# Connect Gmail to Claude > One remote MCP server, a Google sign-in, and Claude can work your inbox. Claude has no built-in Gmail integration. What it does have is MCP, a protocol for pointing it at an outside tool, and DaySurface is an MCP server for Gmail. You add the server once, approve the Google scopes, and Claude gains a set of Gmail tools it can use in any conversation. There is nothing to install locally and no key to paste. ## 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. - Claude on a plan that allows custom connectors. On Team and Enterprise, an admin adds connectors on the workspace's behalf. ## Add DaySurface to Claude 1. **Open the connector settings** - In Claude, go to Settings, then Connectors. This is where remote MCP servers are added. If you do not see Connectors, your plan or your workspace admin controls them. 2. **Add the server** - Click Add custom connector and paste the DaySurface endpoint. Claude will flag it as suggested by an external link, which is expected for any connector added from outside the client. 3. **Sign in with Google** - Click Add, then complete the Google sign-in Claude opens. Review the scopes on the consent screen before you approve them. This is the only credential step, and it replaces having an account. 4. **Start a new conversation** - Open a fresh chat so the tool list refreshes, then ask Claude about your inbox. If the tools do not appear, a new conversation is almost always the fix. ## What Claude 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. ## Questions ### Does this work in the Claude desktop app and on the web? Yes. The connector is attached to your Claude account rather than to one device, so it follows you across the web app and the desktop app once it is added. ### Does it work in Claude Code? Yes, but it is added differently. Claude Code takes a single terminal command rather than a settings screen, then /mcp inside a session to sign in. ### 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. ## More - Connect Gmail to ChatGPT: https://daysurface.com/connect-gmail-to-chatgpt.md - Connect Gmail to VS Code: https://daysurface.com/connect-gmail-to-vscode.md - Connect Gmail to Goose: https://daysurface.com/connect-gmail-to-goose.md - Connect Gmail to Cursor: https://daysurface.com/connect-gmail-to-cursor.md - Connect Gmail to Microsoft 365 Copilot: https://daysurface.com/connect-gmail-to-microsoft-365-copilot.md - Triage argument: https://daysurface.com/ai-email-triage.md - Every client's install path: https://daysurface.com/connect.md - Setup reference: https://daysurface.com/docs/mcp/setup - Full description for LLMs: https://daysurface.com/llms-full.txt