Connecting Gmail to your app

Connect Base44 to Gmail to send emails, alerts, and automated updates from your app.

Connect your Base44 app to Gmail to send emails based on events, data changes, or schedules in your app. Use Gmail to deliver alerts, approvals, digests, and reports, either from one shared account or from each person’s own inbox.

Which type should you use? Use a connector for app builders when your app sends email from one Gmail account for everyone, for example an ops inbox that emails weekly reports. Use a connector for app users when each person sends email from their own Gmail account.

You need a Builder plan or higher to use connectors in your app.

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What you can do

Send event alerts

Email the right people when something happens in your app, such as a new ticket, approval, or failure.

Send scheduled digests

Generate daily or weekly summaries of activity, metrics, or changes and email them automatically.

Notify your users

Email a person when their own record changes, such as a document approval or status update.

Example prompts for the AI chat

Email me when a new high-priority ticket is created, including the ticket ID, title, and link.

Send a daily summary at 5pm with new signups grouped by plan.

Notify a user by email when their document is approved, with a link to the document page.

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At a glance

Type identifier

gmail

Auth model

OAuth

Connector types

For app builders, For app users

Connection config

None

Permissions guide

Gmail scopes and permissions

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Connect it

For app builders

Connect one Gmail account that all flows in your app use.

To connect Gmail:

1. Go to your app editor.
2. Describe what you want to do with Gmail in the AI chat, for example: Connect this app to Gmail and email me when a new ticket is created.
3. Review the Action required and Required permissions in the side panel.
4. Click Connect to Gmail.
5. In the Google window, select the account you want to connect, review the permissions, and click Allow.
6. Return to the editor and let the AI finish creating the flows that use Gmail.

For app users

Let each person using your app connect their own Gmail account. An admin sets up the connector once at the workspace level, then each person connects their own account inside your app.

To prepare your connector details:

1. Create a Google OAuth app in Google Cloud to get a Client ID and Client Secret.
2. Add your Base44 redirect URIs to the OAuth app. See the card below.
3. Note the scopes your app needs.

Redirect URIs

Open Connectors in your workspace settings, click View redirect URIs for your apps under Connectors For App Users, and select your app. Add every redirect URI shown to your OAuth app. Each app has its own set (live, preview, and custom domain), so add all of them.

To add the connector:

1. In your workspace settings, open Connectors.
2. Under Connectors For App Users, add Gmail and enter your Client ID, Client Secret, and Scopes.

You can also add the connector from the AI chat in your app.

Treat your Client Secret like a password. Do not share it or include it in screenshots. Only enter it when Base44 asks for it during setup.

To connect an account:

Each person connects their own Gmail account inside your app. Prompt the AI chat to add a feature where people connect Gmail, then each person connects their own account when they use it.

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Use it in a backend function

Once Gmail is connected, your backend functions can retrieve an access token and call the Gmail API directly. Base44 handles the OAuth flow and token storage.

• For a shared connection, use getConnection() to retrieve the token.
• For an app user connection, use getCurrentAppUserConnection() so each request uses the signed-in person’s token.

// Shared connection: one account the whole app uses
const connection = await base44.asServiceRole.connectors.getConnection("gmail");
// Use the connection's access token to call the Gmail API.

This is a simplified example. The setup and full code patterns are the same for every connector. See the developer guides for the complete pattern:

Shared connectors

Configure, deploy, and call a shared connection from a backend function.

App user connectors

Retrieve a per-user token and call the API as the signed-in person.

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Gmail scopes and permissions

When you connect Gmail, the connector requests permissions (scopes) that control what your app can do with your Gmail account. Below is the current list of Gmail scopes the connector may request.

Gmail scopes

• gmail.send: Send email messages.
• gmail.readonly: Read email messages and metadata.
• gmail.modify: Modify messages, for example mark as read or move to folders.
• gmail.compose: Create draft messages.

Scope lists may change over time. Always review the permissions shown during the connection flow.

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Troubleshooting

The connection fails with a redirect URI error

The redirect URI registered in your Google OAuth app must exactly match one shown in View redirect URIs for your apps for that app. Each app has its own set of redirect URIs, so add every URI shown for the app you are connecting.

Some people cannot connect their account

If your Google OAuth app is in testing mode, only approved test users can connect. Publish or move your OAuth app out of testing mode so anyone using your app can connect their own account.

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FAQs

How do I change which Gmail account is connected?

1. Go to your app dashboard and click Integrations.
2. Click the My integrations tab.
3. Find Gmail and click the More Actions icon , then Switch account.

Can I customize the content of emails sent from my app?

Yes. In the AI chat, specify the subject line, message body, formatting, recipients, and any dynamic fields.

You can also edit the generated backend functions in Dashboard → Code → Functions to further customize the email payload.

Can each person using my app send from their own Gmail inbox?

Yes. Use a connector for app users so each person connects their own Gmail account. See the connectors overview.

How do I manage the Gmail connector in my app?

Click the More actions icon on the connector in your app’s Integrations tab, then choose an option such as switch account, reconnect, or disconnect. Learn more about managing connectors.