MCP Server for interacting with Gmail API. Written in TypeScript, Node and Hono.dev
Gmail MCP Server
Streamable HTTP MCP server for Gmail — search threads, read messages, manage drafts, and organize your inbox.
Author: overment
[!WARNING] You connect this server to your MCP client at your own responsibility. Language models can make mistakes, misinterpret instructions, or perform unintended actions. Review tool outputs, verify results in Gmail, and prefer small, incremental writes.
The HTTP/OAuth layer is designed for convenience during development, not production-grade security. If deploying remotely, harden it: proper token validation, secure storage, TLS termination, strict CORS/origin checks, rate limiting, audit logging, and compliance with Google OAuth policies.
Notice
This repo works in two ways:
- As a Node/Hono server for local workflows
- As a Cloudflare Worker for remote interactions
For production Cloudflare deployments, see Remote Model Context Protocol servers (MCP).
Motivation
Gmail's API is powerful but not LLM-friendly out of the box. This server focuses on:
- Let LLMs understand inbox state in a single action (
inbox_overview) instead of multiple queries - Provide enriched search results with subject, sender, date — not just thread IDs
- Support batch operations (
modify_threadhandles up to 100 threads at once) - Map API responses into human-readable feedback useful for both LLM and user
- Safer write flow: drafts first, send explicitly
In short, it's not a direct mirror of Gmail's API — it's tailored so AI agents know exactly how to use it effectively.
Features
- ✅ Overview — Get inbox stats + highlights (unread, starred, recent threads)
- ✅ Search — Find threads with Gmail query syntax, enriched results
- ✅ Read — Get full threads and messages with body content
- ✅ Labels — Discover label IDs for filtering and organizing
- ✅ Modify — Batch archive, star, mark read/unread (up to 100 threads)
- ✅ Drafts — Create, update, and send drafts with reply threading
- ✅ OAuth 2.1 — Secure PKCE flow with RS token mapping
- ✅ Dual Runtime — Node.js/Bun or Cloudflare Workers
Design Principles
- LLM-friendly: Tools are simplified, not 1:1 Gmail API mirrors
- Discovery-first:
inbox_overviewandlist_labelshelp avoid guessing - Batch-first:
modify_threadaccepts arrays to minimize tool calls - Safer writes: Drafts first, send explicitly
- Clear feedback: Summaries with structured content and next steps
Installation
Prerequisites: Bun, Node.js 24+, a Google account, and a Gmail-enabled Google Cloud project. For remote: a Cloudflare account.
Ways to Run (Pick One)
- Local + OAuth (recommended)
- Cloudflare Worker (wrangler dev) — Local Worker testing
- Cloudflare Worker (deploy) — Remote production
1. Local + OAuth (Recommended)
- Go to Google Cloud Console
- Create a project and enable the Gmail API
- Create OAuth 2.0 Client ID (Web application)
- Set redirect URIs:
http://127.0.0.1:3001/oauth/callback alice://oauth/callback - Copy Client ID and Secret
cd gmail-mcp
bun install
cp env.example .env
Edit .env:
PORT=3000
AUTH_ENABLED=true
AUTH_STRATEGY=oauth
PROVIDER_CLIENT_ID=your-client-id.apps.googleusercontent.com
PROVIDER_CLIENT_SECRET=your-client-secret
PROVIDER_ACCOUNTS_URL=https://accounts.google.com
OAUTH_AUTHORIZATION_URL=https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/v2/auth
OAUTH_TOKEN_URL=https://oauth2.googleapis.com/token
OAUTH_REVOCATION_URL=https://oauth2.googleapis.com/revoke
OAUTH_SCOPES=https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.readonly https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.compose https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.modify
OAUTH_REDIRECT_URI=alice://oauth/callback
OAUTH_REDIRECT_ALLOWLIST=alice://oauth/callback,http://127.0.0.1:3001/oauth/callback
OAUTH_EXTRA_AUTH_PARAMS=access_type=offline&prompt=consent
Run:
bun dev
# MCP: http://127.0.0.1:3000/mcp
# OAuth: http://127.0.0.1:3001
Tip: The Authorization Server runs on PORT + 1.
2. Cloudflare Worker (Local Dev)
bun x wrangler secret put PROVIDER_CLIENT_ID
bun x wrangler secret put PROVIDER_CLIENT_SECRET
bun x wrangler dev --local | cat
Endpoint: http://127.0.0.1:8787/mcp
3. Cloudflare Worker (Deploy)
- Create KV namespace:
bun x wrangler kv:namespace create TOKENS
-
Update
wrangler.tomlwith KV namespace ID -
Set secrets:
bun x wrangler secret put PROVIDER_CLIENT_ID
bun x wrangler secret put PROVIDER_CLIENT_SECRET
# Generate encryption key (32-byte base64url):
openssl rand -base64 32 | tr -d '=' | tr '+/' '-_'
bun x wrangler secret put RS_TOKENS_ENC_KEY
Note:
RS_TOKENS_ENC_KEYencrypts OAuth tokens stored in KV (AES-256-GCM).
-
Update redirect URI and allowlist in
wrangler.toml -
Add Workers URL to your Google OAuth app's redirect URIs
-
Deploy:
bun x wrangler deploy
Endpoint: https://<worker-name>.<account>.workers.dev/mcp
Client Configuration
MCP Inspector (quick test):
bunx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector
# Connect to: http://localhost:3000/mcp
Claude Desktop / Cursor:
{
"mcpServers": {
"gmail": {
"command": "bunx",
"args": ["mcp-remote", "http://127.0.0.1:3000/mcp", "--transport", "http-only"],
"env": { "NO_PROXY": "127.0.0.1,localhost" }
}
}
}
For Cloudflare, replace URL with https://<worker-name>.<account>.workers.dev/mcp.
Tools
get_profile
Get the connected Gmail account email. Call to confirm which account is active.
// Input
{}
// Output
{ email: "user@gmail.com" }
inbox_overview
Get inbox stats + highlights for a time range. Call this first for a quick summary.
// Input
{
days?: number; // 1-365, default: 7
}
// Output
{
period: "last 7 days",
counts: { total, unread, inbox, sent, starred, important? },
highlights?: {
recentUnread: Array<{ id, subject?, from? }>,
starred: Array<{ id, subject?, from? }>
},
meta?: { nextSteps? }
}
list_labels
Discover label IDs and names. Use before filtering by labelIds.
// Input
{}
// Output
{
items: Array<{ id, name, type?, messagesTotal?, threadsTotal? }>,
meta?: { nextSteps?, relatedTools? }
}
search_threads
Search threads with Gmail query syntax. Returns enriched results.
// Input
{
query?: string; // Gmail search: "from:alice newer_than:7d"
labelIds?: string[];
includeSpamTrash?: boolean;
limit?: number; // 1-50, default: 25
cursor?: string;
}
// Output
{
items: Array<{
id, subject?, from?, date?, snippet?,
messageCount?, isUnread?, webUrl?
}>,
pagination?: { hasMore, nextCursor?, itemsReturned, limit },
meta?: { nextSteps?, hints?, relatedTools? }
}
get_thread
Get a full thread with all messages.
// Input
{
threadId: string;
format?: "minimal" | "metadata" | "full" | "raw";
metadataHeaders?: string[];
maxBodyChars?: number;
}
// Output
{
thread: { id, historyId?, messageCount, messages: [...], webUrl? },
meta?: { nextSteps?, relatedTools? }
}
get_message
Fetch a single message with full content.
// Input
{
messageId: string;
format?: "minimal" | "metadata" | "full" | "raw";
metadataHeaders?: string[];
maxBodyChars?: number;
}
// Output
{
message: { id, threadId?, snippet?, headers?, body?, webUrl? },
meta?: { nextSteps?, relatedTools? }
}
modify_thread
Batch add/remove labels on threads (up to 100). Supports convenience actions.
// Input
{
threadIds: string[]; // 1-100 thread IDs
addLabelIds?: string[];
removeLabelIds?: string[];
actions?: {
archive?: boolean; // Remove INBOX
unarchive?: boolean; // Add INBOX
markRead?: boolean; // Remove UNREAD
markUnread?: boolean; // Add UNREAD
star?: boolean; // Add STARRED
unstar?: boolean; // Remove STARRED
trash?: boolean;
untrash?: boolean;
};
}
// Output
{
results: Array<{ threadId, success, error? }>,
summary: { total, succeeded, failed },
applied: { addLabelIds?, removeLabelIds? },
meta?: { nextSteps?, relatedTools? }
}
create_draft
Create a draft from structured fields or raw MIME.
// Input
{
to?: string | string[]; // Required unless raw provided
cc?: string | string[];
bcc?: string | string[];
subject?: string;
text?: string;
html?: string;
threadId?: string; // For replies
inReplyTo?: string; // Message-ID for threading
raw?: string; // base64url RFC 2822
}
// Output
{
draft: { id, messageId?, threadId?, snippet? },
meta?: { nextSteps?, relatedTools? }
}
update_draft
Replace a draft's content (Gmail drafts are immutable internally).
// Input
{
draftId: string;
to?: string | string[];
cc?: string | string[];
bcc?: string | string[];
subject?: string;
text?: string;
html?: string;
threadId?: string;
raw?: string;
}
send_draft
Send a draft. Optionally update it before sending.
// Input
{
draftId: string;
to?: string | string[]; // Override before send
cc?: string | string[];
bcc?: string | string[];
subject?: string;
text?: string;
html?: string;
threadId?: string;
raw?: string;
}
// Output
{
sent: { id, threadId?, labelIds?, snippet?, webUrl? },
meta?: { nextSteps?, relatedTools? }
}
Examples
1. Get inbox summary
{ "name": "inbox_overview", "arguments": { "days": 7 } }
Response:
Inbox (last 7 days): 42 unread, 156 inbox, 12 sent, 3 starred
Recent unread:
Alice: Meeting tomorrow at 3pm
GitHub: PR merged in project-x
Starred:
Boss: Q4 Planning document
2. Search for unread emails from a sender
{
"name": "search_threads",
"arguments": {
"query": "from:alice@example.com is:unread newer_than:7d",
"limit": 10
}
}
3. Read a thread
{
"name": "get_thread",
"arguments": {
"threadId": "19be18067165251d",
"format": "full"
}
}
4. Archive multiple threads
{
"name": "modify_thread",
"arguments": {
"threadIds": ["19be18067165251d", "19be17f8a2c3b4d5"],
"actions": { "archive": true, "markRead": true }
}
}
Response:
Modified 2/2 threads. -INBOX -UNREAD
5. Reply to a thread (draft first)
{
"name": "create_draft",
"arguments": {
"threadId": "19be18067165251d",
"to": "alice@example.com",
"text": "Thanks, I'll be there!"
}
}
{
"name": "send_draft",
"arguments": { "draftId": "r8651610029774" }
}
HTTP Endpoints
| Endpoint | Method | Purpose |
|----------|--------|---------|
| /mcp | POST | MCP JSON-RPC 2.0 |
| /mcp | GET | SSE stream (Node.js only) |
| /health | GET | Health check |
| /.well-known/oauth-authorization-server | GET | OAuth AS metadata |
| /.well-known/oauth-protected-resource | GET | OAuth RS metadata |
OAuth (PORT+1 for Node):
GET /authorize— Start OAuth flowGET /oauth/callback— Provider callbackPOST /token— Token exchangePOST /revoke— Revoke tokens
Development
bun dev # Start with hot reload
bun run typecheck # TypeScript check
bun run lint # Lint code
bun run build # Production build
bun start # Run production
Architecture
src/
├── shared/
│ ├── tools/
│ │ └── gmail/ # Gmail tools (shared for Node + Workers)
│ │ ├── get-profile.ts
│ │ ├── inbox-overview.ts
│ │ ├── list-labels.ts
│ │ ├── search-threads.ts
│ │ ├── get-thread.ts
│ │ ├── get-message.ts
│ │ ├── modify-thread.ts
│ │ ├── create-draft.ts
│ │ ├── update-draft.ts
│ │ └── send-draft.ts
│ ├── oauth/ # OAuth flow (PKCE, discovery)
│ └── storage/ # Token storage (file, KV, memory)
├── services/
│ └── gmail.ts # Gmail API client
├── schemas/
│ ├── inputs.ts # Zod input schemas
│ └── outputs.ts # Zod output schemas
├── config/
│ └── metadata.ts # Server + tool descriptions
├── index.ts # Node.js entry
└── worker.ts # Workers entry
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Solution |
|-------|----------|
| "Unauthorized" | Complete OAuth flow again; refresh token may be revoked. |
| "Invalid Credentials" | Ensure OAUTH_SCOPES match your Google app and user consent. |
| "Insufficient Permission" | Add gmail.modify scope for modify_thread. |
| "Rate Limit Exceeded" | Slow down requests; use smaller limits. |
| "Thread not found" | Thread IDs expire; search again to get fresh IDs. |
| Draft update fails | Drafts are immutable; updates replace the underlying message. |
| OAuth does not start (Worker) | curl -i -X POST https://<worker>/mcp should return 401 with WWW-Authenticate. |
| Empty search results | Check query syntax; use list_labels to verify label IDs. |
| KV namespace error | Run wrangler kv:namespace create TOKENS and update wrangler.toml. |
License
MIT