Pick your year
Home by Dark
×

A Gmail for Claude, with tagged addresses

⏱ 20 min5 steps

Here's a setup I use every day. Instead of connecting Claude to your personal or work inbox, make a new Gmail that exists only to feed Claude. Claude only sees what you choose to send it. It's a PO box only your assistant opens.

Gmail's screen trips most people up the first time. If a doesn't show up, the fix is under that step.

account A sign-in with a company, like a domain, email or hosting. Whoever owns the account controls what's in it. All wordsfilter A Gmail rule that does something automatically to matching emails, like adding a label. All wordslabel Gmail's version of a folder. One email can have more than one label. All words

Before this, you'll want:

×

Steps

Step 1 of 50 done · about 20 min left

Steps for
  1. Step 1 of 5, not done yet
  2. Step 2 of 5, not done yet
  3. Step 3 of 5, not done yet
  4. Step 4 of 5, not done yet
  5. Step 5 of 5, not done yet

  1. Make a new Gmail account only for Claude

    1. Go to gmail.com and create a new account. Pick an address you'll recognize, like yourname.claude@gmail.com.
    2. Turn on , the way you did in Security basics.
    3. Save the password in your .
    two-step sign-in Signing in with your password plus a second thing, like a code on your phone, so a stolen password isn't enough. All wordspassword manager An app that remembers a different strong password for every account, so you only remember one. All words
    That's not what I see
    Google wants a phone number I've already used.
    That's usually fine. Google lets one phone number verify more than one account. If it refuses, try again the next day.

  2. Connect that Gmail to Claude, and only that one

    You connected a tool in Connect Claude to your tools. Gmail connects the same way, with one thing to watch: the Google account.

    1. Sign out of your personal Google account in your , or open a private window.
    2. Go to claude.ai/customize/connectors. In the Claude desktop app, click Customize, then .
    3. Find Gmail, using Discover and Search connectors if it isn't under Your connectors, and click Connect.
    4. When Google asks which account, pick the new Claude one.
    browser The app you use to visit websites, like Safari or Chrome. All wordsconnector A link between Claude and another app or service, like Google Calendar or Linear, so Claude can read from it or work in it. All words

    You should see:

    Gmail under Your connectors, marked Connected.

    That's not what I see
    Claude connected my personal Gmail instead.
    Click Gmail under Your connectors, then Disconnect. Before you connect again, sign out of your personal Google account in that browser, or use a private window, so the right one is picked.
    Gmail won't connect, or there's no button to connect it.
    On a Team or Enterprise plan, an Owner has to turn it on for everyone first. Otherwise, check you're signed in to the right Claude account, and try again in a new window.

  3. Block anything that sends, deletes or changes mail

    Anthropic's Gmail help page says this connector only reads, but in October 2026 it could also send, reply, forward and trash mail. Check what yours can do today, the way you did in Connect Claude to your tools.

    1. Click Gmail under Your connectors.
    2. Read the list under Tool permissions.
    3. Choose Blocked for every tool that sends, replies, forwards, creates or updates drafts, deletes, trashes, labels or marks spam. Not Needs approval or Always allow.
    4. Set the tools that only search or read to Always allow. They can't change anything, and a needs them later.
    scheduled task A job Claude does on its own on a schedule, like every morning, even when your computer is closed. All words

    You should see:

    Blocked next to each tool or group of tools that sends, deletes or changes mail.

    That's not what I see
    I don't see Tool permissions.
    Some plans don't show it. Claude asks before it uses Gmail, so only click Allow for something that reads, like a search. Never allow anything that sends, replies, forwards or deletes. If you'd rather not risk it, disconnect Gmail when you're done, the way you did in Connect Claude to your tools.

  4. Set up tagged addresses and labels

    You forward things into it: client emails, receipts, articles, screenshots, notes to yourself. Tags tell Claude what each one is. Then Claude sorts it: files client updates into the right project, logs expenses, and tells you what needs you.

    Gmail has a handy trick: anything after a + in the address still lands in the same inbox. So yourname.claude**+receipts**@gmail.com and yourname.claude**+client-acme**@gmail.com both arrive, and the part after the + tells you what each one is.

    Good first tags: receipt, todo, idea, and one per client or project. For each tag you want:

    1. In your Claude Gmail, click Show search options in the search box at the top.
    2. In To, type the , like yourname.claude+receipts@gmail.com.
    3. Click Create filter.
    4. Check Apply the label, and make a new label for it, like receipt.
    5. Click Create filter.
    6. From your own email, send a short message to yourname.claude+receipts@gmail.com.

    From now on, forward mail to the matching address, or use it when you sign up for things.

    tagged address Your Gmail address with a plus and a word added, like yourname+receipts@gmail.com. It still reaches the same inbox. All words

    You should see:

    Your test email in the Claude Gmail inbox, with the receipt label next to its subject.

    That's not what I see
    Mail sent to the tagged address didn't get a label.
    Check the filter's "To" box says the full tagged address, with the plus part, exactly. Then open the filter again and check "Also apply filter to matching conversations."

  5. Ask Claude to sort what's there

    Forward a few emails to your tagged addresses first.

    1. Start a new chat in the or at claude.ai.
    2. Click + at the lower left of the message box, then Connectors, and turn on Gmail.
    3. Copy the below.
    Look in my Gmail for messages from the last 30 days. Group them by label. For anything labeled receipt, list the date, who it's from and the amount. For anything labeled todo or client, tell me what needs me. Don't reply to, delete, label or change anything. Only read and report.
    1. Paste it into the chat with Cmd+VCtrl+V and press Enter.
    2. If Claude asks to use any Gmail tool, choose Deny. Reading tools don't ask, so that tool should be Blocked. Go back to Step 3 and block it.

    Notice the last line: read and report only. That's how it starts. My own version reads and records on a schedule, and never replies to anyone on its own. Later, in Scheduled tasks, you'll see how jobs run on a schedule.

    Claude app Claude on your phone or computer, where you chat with it by typing. claude.ai is the same thing in a web browser. All wordsprompt What you type to Claude. A good one says what you want, how to work and what never to do. All words

    You should see:

    Claude searches and reads your Claude Gmail without asking. Then it lists what it found, grouped by label, with each receipt's date, sender and amount.

    That's not what I see
    Claude says it can't see my email.
    Click + in the message box, then Connectors, and check Gmail is turned on for this chat. If it isn't listed, go back to the connect step and check it's connected to the Claude Gmail.
×

Your challenge

For one week, forward every receipt for your projects to your Claude Gmail's receipts address. At the end of the week, ask Claude to list them with amounts.

Last checked 2026-10-21

Start