Gmail vs Inbox Preview
A side-by-side look at the Gmail and Inbox Preview MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
I
Inbox PreviewCommunication · Remote HTTP/SSERender HTML/.eml emails in real Gmail, Outlook & Yahoo web clients and screenshot them39FairAuth: no auth requiredVerdict: choose Gmail for communication work as a local process; choose Inbox Preview for communication over a hosted endpoint. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
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.
IChoose Inbox Preview when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Communication domain.
- You prefer a remote HTTP/SSE transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | I Inbox Preview | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Communication | Communication |
| Quality signal | 47/100 · Fair | 39/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Remote HTTP/SSE |
| Auth | Not declared | No auth required |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | GOOGLE_CLIENT_IDGOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRETAUTH_MODEGOOGLE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_KEY_FILEREDIRECT_URITOKEN_STORE_URIDCR_STORE_URI | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 5 | — |
| Directory activity | 5 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | Not listed | Not listed |
| Full listing | View Gmail | View Inbox Preview |
Tools & capabilities
Gmail tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Inbox Preview 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.
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"
}
}
}
}
Inbox Preview
{
"mcpServers": {
"inbox-preview": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"inbox-preview"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Gmail is categorized under Communication and uses a local stdio subprocess. Inbox Preview belongs to Communication and uses a remote HTTP/SSE transport. Pick Gmail for communication work and Inbox Preview 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.
Gmail has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Inbox Preview has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Auth: no auth required. 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 gmail-3 and inbox-preview as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Gmail has a quality signal of 47/100 (Fair) with 5 views, 0 installs and 5 GitHub stars. Inbox Preview has 39/100 (Fair) with 1 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.