Inbox Preview vs Gmail
A side-by-side look at the Inbox Preview and Gmail 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 Inbox Preview 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?
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.
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 | I Inbox Preview | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Communication | Communication |
| Quality signal | 39/100 · Fair | 47/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Remote HTTP/SSE | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | No auth required | 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 |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | — | 5 |
| Directory activity | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 5 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | Not listed | Not listed |
| Full listing | View Inbox Preview | View Gmail |
Tools & capabilities
Inbox Preview 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.
Inbox Preview
{
"mcpServers": {
"inbox-preview": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"inbox-preview"
]
}
}
}
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
Inbox Preview is categorized under Communication and uses a remote HTTP/SSE transport. Gmail belongs to Communication and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Inbox Preview 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.
Inbox Preview has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Auth: no auth required. 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 inbox-preview and gmail-3 as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Inbox Preview has a quality signal of 39/100 (Fair) with 1 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. Gmail has 47/100 (Fair) with 5 views, 0 installs and 5 GitHub stars.