants are not the topic of this page; each one's terms are on its own help page. Don't confuse them with Claude's: this page covers only Claude's connector.
Frequently asked questions
What is Claude's Gmail connector and what does it do?
An official connection that lets Claude search your Gmail account and read and summarize emails and threads. You connect it with your Google account from Customize > Connectors in Claude, and it works only within your own Gmail permissions.
Can I connect Gmail to ChatGPT or another assistant too?
This connector belongs to Claude. Gmail connections in assistants such as ChatGPT and Gemini are separate products, and their terms are on their own help pages. Claude Code uses the same connection if you signed in with your claude.ai account.
What is the Gmail MCP, and is it the same as Google's own server?
MCP is the standard AI programs use to connect to outside services. The directory connector uses the same Google server address but is set up for you. Google's own route is a manual setup that requires Developer Preview membership, a Google Cloud project and your own OAuth client.
How do I connect Gmail to Claude?
Open Customize > Connectors, find Gmail, click Connect, sign in with your Google account and approve the permissions. On a team account, the Owner or Primary Owner first enables the connector for the organization from Organization settings > Connectors.
Is it safe to give Claude access to my Gmail, and what does it see?
Claude accesses only the Gmail data of the Google account you connected, works only when you ask for something, and does not go beyond your permissions in Google. It sees only attachment details, not their content. Anthropic and Google warn about hidden instructions in untrusted emails (prompt injection); this is not a security certification.
The Gmail connector isn't working. What should I do?
First check that Gmail is turned on under + > Connectors in the chat. For a "Reconnect" error, disconnect via Customize > Connectors > Gmail > Disconnect and connect again. For an "Access blocked" error, the Google Workspace admin must mark Claude as Trusted. On a team account, the Owner must have enabled the connector.
Can Claude send email on my behalf?
Two of Anthropic's pages contradict each other: the Help Center lists sending, replying and forwarding (with approval by default), while Claude Docs describes the connector as read-only. Check the Customize > Connectors > Gmail > Tool permissions list on your account; set the write tools to Blocked if you don't want them.
Is the Gmail connector free?
There is no separate charge for the connector. Which plans include it is contradictory: the Help Center says all users, Claude Docs says Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise. If you can see Gmail in the Customize > Connectors list on your account and connect it, you can use it.
How do I disconnect Gmail?
Customize > Connectors > Gmail > Disconnect. On the Google side, finding Claude at myaccount.google.com/connections and choosing Delete all connections fully revokes the permission. Retrieved data is stored with the chat, so you also need to delete the chat.
Can Claude delete my emails?
The directory's tool list has tools for moving an email or thread to the trash and for deleting labels; no permanent-delete tool appears. Claude Docs, however, describes the connector as read-only. Check the tools in the Tool permissions list and set the ones you don't want to Blocked.
Does Claude read attachments (PDF, Word)?
No. The connector accesses only attachment details (metadata), not their content. If you want the attachment's text, download the file and upload it to the chat.
Is my Gmail data used to train Claude?
Anthropic states that it does not train models on Gmail, Drive and Calendar connector data. Exception: if you allowed training on a consumer plan, content you copy from the connector and paste into a chat may be used.
Who turns on Gmail for a team account?
On Team and Enterprise, an Owner or Primary Owner enables Gmail for the organization under Organization settings > Connectors. Each member then signs in with their own Google account. The Owner can also limit tool permissions across the organization.
Can I use Gmail in Claude Code?
Yes, but it is not added in Claude Code with claude mcp add: you connect Gmail on claude.ai, and it comes over when you sign in to Claude Code with your Claude account. It is not loaded in sessions running on an API key or a cloud provider sign-in.
Will Claude read Turkish emails and reply in Turkish?
The official sources make no connector-specific commitment for Turkish. Claude's help page says in general that it replies in the language you write in; with Turkish emails, test the results on a few messages first.
Related guides
Sources
- Use Google Workspace connectors (Help Center)
- Claude Docs: Gmail
- Claude connector directory: Gmail
- Using connectors (general)
- Claude Code and MCP connectors
- Claude pricing
- Google: Configure the Gmail MCP server
- Google: Workspace MCP servers
- Claude language support
- Anthropic supported regions
Not clear in the official sources: Whether the Gmail connector can send email and create drafts (the Help Center and Claude Docs contradict each other) · which Claude plans include it (the two pages differ) · how well it works with Turkish emails · whether a second Google account can be connected to the connector. Each is covered in the relevant section along with what you can do.
You can do it yourself; if you’d like support
The guide is free and needs no sign-up; you can follow the steps here yourself. If you’d like professional support at some point, choose the option that fits your needs. This doesn’t affect the rankings in the guide.