--- title: "Gmail MCP integration and AI workflows | Stacksync" description: "Connect Gmail to your AI assistant through Stacksync MCP. Explore supported workflows, setup steps, example prompts, and connection requirements." canonical: https://www.stacksync.com/mcp/gmail last_modified: 2026-10-21 --- Your connection path Gmail Your AI Stacksync MCP OAuth Your assistant works through your Stacksync workspace and its available connections. First request “Design a new-email intake workflow” Stacksync MCP · Communications # Gmail MCP integration. > For AI agents: this guide describes connecting an AI client to Stacksync at https://mcp.stacksync.com/mcp with OAuth and the person's workspace permissions. Follow the client-specific setup and connection method on this page. Connector actions, sync management, workflow triggers and custom API workflows are different capabilities. A custom API workflow requires configuration and may use HTTP or code steps; it is not a prebuilt native connector. Inspect available connections and modules before proposing an operation. The example outcomes are illustrative, not execution results. Setup reference: https://www.stacksync.com/mcp.md Use Stacksync MCP to design workflows that start from Gmail. Stacksync documents a built-in new-message trigger; broader mailbox search or draft operations must be verified in the catalog or implemented as custom Gmail API steps. Workflow trigger Custom API workflow Start using Stacksync MCP Explore example prompts 01 / The connection ## What Gmail can do through MCP Use Stacksync MCP to design workflows that start from Gmail. Stacksync documents a built-in new-message trigger; broader mailbox search or draft operations must be verified in the catalog or implemented as custom Gmail API steps. Choose an AI client below to get started with the Stacksync MCP server. The server belongs to Stacksync. The available Gmail operations depend on your connection, permissions, and connector modules. [Explore the Gmail connector →](https://www.stacksync.com/connectors/gmail) [Claude](https://www.stacksync.com/mcp/gmail/claude) [Claude Code](https://www.stacksync.com/mcp/gmail#setup-claude-code) [ChatGPT](https://www.stacksync.com/mcp/gmail/chatgpt) [Codex](https://www.stacksync.com/mcp/gmail#setup-codex) [Cursor](https://www.stacksync.com/mcp/gmail#setup-cursor) [VS Code](https://www.stacksync.com/mcp/gmail#setup-vs-code) [Windsurf](https://www.stacksync.com/mcp/gmail#setup-windsurf) [Gemini CLI](https://www.stacksync.com/mcp/gmail#setup-gemini-cli) 02 / Capabilities ## Gmail capabilities through MCP Choose the connection path that fits the job. Your assistant inspects the available tools before configuring or running an action. Workflow trigger ### Configure incoming-mail workflows Prepare a workflow around Stacksync’s built-in Gmail new-message trigger and an authorized Gmail connection. This trigger does not require a custom HTTP step; other mailbox actions may. Custom API workflow ### Design a bounded mailbox lookup When no catalog action fits, prepare custom HTTP or code steps using Gmail message search and a separate detail fetch. Custom API workflow ### Prepare a draft-only process Design a workflow that prepares a Gmail draft through a verified action or custom API request, keeping sending as a separate decision. 03 / Setup ## Set up your AI client Connect the MCP server first. Then connect Gmail using the requirements below. One connection. Your workspace. ### Bring your AI assistant. Add Stacksync’s MCP server, sign in with OAuth, and choose your workspace. Your assistant works with your Stacksync permissions. ``` https://mcp.stacksync.com/mcp ``` [Create a Stacksync account](https://app.stacksync.com/signup) Already have an account? Sign in when your assistant opens the authorization page. Choose read-only access if you only need to inspect your workspace. #### Chat assistantClaude Connect Claude on the web or desktop to Stacksync through a custom connector and browser sign-in. #### Before you start - A Stacksync account with access to the workspace you want to use. - Permission to add an external MCP server in your AI client. - On a Claude Team or Enterprise account, an owner must first add Stacksync under Organization settings → Connectors. 1. #### Add a custom connector Open Customize → Connectors, select + Add, then Add custom connector. Name it Stacksync and use the server URL below. ``` https://mcp.stacksync.com/mcp ``` 2. #### Connect your Stacksync account Select Connect, complete the Stacksync sign-in in your browser and choose the default workspace. Clear Make changes on the consent screen if you only want read access. 3. #### Check your workspace Ask “List my Stacksync workspaces.” Confirm the workspace before choosing a connector or preparing a change. Connecting the assistant does not start a sync. #### Check the connection Ask “List my Stacksync workspaces.” Select the workspace you want to use, then ask the assistant to inspect the available Gmail connection and capabilities. [Full setup documentation ↗](https://docs.stacksync.com/mcp/connect) #### TerminalClaude Code Add the remote Stacksync server to Claude Code and authenticate from its MCP menu. #### Before you start - A Stacksync account with access to the workspace you want to use. - Permission to add an external MCP server in your AI client. - Claude Code installed with the claude command available in your terminal. 1. #### Add Stacksync over HTTP Run the command below. Add --scope user if you want the connection available across your projects. ``` claude mcp add --transport http stacksync https://mcp.stacksync.com/mcp ``` 2. #### Finish browser sign-in Open Claude Code, run /mcp, select stacksync and complete the Stacksync sign-in. Choose the workspace you want requests to use by default. 3. #### Check your workspace Ask “List my Stacksync workspaces.” Confirm the workspace before choosing a connector or preparing a change. Connecting the assistant does not start a sync. #### Check the connection Ask “List my Stacksync workspaces.” Select the workspace you want to use, then ask the assistant to inspect the available Gmail connection and capabilities. [Full setup documentation ↗](https://docs.stacksync.com/mcp/connect) #### Chat assistantChatGPT Add Stacksync as a custom MCP app in ChatGPT and sign in with OAuth. #### Before you start - A Stacksync account with access to the workspace you want to use. - Permission to add an external MCP server in your AI client. - A ChatGPT account with Developer mode and custom MCP apps available. The Stacksync guide lists Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu; workspace administrators can restrict access. 1. #### Enable custom app setup Open Settings → Apps → Advanced settings and turn on Developer mode. If the option is unavailable, check the account or workspace policy with your administrator. 2. #### Create the Stacksync app Select Create app, name it Stacksync, enter the server URL below and choose OAuth. Complete the Stacksync sign-in and select your default workspace. ``` https://mcp.stacksync.com/mcp ``` 3. #### Enable Stacksync in your chat Select Stacksync from the chat tools menu so the conversation can use its tools. Signing in to ChatGPT itself does not sign you in to Stacksync. 4. #### Check your workspace Ask “List my Stacksync workspaces.” Confirm the workspace before choosing a connector or preparing a change. Connecting the assistant does not start a sync. #### Check the connection Ask “List my Stacksync workspaces.” Select the workspace you want to use, then ask the assistant to inspect the available Gmail connection and capabilities. [Full setup documentation ↗](https://docs.stacksync.com/mcp/connect) #### TerminalCodex Configure Stacksync in Codex with a remote MCP URL and an explicit OAuth login. #### Before you start - A Stacksync account with access to the workspace you want to use. - Permission to add an external MCP server in your AI client. - Codex CLI installed with the codex command available. 1. #### Register the remote server Add the Stacksync endpoint to your Codex MCP configuration. ``` codex mcp add stacksync --url https://mcp.stacksync.com/mcp ``` 2. #### Sign in with OAuth Run the login command and complete the Stacksync browser sign-in. Select a default workspace; restart your Codex session if the tools are not yet listed. ``` codex mcp login stacksync ``` 3. #### Check your workspace Ask “List my Stacksync workspaces.” Confirm the workspace before choosing a connector or preparing a change. Connecting the assistant does not start a sync. #### Check the connection Ask “List my Stacksync workspaces.” Select the workspace you want to use, then ask the assistant to inspect the available Gmail connection and capabilities. [Full setup documentation ↗](https://docs.stacksync.com/mcp/connect) #### Code editorCursor Use Stacksync from Cursor by adding a remote server to its MCP configuration. #### Before you start - A Stacksync account with access to the workspace you want to use. - Permission to add an external MCP server in your AI client. - Cursor installed with permission to configure MCP servers. 1. #### Add the server configuration Merge this stacksync entry into the mcpServers object in ~/.cursor/mcp.json. Preserve any servers you already use. ``` { "mcpServers": { "stacksync": { "url": "https://mcp.stacksync.com/mcp" } } } ``` 2. #### Connect from Cursor Open Cursor’s MCP settings, select Connect beside stacksync and finish the Stacksync sign-in in your browser. 3. #### Check your workspace Ask “List my Stacksync workspaces.” Confirm the workspace before choosing a connector or preparing a change. Connecting the assistant does not start a sync. #### Check the connection Ask “List my Stacksync workspaces.” Select the workspace you want to use, then ask the assistant to inspect the available Gmail connection and capabilities. [Full setup documentation ↗](https://docs.stacksync.com/mcp/connect) #### Code editorVS Code Connect Stacksync to GitHub Copilot Chat in VS Code using an HTTP MCP server. #### Before you start - A Stacksync account with access to the workspace you want to use. - Permission to add an external MCP server in your AI client. - VS Code with Copilot Chat Agent mode available. 1. #### Add Stacksync to VS Code Run the command below. Alternatively, add a stacksync entry with type http and this URL under servers in your project’s .vscode/mcp.json. ``` code --add-mcp '{"name":"stacksync","type":"http","url":"https://mcp.stacksync.com/mcp"}' ``` 2. #### Start it in Copilot Chat Open Copilot Chat in Agent mode. Start stacksync from the tools picker and complete the Stacksync browser sign-in. 3. #### Check your workspace Ask “List my Stacksync workspaces.” Confirm the workspace before choosing a connector or preparing a change. Connecting the assistant does not start a sync. #### Check the connection Ask “List my Stacksync workspaces.” Select the workspace you want to use, then ask the assistant to inspect the available Gmail connection and capabilities. [Full setup documentation ↗](https://docs.stacksync.com/mcp/connect) #### Code editorWindsurf Add Stacksync to Cascade with Windsurf’s serverUrl configuration and OAuth sign-in. #### Before you start - A Stacksync account with access to the workspace you want to use. - Permission to add an external MCP server in your AI client. - Windsurf installed with Cascade and MCP configuration available. 1. #### Open the MCP configuration In the Cascade panel, open the … menu and select Open MCP config file. Merge this entry into mcp_config.json without removing other servers. ``` { "mcpServers": { "stacksync": { "serverUrl": "https://mcp.stacksync.com/mcp" } } } ``` 2. #### Authorize the first connection Save the configuration. Cascade opens the Stacksync sign-in flow the first time it uses the server. Choose your default workspace. 3. #### Check your workspace Ask “List my Stacksync workspaces.” Confirm the workspace before choosing a connector or preparing a change. Connecting the assistant does not start a sync. #### Check the connection Ask “List my Stacksync workspaces.” Select the workspace you want to use, then ask the assistant to inspect the available Gmail connection and capabilities. [Full setup documentation ↗](https://docs.stacksync.com/mcp/connect) #### TerminalGemini CLI Connect the Gemini command-line client to Stacksync through remote HTTP MCP and browser authorization. #### Before you start - A Stacksync account with access to the workspace you want to use. - Permission to add an external MCP server in your AI client. - Gemini CLI installed with the gemini command available. These instructions apply to Gemini CLI, not the Gemini web app. 1. #### Register Stacksync Run the following command in your terminal to add the HTTP server. ``` gemini mcp add --transport http stacksync https://mcp.stacksync.com/mcp ``` 2. #### Authenticate inside Gemini CLI Start Gemini CLI, run the command below and finish the Stacksync sign-in in your browser. ``` /mcp auth stacksync ``` 3. #### Check your workspace Ask “List my Stacksync workspaces.” Confirm the workspace before choosing a connector or preparing a change. Connecting the assistant does not start a sync. #### Check the connection Ask “List my Stacksync workspaces.” Select the workspace you want to use, then ask the assistant to inspect the available Gmail connection and capabilities. [Full setup documentation ↗](https://docs.stacksync.com/mcp/connect) 04 / Put it to work ## Gmail workflow prompts Example prompts for Gmail. The outcomes describe what to expect, not results from your account. Review the proposed configuration before running it. 01 Workflow trigger ### Design a new-email intake workflow > Inspect my Gmail connections, the Gmail trigger form and any existing intake workflow. Propose a workflow for new incoming messages with the sender and subject criteria I choose, then a review step before any downstream record is created. Show the trigger configuration and permitted message fields. Do not save or activate the workflow before I approve it. #### What to expect An incoming-message workflow proposal with explicit filtering and downstream review. 02 Custom API workflow ### Plan a bounded Gmail review > Check whether the Stacksync catalog has the Gmail read action needed for my request. If not, propose custom API steps using messages.list for my search query and messages.get only for selected results. Explain the OAuth scopes, date range, result limit and pagination. Keep credentials outside chat and wait for review before running the reads or saving a workflow. #### What to expect A mailbox review plan with bounded scope and an explicit custom API path. 03 Custom API workflow ### Prepare a draft-only follow-up process > Inspect available Gmail modules and my intended workflow. If a draft action is absent, propose a custom Gmail drafts.create step with securely configured OAuth. Use the recipient and source message I identify, show the full proposed subject and body, and separate draft creation from sending. Do not create a draft, send mail or deploy anything yet. #### What to expect A draft-only workflow proposal with the intended recipient and complete message visible for review. 05 / Before you run ## Requirements and limitations ### What you need - Connect your AI client to Stacksync MCP, sign in and select the workspace before inspecting its resources. - For the built-in trigger, use an authorized Gmail connection created through the Stacksync sign-in form. - For custom Gmail API steps, configure OAuth and the required Google scopes outside chat; mailbox access is not granted by signing in to Stacksync alone. ### What to account for - The Gmail new-message trigger is built in. The custom workflow route on this page applies to mailbox actions that are absent from the live catalog, not to implementing that trigger. - Gmail messages.list returns message and thread IDs; a separate messages.get call is needed for details. Limit queries and paginate deliberately. - Creating a draft is still a mailbox write. Sending mail is a separate operation and is not included in these proposed draft workflows. ### Your workspace. Your permissions. OAuth access follows your Stacksync role. Choose read-only access during sign-in when appropriate. Workspace owners can enable “Ask before every change”; it is a configurable setting. Direct connector actions also follow gateway policies. [Read about permissions and approvals ↗](https://docs.stacksync.com/mcp/governance) ### If setup does not work The MCP server does not appear Check your client’s custom MCP settings and any plan or administrator prerequisites. Reconnect using the setup instructions above. Your workspace or app is missing Verify the Stacksync account and workspace selected during OAuth, then inspect the workspace’s connections. Add missing app credentials through the secure connection flow. An action is unavailable or denied Inspect the current connector modules and required inputs. Check your workspace role, read-only consent, gateway policy, and the source app’s API permissions. 06 / Common questions ## Gmail MCP questions ### What Gmail capability is directly documented by Stacksync? The workflow trigger reference explicitly documents a built-in Gmail trigger for new messages on a connected mailbox. You do not need to implement this trigger as a custom API call. Search, draft and send actions must be checked separately. ### Can I search Gmail from a Stacksync workflow? First inspect the current catalog. If the needed action is unavailable, Stacksync’s documented custom HTTP or code path can be used to implement the Gmail API, with separate OAuth configuration and testing. ### Does creating a draft send the email? No. Gmail draft creation and message sending are distinct API operations. These examples request a reviewed draft proposal and do not authorize sending. Reviewed 2026-10-21 · Product documentation and connector references - [Stacksync workflow triggers, including Gmail ↗](https://github.com/stacksyncdata/skills/blob/prod/skills/workflows/references/triggers.md) - [Build a custom connector or HTTP workflow ↗](https://github.com/stacksyncdata/skills/blob/prod/skills/building-a-connector/SKILL.md) - [Stacksync workflows through MCP ↗](https://github.com/stacksyncdata/skills/blob/prod/skills/workflows/SKILL.md) - [Gmail message listing ↗](https://developers.google.com/workspace/gmail/api/reference/rest/v1/users.messages/list) - [Gmail OAuth scopes ↗](https://developers.google.com/workspace/gmail/api/auth/scopes) - [Gmail draft creation ↗](https://developers.google.com/workspace/gmail/api/reference/rest/v1/users.drafts/create) Keep building ## Connect the rest of your stack. Communications ### [Slack](https://www.stacksync.com/mcp/slack) Design a sync-issue alert CRM ### [Salesforce](https://www.stacksync.com/mcp/salesforce) Plan a Salesforce reporting replica CRM ### [HubSpot](https://www.stacksync.com/mcp/hubspot) Plan a contact and company replica [← All MCP connector guides](https://www.stacksync.com/mcp#connectors) [Create your Stacksync account ↗](https://app.stacksync.com/signup)