Connect Gmail to Todoist Automations, so it takes care of all your repetitive email tasks. With it, you can build automations that send email on schedule, read your inbox, or react to new messages.
Set up the connection
You can connect as many Gmail accounts as needed. When you're ready, follow these steps:
- Click Connections in the sidebar.
- Select Gmail from the Available apps section. If it's partially connected, you'll find it in the Your apps section.
- Select Connect next to Connection for actions or Connection for updates. You'll see a Google sign-in window.
- Choose your Gmail account, and enter your account credentials.
- Approve the requested permissions.
Once approved, the window closes, and the connection shows as Connected.
Learn how the connection works
Like every connection, Gmail splits into two types of connections (actions and updates), so you can build a wide variety of email automations. These are shown separately on its detail page:
- Connection for actions: lets the automation accomplish tasks for you, like sending a Gmail message.
- Connection for updates: lets the automation know when to start working, based on specific events in Gmail, like a new email in your Inbox.
You can connect or disconnect these two independently. It's possible to just have Gmail as a connection for actions or for updates. For example, you may connect Gmail just for actions, so automations can send email on your behalf, and keep the connection for updates disconnected because it doesn't need to react to incoming mail.
Connect Gmail to Todoist
Let's get started with connecting your Gmail account to Todoist Automations:
- Log in to Todoist Automations.
- Click Connections in the sidebar.
- Select Gmail in the Available apps section. If it's partially connected, you'll find it in the Your apps section.
- Choose between Connection for actions or Connection for updates based on what you need for your automation.
- Click Connect beside the right connection. A Google sign-in window opens.
- Choose your Gmail account.
- Approve the requested permissions.
Once approved, the Google sign-in window closes on its own, and the connection shows as Connected.
Connect two or more Gmail accounts to Todoist
The Connections page doesn't have an "Add another account" button next to an app you've already connected to Automations. To add a second Gmail account, you'll need to set it up from inside an automation that already uses the Gmail connection:
- Create an automation that uses Gmail for actions or updates. If you've opened an existing Gmail automation, click the chat bar at the bottom and prompt the automation assistant to connect another Gmail account (for example: "I'd like to connect another Gmail account.").
- Click the Gmail accounts menu to see the list of connected Gmail accounts.
- Select Add new connection at the bottom of that menu. A Google sign-in window will open in your web browser.
- Select your other Google account.
- Approve the requested permissions.
Once connected, the additional Gmail account will appear as its own separate entry under the Your apps section on the Connections page. Each Gmail account you connect for the same app always appears separately.
Troubleshoot a failed Gmail connection
A Gmail connection can stop working after it's set up. This happens when access was revoked on Google's side, a token expired, or the automation wasn't set up to point to an authorized account. Here's how to spot it and fix it.
Identify the failure
- In the All Automations page: an affected automation shows a Check connections flag next to its last-run time.
- In the automation's detail page: the Connections section shows the warning "1 connection needs attention. Manage connections to choose an account or reconnect." next to a Manage button.
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On the Connections page: the Gmail account itself carries any of the following status badges:
- Pending (setup was never finished)
- Expired (the authorization timed out)
- Needs attention (Google rejected the connection, usually because access was revoked)
Resolve the failed connection
Start from the automation that was flagged.
- Open the automation's detail page. The Connections section shows a warning if a connection needs attention.
- Select Manage next to the connection warning. A dialog opens listing every connection the automation needs, and which account each one is using, if any.
Find the Gmail connection in that dialog, then follow the case that matches its status:
- No connection: the note reads "No authorized account is available for this required connection." Choose an account from the dropdown, or select Connect to authorize Gmail again from scratch.
- Expired or Needs attention: select the connection on the Connections page, then choose Reconnect (or Repair connection) to redo the Google sign-in.
- Pending: setup was left half-finished. Select Continue setup to pick up where you left off, or Discard to remove the incomplete attempt and start over.
If reconnecting doesn't help, check that Automations still has access under your Google Account's third-party access settings. Revoking access there is a common reason a previously working connection suddenly needs attention.
Disconnect Gmail from Todoist
If you no longer need to use Gmail for your automation, here's how to disconnect Gmail from Todoist Automations:
- Open the Connections page.
- Click the Gmail connection's detail page.
- Select Connected next to either the Connection for actions or Connection for updates option.
- Click Disconnect. A dialog will appear.
- Click Disconnect again to confirm.
Once you've disconnected Gmail successfully, you won't be able to revert it. You'll need to reconnect and re-approve access to restore it.
Get in touch
If you're still having trouble connecting Gmail to Todoist, get in touch with us.