Content
# Gmail AutoAuth MCP Server
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Gmail integration in Claude Desktop with auto authentication support. This server enables AI assistants to manage Gmail through natural language interactions.
[](https://smithery.ai/server/@gongrzhe/server-gmail-autoauth-mcp)
## Features
- Send emails with subject, content, attachments, and recipients
- Full support for international characters in subject lines and email content
- Read email messages by ID with advanced MIME structure handling
- View email attachments information (filenames, types, sizes)
- Search emails with various criteria (subject, sender, date range)
- List all available Gmail labels (system and user-defined)
- List emails in inbox, sent, or custom labels
- Mark emails as read/unread
- Move emails to different labels/folders
- Delete emails
- **Batch operations for efficiently processing multiple emails at once**
- Full integration with Gmail API
- Simple OAuth2 authentication flow with auto browser launch
- Support for both Desktop and Web application credentials
- Global credential storage for convenience
## Installation & Authentication
### Installing via Smithery
To install Gmail AutoAuth for Claude Desktop automatically via [Smithery](https://smithery.ai/server/@gongrzhe/server-gmail-autoauth-mcp):
```bash
npx -y @smithery/cli install @gongrzhe/server-gmail-autoauth-mcp --client claude
```
### Installing Manually
1. Create a Google Cloud Project and obtain credentials:
a. Create a Google Cloud Project:
- Go to [Google Cloud Console](https://console.cloud.google.com/)
- Create a new project or select an existing one
- Enable the Gmail API for your project
b. Create OAuth 2.0 Credentials:
- Go to "APIs & Services" > "Credentials"
- Click "Create Credentials" > "OAuth client ID"
- Choose either "Desktop app" or "Web application" as application type
- Give it a name and click "Create"
- For Web application, add `http://localhost:3000/oauth2callback` to the authorized redirect URIs
- Download the JSON file of your client's OAuth keys
- Rename the key file to `gcp-oauth.keys.json`
2. Run Authentication:
You can authenticate in two ways:
a. Global Authentication (Recommended):
```bash
# First time: Place gcp-oauth.keys.json in your home directory's .gmail-mcp folder
mkdir -p ~/.gmail-mcp
mv gcp-oauth.keys.json ~/.gmail-mcp/
# Run authentication from anywhere
npx @gongrzhe/server-gmail-autoauth-mcp auth
```
b. Local Authentication:
```bash
# Place gcp-oauth.keys.json in your current directory
# The file will be automatically copied to global config
npx @gongrzhe/server-gmail-autoauth-mcp auth
```
The authentication process will:
- Look for `gcp-oauth.keys.json` in the current directory or `~/.gmail-mcp/`
- If found in current directory, copy it to `~/.gmail-mcp/`
- Open your default browser for Google authentication
- Save credentials as `~/.gmail-mcp/credentials.json`
> **Note**:
> - After successful authentication, credentials are stored globally in `~/.gmail-mcp/` and can be used from any directory
> - Both Desktop app and Web application credentials are supported
> - For Web application credentials, make sure to add `http://localhost:3000/oauth2callback` to your authorized redirect URIs
3. Configure in Claude Desktop:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"gmail": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"@gongrzhe/server-gmail-autoauth-mcp"
]
}
}
}
```
### Docker Support
If you prefer using Docker:
1. Authentication:
```bash
docker run -i --rm \
--mount type=bind,source=/path/to/gcp-oauth.keys.json,target=/gcp-oauth.keys.json \
-v mcp-gmail:/gmail-server \
-e GMAIL_OAUTH_PATH=/gcp-oauth.keys.json \
-e "GMAIL_CREDENTIALS_PATH=/gmail-server/credentials.json" \
-p 3000:3000 \
mcp/gmail auth
```
2. Usage:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"gmail": {
"command": "docker",
"args": [
"run",
"-i",
"--rm",
"-v",
"mcp-gmail:/gmail-server",
"-e",
"GMAIL_CREDENTIALS_PATH=/gmail-server/credentials.json",
"mcp/gmail"
]
}
}
}
```
### Cloud Server Authentication
For cloud server environments (like n8n), you can specify a custom callback URL during authentication:
```bash
npx @gongrzhe/server-gmail-autoauth-mcp auth https://gmail.gongrzhe.com/oauth2callback
```
#### Setup Instructions for Cloud Environment
1. **Configure Reverse Proxy:**
- Set up your n8n container to expose a port for authentication
- Configure a reverse proxy to forward traffic from your domain (e.g., `gmail.gongrzhe.com`) to this port
2. **DNS Configuration:**
- Add an A record in your DNS settings to resolve your domain to your cloud server's IP address
3. **Google Cloud Platform Setup:**
- In your Google Cloud Console, add your custom domain callback URL (e.g., `https://gmail.gongrzhe.com/oauth2callback`) to the authorized redirect URIs list
4. **Run Authentication:**
```bash
npx @gongrzhe/server-gmail-autoauth-mcp auth https://gmail.gongrzhe.com/oauth2callback
```
5. **Configure in your application:**
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"gmail": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"@gongrzhe/server-gmail-autoauth-mcp"
]
}
}
}
```
This approach allows authentication flows to work properly in environments where localhost isn't accessible, such as containerized applications or cloud servers.
## Available Tools
The server provides the following tools that can be used through Claude Desktop:
### 1. Send Email (`send_email`)
Sends a new email immediately.
```json
{
"to": ["recipient@example.com"],
"subject": "Meeting Tomorrow",
"body": "Hi,\n\nJust a reminder about our meeting tomorrow at 10 AM.\n\nBest regards",
"cc": ["cc@example.com"],
"bcc": ["bcc@example.com"]
}
```
### 2. Draft Email (`draft_email`)
Creates a draft email without sending it.
```json
{
"to": ["recipient@example.com"],
"subject": "Draft Report",
"body": "Here's the draft report for your review.",
"cc": ["manager@example.com"]
}
```
### 3. Read Email (`read_email`)
Retrieves the content of a specific email by its ID.
```json
{
"messageId": "182ab45cd67ef"
}
```
### 4. Search Emails (`search_emails`)
Searches for emails using Gmail search syntax.
```json
{
"query": "from:sender@example.com after:2024/01/01 has:attachment",
"maxResults": 10
}
```
### 5. Modify Email (`modify_email`)
Adds or removes labels from emails (move to different folders, archive, etc.).
```json
{
"messageId": "182ab45cd67ef",
"addLabelIds": ["IMPORTANT"],
"removeLabelIds": ["INBOX"]
}
```
### 6. Delete Email (`delete_email`)
Permanently deletes an email.
```json
{
"messageId": "182ab45cd67ef"
}
```
### 7. List Email Labels (`list_email_labels`)
Retrieves all available Gmail labels.
```json
{}
```
### 8. Batch Modify Emails (`batch_modify_emails`)
Modifies labels for multiple emails in efficient batches.
```json
{
"messageIds": ["182ab45cd67ef", "182ab45cd67eg", "182ab45cd67eh"],
"addLabelIds": ["IMPORTANT"],
"removeLabelIds": ["INBOX"],
"batchSize": 50
}
```
### 9. Batch Delete Emails (`batch_delete_emails`)
Permanently deletes multiple emails in efficient batches.
```json
{
"messageIds": ["182ab45cd67ef", "182ab45cd67eg", "182ab45cd67eh"],
"batchSize": 50
}
```
## Advanced Search Syntax
The `search_emails` tool supports Gmail's powerful search operators:
| Operator | Example | Description |
|----------|---------|-------------|
| `from:` | `from:john@example.com` | Emails from a specific sender |
| `to:` | `to:mary@example.com` | Emails sent to a specific recipient |
| `subject:` | `subject:"meeting notes"` | Emails with specific text in the subject |
| `has:attachment` | `has:attachment` | Emails with attachments |
| `after:` | `after:2024/01/01` | Emails received after a date |
| `before:` | `before:2024/02/01` | Emails received before a date |
| `is:` | `is:unread` | Emails with a specific state |
| `label:` | `label:work` | Emails with a specific label |
You can combine multiple operators: `from:john@example.com after:2024/01/01 has:attachment`
## Advanced Features
### Email Content Extraction
The server intelligently extracts email content from complex MIME structures:
- Prioritizes plain text content when available
- Falls back to HTML content if plain text is not available
- Handles multi-part MIME messages with nested parts
- Processes attachments information (filename, type, size)
- Preserves original email headers (From, To, Subject, Date)
### International Character Support
The server fully supports non-ASCII characters in email subjects and content, including:
- Turkish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and other non-Latin alphabets
- Special characters and symbols
- Proper encoding ensures correct display in email clients
### Batch Operations
The server includes efficient batch processing capabilities:
- Process up to 50 emails at once (configurable batch size)
- Automatic chunking of large email sets to avoid API limits
- Detailed success/failure reporting for each operation
- Graceful error handling with individual retries
- Perfect for bulk inbox management and organization tasks
## Security Notes
- OAuth credentials are stored securely in your local environment (`~/.gmail-mcp/`)
- The server uses offline access to maintain persistent authentication
- Never share or commit your credentials to version control
- Regularly review and revoke unused access in your Google Account settings
- Credentials are stored globally but are only accessible by the current user
## Troubleshooting
1. **OAuth Keys Not Found**
- Make sure `gcp-oauth.keys.json` is in either your current directory or `~/.gmail-mcp/`
- Check file permissions
2. **Invalid Credentials Format**
- Ensure your OAuth keys file contains either `web` or `installed` credentials
- For web applications, verify the redirect URI is correctly configured
3. **Port Already in Use**
- If port 3000 is already in use, please free it up before running authentication
- You can find and stop the process using that port
4. **Batch Operation Failures**
- If batch operations fail, they automatically retry individual items
- Check the detailed error messages for specific failures
- Consider reducing the batch size if you encounter rate limiting
## Contributing
Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.
## License
MIT
## Support
If you encounter any issues or have questions, please file an issue on the GitHub repository.
