Skip to main content
Book a demo

Connect Gmail to VS Code

Give VS Code governed access to Gmail’s 16 tools through Runlayer, with identity, policy, scanning, and audit on every call.

Book a demo VS Code setup guide

Set up

Add Gmail to VS Code in four steps

Admins approve the server once. Everyone in VS Code then gets it through the same governed connection.

  1. 1

    Approve Gmail in Runlayer

    Add Gmail from the catalog and choose who can use it and which of its tools are allowed.

  2. 2

    Connect VS Code to Runlayer

    Runlayer’s CLI installs the Runlayer Plugin natively in VS Code; users can also add it over MCP. With direct tool listing turned on for your deployment, Gmail’s 16 tools show up in VS Code’s own tool list (VS Code 1.103 or newer).

    VS Code setup guide
  3. 3

    Sign in to Gmail

    Sign in the way Gmail requires. Runlayer holds the credentials so they stay out of the client’s configuration.

  4. 4

    Use Gmail from VS Code

    Gmail’s approved tools appear in VS Code. Every call is checked against policy and recorded.

Tools

16 Gmail tools in VS Code

Runlayer policy decides which of these VS Code users can call. 6 read data only.

  • Add labels

    Add one or more labels to a message or multiple messages

  • Archive messages

    Archive one or more messages (remove from inbox)

  • Create draft

    Create a draft email that can be edited later or sent

  • Create label

    Create a new label in the user's Gmail account

  • Fetch attachment

    Fetch a Gmail message attachment.

  • Fetch message

    Fetch the full content of a Gmail message using its message ID (don't use external tools to read messages)

  • List drafts

    List all draft messages with pagination support

  • List labels

    List all available labels in the Gmail account

See all 16 Gmail tools

Control

What Runlayer can see and stop in VS Code

Some controls apply to every client at the gateway. Others depend on what VS Code exposes to Runlayer.

  • Gateway policy (available)

    Every Gmail call from VS Code passes through Runlayer, where your policies can allow, alert, mask, or block it.

  • Audit trail (available)

    Each call is recorded with the user, VS Code as the client, the tool, and the policy and scanner decisions.

  • Client hooks (available)

    Capture supported prompts, reasoning, local and MCP tool calls, responses, and scanner decisions in real time.

  • Stop a call before it runs (available)

    Runlayer can deny a tool call before VS Code runs it.

  • Block output after it runs (available)

    Runlayer can block a tool’s output before VS Code’s model sees it.

  • Redact output in place (available)

    Runlayer can mask sensitive parts of a tool’s output in VS Code and pass the rest through.

Frequently asked questions

Connect more

Find another combination