Daily Briefing Skill Setup Guide

This guide walks you through setting up the Daily Briefing skill that integrates Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Chat with Claude Code.

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Overview

What you'll get:

• Morning briefing with calendar, emails, and chat messages
• Automatic categorization (Urgent/Important/FYI)
• Draft email responses in your communication style
• Action item extraction

Components:

1. Google Workspace MCP Server - Python server that connects to Google APIs
2. Daily Briefing Skill - Claude Code skill that orchestrates the briefing
3. Style Profile (optional) - Your communication patterns for drafting responses

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Part 1: Install the Google Workspace MCP Server

Step 1: Clone/Copy the Server Files

Create the directory and copy these files:

mkdir -p ~/google-workspace-mcp
cd ~/google-workspace-mcp

You'll need these files (I can provide them or you can get them from me):

• server.py - Main MCP server
• auth.py - Google OAuth handling
• gmail_tools.py - Gmail integration
• calendar_tools.py - Calendar integration
• chat_tools.py - Google Chat integration
• setup_oauth.py - OAuth setup script
• requirements.txt - Python dependencies

Step 2: Set Up Python Environment

cd ~/google-workspace-mcp
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

requirements.txt contents:

mcp>=1.0.0
google-auth>=2.23.0
google-auth-oauthlib>=1.1.0
google-auth-httplib2>=0.1.1
google-api-python-client>=2.108.0
python-dateutil>=2.8.2

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Part 2: Set Up Google Cloud Project

Step 1: Create Project

1. Go to https://console.cloud.google.com/
2. Click "Select a project" → "New Project"
3. Name it "Google Workspace MCP" and create

Step 2: Enable APIs

In your project, go to APIs & Services → Library and enable:

• Gmail API
• Google Calendar API
• Google Chat API (for Chat integration)

Step 3: Configure OAuth Consent Screen

1. Go to APIs & Services → OAuth consent screen
2. Choose External (or Internal if using Google Workspace)
3. Fill in:
   • App name: Google Workspace MCP
   • User support email: Your email
   • Developer contact: Your email
4. Click Save and Continue
5. Scopes: Click "Add or Remove Scopes" and add:
   • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.readonly
   • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.compose
   • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/calendar.readonly
   • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.spaces.readonly
   • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.messages.readonly
6. Test users: Add your email address
7. Complete the wizard

Step 4: Create OAuth Credentials

1. Go to APIs & Services → Credentials
2. Click Create Credentials → OAuth client ID
3. Application type: Desktop app
4. Name: Google Workspace MCP
5. Click Create
6. Click Download JSON
7. Save the file:

mkdir -p ~/.google-workspace-mcp
mv ~/Downloads/client_secret_*.json ~/.google-workspace-mcp/credentials.json

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Part 3: Authenticate with Google

Run the OAuth setup:

cd ~/google-workspace-mcp
source venv/bin/activate
python setup_oauth.py

This will:

1. Open your browser
2. Ask you to sign in to Google
3. Request permissions for Gmail, Calendar, and Chat
4. Save a token to ~/.google-workspace-mcp/token.json

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Part 4: Configure Claude Code

Option A: Using Claude CLI

claude mcp add --scope user google-workspace -- \
  ~/google-workspace-mcp/venv/bin/python \
  ~/google-workspace-mcp/server.py

Option B: Manual Configuration

Edit ~/.claude.json and add to the mcpServers section:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-workspace": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/google-workspace-mcp/venv/bin/python",
      "args": ["/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/google-workspace-mcp/server.py"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Note: Replace YOUR_USERNAME with your actual username.

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Part 5: Create the Daily Briefing Skill

Step 1: Create Skill Directory

mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/daily-briefing

Step 2: Create the Skill File

Create ~/.claude/skills/daily-briefing/SKILL.md with the skill content (I can share my exact file with you).

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Part 6: Create Your Style Profile (Optional)

For personalized email drafts, create ~/.google-workspace-mcp/style_profile.md:

# [Your Name] - Email Communication Style Profile

## Overview
- **Role**: [Your Title]
- **Email**: [your@email.com]
- **Tone**: [Professional but approachable / Formal / Casual]

## Greeting Patterns
- Primary: "Hi [FirstName],"
- For multiple: "Hi [Name1] and [Name2],"

## Common Phrases
- Gratitude: "Thanks" or "Thank you"
- Acknowledgment: "Got it" or "Sounds good!"
- Following up: "Following up on..."

## Things to AVOID
- [List phrases you don't use]
- Emojis (if applicable)
- Overly formal language

## Signature
[Your Name]
[Your Title]

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Part 7: Verify Setup

1. Restart Claude Code

claude

2. Check MCP Connection

Type /mcp in Claude Code. You should see google-workspace listed.

3. Test Authentication

Ask Claude: "Check my Google authentication status"

4. Run the Briefing

Type /daily-briefing to run the skill.

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Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
"credentials.json not found"	Download OAuth credentials from Google Cloud Console
"Token expired"	Delete ~/.google-workspace-mcp/token.json and run python setup_oauth.py again
"Access blocked" during OAuth	Add your email as a test user in OAuth consent screen
Server not appearing	Check the path in config, ensure venv has dependencies
Chat not working	Ensure Google Chat API is enabled and chat scopes are added

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File Structure Summary

~/.google-workspace-mcp/
├── credentials.json      # OAuth client credentials (from Google)
├── token.json            # Your auth token (generated)
└── style_profile.md      # Your communication style (optional)

~/google-workspace-mcp/
├── venv/                 # Python virtual environment
├── server.py             # Main MCP server
├── auth.py               # OAuth handling
├── gmail_tools.py        # Gmail functions
├── calendar_tools.py     # Calendar functions
├── chat_tools.py         # Chat functions
├── setup_oauth.py        # OAuth setup script
└── requirements.txt      # Dependencies

~/.claude/skills/daily-briefing/
└── SKILL.md              # The skill definition

~/.claude.json            # Claude Code config with MCP server

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Quick Start Commands

# 1. Set up Python environment
cd ~/google-workspace-mcp && python3 -m venv venv && source venv/bin/activate && pip install -r requirements.txt

# 2. Run OAuth setup (after placing credentials.json)
python setup_oauth.py

# 3. Add MCP server to Claude
claude mcp add --scope user google-workspace -- ~/google-workspace-mcp/venv/bin/python ~/google-workspace-mcp/server.py

# 4. Test it
claude
# Then type: /daily-briefing