Drag is in ChatGPT's Plugin Directory. Install it, enter your Drag API key once, and run your Gmail shared inbox from ChatGPT: the setup, the approvals to expect, and what to ask first.
Key takeaways
- Drag is in ChatGPT's Plugin Directory. Open Plugins in ChatGPT, search for Drag (or use the direct link), click Install plugin, then Connect, and enter your Drag API key once on Drag's own page.
- There is no Developer mode, no server address and no configuration file. OpenAI makes directory plugins available across ChatGPT plans; on Enterprise and Edu workspaces an admin turns new plugins on first.
- Reading your queue doesn't interrupt you on the default settings. Sending an email or a WhatsApp message always asks you first, and every action shows in Drag under your name.
- The plugin gives ChatGPT 47 tools across 12 categories on your team's shared inbox, from listing boards to assigning threads and sending replies.
Table of contents
Connect ChatGPT to your Gmail shared inbox and the queue becomes something you can talk to: show me today's unread threads, draft replies to the urgent ones, assign the rest. Drag is in ChatGPT's Plugin Directory, so the whole setup is install, connect, and paste one key. No Developer mode and no server address.
About a minute, if you have done this before: ChatGPT › Plugins › search Drag (or open Drag's listing) › Install plugin › Connect › enter your Drag API key (Drag › Settings › Integrations) on the page that opens. Done.
This is what the connection buys you. One chat, working a real morning queue:
Morning. What's waiting on the Support board?
7 unread. Three need you first:
1. "Order #4821 - shipping damage" · Sarah Mitchell URGENT
2. "Refund not received" · Maya Torres BILLING
3. "API rate limit increase" · DevOps Team ENGINEERING
The other four are newsletter replies and can wait.
Draft replies to the first two in our tone, assign the API one to Marcus, and label everything.
Two drafts ready for your review, written against your help center's shipping-damage and refund articles. The API thread is assigned to Marcus and labeled Engineering.
For Maya's refund, check Stripe for her last payment and put the exact amount in the draft.
Found it: $49.00 on July 28. Draft updated to confirm a $49.00 refund, arriving in 3 to 5 business days.
And how did we do last week?
Average first reply 2h 14m, 18% faster than the week before. Tuesday was the slow day.
One chat, two connectors: Drag for the inbox, Stripe for payments. Nothing was sent: ChatGPT asks before any reply goes out.
The Stripe step works because ChatGPT can use more than one connected tool in the same conversation. The rest of this guide gets you to that point.
Before you start
Three terms cover all the theory. MCP (Model Context Protocol) is the standard that lets AI tools plug into other software, and Drag runs an MCP server for your inbox. The plugin is what you install from ChatGPT's Plugin Directory: it connects ChatGPT to that server, so Drag's tools become things ChatGPT can use, with your approval. Your Drag API key is the code that proves the connection is yours, which is why ChatGPT can only ever see what your Drag account can see. Deeper background, if you want it: MCP for customer support.
You need two accounts:
- A ChatGPT account. OpenAI makes plugins from the directory available across ChatGPT plans. On a Business workspace they are on by default; on Enterprise and Edu workspaces, an admin enables new plugins first.
A DragApp account with your shared inbox set up, on a plan with API access.
Drag is listed in the directory by DragApp.com Ltd, under Communication. It is built by Drag, not by OpenAI.
Using Claude instead? Its connector setup is three steps in a different place: the Claude guide covers it, along with the config-file route for Cursor, Claude Code, and Windsurf.
How to connect ChatGPT to your shared inbox
Step 1: Open Drag in ChatGPT
In ChatGPT, open Plugins in the sidebar and search for Drag. It shows as "Drag · DragApp.com Ltd · Gmail shared inbox for teams". Or skip the search and open Drag's listing directly.
Step 2: Install, then Connect
On Drag's listing, click Install plugin, then Connect. ChatGPT opens Drag's connect page.
Step 3: Enter your API key
Drag's connect page asks for your API key, once. Copy it from DragApp under Settings, then Integrations, paste it in, and submit. The key is entered on Drag's page, never typed into ChatGPT or a web address; the connection carries your permissions and nothing more.
Step 4: Confirm it, and meet the approvals
Start a new chat, type @Drag (or pick Drag from the + menu), and ask:
Reading is quiet: on the default settings, listing boards, threads and reports doesn't stop to ask. Anything that sends, an email or a WhatsApp message, always asks you first, showing what is about to go out and to whom. Under Settings › Plugins › Permissions you can choose Always ask, Allow read actions, Allow low-risk actions or Allow all actions, so you can make ChatGPT stricter if you want a human on every change.
You're connected: what to ask first
Start with the read-only sweep every team runs first:
ChatGPTReply, using Drag's MCP toolsWhat happens underneath: ChatGPT calls list_threads and get_thread on your board, the same tools every request on this page uses, and none of that needs an approval because it only reads.
Then let it act, and approve what you see:
ChatGPTChatGPTThat send is where the approval appears: ChatGPT shows you the reply and the recipient, and reply_to_thread runs only after you allow it.
For the weekly rhythm:
ChatGPTChatGPTMore where these came from: the AI prompt library has nine pages of prompts that run on a connected inbox, including a ChatGPT-specific collection.
Drag · with Varley
The inbox your team and Varley work in together
Shared inbox and live chat for Gmail teams, with Varley, Drag’s AI, included from $18. Plus an MCP server your own AI tools can drive.
What you can do once connected: 47 tools across 12 categories
list_threads · get_thread · reply_to_thread · send_new_email · search_threads · filter_threads · move_thread · move_threads_bulk
list_cards_in_column · get_card · create_card · update_card · move_card · archive_card
list_boards · get_board · list_columns · list_board_members · list_teams
list_articles · get_article · create_article · update_article · search_knowledge
get_response_times · get_avg_response_time · get_daily_activity · get_closed_activity
list_labels · add_label_to_thread · remove_label_from_thread · toggle_labels
get_whatsapp_conversation · list_whatsapp_templates · send_whatsapp_message · send_whatsapp_template
list_automations · toggle_automation · toggle_ai_drafts
search_contacts · get_contact_conversations · create_contact
add_comment · get_comment
list_tags · add_tag_to_card
create_task
Troubleshooting
Drag doesn't come up when you search Plugins. Open Drag's listing directly. On Enterprise and Edu workspaces, new plugins stay off until an admin enables them, so ask yours. OpenAI also notes that plugin availability can depend on your region.
The key is rejected on the connect page. Copy it fresh from DragApp under Settings, then Integrations. Keys are account-specific, so the Drag account that owns the key is the account ChatGPT will act as.
ChatGPT answers without using Drag. Mention @Drag in your message or choose Drag from the + menu, so ChatGPT knows to use the plugin for that request.
Tools worked yesterday and are missing today. Open Plugins, find Drag, and check it is still installed and connected. If it was removed, install it again; the same key works.
A write you expected never happened. Look for the approval: if it was declined, or is still waiting, the action did not run. ChatGPT reports success only after the tool call completes.
Frequently asked questions
Does connecting Drag to ChatGPT work on the free plan?
OpenAI makes plugins from its directory available across ChatGPT plans, Free included, though availability can depend on your region. You still need a Drag account with an API key. If Drag doesn't appear when you search, use the direct link to the listing.
Do I still need Developer mode?
No. Drag is in ChatGPT's Plugin Directory, so you install it like any other listed plugin. Developer mode is only for adding servers that are not in the directory. If you added Drag as a custom connector in Developer mode before October 2026, you can remove that connector under Plugins and install Drag from the directory instead, so you have one connection to manage.
Can ChatGPT send email from our shared inbox?
Yes, with your approval. Sending always asks first: ChatGPT shows what it is about to send and to whom before the message goes. Teams that want a human on every change can choose Always ask under Settings › Plugins › Permissions.
How is this different from ChatGPT's built-in Gmail connector?
The built-in connector works on one person's Google account. The Drag plugin puts ChatGPT on your team's shared inbox: boards, assignment, labels, replies sent from the shared address, and response-time reporting, 47 tools in all. The full comparison of the routes lives in Connect Gmail to ChatGPT.
Is Drag listed in ChatGPT's app directory?
Yes. Drag is in ChatGPT's Plugin Directory, listed by DragApp.com Ltd in the Communication category. Drag is built by DragApp.com Ltd, not by OpenAI.
Does this work in Claude, Cursor, or other AI tools too?
Yes, the same server connects to any MCP-capable client. Claude adds it as a custom connector in three steps, and config-file tools like Cursor, Claude Code, and Windsurf run it locally via the npm package: the Claude guide covers both routes.
Related guides: the wider connector landscape
The Connect Gmail to ChatGPT guide compares all three routes to your email, including the built-in connector this page is not about. What happened to ChatGPT plugins explains how the plugin era became connectors and MCP. For choosing tools beyond email, the best ChatGPT connectors for email and best ChatGPT plugins and connectors survey the field. And when the connection is live, the AI prompt library is the fastest way to put it to work. OpenAI's new always-on agents share ChatGPT's plugin permissions; our guide to OpenAI dots and email covers what a dot can do with an inbox.
Co-founder
Building Drag for nearly ten years: shared inboxes, boards, and now the AI and agent layer, all on Gmail, plus HeyHelp for the personal inbox. Writes the honest versions of the comparisons.
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