The best Gmail MCP server for most people is Fluxmail. It connects personal Gmail and Google Workspace accounts without a Google Cloud project, works in any MCP client, can send and read attachments, and lets you give each agent its own permissions. If you only use Gmail inside Claude or ChatGPT, the app's built-in Gmail connector takes a minute to set up. Claude includes it on every plan, and ChatGPT's needs a paid plan. For a free open-source server, use google_workspace_mcp, which needs your own Google OAuth client. Google's official Gmail MCP Server is still a Workspace developer preview and can't send mail.
Details below come from each product's docs and pricing pages, checked October 23, 2026. We make Fluxmail, so it's listed first. The best email MCP servers for AI agents covers servers for other providers too.
What should I look for in a Gmail MCP server?
Ask five questions about each option:
- Does it work with a personal @gmail.com account, or only Google Workspace?
- Can it send, or only create drafts?
- Can the agent read attachment contents, or only see their names?
- Who owns the Google OAuth app? If you have to create your own in Google Cloud, you also deal with its consent screen. While the app is in testing mode with external users, Google expires its refresh tokens after seven days, and publishing an app that reads Gmail usually means Google's verification and a security assessment.
- Which clients can use it? A built-in connector works in one app, and an MCP server works in any MCP client, including Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Claude Code, and Codex.
What are the best Gmail MCP servers?
1. Fluxmail
Fluxmail Cloud hosts an MCP server at https://cloud.fluxmail.ai/mcp. You sign in to Google once in the Fluxmail dashboard through Fluxmail's Google app, which has completed Google's security assessment, so there's no Google Cloud project to set up. Each MCP client then signs in to Fluxmail with OAuth, and you choose which mailboxes it can use and whether it gets Read only, Read and write, or Full mail access. You can approve Claude for drafting and give a scheduled script read-only access to the same inbox.
The tools search mail, read threads, create and send drafts, send, reply, forward, download attachments, and manage labels, stars, read state, archive, and trash. They also work with Outlook, Exchange, and IMAP mailboxes, so an agent that handles your Gmail can handle a work Outlook account too. Cloud fetches mail from Gmail when the agent asks and doesn't store messages. It's also in Claude's connector directory, and the same mailboxes are available over a REST API.
Self-hosted Fluxmail runs on your own computer with a bundled Google client, so local Gmail setup also skips Google Cloud. It adds a CLI and scheduled sending. See Connect a Gmail account.
Self-hosted is free for one member and three mailboxes. Pro is $15 a month for ten mailboxes and Business is $25 per member a month. Cloud starts with a seven-day trial.
2. Claude's Gmail connector
Claude's built-in Gmail connector is on every Claude plan, including Free. Turn it on under Customize > Connectors and sign in to Google. Claude can search and read mail, create drafts, send, reply, forward, and manage labels, and by default it asks you to approve each send. Team and Enterprise owners can let members skip that approval.
The connector only works inside Claude, and it shows attachment names and sizes without downloading their contents. See Fluxmail vs Claude Gmail.
3. ChatGPT's Gmail app
ChatGPT's Gmail app searches your mail, summarizes threads, pulls out action items, and drafts replies. On paid plans, you can review a draft in the chat on the web and send it. ChatGPT Plus, at $20 a month, is the lowest listed plan for it.
OpenAI says a connected Google app may create an indexed copy of your mail to improve search, and deletes it within 30 days of disconnecting. Its public Gmail app page doesn't document forwarding, attachment downloads, or inbox organization. You can also add Fluxmail to ChatGPT as a custom MCP server. See Fluxmail vs ChatGPT Gmail.
4. Google's Gmail MCP Server
Google's official Gmail MCP server runs on Google's infrastructure. Its ten tools search threads, read threads and messages, create and list drafts, and add or remove labels. There's no send tool and no attachment download, so it suits a workflow where a person reviews and sends every draft.
It's part of the Google Workspace Developer Preview Program. Enrollment asks for a Workspace account and a Google Cloud project, so personal Gmail accounts can't use it yet. Google doesn't list a price for it. See Fluxmail vs Gmail MCP Server.
5. google_workspace_mcp
google_workspace_mcp is the most popular open-source option, with about 3,400 GitHub stars and an MIT license. Besides Gmail, it covers Drive, Calendar, Docs, Sheets, and other Workspace services. Its Gmail tools search, read, send, draft, manage labels and filters, and handle attachments. A --read-only flag and tool tiers let you limit what an agent can do.
You create your own OAuth client in Google Cloud Console and enable the APIs yourself. If you leave the app in testing mode, its refresh tokens expire after seven days. It runs locally over stdio, or over HTTP in Docker or a container service.
6. Composio Gmail
Composio offers a Gmail toolkit with 63 tools and Gmail event triggers, as one of a large catalog of app integrations. It can manage OAuth for you through its own Google app or use yours, and each user gets a hosted MCP session URL. It's a good fit when your agent also needs many other apps, or when your product's users connect their own Gmail accounts.
On the free Hobby plan you get 100,000 tool calls a month with your own OAuth app, or 20,000 with Composio's managed OAuth apps. Pro is $29 a month with $29 of usage included, then $0.0003 per call with your own OAuth app or $0.0005 per call with Composio's managed apps. See Fluxmail vs Composio Gmail.
7. Zapier MCP
Zapier MCP turns Zapier's Gmail actions, such as searching for and sending email, into MCP tools alongside the rest of your Zapier apps. Each successful tool call costs two tasks from your Zapier plan, so the free plan's 100 tasks cover about 50 calls a month. Pro starts at $19.99 a month billed annually for 750 tasks. It's convenient if you already run Zaps, but reading a busy inbox one call at a time adds up.
How do they compare?
| Server | Personal Gmail | Sends | Attachment contents | Your own Google Cloud app | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fluxmail | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not needed | Free self-hosted plan; Pro $15 a month |
| Claude Gmail connector | Yes | Yes, with approval | No | Not needed | Included in Claude plans |
| ChatGPT Gmail app | Yes | Yes, on paid plans | Not documented | Not needed | ChatGPT Plus $20 a month |
| Google Gmail MCP Server | No, Workspace preview | No | No | Cloud project for enrollment | No listed price |
| google_workspace_mcp | Yes | Yes | Yes | Required | Free |
| Composio Gmail | Yes | Yes | Yes | Optional | Free tier; Pro $29 a month plus usage |
| Zapier MCP | Yes | Yes | Varies by action | Not needed | 2 tasks per call |
Frequently asked questions
Is there an official Gmail MCP server?
Yes. Google runs one as part of its Workspace Developer Preview Program. It reads mail, creates drafts, and manages labels, but it can't send, and enrollment requires a Workspace account and a Google Cloud project.
Can I connect personal Gmail to Claude?
Yes. Claude's built-in Gmail connector works with personal Gmail on every plan. If you need attachment contents, other providers, or the same mailbox in other clients, add Fluxmail from Claude's connector directory instead. How to connect Gmail or Outlook to Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor has the steps.
Do I need a Google Cloud project to use a Gmail MCP server?
Only for some servers. Fluxmail, Claude's and ChatGPT's connectors, Composio's managed auth, and Zapier connect through their own Google apps. Open-source servers such as google_workspace_mcp need your own OAuth client, and Google's preview server needs a Cloud project for enrollment.
Which Gmail MCP server can read attachments?
Fluxmail downloads attachment contents with its download_attachment tool, and google_workspace_mcp and Composio have attachment tools too. Claude's Gmail connector shows only attachment metadata, and Google's server has no attachment tool. Pull invoices and receipts from email attachments with an agent shows a working example.
How do I stop an agent from sending email I didn't approve?
Give it read-only access, or let it write drafts without sending so it prepares replies in Gmail for you to send. In Fluxmail, choose Read only or Read and write instead of Full mail access when the client signs in. Triage your Gmail inbox with Claude Code uses this setup.