Gmail Attachments MCP

Name: Gmail Attachments MCP
Author: zayansalman

by zayansalmanversion 0.1.0i★ –iRuns on your computer

Registry nameio.github.zayansalman/gmail-attachments-mcp

Install

Overview

Description from the maker (original English)

Minimal MCP server for downloading Gmail attachments to disk. Read-only OAuth by default.

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

These three are never merged into one score: opinions, measurements and popularity are different things.

User voiceiNo reviews yetReviews open together with accounts in a later step
Our basic checksi1 of 1 passedChecked from public information; code not scanned yet
UsageiVery new↓ 284/wk · ★ –

What you can do with it

We have not written a plain-language summary for this one yet. Below are the facts we read from the registry.

Connection: Runs on your computer
Transport: stdio
Category: Chat & email
You need to fill in: GMAIL_MCP_TOKEN

Install

Pick the AI app you use, then copy the settings.

Before you install

Basic checks: 1 of 1 passed
Runs on your computer with your user’s permissions (files, network, apps).
You fill in yourself: GMAIL_MCP_CREDENTIALS, GMAIL_MCP_TOKEN, GMAIL_MCP_DEFAULT_DEST_DIR, GMAIL_MCP_SCOPES

Values marked secret are keys to your account. Never share them or paste them into a chat.

You need

PyPIPython’s uv installed (for the uvx command)

Which app do you use?

ClaudeClaude CodeCursorVS CodeChatGPT

Pick your app above. We remember it, so next time the button says “Install in …”.

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config, and paste this into claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gmail-attachments": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "gmail-attachments-mcp",
        "serve"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GMAIL_MCP_CREDENTIALS": "your-value",
        "GMAIL_MCP_TOKEN": "your-value",
        "GMAIL_MCP_DEFAULT_DEST_DIR": "your-value",
        "GMAIL_MCP_SCOPES": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Run this in your terminal

claude mcp add gmail-attachments --env GMAIL_MCP_CREDENTIALS=your-value --env GMAIL_MCP_TOKEN=your-value --env GMAIL_MCP_DEFAULT_DEST_DIR=your-value --env GMAIL_MCP_SCOPES=your-value -- uvx gmail-attachments-mcp serve

Fill in the empty values before running it.

Open in Cursor

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .cursor/mcp.json in your project, or ~/.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gmail-attachments": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "gmail-attachments-mcp",
        "serve"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GMAIL_MCP_CREDENTIALS": "your-value",
        "GMAIL_MCP_TOKEN": "your-value",
        "GMAIL_MCP_DEFAULT_DEST_DIR": "your-value",
        "GMAIL_MCP_SCOPES": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

Open in VS Code

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .vscode/mcp.json in your project

{
  "servers": {
    "gmail-attachments": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "gmail-attachments-mcp",
        "serve"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GMAIL_MCP_CREDENTIALS": "your-value",
        "GMAIL_MCP_TOKEN": "your-value",
        "GMAIL_MCP_DEFAULT_DEST_DIR": "your-value",
        "GMAIL_MCP_SCOPES": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

This one runs on your computer, and ChatGPT can only connect to servers on the internet. Pick another app.

Your choice stays on this device in a cookie; no account needed.

Values you fill in

GMAIL_MCP_CREDENTIALS env
Path to the Google OAuth client secret JSON. Default: $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/gmail-attachments-mcp/credentials.json.
GMAIL_MCP_TOKEN secret env
Path to the cached Gmail OAuth refresh token. Default: $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/gmail-attachments-mcp/token.json.
GMAIL_MCP_DEFAULT_DEST_DIR env
Default directory where downloaded attachments are saved when the tool call does not specify dest_dir. Default: ~/Downloads.
GMAIL_MCP_SCOPES env
Comma-separated Google OAuth scopes. Default: https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.readonly.

These settings are generated from the maker’s registry entry. If the README says otherwise, follow the README.

What it can do

Runs on your computer; the tool list appears in your AI app after you install it.

Basic checksi

We check information anyone can see; we have not read the code. Checks that do not apply are left out of the count. · Checked Nov 8, 2026

✓ Pass
Maker matches the repo
The registry name was verified with the GitHub account zayansalman, which owns the repo
… Not checked yet
Still maintained
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
… Not checked yet
Has a licence
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
– Not applicable
Endpoint responds
This one runs on your computer; there is no internet endpoint
– Not applicable
Sign-in with OAuth
Runs on your computer and uses local settings instead
… Not checked yet
No hidden instructions in tool descriptions
Runs on your computer; we can only read tool lists from internet endpoints

Compared with others in Chat & emaili

More stars than 0% of the other 1858 servers in this category
Published to the registry more recently than 13% of the other 1858 servers in this category
Basic checks equal to or better than 100% of the other 1858 servers in this category

Compared with every active server in this category in the registry. Stars count only when the publisher owns the repo.

Common questions

Is Gmail Attachments MCP safe?

It passed 1 of 1 applicable basic checks. We have not read the code. Before adding a key or token, see what access the server asks for and use a key with only the permissions you need.

What keys or codes does it need?

You need to fill in: GMAIL_MCP_TOKEN

Does it run on my computer or in the cloud?

It runs on your computer. Your AI app starts it when needed, and data does not pass through the maker’s servers (unless it calls an online service itself).

Is it still maintained?

The GitHub repo last changed –, and the latest version (0.1.0) reached the registry 5 months ago.

Which apps can use it?

Apps that support MCP, such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code. You also need Python (uv) on your computer.

What can I use instead?

In the same category: Vexa, emailmd, MCP WhatsApp Cloud

Alternatives

Servers in the same category from other makers, sorted by stars.

Reading a card:↓ Downloads per weeki★ GitHub starsiThree pillars: reviews · checks · usageiUpdated = latest version published to the registryi

Vexa

Meeting bot and transcripts for Google Meet, Teams and Zoom. Live or after, speakers labelled.

by Vexa-aiWidely used★ 2.9KUpdated 2 months ago

Runs in the cloud✓ vexa.ai

Install

emailmd

Render markdown into email-safe HTML, lint drafts for deliverability problems, and preview emails.

by anypostGrowing↓ 5.3K/wk★ 1.4KUpdated 33 days ago

Computer or cloud✓ emailmd.dev

Install

MCP WhatsApp Cloud

MCP server for WhatsApp Cloud API (Meta) — messages, media, and templates via Graph API

by codesparEarly↓ 63/wk★ 277Updated 5 months ago

Runs on your computer

Install

README from the maker

Open the README

Copied from the maker’s repo as written. PopNx MCP has not reviewed or endorsed it. HTML, images and scripts are removed. Links lead off this site.

gmail-attachments-mcp

A focused Model Context Protocol server (and standalone CLI) for downloading Gmail attachments to disk. Three tools, read-only OAuth scope, no extra surface area.

Built because the hosted claude.ai Gmail connector in Claude Desktop returns attachment IDs and metadata only — not the actual bytes. This server fills that gap for any MCP client (Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Cline, etc.), and also works as a plain CLI for cron jobs and shell scripts.

If you used @GongRzhe/Gmail-MCP-Server (1.1k★, archived 2026-03-03) for its attachment-download workflow, this is a minimal successor focused on that single capability.

Features

3 MCP tools — gmail_search, gmail_download_thread_attachments, gmail_download_latest_matching. That's the whole API.
Read-only OAuth scope (gmail.readonly) — can't send, delete, or modify mail.
Works as both an MCP server and a standalone CLI — same code, same auth token, both surfaces.
Env-var-driven config — GMAIL_MCP_CREDENTIALS, GMAIL_MCP_TOKEN, GMAIL_MCP_DEFAULT_DEST_DIR.
Cron-friendly — once authorized, the cached refresh token lets headless jobs run indefinitely.

Install

pip install gmail-attachments-mcp

or, with uv:

uv tool install gmail-attachments-mcp

One-time setup (~10 minutes)

You need a Google Cloud OAuth client. The server runs entirely on your machine; nothing leaves it.

Sign in to Google Cloud Console with the Gmail account whose attachments you want to download.
Create a project (or pick an existing one).
Enable the Gmail API: console.cloud.google.com/apis/library/gmail.googleapis.com.
Configure the OAuth consent screen under APIs & Services → OAuth consent screen:

Google Workspace users: User type = Internal (no app verification needed).
Personal Gmail users: User type = External. Add your own Gmail address as a test user under "Test users".

APIs & Services → Credentials → + Create credentials → OAuth client ID

Application type: Desktop app
Download the JSON.

Run setup:

gmail-attachments-mcp setup --import-credentials ~/Downloads/client_secret_*.json

A browser window opens for OAuth consent. After consent, a refresh token is cached at ~/.config/gmail-attachments-mcp/token.json (or $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/gmail-attachments-mcp/).

Verify:

gmail-attachments-mcp status

gmail-attachments-mcp search "has:attachment newer_than:7d" --max 3

See docs/setup-google-oauth.md for screenshots and troubleshooting.

Use it from Claude Code

claude mcp add --scope user gmail-attachments gmail-attachments-mcp -- serve

Then in any Claude Code session:

Use the gmail-attachments MCP to download the latest CV from careers@example.com to ~/CVs.

Use it from Claude Desktop

Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (Mac) or %APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (Windows):

"mcpServers": { "gmail-attachments": { "command": "gmail-attachments-mcp", "args": ["serve"] } } }

Restart Claude Desktop. See docs/claude-desktop.md for details.

Use it from Cursor / Cline / Continue / others

Any MCP client that supports stdio servers. Point it at the same gmail-attachments-mcp serve command. See docs/other-clients.md.

Use it from the shell or cron

# Search

gmail-attachments-mcp search "from:noreply@stripe.com has:attachment newer_than:30d"

Download every attachment from a specific thread

gmail-attachments-mcp thread 19db831fab15b507 --dest ~/Invoices

Download from the latest match, only PDFs

gmail-attachments-mcp latest "from:hr@example.com has:attachment" --dest ~/CVs --ext .pdf,.docx

Cron example — pull CV attachments hourly:

0 * * * * /usr/local/bin/gmail-attachments-mcp latest "to:careers@example.com has:attachment newer_than:2d" --dest ~/CVs --ext .pdf,.docx >> ~/.cache/gmail-attachments-mcp.log 2>&1

The 3 MCP tools

`gmail_search(query, max_results=10)`

Returns thread summaries with attachment filenames. Use Gmail's standard query syntax.

{ "thread_id": "19db831fab15b507", "subject": "Folon Q3 2026 Quarterly Product Recap", "sender": "Manon Muhtasin Rahman ", "date": "Thu, 23 Apr 2026 08:35:00 +0600", "snippet": "Hi everyone, Attached is...", "message_count": 1, "attachment_count": 1, "attachment_filenames": ["Folon Quarterly Report Q3 2026.pdf"] } ]

`gmail_download_thread_attachments(thread_id, dest_dir?, extensions?)`

Downloads every attachment in a thread to disk. Returns path, size_bytes, mime_type, original_filename per file.

`gmail_download_latest_matching(query, dest_dir?, extensions?)`

Convenience: search + download from the single most recent match, in one call.

Configuration

All paths can be overridden via environment variables.

Variable	Default	What
`GMAIL_MCP_CREDENTIALS`	`~/.config/gmail-attachments-mcp/credentials.json`	OAuth client secret JSON
`GMAIL_MCP_TOKEN`	`~/.config/gmail-attachments-mcp/token.json`	Cached refresh token
`GMAIL_MCP_DEFAULT_DEST_DIR`	`~/Downloads`	Default download destination
`GMAIL_MCP_SCOPES`	`https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.readonly`	OAuth scopes (comma-separated)
`XDG_CONFIG_HOME`	`~/.config`	Standard XDG override

Security

Token storage: refresh token is written to ~/.config/gmail-attachments-mcp/token.json with mode 0600. Anyone with shell access to your account can read your Gmail. Treat the file like a password.
OAuth scope: default is gmail.readonly. Cannot send, delete, or modify mail. If you change $GMAIL_MCP_SCOPES, you're on the hook for the consequences.
Credential file: your OAuth client secret JSON is *not* a password — it identifies your app to Google. But never commit it. The included .gitignore blocks the common filenames.
OAuth client: your client lives in *your* Google Cloud project. There's no central server, no telemetry, nothing leaves your machine.

Troubleshooting

`No valid Gmail token` when invoked from Claude Desktop / cron The first OAuth flow requires a browser. Run gmail-attachments-mcp setup once in a terminal where a browser can open. Subsequent runs use the cached refresh token.

`Token has been expired or revoked` Refresh tokens stay valid as long as you use them at least every 6 months and don't revoke them at myaccount.google.com/permissions. Re-auth:

gmail-attachments-mcp setup --reauth

`Access blocked: This app's request is invalid` On personal Gmail, your OAuth consent screen needs your address listed under Test users. Workspace users should select Internal audience to avoid this.

`HttpError 403: Request had insufficient authentication scopes` You changed $GMAIL_MCP_SCOPES without re-authorizing. Run gmail-attachments-mcp setup --reauth.

Comparison with other Gmail MCP servers

Server	Scope	Tools	Maintenance
Anthropic hosted `claude.ai Gmail`	Read/write, hosted	many	Active, but no attachment bytes
GongRzhe/Gmail-MCP-Server	Full mailbox	19	Archived 2026-03-03
shinzo-labs/gmail-mcp	Full mailbox	~30	Active
gmail-attachments-mcp (this)	read-only	3	Active

Pick this one if you want a tiny, focused, read-only tool. Pick a fuller one if you also need to send mail, manage labels, drafts, threads, etc.

Authentication — bring your own Google OAuth client

There are no API keys and no shipped secrets. The server authenticates to *your* Google account with an OAuth client *you* create, and caches a refresh token locally. The author has zero access to your data.

Why your own client? Google's restricted scopes (here, gmail.readonly) can't be redistributed in a shared app, and an unverified shared app is capped at 100 users. "Bring your own OAuth client" is the standard pattern for personal-data MCP servers.
What you need: a free Google Cloud project, the Gmail API enabled, an OAuth consent screen, and a Desktop OAuth client. Full walkthrough → docs/setup-google-oauth.md.
Where your token lives: ~/.config/gmail-attachments-mcp/token.json (mode 0600). Delete it to revoke locally; revoke fully at myaccount.google.com/permissions.
No hosted/SaaS option — everything runs locally; your mail never touches a third-party server.

Related tools

Part of a small family of focused, local MCP servers for Google Workspace data the hosted connectors don't expose:

gmail-attachments-mcp — download Gmail attachment bytes to disk *(this repo)*
[google-drive-comments-mcp](https://github.com/zayansalman/google-drive-comments-mcp) — read comment threads on Docs/Sheets/Slides
[google-drive-files-mcp](https://github.com/zayansalman/google-drive-files-mcp) — move/organize Drive files

They can share one OAuth login or stay isolated — see each repo's setup.

License

MIT. See LICENSE.

Contributing

Issues and PRs welcome. Run pytest and ruff check src tests before submitting.

git clone https://github.com/zayansalman/gmail-attachments-mcp

cd gmail-attachments-mcp pip install -e ".[dev]" pytest

Gmail Attachments MCP

Overview

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

What you can do with it

Install

Before you install

Values you fill in

What it can do

Basic checksi

Maker matches the repo

Still maintained

Has a licence

Endpoint responds

Sign-in with OAuth

No hidden instructions in tool descriptions

Compared with others in Chat & emaili

Common questions

Alternatives

Vexa

emailmd

MCP WhatsApp Cloud

README from the maker

gmail-attachments-mcp

Features

Install

or, with uv:

One-time setup (~10 minutes)

Use it from Claude Code

Use it from Claude Desktop

Use it from Cursor / Cline / Continue / others

Use it from the shell or cron

Download every attachment from a specific thread

Download from the latest match, only PDFs

The 3 MCP tools

gmail_search(query, max_results=10)

gmail_download_thread_attachments(thread_id, dest_dir?, extensions?)

gmail_download_latest_matching(query, dest_dir?, extensions?)

Configuration

Security

Troubleshooting

Comparison with other Gmail MCP servers

Authentication — bring your own Google OAuth client

Related tools

License

Contributing

`gmail_search(query, max_results=10)`

`gmail_download_thread_attachments(thread_id, dest_dir?, extensions?)`

`gmail_download_latest_matching(query, dest_dir?, extensions?)`