Can ChatGPT read my Gmail?

Yes, once you connect your account. ChatGPT searches your mailbox and reads threads when a request needs them, such as "summarize today's unread email". It only reaches the Google account you connected. In a work account, both your ChatGPT workspace settings and your Google Workspace admin's app controls decide whether you can connect.

Can ChatGPT send emails from Gmail?

It can draft replies and organize threads, and send on your behalf where that action is available. Sending counts as an important action, so by default ChatGPT asks for your confirmation first. In company workspaces, admins choose which Gmail actions are enabled and may limit the app to reading.

Can I use the Gmail plugin in Codex?

Yes, in the ChatGPT desktop app or the Codex CLI, as long as you sign in with your ChatGPT account rather than an API key. It's handy for pulling a bug report or customer thread into a coding task. See Use plugins and MCP servers in Codex.

What's the difference between the Gmail plugin, app and MCP server?

The Gmail app is OpenAI's connection to your mailbox. The plugin wraps that connection, with no extra skills, so you can install it in ChatGPT and Codex now that the App Directory lives in the Plugin Directory. The Gmail MCP server is Google's own server, in developer preview, which you set up through a Google Cloud project for other agents. See How to install plugins in ChatGPT.

plugin

Gmail

Read and manage Gmail

.md How to install

The Gmail plugin is for the parts of email that eat the day: catching up on a long thread, finding the one email with the contract number, drafting a reply in the right tone, or pulling action items out of a week of messages. It works with personal Gmail and Google Workspace accounts, and it can start a scheduled task when new mail arrives, which turns it into a light inbox assistant.

From the publisher

Work with Gmail using the configured Gmail app connector. App-backed plugin built by OpenAI that uses the Gmail app connector. Listed in OpenAI's curated Codex marketplace (openai-curated); the manifest declares an app connector.

What you need

A Gmail or Google Workspace account. You connect it when you install the plugin and approve the access Google asks for.
ChatGPT: install from the Plugins tab on the web or desktop app, then use it in Chat or Work on web, desktop or mobile.
Codex: the ChatGPT desktop app or Codex CLI (codex plugin add gmail@openai-curated), signed in with your ChatGPT account. Gmail isn't in the plugin set OpenAI offers to Codex users who sign in with an API key.
Business, Enterprise and Edu: plugins are on by default in Business workspaces and off in Enterprise and Edu. A Google Workspace admin can also block third-party apps or their scopes, so ChatGPT may need to be trusted in the Google Admin console.

Good to know

It can change things, not just read. The plugin is declared with write access. By default ChatGPT reads from apps on its own but asks before important actions, such as sending a message on your behalf. Workspace admins can restrict the app to read-only actions.
Memory can pick things up. With Memory on, ChatGPT can remember useful context from connected apps. Removing it completely can mean deleting the related chats and memories and disconnecting the app.
New mail can trigger tasks. On eligible plans, a scheduled task can run on new incoming messages, filtered by sender or subject. This works in ChatGPT on the web and mobile, not in the desktop app or Codex CLI.
Disconnecting. Open Settings > Plugins (or Apps), select Gmail and choose Disconnect. You can also remove ChatGPT from your Google Account's linked apps page. Disconnecting doesn't delete what was already saved in a chat or file.

Also available as

MCP Toolbox for DatabasesGoogle's open-source MCP server for 20+ databasesMCP server · by Google · 17k stars

Install

1Add it in ChatGPT
Open Plugins in the ChatGPT sidebar (web or desktop), search for “Gmail” and select +. You'll be asked to sign in to any connected service on first use. Then type @ in a chat to call it.
2Or install it in Codex
```
codex plugin add gmail@openai-curated
```
Start a new Codex session afterwards. You can also run /plugins inside the CLI to browse and install interactively.

Things to ask

“Summarize inbox, draft replies, or process email threads”
“Summarize unread Gmail threads from today”
“Draft a reply to the latest email from finance”

Disconnect or uninstall

1In ChatGPT
Disconnect an account in Settings → Apps or Plugins. To remove the plugin itself, open Gmail in the Plugin Directory and select Uninstall plugin. Uninstalling can disconnect every account connected through it, and plugins your workspace installs may not offer the option.

2In Codex

codex plugin remove gmail@openai-curated

Gmail: common questions

Can ChatGPT read my Gmail?: Yes, once you connect your account. ChatGPT searches your mailbox and reads threads when a request needs them, such as "summarize today's unread email". It only reaches the Google account you connected. In a work account, both your ChatGPT workspace settings and your Google Workspace admin's app controls decide whether you can connect.
Can ChatGPT send emails from Gmail?: It can draft replies and organize threads, and send on your behalf where that action is available. Sending counts as an important action, so by default ChatGPT asks for your confirmation first. In company workspaces, admins choose which Gmail actions are enabled and may limit the app to reading.
Can I use the Gmail plugin in Codex?: Yes, in the ChatGPT desktop app or the Codex CLI, as long as you sign in with your ChatGPT account rather than an API key. It's handy for pulling a bug report or customer thread into a coding task. See Use plugins and MCP servers in Codex.
What's the difference between the Gmail plugin, app and MCP server?: The Gmail app is OpenAI's connection to your mailbox. The plugin wraps that connection, with no extra skills, so you can install it in ChatGPT and Codex now that the App Directory lives in the Plugin Directory. The Gmail MCP server is Google's own server, in developer preview, which you set up through a Google Cloud project for other agents. See How to install plugins in ChatGPT.