Connect Gmail

Connect a Gmail or Google Workspace account and Chatlane becomes the shared home for your email support. You sign in once through Google's secure window — no API keys or passwords to copy — and from then on Chatlane sends replies from your address and receives incoming mail alongside your other channels.

Receiving works through Gmail's built-in forwarding. Google requires that step to happen inside your own Gmail settings — no app can switch forwarding on for you — but Chatlane makes it as close to automatic as Gmail allows: a guided walkthrough on the channel page, and Chatlane detects and confirms Google's verification email for you, so you never have to hunt for a confirmation code.

How it works

Connecting does two things:

• Sending — Chatlane sends replies as your Gmail address using Google's official Gmail API. Threading, signatures, and attachments all work as normal.
• Receiving — You forward incoming mail to your inbox's unique Chatlane address (something like inbox-…@inbound.chatlane.io). The channel page walks you through it step by step, and the verification part happens automatically.

Chatlane never stores your password, and never reads your mailbox — the only Gmail permission it asks for is sending email. The connection uses OAuth and refreshes itself, so you don't manage tokens or keys.

Before you start

• You must be an Owner or Admin of the inbox — channel setup is admin-only (see Roles and permissions).
• Have the Google account you want to connect ready to sign in.
• If your account is a Google Workspace account, note the caveat under If the verification email never arrives — some organisations disable forwarding.

Connect your account

1. Go to Inbox Settings → Channels.
2. Choose Add channel → Email → Gmail.
3. You'll be sent to Google's sign-in window. Sign in with the account you want to connect.
4. Review and accept the permissions (see below), then approve.
5. You're returned to Chatlane and the channel is created. The channel page now shows the guided forwarding setup.

Permissions Chatlane asks for

Google will show you a consent screen. Chatlane requests only what it needs:

• Send email on your behalf — to send replies from your address.
• See your email address — to label the channel with the connected account.

That's all. Chatlane deliberately does not ask for permission to read your mailbox or change your settings. These are standard user permissions and need no special approval from Google.

Set up forwarding (guided)

The channel's Forwarding tab (and the Overview tab, until the channel is verified) shows a four-step wizard:

1. Add the forwarding address. Click Open Gmail forwarding settings (or go to Gmail → Settings → See all settings → Forwarding and POP/IMAP), click Add a forwarding address, and paste the Chatlane address shown — there's a copy button.

2. Verification — handled for you. Gmail asks Google to verify the new address, and Google emails a confirmation code to the Chatlane address. Chatlane spots that email the moment it arrives and confirms it automatically. Watch the wizard flip to "Verified automatically". If automatic confirmation isn't possible, the wizard shows you the confirmation code (with a copy button) and the confirmation link instead — paste the code into Gmail's dialog and you're verified.

   Gmail didn't ask for a code? Google sometimes skips verification entirely — most commonly when the address (or its domain) was verified before. If Gmail added the address without a code prompt, that's fine: go straight to step 3 and confirm everything with the test in step 4.

3. Turn forwarding on. Back in Gmail's Forwarding tab, select "Forward a copy of incoming mail to [your Chatlane address]" and save. This step matters: verifying the address doesn't enable forwarding by itself. We recommend the "keep Gmail's copy in the Inbox" option so nothing disappears from Gmail.

4. Send a test. Click Send test email on the Verify this channel card — Chatlane emails your Gmail address itself and confirms the message arrives back through your forwarding, so you don't need a second email account.

If the verification email never arrives

If step 2 sits on "Waiting for Google's confirmation email…", check:

• Did Gmail even ask for a code? If the address was accepted without a verification prompt (see the note in step 2), no email is coming — skip to step 3, turn forwarding on, and run the test in step 4.
• Did you complete step 1? The email is only sent after you click Add a forwarding address in Gmail and confirm the dialog.
• Google Workspace accounts: administrators can disable mail forwarding org-wide (Admin console → Apps → Google Workspace → Gmail → End User Access → "Allow users to automatically forward email"). When it's disabled, the Forwarding option doesn't appear in Gmail at all and no verification email is sent. Ask your admin to allow forwarding for your account, or connect via a SendGrid/Mailgun channel with a custom domain instead.

Confirm it's working

After forwarding is on, click Send test email on the channel's Overview tab. Chatlane sends an email to your Gmail address and watches for it to arrive back through your forwarding — usually within seconds. When it lands, you're fully set up — sending and receiving. (You can of course also just email your Gmail address from any other account.)

Disconnecting

Removing the Gmail channel (from the channel's Danger Zone) disconnects the account. Because forwarding lives in your Gmail settings, Chatlane can't remove it for you — after disconnecting, open Gmail's Forwarding and POP/IMAP settings, disable forwarding, and remove the Chatlane address. You can revoke Chatlane's access at any time from your Google account under Security → Third-party apps & services.

FAQ

Does Chatlane read my existing emails?
No. Chatlane's only Gmail permission is sending. Incoming mail reaches Chatlane through the forwarding you set up — Chatlane never looks inside your mailbox.

Why can't Chatlane set up the forwarding itself, like it does for Outlook?
Google restricts the Gmail forwarding-settings API to enterprise service accounts with domain-wide admin delegation — it isn't available to apps you connect with a normal sign-in, regardless of what permissions they ask for. The guided flow with automatic verification is the closest Gmail allows.

Can I use my own domain in the forwarding address?
Yes — if your team has set up a custom inbound domain, your inbox can receive on your own branded address instead of the default inbound.chatlane.io one.

I only see options for SendGrid, Mailgun, or SMTP — where's Gmail?
Those are for connecting email with API keys. For a one-click sign-in, choose Email → Gmail (or Outlook). See Connect your channels for the full list.