Claude Cowork MCP Setup: Connecting Notion, Gmail, and Google Drive

Claude Cowork’s value multiplies significantly when it’s connected to the services where your work actually lives. A Cowork task with no MCP connections can only work with files on your local machine. A task connected to Notion, Gmail, and Google Calendar can read your priorities, check your schedule, triage your inbox, and write outputs back to your workspace — automatically. Here’s how to wire the connections.

Where MCP Configuration Lives

All MCP servers are configured in a single file: claude_desktop_config.json. On Windows, this is at %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json. On macOS, it’s at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. Open it in any text editor. If it doesn’t exist yet, create it. Claude Desktop reads this file at launch — any changes require a restart.

Connecting Notion

Notion MCP gives Cowork tasks read and write access to your Notion workspace — fetch pages, create pages, query databases, and update records.

Get your Notion API token from notion.so/my-integrations. Create an internal integration, copy the token, and add it to the config. Then share each Notion database or page you want Claude to access with that integration — Notion doesn’t give blanket workspace access, you grant it page by page.

Connecting Gmail

Gmail MCP lets Cowork tasks search threads, read emails, and create drafts. Setup requires a Google Cloud project with the Gmail API enabled and OAuth credentials configured.

First-run requires completing OAuth in a browser window. After that, the token refreshes automatically. Gmail MCP is read-heavy in most Cowork workflows — used primarily for triage and summary, not bulk sending.

Connecting Google Calendar

Calendar MCP provides today’s events, upcoming meetings, and schedule context for briefing and planning tasks.

If you’ve already set up Gmail MCP with Google OAuth credentials, Calendar MCP can reuse the same credentials file.

Verifying Your Connections

After updating the config and restarting Claude Desktop, open a new chat and ask: “What MCP servers do you have access to?” Claude will list the active connections. If a connection doesn’t appear, check the config file for JSON syntax errors — a single missing comma or bracket breaks the entire config. Use a JSON validator before restarting.

For Cowork specifically: start a task session and ask Claude to fetch a specific Notion page or list today’s calendar events. A successful response confirms the MCP connection is working for scheduled tasks, not just interactive chat.

Common Issues

MCP server not showing up: JSON syntax error in config, or the npx package failed to install. Run the npx command manually in a terminal to check for errors.

Notion pages returning empty: The integration hasn’t been granted access to that specific page. Go to the page in Notion, click the three-dot menu, and share it with your integration.

Gmail authentication loop: The OAuth token expired or the credentials file path is wrong. Delete the token file and re-authenticate.

Related: How Claude Cowork Can Actually Train Your Staff to Think Better — a 7-part series on using Cowork as a training tool across industries.