Productivity

Let agents work in Gmail without handing them the whole inbox

Email mixes routine retrieval with consequential actions. AIP turns Gmail's API into separate tools for reading, drafting, sending, labeling, and moving messages — so an inbox analyst and an outbound assistant never need the same authority.

Updated 1 September 2026 16 highlighted tools 9 read · 7 write

What your agent can do

Gmail tools follow the operation names stored by AIP's OpenAPI discovery. GET operations are read tools; drafting, sending, labeling, modifying, and moving messages are writes. Each can be exposed independently to an agent, including separately connected inboxes.

Tool What it does Access
gmail_users_getprofile Read the connected mailbox profile and current message and thread totals. read
gmail_users_messages_list Search or list message IDs using Gmail query syntax, labels, and pagination. read
gmail_users_messages_get Fetch one message with its headers, body structure, labels, and thread reference. read
gmail_users_messages_attachments_get Retrieve an attachment payload referenced by a message part. read
gmail_users_threads_list Search or list conversation threads in the connected mailbox. read
gmail_users_threads_get Fetch a whole thread and the messages it contains. read
gmail_users_labels_list List system and user labels available in the mailbox. read
gmail_users_drafts_list List saved drafts without sending them. read
gmail_users_drafts_get Fetch one draft and its underlying message content. read
gmail_users_drafts_create Save a new draft message for later review or sending. write
gmail_users_drafts_update Replace the message stored in an existing draft. write
gmail_users_drafts_send Send a previously saved draft. write
gmail_users_messages_send Send a new MIME message through the connected Gmail account. write
gmail_users_messages_modify Add or remove labels on one message, including read and starred state. write
gmail_users_messages_trash Move a message to Trash without permanently deleting it. write
gmail_users_messages_untrash Restore a message from Trash. write

AIP discovers 29 curated Gmail operations from the current public spec. These highlights focus on everyday inbox work and omit operations that the connected OAuth scope cannot perform.

Capability snapshot: 1 September 2026 · provider source

Treat reading and sending as different jobs

An assistant that prepares a morning inbox brief only needs search, message, thread, and attachment reads. A correspondence assistant may need draft tools but still no direct send. A tightly supervised support agent can send replies and adjust labels, while trash remains hidden. Gmail exposes those as separate operations, and AIP keeps the distinction when the tools reach your client.

The control room is where that policy lives. It can also separate personal and work inboxes instead of pooling both identities behind one opaque connector. See the rest of the integration catalog when an email workflow needs context from a calendar, tracker, or knowledge base.

Connect a Google inbox

  1. In the AIP dashboard, add Gmail and sign in to the exact Google account the agent should use. Google shows the requested Gmail access before consent.
  2. Attach that account to an agent and review each discovered operation. A practical default is Allow for list/get, Confirm for drafts and labels, and Confirm or Hide for send and trash.
  3. Add the generated AIP endpoint to the client. MCP clients use it directly; clients that prefer OpenAPI can use the document AIP generates for the same scoped agent.

There is no Gmail password or app password to paste into an agent config. AIP stores the OAuth credential and refreshes it behind the endpoint. The MCP/OpenAPI explanation shows why the same account policy can travel between Claude, Codex, and other clients.

Build review into the prompt

Permissions are the hard boundary; prompt structure adds a useful human checkpoint. Ask the agent to return candidate messages or a draft first, then approve a second step that changes the mailbox. This makes false-positive searches cheap to correct before a label, send, or trash call runs.

If several inboxes or specialized agents are part of the workflow, the pricing page describes the available account and agent capacity. Keep sensitive inboxes on their own connection so their tools can be hidden from agents that never need email context.

AIP does not request permanent-delete access The Google connection uses gmail.modify: enough to read, search, draft, send, label, trash, and restore mail. AIP deliberately does not request the broader mail.google.com scope required for permanent message or thread deletion. History feeds, settings, watch, import, and batch-delete paths are also excluded from this integration.
Connect Gmail once, then split reading from sending
Give each agent its own inbox tools and require confirmation for outbound or destructive work.
Connect an account

What to ask your agent

Inbox prompts are safest when they separate analysis from action. Ask for a reviewable result first, then make the send, label, or trash step explicit:

> Find unread messages from customers this week and group them by the decision they need from me.
> Draft a reply to the latest renewal email, but show it to me before saving or sending anything.
> Summarize the full thread about the September launch and link the messages that changed the plan.
> Add the Follow up label to messages I answered today that still contain an open question.
> Prepare a concise reply to this thread using the tone of my previous response, then wait for approval.
> Move newsletters older than 30 days to Trash; exclude receipts, account alerts, and anything starred.

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