Gmail

Set up an AI agent for Gmail. It reads threads, drafts or sends replies and manages labels in one Google mailbox, on your instructions or on a schedule.

eesel's AI agent for Gmail works one Google mailbox for you. It searches mail, reads threads, drafts or sends replies, and manages labels, following instructions you write in plain words. It can leave an unsent draft for a person to review, or send the reply itself.

Invite your AI teammate into Gmail and it works the mailbox: it searches messages, reads threads, drafts or sends replies, and manages labels. It works only the one mailbox you give it. It is not Gemini, Google's own AI in Gmail.

A Gmail thread where the agent replied after reading the refund policy.

Gmail is not self-serve yet. Message us in the in-app chat or email [e-mail] to have it turned on. It does not appear in your integrations list until then.

Set up eesel in Gmail

1

Ask your agent to connect Gmail

Open the chat in your dashboard and ask it to connect Gmail. It points you at your Integrations page and lists what it will do: search, read, send, draft and label email.

The dashboard chat with the Integrations page link.

Open Integrations > Gmail in the left sidebar. Connect is in the top right.

The Gmail integration page before you connect.

2

Sign in with Google

Connect opens a notice saying the connection runs through Pipedream, the service that brokers the sign-in. Continue hands you to Google's sign-in and consent screen. Pick the account you want your agent to work in, read the mail permissions, then accept. You can remove the connection at any time.

The Pipedream notice, with Continue leading to Google's sign-in.

A person approves this in the browser.

3

Confirm the connection

Google sends you back, and the modal confirms the account is connected. Continue returns you to the integration page.

The confirmation modal after Google sends you back.

Check it worked. The integration page header shows Connected with the account, and the left sidebar now lists Gmail. From a terminal, eesel status shows the integration as connected with its source counts.

4

Check what it can read and do

Sources is what it can read, and the mailbox is listed there with a switch. Automations is where you pick a trigger and say what to do each time it happens. Actions is what it can do, grouped as Read and Write.

The connected Gmail integration page, with sources, automations and the two action groups.

5

Create your first automation

Connecting alone does not start your agent. It needs an automation first. Ask in the dashboard chat for the mail you want handled and what should happen. Your agent picks the trigger, writes the instructions, switches the automation on, and names the actions it will use. Your plain-language description becomes the automation's instructions, so it skips mail you did not describe. See Automations.

The dashboard chat where the agent reports the trigger, the filter and the action.

The trigger event is fixed when the automation is created. So a new automation is required for each different trigger event.

Back on the integration page, the automation is listed with its switch on.

The automation switched on, with the Write group expanded.

Check it worked. Your Automations page lists the automation, switched on. From a terminal, eesel automations lists the automation as on.

6

Check automation work in Gmail

Send the mailbox a test email from another address and open the thread in Gmail. The reply is in the thread, sent from the connected account, with any label your agent applied.

The automatic reply in the Gmail thread.

7

Work your inbox from Slack

With Slack connected, mention your teammate in a thread and ask what is new in the inbox. It lists the newest mail with sender, time and a line on each, then offers to open one, draft a reply or act on it.

The newest mail listed in a Slack thread.

Ask it to reply to one and say what to write. It sends the reply from the connected account and confirms what it sent and to whom.

The reply confirmed in the same Slack thread.

Open Gmail and the follow-up is in the original thread, from the address you connected.

The follow-up email in the Gmail thread.

From Claude Code, Cursor or a terminal. The same setup works as commands: eesel login, then eesel integrations connect gmail_pipedream, which prints the details that connection method needs, including the sign-in link for a person to open. The approval is a human step: print the link for a person, wait for the connection status to change, and do not retry the link. eesel status then shows the integration as connected with its source counts, eesel automations lists your automations, and eesel chat asks your agent a question. Turning an automation on and setting its instructions have no command, so use the dashboard chat for those. Trigger keys for this page are in the Triggers table below. Full command reference: The eesel CLI. Step-by-step: Set up from Claude Code or the terminal. From a Model Context Protocol (MCP) client: Claude Code and MCP clients.

Sources, triggers and actions

Sources

Gmail adds one source, listed on the integration page with a switch.

Source	What your agent reads
Gmail	The mailbox of the Google account you signed in with. It searches messages and reads whole threads while it works

Your agent can only see what that mailbox can see. Every other integration on your agent is a source too, so a Gmail reply can also draw on your help center, files and other integrations. See Integrations.

Triggers

Triggers are the Gmail events an automation can run on.

Trigger	Fires when	Best for	Key
New email received	A new email arrives in the connected inbox	Auto-replying and triage	gmail_pipedream_new_email
New email matching search	A new inbound email matches a Gmail search query you set, like label:support -from:me	Scoping to one address or topic	gmail_pipedream_new_email_matching_search
New labeled email	An email receives one of the Gmail labels you choose to watch	Queues a person curates: label it, and your agent picks it up	gmail_pipedream_new_labeled_email

New mail is delivered on Pipedream's polling interval. So a reply follows the email after a short delay.

Actions

The integration page groups actions as Read and Write, with ten read actions and twelve write actions. They come from Gmail through Pipedream, and your agent loads the current list each time it runs. These are the ones you will use most.

Group	Action	What it does
Read	Find emails	Searches the mailbox with Gmail search syntax (from:, subject:, has:attachment, date ranges)
	Get thread	Reads the full back-and-forth of an email thread
	List labels	Lists the labels in the mailbox, so labeling actions target real ones
Write	Send Email	Sends a new email, or replies on an existing thread, from the connected account
	Create Draft	Saves an unsent draft, new or as a reply on a thread, for a person to review and send
	Modify Labels	Adds and removes labels on one or more messages. In Gmail this one action covers archive, trash, star, and mark read or unread too
	Create Label	Creates a new label, including nested ones like Clients/Acme
	Archive email / Bulk archive emails	Archives one message, or many at once
	Update Signature for Primary Email Address	Sets the signature on the connected address
	Update Signature for Email in Organization	Sets the signature on another address in the same Google organization

You stay in control the whole way. Adjust your AI agent's access to knowledge and its action permissions to your liking. See Actions and Approvals.

An approval card in the dashboard chat, with Approve and Deny.

Your agent replies as the connected Google account.

Limitations

• Not self-serve yet. Ask us to turn Gmail on for your workspace before it appears in your integrations list.

• One mailbox per connection. Your agent sees only what the connected Google account can see, and sends as that account.

• New mail arrives after a short delay. Mail is delivered on Pipedream's polling interval, not instantly.

• Triggers watch incoming mail only. Messages you send do not start an automation.

• Replies need a recipient. The send and draft actions do not work the recipient out from the thread, so your instructions should say to reply to the sender.

Troubleshooting

Don't see Gmail in your integrations list?

It is not self-serve. Message us in the in-app chat or email [e-mail] and we will turn it on for your workspace.

Automation not firing on new mail?

Check your Automations page shows the automation switched on, and that the email arrived in the connected inbox. The triggers watch incoming mail, not messages you send. On the matching-search or labeled-email trigger, check the query or watched labels match the message. New mail is delivered on Pipedream's polling interval, so give it a moment. Every run appears on the Activity page.

Agent isn't running a Gmail action?

Check the action is on for this agent, that your instructions tell it when to use the action, and that the connection is still signed in. If it is waiting for someone to approve it, it has not failed.

A reply came back with "Recipient address required"?

That is Gmail refusing a reply with no recipient. The Gmail send and draft actions do not work the recipient out from the thread. Tell your agent to reply to the sender's address, and it will fill the field.

Connection issues?

Google access can expire or be revoked. Disconnect Gmail and connect it again, completing every prompt in the Google sign-in.

FAQ

How do I add an AI agent to Gmail?

Ask us to turn Gmail on, then connect it from Integrations > Gmail with a Google sign-in, and ask your agent in the dashboard chat to create an automation, for example "draft a reply to every new email". The steps are in Set up eesel in Gmail.

Can the Gmail AI agent auto reply to emails?

Yes. It can send the reply in the thread from the connected account whenever its automation fires, or write a draft for your team to check, depending on how you set it up.

How do I keep a person in the loop with the Gmail AI agent?

Turn on Create Draft instead of Send Email, so your agent writes drafts your team checks and sends from Gmail.

Does connecting Gmail start sending email on its own?

No. Connecting only gives your agent access to the mailbox. It needs an automation before it acts at all.

Can I connect Gmail to ChatGPT or Claude?

Yes, through eesel. Once Gmail is connected, you can talk to your eesel agent from ChatGPT, Claude or Cursor, and it works with your mailbox. See Use eesel from ChatGPT, Use eesel from Claude and other assistants and Claude Code and MCP clients.

Can I limit which emails the Gmail AI agent handles?

Yes, at two levels. The New email matching search trigger scopes by a Gmail search query, and New labeled email only fires on the labels you watch. The automation's instructions then describe the mail you want in plain language, and what to do with it.

Which Gmail account does the AI agent act as?

The Google account you signed in with. Mail it sends comes from that address, and it can only see what that mailbox can see. Most teams connect a shared support address rather than a personal one.

Can the Gmail AI agent delete email?

It can move a message to the trash through the label actions, and it can archive mail. Both only exist on your agent if you turn them on.

What is Pipedream doing in the Gmail connection?

Pipedream brokers the connection to Google, so you sign in once and there are no keys to copy. The Gmail triggers and actions come from it too. You may see it named on Google's consent screen and in the security notice Google emails you afterwards.

Related pages

• Helpdesk for the customer-facing job your agent takes on in the inbox

• Slack for working the mailbox from a Slack thread

• Actions and Approvals for choosing what your agent may do

• Integrations overview for how sources, triggers and actions fit together

• Set up from Claude Code or the terminal