Email MCP Server

Connect your Gmail to Claude Desktop and talk to your inbox in plain English.

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What can you do with this?

After setup, just type in Claude:

"Show me my last 10 unread emails" "Search for emails from my boss this week" "Send an email to john@gmail.com saying I'll be 10 minutes late" "Draft a professional reply to the job offer I got today" "Export all invoice emails to Excel" "Summarize my inbox and tell me what needs a reply"

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What you need before starting

Requirement	Where to get it
Python 3.8 or newer	https://www.python.org/downloads/
A Gmail account	You already have this
A Groq API key (free)	https://console.groq.com/keys — sign up, click "Create API Key"
Claude Desktop (Windows/Mac)	https://claude.ai/download
VS Code + Cline extension (Linux only)	https://code.visualstudio.com/

Groq is completely free. You don't need to add a credit card.

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Setup — Run one command

Step 1 — Download this project

Option A — With Git:

git clone https://github.com/HeetSanghani/email-mcp-server.git
cd email-mcp-server

Option B — Without Git (easier for beginners):

1. Click the green Code button on this page
2. Click Download ZIP
3. Unzip the file
4. Open a terminal/command prompt inside the unzipped folder

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Step 2 — Run the setup script

python setup.py

On Linux/Mac if that doesn't work, try:

python3 setup.py

The script guides you through everything:

• Installs all Python packages for you automatically
• Asks for your API keys with step-by-step instructions
• Walks you through Gmail authorization (opens a browser for you)
• Configures Claude Desktop or VS Code automatically

You never need to edit any config files manually.

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Step 3 — Restart Claude Desktop

After the script finishes:

1. Fully quit Claude Desktop (don't just close the window — right-click the icon and Quit)
2. Reopen Claude Desktop
3. Look for the 🔨 hammer icon at the bottom of the chat box
4. Click it — you should see the email tools listed

Now type: "Show me my last 10 unread emails"

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Running the setup script again

You can re-run python setup.py at any time — it detects your existing setup and shows you an update menu:

  [1]  Update API keys
  [2]  Re-connect Gmail
  [3]  Reinstall Python packages
  [4]  Update Claude Desktop config
  [5]  Show credential status
  [6]  Run full setup again

Use this if:

• You want to change your Groq key
• Your Gmail token expired
• You moved the project to a different folder
• Something stopped working after an update

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Gmail Setup — Detailed Guide

The setup script walks you through this, but here's the full picture:

You need to create a free "Google Cloud App" so this project can access Gmail.

1. Go to https://console.cloud.google.com (sign in with your Google account)
2. Top-left dropdown → New Project → give it any name → Create
3. Left menu: APIs & Services → Enable APIs → search "Gmail API" → Enable
4. Left menu: APIs & Services → Credentials → + CREATE CREDENTIALS → OAuth 2.0 Client ID
5. If it asks about a consent screen: choose External → fill in any app name → Save & Continue
6. Application type: Desktop app → name it anything → CREATE
7. Copy the Client ID and Client Secret — paste them when the script asks

This is a one-time step. You only need to do it once per Gmail account.

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API Keys

Key	Required?	Free?	Where to get it
Groq	Yes	Yes, fully free	https://console.groq.com/keys
Google Client ID + Secret	Yes	Yes (Google Cloud free tier)	Google Cloud Console (script guides you)
OpenAI	Optional	No (paid)	https://platform.openai.com/api-keys
Anthropic	Optional	No (paid)	https://console.anthropic.com
Gemini	Optional	Free tier	https://aistudio.google.com

You only need Groq + Google credentials to get started.

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Available Tools

Once connected, you can ask Claude to use these tools:

Tool	What it does
list_recent_emails	Show your recent emails from Gmail
search_emails	Search by sender, subject, or keyword
get_email_details	Read the full content of an email
send_email	Send a new email
create_draft	Save a draft without sending
reply_to_email	Reply to an existing thread
forward_email	Forward to someone else
mark_email_as_read / unread	Change read status
archive_email	Archive without deleting
delete_email	Move to trash
categorize_inbox	AI-powered inbox summary + categories
export_emails_to_excel	Export emails to a spreadsheet

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Connecting to Claude Desktop (manual method)

The setup script does this automatically. If you need to check manually:

Mac:

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Windows:

%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

The file should contain an entry like:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "email-mcp-server": {
      "command": "/path/to/venv/bin/python",
      "args": ["/path/to/email-mcp-server/run_mcp.py"]
    }
  }
}

The setup script fills in the correct paths for your machine automatically.

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Linux / Ubuntu — VS Code + Cline

Claude Desktop is not officially available on Linux. Use VS Code + Cline instead — it works the same way.

1. Install VS Code: https://code.visualstudio.com/
2. Open VS Code → Extensions panel (Ctrl+Shift+X)
3. Search "Cline" → Install
4. Click the Cline icon in the sidebar
5. Click the gear/settings icon → MCP Servers
6. Paste the contents of cline_mcp_config_snippet.json (created by setup.py)
7. Save — tools load automatically

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Project Structure

email-mcp-server/
│
├── setup.py                     ← Run this first (and re-run to update)
├── run_mcp.py                   ← MCP server entry point
├── requirements.txt             ← Python packages list
├── .env.example                 ← Template for your keys (do not edit directly)
├── .env                         ← Your actual keys (auto-created, never on GitHub)
├── .gitignore                   ← Protects your secrets from GitHub
│
├── auth/
│   ├── gmail_auth.py            ← Gmail OAuth handler
│   └── outlook_auth.py         ← Outlook OAuth handler
│
├── mcp_server/
│   └── server.py               ← All MCP tools defined here
│
├── venv/                        ← Python virtual environment (auto-created)
└── credentials/                 ← Your tokens (never pushed to GitHub)
    └── token.json               ← Auto-created after Gmail login

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FAQ

Q: Why do I need a Groq key if Claude Desktop already has AI?

Claude Desktop decides which tool to call using its own AI. But tools like categorize_inbox and write_professional_reply make their own AI calls inside the Python server to process your email data. That's what the Groq key is for. Groq is completely free.

Q: Is this safe? Will my emails be shared anywhere?

Your emails stay between your computer and Gmail's servers. Nothing is stored by this project or sent to third parties. Your .env and token.json files are local-only and listed in .gitignore — they are never uploaded to GitHub.

Q: Can I use Outlook instead of Gmail?

Outlook support is included. Run python setup.py, update your .env with the Azure app credentials, and follow the Outlook auth flow.

Q: I moved the project folder and the tools stopped working.

Re-run python setup.py and choose option 4 — Update Claude Desktop config. It updates the paths automatically.

Q: The hammer icon isn't showing in Claude Desktop.

Fully quit Claude Desktop (don't just close the window) and reopen it. If still missing, re-run python setup.py and choose option 4.

Q: Do I need to leave a terminal window open?

No. Claude Desktop starts the MCP server automatically when it needs it.

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Troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
python not found on Windows	Reinstall Python and tick "Add to PATH"
python3 not found on Mac/Linux	Install from https://www.python.org/downloads/
ModuleNotFoundError	Re-run python setup.py → option 3 (Reinstall packages)
Hammer icon missing in Claude Desktop	Fully quit (not just close) and reopen Claude Desktop
Gmail auth fails	Make sure Client ID and Client Secret are correct — re-run option 2
token.json expired / Gmail disconnected	Re-run python setup.py → option 2 (Re-connect Gmail)
OAuth redirect page shows error	This is normal — copy the code= value from the browser URL and paste in the terminal
Cline tools not loading	Check that the path in MCP config is an absolute path, not relative
Moved the project folder	Re-run python setup.py → option 4 (Update Claude Desktop config)

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Built with Python · Gmail API · FastMCP