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How to connect Claude or OpenClaw to Google Home MCP

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How to connect Claude or OpenClaw to Google Home MCP

Official steps to enable Google Home MCP, create OAuth credentials, and connect Claude Cowork or OpenClaw to control a home.

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Google Home MCP is the user-facing Model Context Protocol server for live homes. It is Early Access, and it is not Home Developer MCP—the other server on Google’s MCP page, which grounds coding tools in Home API, Matter, and OpenThread docs. Home MCP exposes MCP tools so an LLM can inspect structures, monitor device states, run control actions, and analyze historical events.

The consumer story still hides a developer install. Without a Google Cloud project, the Home API, and a published Web application OAuth client, Claude Cowork or OpenClaw cannot actually reach lights, cameras, or history.

Safety limits before you connect

Connecting a real home lets the agent control devices on your behalf. Home MCP enforces rate limits and safety protections, including a prohibition on sensitive actions such as unlocking doors. Behavior can still be unexpected, depending on your agent. If the home is used by other household members, inform them, or create an additional home for development and testing. You can revoke the agent’s access at any time from the Google Home app (GHA) or your My Accounts page.

Core tools on the server include structure discovery with list_homes, resource discovery with list_home_resources, state monitoring with list_home_states, device control with run_home_actions, and historical analysis with list_home_history.

Prerequisites

  • An active Google Home setup with connected devices
  • An active Google Home Premium Advanced subscription
  • Access to a Google Cloud project
  • An MCP-compatible AI client such as Claude Cowork, OpenClaw, or Google Antigravity

Create a Cloud project and enable the Home API

If you do not already have a project, open the Google Cloud console and create one.

  1. In the console navigation menu, select APIs & Services > Enabled APIs & Services.
  2. Search for Home API and click Enable.

Home MCP uses a user-authorized OAuth flow.

Configure the consent screen:

  1. Open APIs & Services > OAuth consent screen.
  2. Select External audience, click Get started, and fill in the required app information and contact email.

Create an OAuth client ID:

  1. Open APIs & Services > Credentials.
  2. Click + Create credentials and select OAuth client ID.
  3. Set Application type to Web application.
  4. Add the authorized redirect URI for your client:
    • Claude Cowork: https://claude.ai/api/mcp/auth_callback
    • OpenClaw: the redirect URI specified by your local OpenClaw installation
    • Google Antigravity: https://antigravity.google/oauth-callback
  5. Click Create and copy the Client ID and Client Secret to a secure location.

Publish the application:

  1. Open Google Auth Platform > Audience.
  2. Under Publishing status, click Publish app.

Connect Claude Cowork

  1. Open Claude Connectors.
  2. Click + and select Add custom connector.
  3. Enter the server URL https://home.googleapis.com/mcp.
  4. Click Advanced settings and enter your Client ID and Client Secret.
  5. Click Add and complete the OAuth authorization flow in your browser.
  6. In a Cowork chat, click + in the lower-left corner, select Connectors, and toggle home_mcp on.

Connect OpenClaw

Configure OpenClaw for remote SSE transport with OAuth. Prepare this configuration patch JSON block, replacing the placeholders with your Client ID, Client Secret, and local redirect URL:

{
     "mcp": {
       "servers": {
         "home_mcp": {
           "url": "https://home.googleapis.com/mcp",
           "transport": "sse",
           "auth": "oauth",
           "oauth": {
             "scope": "https://www.googleapis.com/auth/home.platform.v2",
             "redirectUrl": "[YOUR_OPENCLAW_REDIRECT_URL]"
           },
           "env": {
             "CLIENT_ID": "YOUR_CLIENT_ID",
             "CLIENT_SECRET": "YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET"
           }
         }
       }
     }
}

Apply the configuration patch in your terminal:

openclaw config patch --stdin

Restart the OpenClaw gateway:

openclaw gateway restart

Initiate the authentication flow:

openclaw mcp login home_mcp

Follow the generated authorization URL to sign in and grant access.

Optional: chat-driven setup and familiar faces

If your assistant can manage MCP tool configuration from chat, the Home MCP docs include this prompt. It names a different server URL than the Claude Cowork and OpenClaw manual steps. Use the prompt and URL exactly as shown for the path you are following, with your credentials substituted:

Please configure the Home MCP server for me with these settings:
- Name: home_mcp
- Server URL: https://preprod-home.sandbox.googleapis.com/mcp
- Transport: sse
- OAuth Scope: https://www.googleapis.com/auth/home.platform.v2
- Client ID: YOUR_CLIENT_ID
- Client Secret: YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET

Familiar faces data requires a separate consent. The granter must be a manager of the structure. The structure must have at least one compatible Google Nest camera or doorbell and an active Google Home Premium subscription with Familiar face detection enabled for each camera or doorbell. With your OAuth 2.0 Client ID and structure ID (UUID), visit:

https://home.google.com/connections/feature_consent?client_id=CLIENT_ID&structure_id=STRUCTURE_ID&features=1&continue=https%3A%2F%2Fhome.google.com

If the agent is already connected, you can ask it for the structure ID, then open that link and provide consent.

Verify connection and functionality

  1. Launch your AI assistant or workspace session.
  2. Check active MCP server connections and confirm that home_mcp is listed with active tools.
  3. Issue sample prompts:
    • Entity discovery: How many lights do I have in my house?
    • Real-time state monitoring: Is my home secured?
    • Device control: Turn off all the outside lights.
    • Historical event analysis: What happened while I was out?
  4. Grant tool execution permissions when prompted. The assistant can retrieve real-time state data, and responses are grounded in your home telemetry.

Creating and managing automations with Home MCP is not supported at this time. Some traits are marked experimental and may not work as expected. You may also see longer-than-expected latency.

Work through the Cloud project, Home API, and OAuth client on Google’s Home MCP documentation, then add https://home.googleapis.com/mcp in Claude Cowork or patch OpenClaw, restart the gateway, and complete login. After you authenticate, run the four verify prompts and confirm you know how to revoke access in the Google Home app.

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