Elder Brain
the colony remembers
Certo's MCP server. Notion and meeting notes, plus your own Gmail, Calendar and Drive if you connect them.
What it connects to
Gmail API
Search, read whole threads, draft, send.
Google Calendar API
Read availability, book, move, cancel.
Google Drive API
Search, read and write files.
Notion API
Query databases, read and write pages.
Granola API
Meeting notes and full transcripts.
Raw API access
Every service has a tool for calls the others do not cover.
Why not the built in connectors. The built in Gmail connector returned 5 of a thread's 10 messages without saying so. The built in Calendar connector used the wrong Google account and silently failed a cancellation. These call the APIs directly, and large results are stored and read in chunks instead of filling the conversation.
Getting access
- Ask Jean to approve youYour
@askcerto.comaddress goes on the list. He can do this before you have ever signed in, so ask first and the rest just works. - Add the connector in ClaudeSettings → Connectors → Add custom connector, with the URL below. Claude then asks two questions on step 2. It detects the right answer to both, so take what it offers. The exact settings are in the table under this list.
- Sign in with GooglePick your
@askcerto.comaccount. Personal Google accounts are refused. If Jean has not approved you yet you will see “Access requested”. Tell him, then sign in again. - Optional: connect your mailboxAsk Claude to connect my Google account, open the link it gives you, and Allow. Then toggle the connector off and on in Settings. Claude caches the tool list from when you first connected, so the mail and Drive tools stay invisible until you make it look again. Skip this whole step and Notion, meeting notes and the registry still work.
The connector URL
https://elderbrain.askcerto.com/api/mcp
What to pick on step 2
| Setting | Choose | Not this |
|---|---|---|
| Authentication | Always required Claude marks it Detected | “Required when the server asks” or “None” |
| OAuth client | Use Anthropic's hosted client metadata marked Recommended and Detected | “Register one automatically”, which this server does not support |
| Additional request headers | Leave empty | Anything |
| Advanced | Leave alone | Anything |
These cannot be changed after you add it. If you pick the wrong one, remove the connector and add it again. Everything else about the setup is undoable, this part is not.
Claude Code, if you use it:
claude mcp add --transport http certo-mcp https://elderbrain.askcerto.com/api/mcp
Your Claude account can be a personal one. Most of us use personal claude.ai logins. Elder Brain never sees it. Only the Google account you choose at sign-in matters.
Signing in is not the same as connecting
| Signing in | Connecting | |
|---|---|---|
| Google is asked for | Your name and email | Gmail, Calendar, Drive |
| Required | Yes | No |
| Gives you | Notion, meeting notes, skills | Mail, calendar and Drive tools |
| Can you decline | No. It is how we know who you are | Yes, and keep everything else |
Who can see what
| Data | Who sees it |
|---|---|
| Notion (Certo workspace) | Everyone on Elder Brain |
| Workspace meeting notes | Everyone |
| Your Gmail | Only you |
| Your Calendar | Only you |
| Your Drive | Only you. Google's own sharing rules still apply |
If something looks wrong
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| “Access requested” | Jean has not approved you yet. Ask him, then sign in again. |
| Google refuses the account | You picked a personal Google account. Use your @askcerto.com one. |
| No Gmail or Drive tools, but you did connect | Claude is holding a cached tool list. Toggle the connector off and on in Settings, then start a new chat. |
| No Gmail or Drive tools at all | You have not connected your mailbox. Ask Claude to connect your Google account. |
| “Scope insufficient” | Connect your Google account again to re-consent. |