Manage your inbox from any workflow and tap into your Inbox with simple natural language prompts.
What is Gmail MCP?
When you create a Gmail MCP node, Gumloop’s AI builds a custom node that understands the Gmail API. You can then control Gmail in plain English, with no code and no OAuth headaches, using natural-language prompts that fetch or send the exact emails you need.What Can It Do for You?
- Instantly search and read emails that match any filter, label, or timeframe
- Send new messages or quick replies from within a workflow
- Organize your inbox by starring, archiving, trashing, or relabeling messages
- Retrieve and download attachments for automated processing
Available Tools
| Tool | What It Does | Example Use |
|---|---|---|
| Read Emails | Search and read emails in Gmail | ”Find emails from billing@stripe.com with subject containing ‘invoice’ and return subject, sender, snippet, and date” |
| Send Email | Send a new email or reply to an existing thread | ”Send an email to sarah.lee@acmecorp.com with subject ‘Project Kickoff’ and body ‘[message_content]’. Return messageId and threadId” |
| Update Email | Update email labels (mark as read or unread, move to folders) | “Mark emails from noreply@github.com as read and return updatedLabels” |
| Create Draft | Prepare emails without sending them | ”Create a draft to john.doe@example.com with subject ‘Q2 Report’ and body ‘[draft_content]’. Return draftId” |
| Forward Email | Forward an email to other recipients | ”Forward the latest email about ‘Budget Approval’ to alex@beta.io and lily@beta.io, include original attachments, return newMessageId” |
| Create Label | Create a new Gmail label | ”Create a label called ‘2024 Invoices’ and return labelId” |
| Archive Email | Move emails out of inbox | ”Archive all emails from newsletter@medium.com older than 30 days and return threadIds” |
| Trash Email | Move emails to trash | ”Move emails with subject ‘Unsubscribe Confirmation’ to trash and return threadIds” |
| Star Email | Add a star to highlight importance | ”Star the latest email from ceo@company.com and return updatedLabels” |
| Unstar Email | Remove the star flag | ”Unstar all emails with subject containing ‘Weekly Digest’ and return updatedLabels” |
| Get Attachment Details | List attachment metadata from an email | ”Get attachment details from emails with subject ‘Expense Report [month]’ and return attachmentId, fileName, and mimeType” |
| Download Attachment | Get a direct download URL for an attachment | ”Download PDF attachments from sender accounting@company.com with subject ‘Invoice [invoice_number]’ and return downloadUrl and fileName” |
How to Use
1
Create Your Gmail MCP Node
Go to your node library, search for Gmail, and click “Create a node with AI”
2
Add Your Prompt
Drag the Gmail MCP node to your canvas and add your prompt in the text box.
3
Test Your Node
Run the node to see the results. If it works as expected, you’re all set! If you run into issues, check the troubleshooting tips below.
4
Save and Reuse
Once your Gmail MCP node is working, save it to your library. You can now use this customized node in any workflow.
Example Prompts
Here are some prompts that work well with Gmail MCP: Search & Read:Start with a single, clear action like “Find emails from…” or “Send an email to…”. Once you see the exact output, chain multiple Gmail MCP nodes together for multi-step automations.
Troubleshooting
If your Gmail MCP node isn’t working as expected, try these best practices:Keep Prompts Simple and Specific
- Good: “Find emails from notifications@github.com today and return subject and date”
- Bad: “Read my GitHub notifications, summarize them, and email me the summary”
While this prompt might work, it’s more efficient to break it into separate nodes. Gmail MCP works best with focused, single-action prompts.
Match What Gmail Can Do
- Good: “Archive messages from [email address] and return threadId”
- Bad: “Create a calendar event from the email and invite attendees”
Gmail MCP excels at email management. For calendar events, combine it with an appropriate Google Calendar node in your workflow.
Break Complex Tasks Into Steps
Instead of trying to do everything in one prompt (which might cause timeouts or errors):1
Step 1: Find Invoices
Search unread emails from billing@stripe.com and return messageIds
2
Step 2: Download PDFs
For each messageId, download attachment PDF and return downloadUrl and fileName
3
Step 3: Summarize Totals
Use Ask AI to read each PDF and extract the invoice total
4
Step 4: Send Summary
Send an email to finance@acme.com with subject “Daily Invoice Totals” and body containing the summary
In your workflow, connect these nodes sequentially. The messageIds output from Step 1 become the input for Step 2, and so on.
Focus on Data Retrieval
Gmail MCP is great at getting information or performing one inbox action. For summarization, sentiment analysis, or report generation, pass the email text to Ask AI. Example:- Good prompt: “Read emails from finance@domain.com in the last week and return the email body”
- Bad prompt: “Read the email, summarize it, and translate to French”
Use Gmail MCP to fetch the email, then connect Ask AI for summarization or translation.
Troubleshooting Node Creation
Empty Outputs
Empty Outputs
In the node creation window, click “Request changes” and ask the AI to add debug logs and verify the API response.
Incorrect Results
Incorrect Results
In the node creation window, click “Request changes” and describe what you expected versus what you received.
Errors
Errors
First click “Fix with Gummie”. If multiple attempts fail, simplify your prompt or contact support.
Iterate with Request Changes
Iterate with Request Changes
MCP node creation often requires a few tweaks. Use “Request changes” (in the node creation window) to refine filters, output fields, or pagination.
Need More Help?
- Watch What are MCP Nodes video tutorial
- Check out MCP Best Practices in Gumloop University
- Join the Gumloop Community for support
- View the Gmail MCP setup guide for Claude and Cursor
- Contact support at support@gumloop.com