Connect Gmail to ChatGPT
Developer mode, one connector, a Google sign-in. No key to paste.
ChatGPT reaches outside tools through connectors, which speak MCP. DaySurface is an MCP server for Gmail, so adding it as a connector is what gives ChatGPT your inbox. The one wrinkle is that connector creation lives behind Developer mode, and the dialog opens empty - so unlike some clients, you will be pasting the endpoint in by hand.
The server URL
https://mcp.daysurface.com/mcp
Transport is streamable HTTP. Auth is OAuth in the browser - there is no key to paste and no account to create.
Before you start
- A Google account with Gmail.
- A ChatGPT plan that exposes Connectors and Developer mode.
Add DaySurface to ChatGPT
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01 Turn on Developer mode
Go to Settings, then Connectors, then Advanced settings, and switch Developer mode on. Connector creation does not appear until you do - this is the step people miss.
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02 Create the connector
Back on the Connectors screen, click Create. The dialog opens with every field blank, so have the DaySurface endpoint ready to paste rather than expecting it to be filled in for you.
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03 Fill in the details
Paste the endpoint, give the connector a name, and set Authentication to OAuth. Do not look for an API key field - there is no key, and picking the wrong auth mode here is the most common reason setup fails.
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04 Accept and create
Tick the risk acknowledgement, then click Create. ChatGPT will take you through the Google sign-in, where you can review the scopes before approving.
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05 Start a new chat
Open a new conversation so the tools menu refreshes. The connector will not appear in a chat that was already open when you created it.
What ChatGPT can do once it is connected
Triage a ranked inbox without leaving the chat
The inbox arrives as an interactive dashboard rendered inside the conversation, not as a wall of JSON for the model to summarise. You read, rank and clear threads in place.
Draft replies in a real composer
Replies open in an editable composer you can correct before anything sends. Nothing leaves your account on the model's say-so alone.
Fill and sign PDF attachments
Attached forms can be filled in from the thread. Signing is a step you complete yourself - the tool never types a signature on your behalf.
Search across threads by meaning, not just keywords
Search runs server-side over your mail and returns threads, so the agent works from what is actually in your inbox rather than what it can hold in context.
Add it to ChatGPT
The install picker has the one-click link for ChatGPT and the click-path for every other MCP client.
Open the install pickerQuestions
Why do I need Developer mode?
OpenAI keeps custom connector creation behind it. It is a setting on your own account rather than anything specific to this server, and you only turn it on once.
The dialog opened empty - did the link fail?
No. OpenAI publishes no install URL scheme that carries a name and endpoint, so the shortcut can open the right dialog but cannot prefill it. Pasting the endpoint yourself is the expected flow.
Do I need a DaySurface account?
No. There is no account to create and no password to set. You add the server to your client, then sign in to Google when it asks. Authorisation is the whole signup.
Is there an API key to paste?
No. Auth is OAuth in the browser. If a setup guide anywhere tells you to paste a key, it is not describing this server.
What does it get access to?
The Google scopes you approve in the consent screen, and nothing else. You can review them at the moment of sign-in and revoke them later from your Google account.
Can I run it myself instead?
Yes. It is MIT-licensed and self-hostable, and the same tools are exposed over a CLI and a plain HTTP API as well as MCP. Point your client at your own deployment instead of the hosted endpoint.