What Gmail permissions actually grant an AI.
By Vamsi Krishna · Updated
Gmail permissions work at the account level. None of them limit an AI to one label, sender or date range. Read-only changes what a tool can do, not how much it can see.
The four permissions
| Permission | What Google says it grants | Reach |
|---|
| gmail.metadata | Labels and headers, but not the email body. | Every message |
| gmail.readonly | View your email messages and settings. | Every message |
| gmail.modify | Read, compose, and send emails. | Every message, plus sending |
| mail.google.com | Read, compose, send, and permanently delete. | Everything |
Does read-only see less?
No. It stops a tool sending or deleting, which is worth having. It can still open any message in the account.
What you can do
- A second Gmail account. Forward what you'll share into it, connect the AI to that. Free, but forwarding copies mail and breaks threading.
- Ask the tool to stay in a query. Relies on the tool behaving. Its permission is still account-wide.
- A filtered view in front. Something else holds the credential and passes on only what matched. Try it on a sample inbox.
Sources: Google's delegation help page and Gmail API scopes. Checked September 2026.