Claude + Google Chat: What the Integration Can (and Can't) Do in 2026
Not in Anthropic’s directory — but Google itself ships a Google Chat remote MCP server you can wire into Claude. Anthropic’s official Google Workspace connectors cover Gmail, Calendar, and Drive only — Google Chat isn’t one of them. What fills the gap is Google’s own Workspace remote MCP servers, which include a Chat endpoint you add to Claude as a custom connector using your own Google Cloud OAuth client. It’s real and first-party, but it’s a Developer Preview aimed at Workspace admins, and setup is several steps — not a one-click toggle. And even once it’s connected, it carries the limit every Claude MCP setup shares: it only works inside a conversation you start.
Here’s exactly what’s available, how to wire it up, where the limits bite, and what to use if you want Google Chat work that runs on its own.
What actually exists: Google’s Chat remote MCP (Developer Preview)
Anthropic’s Google Workspace connectors are Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Drive. There’s no Google Chat connector in the directory (there’s even an open GitHub request for one). The path that works today comes from Google’s side:
- Endpoint:
https://chatmcp.googleapis.com/mcp/v1, documented in Google’s configure MCP server guide. - Four tools:
search_conversations,list_messages, andsearch_messages(read) plussend_message(write). So it can genuinely post to a space, not just read one. - Status: Developer Preview, via Google’s Workspace Developer Preview Program — subject to change, and effectively built for Workspace accounts, not personal Gmail.
Worth noting: unlike Anthropic’s Gmail connector, which drafts but doesn’t send, this Chat MCP does have a send action. Don’t conflate the two.
Community MCP servers for the standard Chat API also exist (for example siva010928/multi-chat-mcp-server and chy168/google-chat), and tool routers like Zapier MCP wrap Chat too. But Google’s own remote server is now the headline.
How to set it up
This is a bring-your-own-OAuth flow, not a directory tile:
- In Google Cloud, create an OAuth client and configure the consent screen with the Chat scopes:
chat.spaces.readonly,chat.messages.readonly, andchat.messages.create. - Add
https://claude.ai/api/mcp/auth_callbackas an authorized redirect URI. - In Claude, go to Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector, paste the Chat MCP endpoint, and supply your own client ID and secret.
- Authorize with your Google account, then ask Claude to search or post in a chat.
Google’s docs note Claude needs an Enterprise, Pro, Max, or Team plan for custom connectors. This is admin-flavored setup — plan for a Workspace project and the consent-screen work, not a two-minute install.
The limits that actually matter
The Chat MCP is good at pulling your spaces into a conversation. But its shape is “an assistant you operate,” not “an agent that runs.” Three limits define it:
- No triggers, no monitoring. The server only works inside a conversation you start. There’s no “when someone @-mentions me, draft a reply” or “summarize this space every morning.” Nothing fires on a Chat event — you have to be there, prompting.
- Conversation-only. Claude searches and posts when you ask; it doesn’t sit watching your spaces and acting on new messages. Close the chat and nothing continues.
- Preview and Workspace-shaped. It’s a Developer Preview keyed to Workspace accounts and your own Cloud project — not a consumer-grade, always-on setup.
So Claude is great for “find the decision we made in that space” or “post this update for me,” and not built for “keep an eye on my team’s channels and act as things come in.”
If you want Google Chat work that runs on its own: Carly
The moment you want something to happen around Google Chat without you in the chat — post a daily standup prompt, notify a space when a deal closes, summarize a channel on a schedule and email it out — you’ve crossed past what Claude’s MCP setup is for.
That’s where Carly fits. Carly is an AI executive assistant built to act on triggers, not just answer in a chat:
- Fires on events and schedules, 24/7, in the cloud — post a space message every morning, or when an upstream event happens; your laptop doesn’t need to be awake.
- Uses the real Google Chat API — search conversations, read and send messages to spaces, and manage the flow as your app’s OAuth allows.
- Actually sends and updates — drafts and sends email (Gmail and Outlook) with attachments, files and labels, manages tasks, updates your CRM, and records meetings.
- Builds the workflow for you — tell it “post a summary of yesterday’s activity to our team space every morning at 8” in plain English; it interviews you, then builds it with you. No prompt engineering.
Google Chat connects to Carly via your own API key — paste it on carlyassistant.com/integrations, and Carly can do whatever the Chat API allows. AI agents start at $35/month, and steps in a workflow that don’t use AI run free and unlimited. Carly connects to 200+ tools across 40+ categories — see integrations.
Claude vs Carly
| Claude (Google Chat MCP) | Carly | |
|---|---|---|
| Search & read messages | Yes | Yes |
| Send messages to a space | Yes | Yes |
| Acts on triggers / events | No | Yes |
| Runs on a schedule | No | Yes |
| Works while laptop is closed | No | Yes (cloud) |
| Sends email as part of the flow | No (Gmail draft-only) | Yes (Gmail + Outlook) |
| Setup | Custom connector, BYO Google OAuth client | API key on dashboard |
| Pricing | Pro $20 / Max $100–$200 | AI agents from $35/mo |
Google’s Chat MCP is a strong spaces assistant inside a chat. Carly is a teammate that watches and posts as things happen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Claude work with Google Chat?
Not through Anthropic’s directory — its Google Workspace connectors are Gmail, Calendar, and Drive only. Google itself ships a first-party Chat remote MCP server (chatmcp.googleapis.com/mcp/v1, Developer Preview) that you add to Claude as a custom connector using your own Google Cloud OAuth client. It can search, read, and send Chat messages — but only inside a conversation you start.
How do I connect Claude to Google Chat?
Create an OAuth client in Google Cloud with the Chat scopes, add https://claude.ai/api/mcp/auth_callback as a redirect URI, then in Claude go to Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector and paste the endpoint with your client ID and secret. Custom connectors require a paid Claude plan.
Can Claude post to Google Chat automatically?
No. The MCP tools run inside a conversation you start — there are no event triggers, so Claude won’t post a standup or notify a space on its own. For automatic, trigger-based Chat work, you need an agent platform like Carly.
Why isn’t there an official Claude Google Chat connector?
Anthropic’s Workspace connector set currently stops at Gmail, Calendar, and Drive. Google closed the gap from its own side with the Workspace remote MCP servers (which include Chat), so the working path is a custom connector, not a one-click directory app.
More: Claude connectors · Claude + Slack · Claude + Gmail · Can Claude send emails · Claude vs Carly · Best AI agents for productivity
Ready to automate your busywork?
Carly schedules, researches, and briefs you—so you can focus on what matters.
See what people say
"Before Carly, I relied on a Calendly link, but the whole process felt impersonal and not very professional. Carly changed that by handling all the back-and-forth, so I'm no longer stuck in endless email threads trying to line up schedules.
Now Carly reaches out to candidates, shares my real-time availability, lets them pick a slot, then sends a Zoom link and drops it straight into my calendar. She sends reminders to both of us before each call, which has significantly reduced no-shows and last-minute confusion.
On top of scheduling, Carly acts like a full executive assistant, sending me my schedule the night before so I can prepare for each call. It reminds me of the old x.ai assistant, but Carly is noticeably smarter, faster, and better suited to my healthcare recruitment business."
