Gmail: Send a draft — MCP tool
Gmail MCP tool: Sends an existing draft exactly as stored — immediately and irreversibly.
Technical name: send_draft
What task it solves
I want to send the email we prepared.
The final step of the safe sending path: a reviewed draft becomes real outgoing mail.
When to use it
After get_draft showed the user exactly what will go out and they approved it. This is the preferred way to send anything consequential (versus send_message directly).
What to provide
draft_id— required. The draft to send, as it is currently stored.
What it returns
The sent message's id and threadId. The draft itself disappears — its id is consumed.
What changes in Gmail
A real email leaves the mailbox; the draft moves out of Drafts into SENT. This cannot be undone.
Example request
The draft looks good — send it.
Errors and limitations
Never retried after a timeout or 5xx: check whether the draft is gone from list_drafts (gone = it was sent) before considering a re-send. Sends count against the daily limit (~500/day consumer, ~2000/day Workspace). The draft is sent as stored — last-second changes must go through update_draft first. Access also depends on token permissions, quotas, and upstream API limits.
Related MCP tools
- Read a draft — the pre-send review.
- Update a draft — fix the content before sending.
- Send an email — the direct, no-draft path.
Technical details
- Impact: destructive operation
- Group: Drafts
- Description source:
send_draftregistration insrc/tools/drafts.ts - Full technical reference
- All MCP capabilities