> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.scoutos.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Connect Gmail to Your Scout Agents

> Give Scout agents access to Gmail to draft emails, summarize threads, triage inboxes, and automate communication workflows.

Communication work is one of the biggest time sinks in any role — triaging inboxes, writing follow-ups, prepping for calls. Connecting Gmail gives your agents the context and capabilities to handle this work with you, not just alongside you. An agent that can read your last 30 days of email with a contact can draft a follow-up that actually sounds right.

## Connecting Gmail

Scout connects to Gmail using OAuth. You authorize Scout once and it can read threads, draft messages, and — with explicit confirmation — send on your behalf.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Integrations page">
    Go to [studio.scoutos.com/integrations](https://studio.scoutos.com/integrations) and click **Connect** next to **Gmail**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Authorize Gmail access">
    You'll be redirected to Google's authorization screen. Review the permissions Scout requests and click **Allow**. Scout requests the minimum scopes needed for each capability:

    | Scope            | What it's for                              |
    | ---------------- | ------------------------------------------ |
    | `gmail.readonly` | Read messages and threads                  |
    | `gmail.compose`  | Create and save drafts                     |
    | `gmail.send`     | Send messages (only used when you confirm) |
    | `gmail.modify`   | Label and archive messages                 |
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify and enable tools">
    Back in Scout, your Gmail account should show as **Connected**. Open your agent, go to the **Tools** tab, and toggle on the Gmail tools.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add the communication guardrail">
    In your agent's **Instructions**, add the guardrail snippet from the section below. This ensures the agent drafts before it sends.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Gmail and Google Calendar share the same Google OAuth flow. If you've already connected Gmail, you can [add Calendar access](/integrations/google-calendar) without authorizing from scratch.
</Note>

## What Your Agent Can Do with Gmail

Once Gmail is connected and enabled on your agent:

* **Read and summarize threads** — pull recent email history with a contact or on a topic without opening your inbox
* **Draft replies** — write responses grounded in CRM context, prior emails, or documents
* **Triage inboxes** — flag high-priority messages and surface what needs a response
* **Generate pre-call briefs** — summarize the last 30 days of email with a contact before a meeting
* **Send follow-ups** — draft and send post-meeting notes after you confirm the content

<Warning>
  A sent email cannot be unsent. Always use the draft-first guardrail (below) for any agent that has Gmail send access. Review drafts before approving a send action.
</Warning>

## Instruction Guardrails

Email actions reach real people immediately. A sent message is in their inbox. This instruction block enforces a draft-first, confirm-before-send pattern:

```markdown theme={null}
For email actions:

1. Draft first, send second. Show me the draft before sending.
2. Confirm recipient and subject before sending.
3. Return message IDs after actions complete.
```

<Tip>
  If your agent skips the draft step and sends directly, paste this guardrail block verbatim into the agent's **Instructions**. Explicit instructions override default agent behavior.
</Tip>

## Prompt Examples

These prompts work once Gmail is connected and enabled on your agent:

* "Summarize my unread high-priority emails and draft replies for each. Don't send yet."
* "Create a prep brief for tomorrow's customer call using the last 30 days of email context."
* "Draft a follow-up to today's product sync and show it to me before sending."
* "Flag any emails in my inbox that mention contract renewals or pricing."
* "Find the latest thread with this contact and summarize where things stand."

## Testing Your Integration

Run through these steps in order before using the agent in production:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Test read access">
    Ask your agent to summarize your inbox. It should return a readable list of recent messages without sending anything. If this fails, check that Gmail is connected and tools are toggled on.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Test draft creation">
    Ask it to draft a reply to a specific email. Confirm the draft looks right and matches the tone and context you'd expect. Check that it appears as a draft in Gmail.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Test a send action">
    Only after the read and draft steps work, test a send action — start with a low-stakes email to yourself before involving others.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Troubleshooting

<details>
  <summary>Agent can't read my emails</summary>

  Check that:

  * The integration shows as **Connected** in [studio.scoutos.com/integrations](https://studio.scoutos.com/integrations)
  * Gmail tools are toggled **on** in your agent's **Tools** tab
  * You authorized all requested permissions during setup — partial authorization can cause read failures

  Try disconnecting and reconnecting the integration if you're still getting errors.
</details>

<details>
  <summary>Agent sent an email without asking first</summary>

  Add explicit instructions that require a draft step:

  ```
  Never send an email without showing me a draft and getting confirmation first.
  ```

  The guardrail snippet in this guide includes this behavior by default. If your agent is skipping it, paste the full snippet into your agent's **Instructions**.
</details>

## Use Cases

**Inbox triage** — Start your day by asking your agent to flag high-priority emails, identify anything that needs a same-day response, and draft replies to the top three. Review and approve before anything leaves your outbox.

**Pre-call prep** — Before a customer call, ask your agent to pull the last 30 days of email with that contact, combine it with their CRM record, and generate a structured brief with context, open items, and talking points.

**Post-meeting follow-up** — After a meeting, paste your notes into the agent and ask it to draft a follow-up email with action items, owners, and next steps. Confirm the draft, then send.

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Google Calendar" icon="calendar" href="/integrations/google-calendar">
    Add scheduling so agents can find open slots, book meetings, and combine calendar context with email history.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Salesforce & HubSpot" icon="database" href="/integrations/salesforce">
    Add Salesforce or HubSpot context to outreach drafts and pre-call briefs.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Slack" icon="slack" href="/integrations/slack">
    Route email summaries to team channels automatically.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Google Drive" icon="google-drive" href="/integrations/google-drive">
    Pull document context into email drafts and meeting prep workflows.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>