Connect your email, calendar and files to ChatGPT or Claude so the assistant can find things and draft replies, while you approve every send.
Who it is for
Busy owners and managers who keep pasting emails and meeting notes into a chat. Connect only accounts you are allowed to share with an AI service. Skip client mail that is under a confidentiality agreement.
Tools
A ChatGPT or Claude account
The Gmail, Google Calendar or Drive account you want to connect
A list of the apps you want, checked against each platform's connector list
Steps
Write down the three jobs you want help with, such as finding a thread, drafting a reply, or listing next week's meetings.
In ChatGPT, open Settings > Plugins, select the app, choose Install plugin if shown, then Connect. Sign in to the account that has the information and review the permissions it asks for.
In Claude, connect Gmail, Google Calendar or Google Drive from its connectors. On Team and Enterprise plans, Claude's help center says an Owner must turn the connectors on first.
If your notetaker or task app is not in either list, paste the notes or task export into the chat instead. A listed connector for them: Not stated in sources.
Start with read-only questions, such as find the last email from a client about a quote. Check that the answer matches your inbox.
Ask for drafts only. Claude's help center says it asks for approval before it sends, replies or forwards by default. Keep that on.
Review connections now and then. ChatGPT says you can manage a connected account from Settings > Plugins.
The prompt
Use my connected email and calendar to help with this. Read only what you need.
Task: [for example: find the latest email thread with [CLIENT NAME] and list what they asked for]
Time range: [for example: the last 14 days]
Rules:
- Search and read only. Do not send, reply, forward, delete or change anything.
- If I ask for a reply, write a draft and show it to me. I will send it myself.
- Say which threads or events you used.
- If you could not find something, say so. Do not guess.
Tips
Claude's help center says Gmail access includes attachment metadata but not attachment content.
OpenAI says installing a plugin does not replace any account sign-in or workspace approval the app needs.
Check each platform's page for current plan limits. They change.