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. Learn how to set up the Gmail connection, or how to troubleshoot and resolve connection issues.
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. 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, a confirmation page appears in that window. Close it and return to Todoist Automations, the connection now shows as Connected.
Connect two or more Gmail accounts to Todoist
Todoist Automations lets you connect more than one Gmail account, but there's no direct "add another account" button on the Connections page. A second account gets connected when an automation actually needs it, through the chat.
This typically comes up when you're building or editing an automation that needs two different Gmail accounts for two different steps (for example, reading from one inbox and sending from another). When that happens:
- Open the automation in chat after building a new one or by opening an existing Gmail automation.
- Click Change in chat. A draft message will appear in the chat bar.
- Describe what you need. For example: "I want this step to use a different Gmail account".
- If the automation needs you to choose between accounts, or connect a new one, a Gmail accounts picker will appear in the chat. Select Add new connection at the bottom of that list. A Google sign-in window opens.
- Select your other Google account and approve the requested permissions.
- Close the confirmation window and return to Todoist Automations. The connection now shows as Connected.
Once connected, the additional Gmail account appears as its own separate entry under Your apps on the Connections page, each Gmail account you connect shows up separately there.
Troubleshoot a failed connection
A Gmail connection may stop working even after setting it 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 identify and resolve the connection failure:
Identify the connection 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 a warning: “1 connection needs attention. Manage connections to choose an account or reconnect.” This appears next to a Manage button.
- In the Connections page: the Gmail account displays any of the following status badges:
- Expired: the authorization timed out.
- Needs attention: Google rejected the connection, usually because access was revoked.
- Pending: the setup was never finished.
Resolve the failed connection
After identifying the cause of the failure, open the Gmail automation’s detail page and click Manage next to the connection warning message. A dialog will open and list every connection the automation needs, each showing which authorized account it’s using.
Find the Gmail connection in that dialog, then follow the steps that are relevant to its status:
Expired status
If a connection shows it’s expired, the authorization timed out. Open the Connections page, click the Gmail connection, and click Reconnect to sign in to your Gmail account again.
Needs attention status
If a connection shows a Needs attention status, it’s because Google revoked access to your Gmail account. Here’s how to resolve the issue:
- Open the Connections page.
- Select the Gmail account.
- Click Repair connection.
- Sign in to your Gmail account again.
If reconnecting your Gmail account doesn’t help, check your Google Account’s third-party access settings to see if Todoist Automations still has access. Revoking access in your Google Account is a common reason a previously working connection suddenly needs attention.
Pending status
If a connection shows it’s pending, the connection setup was left half-finished. Click Continue setup to pick up where you left off, or Discard to remove the incomplete attempt and start over.
No connection warning
You may see a warning that says, “No authorized account is available for this required connection.” To resolve this, click the Gmail accounts menu and choose the right account. You can also click Connect to authorize Gmail again from scratch.
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.
- Open the Gmail connection’s detail page. Under Automations that use this app, you’ll see everything that depends on the connection.
- 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.
If the connection is still in use by an enabled automation, the disconnect won't go through. You'll see a message listing which automations are using it. Turn those automations off first and then repeat the steps above to disconnect Gmail.
Bemærk
Once you’ve disconnected Gmail, you won’t be able to undo 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.