How to integrate Gmail MCP with Claude Code

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Introduction

Manage your Gmail directly from Claude Code with zero worries about OAuth hassles, API-breaking issues, or reliability and security concerns.

You can do this in two different ways:

  1. Via Rube - Direct and easiest approach
  2. Via Composio SDK - Programmatic approach with more control

Why Rube?

Rube is a universal MCP server with access to 850+ SaaS apps. It ensures just-in-time tool loading so Claude can access the tools it needs, a remote workbench for programmatic tool calling and handling large tool responses out of the LLM context window, ensuring the LLM context window remains clean.

Connect Gmail to Claude Code with Rube

1. Get the MCP URL

Copy and paste the below command in Claude Code to add Rube MCP.

Terminal

2. Authenticate Rube

Run /mcp to view Rube

bash
/mcp
Run /mcp to view Rube in Claude Code
Click on Rube to authenticate
Authentication flow complete

3. Ensure it's connected

Run /mcp again to verify the connection. Now, do whatever you want with Claude Code and Gmail.

Rube connected successfully

Supported Tools & Triggers

Tools
Triggers
Modify email labelsAdds and/or removes specified gmail labels for a message; ensure `message id` and all `label ids` are valid (use 'listlabels' for custom label ids).
Create email draftCreates a gmail email draft, supporting to/cc/bcc, subject, plain/html body (ensure `is html=true` for html), attachments, and threading.
Create labelCreates a new label with a unique name in the specified user's gmail account.
Delete DraftPermanently deletes a specific gmail draft using its id; ensure the draft exists and the user has necessary permissions for the given `user id`.
Delete messagePermanently deletes a specific email message by its id from a gmail mailbox; for `user id`, use 'me' for the authenticated user or an email address to which the authenticated user has delegated access.
Fetch emailsFetches a list of email messages from a gmail account, supporting filtering, pagination, and optional full content retrieval.
Fetch message by message IDFetches a specific email message by its id, provided the `message id` exists and is accessible to the authenticated `user id`.
Fetch Message by Thread IDRetrieves messages from a gmail thread using its `thread id`, where the thread must be accessible by the specified `user id`.
Get Gmail attachmentRetrieves a specific attachment by id from a message in a user's gmail mailbox, requiring valid message and attachment ids.
Get contactsFetches contacts (connections) for the authenticated google account, allowing selection of specific data fields and pagination.
Get PeopleRetrieves either a specific person's details (using `resource name`) or lists 'other contacts' (if `other contacts` is true), with `person fields` specifying the data to return.
Get ProfileRetrieves key gmail profile information (email address, message/thread totals, history id) for a user.
List draftsRetrieves a paginated list of email drafts from a user's gmail account.
List Gmail labelsRetrieves a list of all system and user-created labels for the specified gmail account.
List threadsRetrieves a list of email threads from a gmail account, identified by `user id` (email address or 'me'), supporting filtering and pagination.
Modify thread labelsAdds or removes specified existing label ids from a gmail thread, affecting all its messages; ensure the thread id is valid.
Move to TrashMoves an existing, non-deleted email message to the trash for the specified user.
Patch LabelPatches the specified label.
Remove labelPermanently deletes a specific, existing user-created gmail label by its id for a user; cannot delete system labels.
Reply to email threadSends a reply within a specific gmail thread using the original thread's subject, requiring a valid `thread id` and correctly formatted email addresses.
Search PeopleSearches contacts by matching the query against names, nicknames, emails, phone numbers, and organizations, optionally including 'other contacts'.
Send DraftSends the specified, existing draft to the recipients in the to, cc, and bcc headers.
Send EmailSends an email via gmail api using the authenticated user's google profile display name, requiring `is html=true` if the body contains html and valid `s3key`, `mimetype`, `name` for any attachment.

What is the Gmail MCP server, and what's possible with it?

The Gmail MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to your Gmail account. It provides structured and secure access to your email, so your agent can search, read, draft, organize, and even manage contacts in your mailbox—all on your behalf.

  • Advanced email search and retrieval: Effortlessly instruct your agent to fetch emails by sender, subject, label, date, or keywords, and even retrieve full message content or threads.
  • Automated drafting and sending: Have your agent create new email drafts, craft replies, add CC/BCC, include attachments, and handle threading to streamline communication.
  • Smart label and inbox organization: Let the agent create new labels, apply or remove labels from emails, and keep your inbox clutter-free by archiving or moving messages.
  • Contact and thread management: Fetch your Gmail contacts, pull entire conversation threads, or download specific attachments to make follow-ups a breeze.
  • Email and draft cleanup: Direct your agent to permanently delete emails or drafts, helping you maintain a tidy mailbox with minimal effort.

Connecting Gmail via Tool Router

Tool Router is the underlying tech that powers Rube. It's a universal gateway that does everything Rube does but with much more programmatic control. You can programmatically generate an MCP URL with the app you need (here Gmail) for even more tool search precision. It's secure and reliable.

How the Tool Router works

The Tool Router follows a three-phase workflow:

  1. Discovery: Searches for tools matching your task and returns relevant toolkits with their details.
  2. Authentication: Checks for active connections. If missing, creates an auth config and returns a connection URL via Auth Link.
  3. Execution: Executes the action using the authenticated connection.

Step-by-step Guide

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:
  • Claude Pro, Max, or API billing enabled Anthropic account
  • Composio API Key
  • A Gmail account
  • Basic knowledge of Python or TypeScript

Install Claude Code

bash
# macOS, Linux, WSL
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

# Windows PowerShell
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

# Windows CMD
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd

To install Claude Code, use one of the following methods based on your operating system:

Set up Claude Code

bash
cd your-project-folder
claude

Open a terminal, go to your project folder, and start Claude Code:

  • Claude Code will open in your terminal
  • Follow the prompts to sign in with your Anthropic account
  • Complete the authentication flow
  • Once authenticated, you can start using Claude Code
Claude Code initial setup showing sign-in prompt
Claude Code terminal after successful login

Set up environment variables

bash
COMPOSIO_API_KEY=your_composio_api_key_here
USER_ID=your_user_id_here

Create a .env file in your project root with the following variables:

  • COMPOSIO_API_KEY authenticates with Composio (get it from Composio dashboard)
  • USER_ID identifies the user for session management (use any unique identifier)

Install Composio library

pip install composio-core python-dotenv

Install the Composio Python library to create MCP sessions.

  • composio-core provides the core Composio functionality
  • python-dotenv loads environment variables from your .env file

Generate Composio MCP URL

import os
from composio import Composio
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()

COMPOSIO_API_KEY = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
USER_ID = os.getenv("USER_ID")

composio_client = Composio(api_key=COMPOSIO_API_KEY)

composio_session = composio_client.create(
    user_id=USER_ID,
    toolkits=["gmail"],
)

COMPOSIO_MCP_URL = composio_session.mcp.url

print(f"MCP URL: {COMPOSIO_MCP_URL}")
print(f"\nUse this command to add to Claude Code:")
print(f'claude mcp add --transport http gmail-composio "{COMPOSIO_MCP_URL}" --headers "X-API-Key:{COMPOSIO_API_KEY}"')

Create a script to generate a Composio MCP URL for Gmail. This URL will be used to connect Claude Code to Gmail.

What's happening:
  • We import the Composio client and load environment variables
  • Create a Composio instance with your API key
  • Call create() to create a Tool Router session for Gmail
  • The returned mcp.url is the MCP server URL that Claude Code will use
  • The script prints this URL so you can copy it

Run the script and copy the MCP URL

python generate_mcp_url.py

Run your Python script to generate the MCP URL.

  • The script connects to Composio and creates a Tool Router session
  • It prints the MCP URL and the exact command you need to run
  • Copy the entire claude mcp add command from the output

Add Gmail MCP to Claude Code

bash
claude mcp add --transport http gmail-composio "YOUR_MCP_URL_HERE" --headers "X-API-Key:YOUR_COMPOSIO_API_KEY"

# Then restart Claude Code
exit
claude

In your terminal, add the MCP server using the command from the previous step. The command format is:

  • claude mcp add registers a new MCP server with Claude Code
  • --transport http specifies that this is an HTTP-based MCP server
  • The server name (gmail-composio) is how you'll reference it
  • The URL points to your Composio Tool Router session
  • --headers includes your Composio API key for authentication

After running the command, close the current Claude Code session and start a new one for the changes to take effect.

Verify the installation

bash
claude mcp list

Check that your Gmail MCP server is properly configured.

  • This command lists all MCP servers registered with Claude Code
  • You should see your gmail-composio entry in the list
  • This confirms that Claude Code can now access Gmail tools

If everything is wired up, you should see your gmail-composio entry listed:

Claude Code MCP list showing the toolkit MCP server

Authenticate Gmail

The first time you try to use Gmail tools, you'll be prompted to authenticate.

  • Claude Code will detect that you need to authenticate with Gmail
  • It will show you an authentication link
  • Open the link in your browser (or copy/paste it)
  • Complete the Gmail authorization flow
  • Return to the terminal and start using Gmail through Claude Code

Once authenticated, you can ask Claude Code to perform Gmail operations in natural language. For example:

  • "Summarize unread emails from this morning"
  • "Create draft replies to urgent messages"
  • "Fetch contact details for recent senders"

Complete Code

Here's the complete code to get you started with Gmail and Claude Code:

import os
from composio import Composio
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()

COMPOSIO_API_KEY = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
USER_ID = os.getenv("USER_ID")

composio_client = Composio(api_key=COMPOSIO_API_KEY)

composio_session = composio_client.create(
    user_id=USER_ID,
    toolkits=["gmail"],
)

COMPOSIO_MCP_URL = composio_session.mcp.url

print(f"MCP URL: {COMPOSIO_MCP_URL}")
print(f"\nUse this command to add to Claude Code:")
print(f'claude mcp add --transport http gmail-composio "{COMPOSIO_MCP_URL}" --headers "X-API-Key:{COMPOSIO_API_KEY}"')

Conclusion

You've successfully integrated Gmail with Claude Code using Composio's MCP server. Now you can interact with Gmail directly from your terminal using natural language commands.

Key features of this setup:

  • Terminal-native experience without switching contexts
  • Natural language commands for Gmail operations
  • Secure authentication through Composio's managed MCP
  • Tool Router for dynamic tool discovery and execution

Next steps:

  • Try asking Claude Code to perform various Gmail operations
  • Add more toolkits to your Tool Router session for multi-app workflows
  • Integrate this setup into your development workflow for increased productivity

You can extend this by adding more toolkits, implementing custom workflows, or building automation scripts that leverage Claude Code's capabilities.

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FAQ

What are the differences in Tool Router MCP and Gmail MCP?

With a standalone Gmail MCP server, the agents and LLMs can only access a fixed set of Gmail tools tied to that server. However, with the Composio Tool Router, agents can dynamically load tools from Gmail and many other apps based on the task at hand, all through a single MCP endpoint.

Can I use Tool Router MCP with Claude Code?

Yes, you can. Claude Code fully supports MCP integration. You get structured tool calling, message history handling, and model orchestration while Tool Router takes care of discovering and serving the right Gmail tools.

Can I manage the permissions and scopes for Gmail while using Tool Router?

Yes, absolutely. You can configure which Gmail scopes and actions are allowed when connecting your account to Composio. You can also bring your own OAuth credentials or API configuration so you keep full control over what the agent can do.

How safe is my data with Composio Tool Router?

All sensitive data such as tokens, keys, and configuration is fully encrypted at rest and in transit. Composio is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant and follows strict security practices so your Gmail data and credentials are handled as safely as possible.

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