Alfred vs Gmail
A side-by-side look at the Alfred and Gmail MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
A
AlfredCommunication · Remote HTTP/SSEYour real Gmail, Outlook and calendars, worked as you: read, draft, send, schedule, organize.42FairAuth: not declaredVerdict: choose Alfred for communication work over a hosted endpoint; choose Gmail for communication as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
AChoose Alfred when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Communication domain.
- You prefer a remote HTTP/SSE transport.
Choose Gmail when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Communication domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID, GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET, AUTH_MODE, GOOGLE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_KEY_FILE, REDIRECT_URI, TOKEN_STORE_URI, DCR_STORE_URI.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | A Alfred | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Communication | Communication |
| Quality signal | 42/100 · Fair | 45/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Remote HTTP/SSE | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | GOOGLE_CLIENT_IDGOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRETAUTH_MODEGOOGLE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_KEY_FILEREDIRECT_URITOKEN_STORE_URIDCR_STORE_URI |
Tools & capabilities
Alfred tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Gmail tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Alfred
{
"mcpServers": {
"alfred": {
"url": "https://get-alfred.ai/mcp"
}
}
}
Gmail
{
"mcpServers": {
"gmail-3": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@mcp-z/cli"
],
"env": {
"GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID": "YOUR_GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID_HERE",
"GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET": "YOUR_GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET_HERE",
"AUTH_MODE": "YOUR_AUTH_MODE_HERE",
"GOOGLE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_KEY_FILE": "YOUR_GOOGLE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_KEY_FILE_HERE",
"REDIRECT_URI": "YOUR_REDIRECT_URI_HERE",
"TOKEN_STORE_URI": "YOUR_TOKEN_STORE_URI_HERE",
"DCR_STORE_URI": "YOUR_DCR_STORE_URI_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Alfred is categorized under Communication and uses a remote HTTP/SSE transport. Gmail belongs to Communication and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Alfred for communication work and Gmail for communication.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
Alfred has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Gmail has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add alfred and gmail-3 as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Alfred has a quality signal of 42/100 (Fair) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. Gmail has 45/100 (Fair) with 3 views, 0 installs and 3 GitHub stars.