CData Gmail MCP Server

The Gmail MCP Server by CData transforms a standard Gmail account into a live, read‑only data source that can be queried by language models such as Claude. By leveraging the CData JDBC Driver for Gmail, which presents email data as relational tables, the server exposes these tables through the Model Context Protocol. This allows an AI assistant to retrieve current mailbox information—threads, messages, labels, and attachments—using natural language prompts without writing SQL or managing OAuth flows directly.

For developers building AI‑augmented workflows, this server removes a significant friction point: the need to manually fetch and parse Gmail data. Instead, the MCP server acts as a bridge that translates user queries into JDBC calls behind the scenes. The result is an AI experience where users can ask questions like “Show me all emails from John in the last week” and receive accurate, up‑to‑date answers instantly. Because the server is read‑only, it preserves mailbox integrity while still providing real‑time visibility.

Key capabilities include:

• Live data access: Every request pulls the latest state from Gmail, ensuring AI insights are current.
• Relational view of email: Threads and messages appear as tables, enabling complex filtering and aggregation through standard SQL semantics.
• OAuth‑ready integration: The underlying driver handles OAuth authentication, so the MCP server can be deployed in environments that require secure access.
• Customizable schema: Developers can expose only the tables they need, reducing noise and improving performance.

Typical use cases span customer support automation (retrieving recent tickets from email), workflow orchestration (triggering actions based on new messages), and data analysis (aggregating metrics like email volume over time). In a Claude Desktop setup, the server is added to the configuration file as an executable jar with a properties file that defines connection details, making it trivial to plug into existing AI pipelines.

What sets this MCP server apart is its simplicity and focus on read‑only access. By wrapping a proven JDBC driver in the MCP format, it delivers instant, secure Gmail integration without exposing developers to low‑level API complexities. This makes it an ideal choice for teams that need quick, reliable email data access within AI‑driven applications.