Claude Desktop connects to Gmail through the CData MCP Server for Gmail using the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

When you launch Claude, it automatically detects MCP connections registered during setup. These connections are created and saved using the MCP Configuration Tool, which is installed with the MCP Server.

Each saved connection is recognized by Claude and can be referenced by name when asking questions.

Installing Claude

Claude Desktop is a standalone application that enables natural language querying across supported data sources using the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

To connect to Gmail via MCP, you first need to install the Claude Desktop application.

You can download the latest version from the official Claude Download Page.

After installing Claude Desktop, you can configure your MCP connection using the CData MCP Driver for Gmail.

How Claude Uses the Server

When you ask Claude a question, it launches the corresponding MCP Server connection, reads the available tool descriptions provided by the connector, and generates a secure query in the background.

There is no need to write SQL or teach Claude how to query your data. Each tool is self-describing, and Claude consumes those descriptions to determine how to retrieve the right information.

Example Prompts

After setup, you can ask Claude natural-language questions like:

• "List all unread emails from the last 7 days."
• "What is the average number of emails I receive per day?"
• "Who do I email with the most frequently?"
• "Show me all emails from contacts at [company.com]."
• "Who hasn't replied to my last email?"
• "List conversations where I was CC’d but not the main recipient."
• "Show me starred emails I haven't replied to yet."
• "What emails did I send on April 15th?"
• "Show me the top 10 largest emails in my inbox."
• "Which emails contain links to Google Docs or Sheets?"

Claude securely executes the query using the MCP Server and responds using the live results from Gmail.