How Clam works
Clam is a policy enforcement layer between your AI assistant and your Gmail. Your assistant connects to a Shell in Clam rather than accessing your mailbox directly. A Shell is a scoped access boundary governed by rules you define in plain English.
Clam sorts recent email into categories such as work, receipts, travel, banking, and medical. Categories are one thing a rule can look at, but not the only one. A rule can also consider who sent a message or the domain it came from, who it is addressed to, its subject, when it arrived, whether it has attachments or is unread, and the labels it carries in Gmail, including your own labels and Gmail's Starred and Important. When your assistant writes an email, Clam checks who it would go to, so a rule can also limit who your assistant may write to.
Your Shell's rules combine these conditions to decide which messages your assistant may access and which actions it may perform on them. For example: "Read starred email and anything from my accountant's domain. Draft replies only to people at my company. Never send."
Before allowing an email operation, Clam checks the request against the Shell's rules. Requests that violate those rules are denied. Clam also records activity so you can review what your assistant attempted to do.
Clam works with Claude and ChatGPT. The policy enforcement model is the same for both, although the connection steps differ.
Before you connect
You need three things:
- A Clam account. Clam is in early access. Request an invite if you don't have one.
- Your Gmail connected to Clam. Connect your inbox once through the Clam console.
- A Shell with rules. Create a Shell in the console and describe what your assistant may do. For example: "Read work email and draft replies for me to review. Never send."
Choose rules that match the tasks you want your assistant to perform. You can allow reading without allowing sending, for example, or restrict access to specific email categories.
Connect Clam to Claude
- In Claude, go to Customize, then Connectors, and select Discover.
- Find Clam and select Connect to Claude.
- Claude opens Clam's sign-in page. Sign in using the Google account associated with your Clam account.
- On the page titled Let Claude use a Shell, choose the Shell Claude should use and authorize the connection.
- In a conversation, select + in the message box, choose Connectors, and turn Clam on.
You can now ask Claude to work with your email within the limits of the selected Shell's rules.
For Team and Enterprise plans: An Owner adds Clam for the organization first. Each member then connects their own Clam account.
If Clam is not listed in the directory, see Troubleshooting for alternative connection instructions.
Connect Clam to ChatGPT
- In ChatGPT, go to Settings, then Plugins, or select Plugins in the sidebar.
- Find Clam and select Connect.
- ChatGPT opens Clam's sign-in page. Sign in using the Google account associated with your Clam account.
- On the page titled Let ChatGPT use a Shell, choose the Shell ChatGPT should use and authorize the connection.
- In a conversation, select Clam from the + menu when you want to use it.
You can now ask ChatGPT to work with your email within the limits of the selected Shell's rules.
For managed workspaces: An administrator may need to enable Clam or approve third-party plugins before members can connect it.
If Clam is not listed in the directory, see Troubleshooting for alternative connection instructions.
What your assistant can do
Your assistant is connected to the Shell you selected. Its access is governed by that Shell's rules; connecting another assistant or selecting another Shell requires a separate connection.
Clam provides the following email tools. Each operation is subject to the selected Shell's policies.
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Search | Finds messages matching a query. Only messages the assistant is permitted to read are returned. |
| Read | Retrieves an individual email the assistant is permitted to access. |
| Create draft | Creates an email draft in your Gmail mailbox. |
| Send | Sends an email when the operation is permitted. |
| Reply | Replies to an existing email thread. |
| Reply all | Replies to the recipients on the original To and Cc lines. |
| Forward | Forwards a message, including its attachments, to new recipients. |
| Archive | Removes a message from the inbox without deleting it. |
| Delete | Moves a message to the trash. |
| Restore | Restores an archived or trashed message, as supported by the operation. |
| Mark read | Marks a message as read. |
| Mark unread | Marks a message as unread. |
Read and write operations
Some tools retrieve information, while others change your mailbox or send messages.
- Read operations: Search and read.
- Drafting and communication: Create draft, send, reply, reply all, and forward.
- Mailbox management: Archive, delete, restore, mark read, and mark unread.
A tool being available does not mean every request will be permitted. Clam evaluates requests against the rules configured for the selected Shell.
For example, a Shell may permit reading work email and creating drafts while prohibiting sending messages. In that case, your assistant can prepare a reply but cannot send it through Clam.
Things to try
Ask your assistant in your own words. These examples work when your Shell's rules allow the requested access and actions.
Find and summarize email
- "Summarize the work email I received this week."
- "Find my upcoming travel bookings and list the dates."
- "Find the latest invoice from my supplier."
Draft replies
- "Draft a reply to the latest email from my accountant saying I'll send the documents on Friday."
- "Summarize this conversation and draft a response, but don't send it."
Organize your inbox
- "Archive the newsletters I've already read."
- "Find unread work emails from this week."
Work within your rules
- "Find the messages in the categories this Shell allows me to access."
- "Draft a reply to this email without sending it."
Clam only returns information and performs actions permitted by the selected Shell. If a request falls outside those permissions, it is denied.
When a request is denied
Clam denies requests that violate the selected Shell's rules. Your assistant receives the denial and can explain why it could not complete the request.
For example, if your Shell permits reading work email but prohibits sending messages, your assistant may draft a reply but cannot send it through Clam.
To change what your assistant can do, edit the Shell's rules in the Clam console. Changes apply to subsequent requests.
Clam records every request it checks against the Shell's rules, whether allowed or denied, in the Shell's activity log. You can review this activity in the console.
Important: A denial applies to the operation attempted through Clam. It does not prevent an assistant from accessing information through other tools or connections you have separately authorized. For this reason, connect only the services you intend your assistant to use and review their permissions independently.
Privacy and security
Clam is designed to let you delegate email tasks without giving your assistant unrestricted access to your mailbox.
Policy enforcement
Your assistant accesses Gmail through Clam using a selected Shell. Clam evaluates requests against the Shell's rules before permitting the corresponding email operation.
Requests that violate the rules are denied. Clam records every request it checks against the Shell's rules, whether allowed or denied, in the Shell's log so you can review your assistant's interactions with Clam.
Scoped access
Each assistant connection is associated with a selected Shell. The Shell's rules determine which email categories and operations are permitted through that connection.
You can change the rules, pause the Shell, or remove an assistant's access through the Clam console.
Email processing
Clam processes email content to classify messages and perform authorized email operations.
Clam does not retain message bodies or attachments after processing, as described in its current data-handling model. For information about other data Clam collects and processes, including account information and activity records, consult the Privacy Policy.
Gmail authorization
Connecting Gmail requires authorization through Google's account connection flow. You can manage the connection through the Clam console and revoke access when you no longer want Clam to access your inbox.
For more information about the data Clam collects and how it is handled, see the Privacy Policy.
Remove access
You can remove an assistant's access through the assistant's settings or through Clam.
- In Claude: Go to Customize, then Connectors, select Clam under Your connectors, and select Disconnect. To take it off your account entirely, open the three-dot menu and select Remove.
- In ChatGPT: Go to Settings, then Plugins, select Clam, and disconnect it.
- In Clam: Open the Shell in the console, go to the Install tab, and under Connected agents, select Remove access for the relevant assistant.
Removing access through Clam takes effect on the assistant's next request.
Deleting a Shell removes access for every assistant connected to that Shell. Your Gmail connection and other Shells are not affected.
Disconnecting an assistant from Claude or ChatGPT and removing its access through Clam are separate actions. If you want to ensure that an assistant can no longer access a Shell through Clam, remove its access in the Clam console.
If you want Clam to stop accessing Gmail entirely, also disconnect your Gmail account through the Clam console.
Troubleshooting
Clam isn't in the assistant's directory.
Clam may not yet be available to your account or workspace. Open the relevant Shell in the Clam console, go to the Install tab, select your assistant, and follow the instructions under Other ways to connect. If you are using a managed workspace, ask your administrator whether the integration is enabled.
Clam's sign-in doesn't let you in.
Clam is in early access, so only invited accounts can sign in. Use the Google account associated with your invitation or request an invite.
The sign-in page says, "You don't have a Shell yet."
Create a Shell in the Clam console, configure its rules, and connect your assistant again.
Your assistant says the Shell is paused.
A paused Shell refuses requests. Open the Shell in the Clam console and select Resume if you want to restore access.
Your assistant can't reach Clam.
Sign in to the Clam console. If it asks you to connect your inbox, Clam may have lost access to Gmail. Follow the instructions to reconnect it, then try your request again.
Your assistant can't find older email.
Clam classifies recent email rather than automatically categorizing your entire Gmail archive. Messages that have not been classified do not have the categories used by category-based rules. Try a request involving recently classified email or check the console for the available classification coverage.
Your assistant cannot perform an action.
Check the selected Shell's rules and confirm that they permit the requested operation and the relevant email category. If the operation is prohibited, edit the Shell's rules if you want to allow it.
You connected the wrong Shell.
Remove Clam's connection in your assistant, then reconnect and select the correct Shell. You can also review connected agents in the Shell's Install tab in the Clam console.
Privacy and support
For details about the information Clam collects, how it is used, and your privacy rights, see the Privacy Policy.
Use of Clam is governed by the Terms of Service.
For questions or help with your account, contact us.
