MCP Server for Google Directory

Build 25.0.9440

Establishing a Connection

The CData MCP Server for Google Directory defines each connection to Google Directory as a named configuration that Claude can use when sending natural language queries.

You create and manage these configurations using the MCP Configuration Tool. The tool automatically handles formatting, storage, and registration with Claude Desktop.

Understanding Connection Configurations

Each connection configuration is stored in a .mcp file. This file includes the details needed to initialize the connector when Claude starts a session.

  • On Windows, configuration files are stored in "~/AppData/Roaming/CData/Google Directory Data Provider/".
  • On macOS, configuration files are stored in "~/Library/Application Support/CData/Google Directory Data Provider/".

The .mcp file is a text file that contains a list of connection properties and a timestamp. For example: 

#Tue May 20 15:48:40 EDT 2025
AuthScheme=Basic
User=myUser
Password=myPassword
Security Token=myToken

The configuration tool handles these settings automatically. Each saved configuration enables Claude to launch a dedicated MCP Server instance with the correct connector and options. Manual file editing is not required.

Authenticating to Google Directory

The server supports using user accounts, service accounts and GCP instance accounts for authentication.

The following sections discuss the available authentication schemes for Google Directory:

  • User Accounts (OAuth)
  • Service Account (OAuthJWT)
  • GCP Instance Account

User Accounts (OAuth)

AuthScheme must be set to OAuth in all user account flows.

Desktop Applications

CData provides an embedded OAuth application that simplifies OAuth desktop Authentication. Alternatively, you can create a custom OAuth application. See Creating a Custom OAuth Application for information about creating custom applications and reasons for doing so.

For authentication, the only difference between the two methods is that you must set two additional connection properties when using custom OAuth applications.

After setting the following connection properties, you are ready to connect:

  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH, which instructs the server to automatically attempt to get and refresh the OAuth access token.
  • OAuthClientId: (custom applications only) Set this to the Client Id in your custom OAuth application settings.
  • OAuthClientSecret: (custom applications only) Set this to the Client Secret in the custom OAuth application settings.
When you connect the server opens the OAuth endpoint in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the application. The server then completes the OAuth process as follows:

  • Extracts the access token from the callback URL.
  • Obtains a new access token when the old one expires.
  • Saves OAuth values in OAuthSettingsLocation that persist across connections.

Web Applications

When connecting via a Web application, you must create and register a custom OAuth application with Google Directory. You can then use the server to acquire and manage the OAuth token values. See Creating a Custom OAuth Application for more information about custom applications.

Get an OAuth Access Token

Set the following connection properties to obtain the OAuthAccessToken:

Then call stored procedures to complete the OAuth exchange:

  1. Call the GetOAuthAuthorizationURL stored procedure. Set the CallbackURL input to the Callback URL you specified in your application settings. The stored procedure returns the URL to the OAuth endpoint.
  2. Navigate to the URL that the stored procedure returned in Step 1. Log in to the custom OAuth application and authorize the web application. Once authenticated, the browser redirects you to the callback URL.
  3. Call the GetOAuthAccessToken stored procedure. Set AuthMode to WEB and the Verifier input to the "code" parameter in the query string of the callback URL.

Once you have obtained the access and refresh tokens, you can connect to data and refresh the OAuth access token either automatically or manually.

Automatic Refresh of the OAuth Access Token

To have the driver automatically refresh the OAuth access token, set the following on the first data connection:

On subsequent data connections, the values for OAuthAccessToken and OAuthRefreshToken are taken from OAuthSettingsLocation.

Manual Refresh of the OAuth Access Token

The only value needed to manually refresh the OAuth access token when connecting to data is the OAuth refresh token.

Use the RefreshOAuthAccessToken stored procedure to manually refresh the OAuthAccessToken after the ExpiresIn parameter value returned by GetOAuthAccessToken has elapsed, then set the following connection properties:

  • OAuthClientId: Set this to the Client Id in your application settings.
  • OAuthClientSecret: Set this to the Client Secret in your application settings.

Then call RefreshOAuthAccessToken with OAuthRefreshToken set to the OAuth refresh token returned by GetOAuthAccessToken. After the new tokens have been retrieved, open a new connection by setting the OAuthAccessToken property to the value returned by RefreshOAuthAccessToken.

Finally, store the OAuth refresh token so that you can use it to manually refresh the OAuth access token after it has expired.

Headless Machines

To configure the driver to use OAuth with a user account on a headless machine, you must authenticate on another device that has an internet browser.

  1. Choose one of two options:
    • Option 1: Obtain the OAuthVerifier value as described in "Obtain and Exchange a Verifier Code" below.
    • Option 2: Install the server on a machine with an Internet browser and transfer the OAuth authentication values after you authenticate through the usual browser-based flow, as described in "Transfer OAuth Settings" below.
  2. Then configure the server to automatically refresh the access token on the headless machine.

Option 1: Obtain and Exchange a Verifier Code

To obtain a verifier code, you must authenticate at the OAuth authorization URL.

Follow the steps below to authenticate from the machine with an Internet browser and obtain the OAuthVerifier connection property.

  1. Choose one of these options:
    • If you are using the Embedded OAuth Application click Google Directory OAuth endpoint to open the endpoint in your browser.
    • If you are using a custom OAuth application, create the Authorization URL by setting the following properties: Then call the GetOAuthAuthorizationURL stored procedure with the appropriate CallbackURL. Open the URL returned by the stored procedure in a browser.
  2. Log in and grant permissions to the server. You are then redirected to the callback URL, which contains the verifier code.
  3. Save the value of the verifier code. Later you will set this in the OAuthVerifier connection property.
Next, exchange the OAuth verifier code for OAuth refresh and access tokens. Set the following properties:

On the headless machine, set the following connection properties to obtain the OAuth authentication values:

  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.
  • OAuthVerifier: Set this to the verifier code.
  • OAuthClientId: (custom applications only) Set this to the Client Id in your custom OAuth application settings.
  • OAuthClientSecret: (custom applications only) Set this to the Client Secret in the custom OAuth application settings.
  • OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to persist the encrypted OAuth authentication values to the specified location.

After the OAuth settings file is generated, re-set the following properties to connect:

  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.
  • OAuthClientId: (custom applications only) Set this to the client Id assigned when you registered your application.
  • OAuthClientSecret: (custom applications only) Set this to the client secret assigned when you registered your application.
  • OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to the location containing the encrypted OAuth authentication values. Make sure this location gives read and write permissions to the server to enable the automatic refreshing of the access token.

Option 2: Transfer OAuth Settings

Prior to connecting on a headless machine, you must create and install a connection with the driver on a device that supports an Internet browser. Set the connection properties as described in "Desktop Applications" above.

After completing the instructions in "Desktop Applications", the resulting authentication values are encrypted and written to the location specified by OAuthSettingsLocation. The default filename is OAuthSettings.txt.

Once you have successfully tested the connection, copy the OAuth settings file to your headless machine.

On the headless machine, set the following connection properties to connect to data:

  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.
  • OAuthClientId: (custom applications only) Set this to the client Id assigned when you registered your application.
  • OAuthClientSecret: (custom applications only) Set this to the client secret assigned when you registered your application.
  • OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to the location of your OAuth settings file. Make sure this location gives read and write permissions to the server to enable the automatic refreshing of the access token.

Service Accounts (OAuthJWT)

To authenticate using a service account, you must create a new service account and have a copy of the accounts certificate. If you do not already have a service account, you can create one by following the procedure in Creating a Custom OAuth Application.

To enable domain-wide delegation and access user data on behalf of a domain user, the following are required:

  • Domain-wide delegation must be enabled in the service account's settings.
  • OAuthJWTSubject is set to the email address of a Super Administrator in your Google Workspace domain.
  • The Scope connection property is set to a space-delimited list of all scopes granted to the service account's Client ID in the Google Admin Console. This is required to enable full access, including write operations, on behalf of the service account. If this property is not set, the request may default to insufficient scopes and fail.

To verify Super Administrator status, go to Account > Admin Roles > Super Administrators > View Admins in the Admin Console.

For a JSON file, set these properties:

  • AuthScheme: Set this to OAuthJWT.
  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH.
  • OAuthJWTCertType: Set this to GOOGLEJSON.
  • OAuthJWTCert: Set this to the path to the .json file provided by Google.
  • OAuthJWTSubject: Required for domain-wide delegation. Set this to the email address of a Super Administrator in your Google Workspace domain. This value enables the service account to impersonate a user and access their data. You must also enable domain-wide delegation and grant appropriate scopes to the service account's Client ID in the Google Admin Console.

For a PFX file, set these properties:

  • AuthScheme: Set this to OAuthJWT.
  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH.
  • OAuthJWTCertType: Set this to PFXFILE.
  • OAuthJWTCert: Set this to the path to the .pfx file provided by Google.
  • OAuthJWTCertPassword: (optional) Set this to the .pfx file password. In most cases you must provide this since Google encrypts PFX certificates.
  • OAuthJWTCertSubject: (optional) Set this only if you are using a OAuthJWTCertType which stores multiple certificates. Should not be set for PFX certificates generated by Google.
  • OAuthJWTIssuer: Set this to the email address of the service account. This address will usually include the domain iam.gserviceaccount.com.
  • OAuthJWTSubject: Required for domain-wide delegation. Set this to the email address of a Super Administrator in your Google Workspace domain. This value enables the service account to impersonate a user and access their data. You must also enable domain-wide delegation and grant appropriate scopes to the service account's Client ID in the Google Admin Console.

GCP Instance Accounts

When running on a GCP virtual machine, the server can authenticate using a service account tied to the virtual machine. To use this mode, set AuthScheme to GCPInstanceAccount.

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Build 25.0.9440