Setup guide

Connect Giraffe to Gemini.

Gemini Spark carries a task forward; Giraffe is what it remembers in between. Ask Spark to “List my Giraffe projects” or “Save this to my Acme project” and it reads and writes exactly like Claude or ChatGPT do — but only inside Spark, never an ordinary Gemini chat. “Who can connect”, below, has the rest.

See what a project looks like →

Set up Gemini, step by step

Two different jobs, so pick the one you’re actually doing — they don’t share the same steps.

Which route applies to you

Giraffe is not a listed partner integration in Gemini's Connected Apps yet, so you add it yourself as a custom app with its address — the route below.

If Giraffe becomes a listed integration later, connecting will be a single tap under "From Google" or a similar partner list, with no address to paste.

Availability depends on your Gemini account, plan and rollout. If Custom apps for Spark appears under Connected Apps, you can connect Giraffe. Who can connect

On a work or school Google Account, this may be unavailable

Google's own help centre says custom apps for Spark need a personal Google Account and are not available on a work or school account. In our own test the connecting account was labelled "Work" inside Gemini's own interface and it connected anyway, so that boundary is not as sharp in practice as Google's documentation states — but if Custom apps for Spark doesn't appear at all under Connected Apps, an account-type restriction is the most likely reason, and there is no workaround from Giraffe's side.

In a hurry

  1. On the Gemini web app, open Settings & help, then Connected Apps.
  2. Choose Custom apps, scroll to "Custom apps for Spark", and paste Giraffe's address.
  3. Accept Google's connection warning and continue.
  4. Approve the connection on Giraffe's own sign-in screen.
  5. Switch to Spark and try a task like "List my Giraffe projects."

Giraffe’s address

You’ll paste this in during setup.

Giraffe's connection address

https://mcp.withgiraffe.com/mcp

Setting up

  1. Open Connected Apps

    Web

    In the Gemini web app, open Settings & help from the sidebar, then choose Connected Apps.

    What you should see: A page with "From Google", "Other" and "Custom apps" as filter tabs.

    Gemini's Settings & help menu — diagram, not a screenshot

  2. Choose Custom apps, then scroll to "Custom apps for Spark"

    Web

    Select the Custom apps tab and scroll down — the field for adding a custom app link is under its own "Custom apps for Spark" heading, below any partner apps.

    What you should see: A field labelled "Add a custom app link to get started".

  3. Paste Giraffe's address

    Web

    Paste Giraffe's connection address into the field and continue.

    What you should see: A "Set up a custom connected app" dialog showing the address you pasted.

    Giraffe's connection address

    https://mcp.withgiraffe.com/mcp

    Set up a custom connected app dialog — diagram, not a screenshot

  4. Accept Google's own warning, then continue

    Web

    Google shows a generic warning it displays for every custom MCP server, not anything specific to Giraffe: it doesn't control, monitor or secure third-party servers. Check the box and click Connect to proceed.

    This is Google's standard disclosure for any custom connection, not a flag on Giraffe specifically.

  5. Let Google finish linking the account

    Web

    Google shows one or two of its own screens — "Link an account" and a permissions summary — before handing off to Giraffe. This part is entirely Google's own interface; Giraffe has no control over how it looks.

  6. Approve the connection with your Giraffe account

    Web

    You land on Giraffe's own sign-in and approval screen. Approve with the Giraffe account you want Gemini to read and save to.

    If this screen never appears and you're just returned to Connected Apps, the connection didn't complete — start again from Connected Apps. We saw this happen without any error message.

After you connect

Adding Giraffe isn’t the same as using it. This part is easy to miss and the reason a fresh connection can feel like it’s “not working.”

  1. Confirm it worked in Spark

    Any platform

    Gemini doesn't reliably show a confirmation back in Connected Apps, so the trustworthy check is trying it: switch to Spark and ask something only Giraffe could answer, like "List my Giraffe projects."

  2. Remember: Spark only, not ordinary chat

    Any platform

    Custom apps only work inside Gemini Spark. An ordinary Gemini chat won't reach for Giraffe at all, no matter how clearly you ask — use the Spark toggle or tab.

    What you should see: A "Put Gemini Spark to work for you" task box, distinct from the regular chat box.

    This is the step people miss. Adding the custom app doesn't change ordinary Gemini chat — Giraffe only responds inside Spark.

  3. Type @Giraffe to make sure it's used

    Any platform

    Type @ in a Spark task and choose Giraffe from the list to explicitly bring it into that task. In our own test, plainly describing what we wanted ("List my Giraffe projects") was also enough for Spark to find and use it on its own — @-mentioning it is the reliable way to be certain, not the only way that works.

  4. It also works from the Gemini mobile app

    Mobile

    Once connected on the web, the same custom app works in Spark on the Gemini mobile app too, including iPhone and iPad — per Google's own documentation. You cannot add a new custom app from mobile, only use one already connected on the web.

Giraffe is already in my Connected Apps?

Then you don't need to add it again — work with the one you have. Custom apps for Spark doesn't currently show a list of what's already connected the way Claude and ChatGPT do, so if you're not sure, try it in Spark first before adding a duplicate.

  1. Try it in Spark before adding it again

    Any platform

    Switch to Spark and ask it something only Giraffe could answer, like "List my Giraffe projects." If it works, you're already connected — stop here.

  2. If nothing happens, check Connected Apps

    Web

    Open Settings & help, then Connected Apps, then Custom apps, and look under "Custom apps for Spark" for an existing Giraffe entry.

  3. Remove it and add it again

    Web

    Gemini's custom-apps interface doesn't currently offer a separate reconnect action — removing the existing entry and adding Giraffe's address again is the reliable fix.

    Giraffe's connection address

    https://mcp.withgiraffe.com/mcp

  4. Approve the connection again

    Web

    You'll land back on Giraffe's own sign-in screen. Approve with the same Giraffe account as before.

    What you should see: A new connection dated today in Giraffe's own Settings, under Connections.

Who can connect

Custom apps for Spark is a newer, still-rolling-out feature. Google's own documentation describes restrictions by account type, age, region and plan — our own successful connection didn't fully match all of them, so treat the eligibility rows below as what Google currently states, not as a guarantee for your account. The one reliable test: open Connected Apps and look for "Custom apps for Spark" — if it's there, you can try connecting Giraffe.

Verified by Giraffe

  • Giraffe's own test — On 18 August 2026 we connected a real Google account to Gemini Spark's Custom apps, saw all 11 Giraffe tools, and used them — reading projects and creating a real, versioned Document — through a Spark task. The first two connection attempts that same day silently failed partway through Google's own account-linking flow with no error shown; the third succeeded with no changes on Giraffe's side in between. If your first attempt doesn't seem to take, trying again is worth it before assuming something is wrong.

Per the provider's docs

  • Where to add it — Gemini web app → Settings & help → Connected Apps → Custom apps for Spark. Custom apps can only be added from the Gemini web app, not the mobile app. Connect & manage custom apps for Gemini Spark
  • Account and plan — Google's help centre states this needs a personal Google Account (not work or school), a Google AI Pro or Ultra subscription, Keep Activity turned on, and the interface set to English. Connect & manage custom apps for Gemini Spark
  • Age and region — Google's help centre states this feature requires being 18 or over and in the US. Our own successful test connected from an account located in Serbia, so this restriction is not being enforced as written, at least not everywhere. Don't take either version as certain for your account — open Connected Apps and see what's actually there. Connect & manage custom apps for Gemini Spark
  • Using it after connecting — Once added on the web, custom apps work in Gemini Spark on both web and the Gemini mobile app, including iPhone and iPad. Connecting itself is web-only; using it afterwards is not. Connect & manage custom apps for Gemini Spark
  • Ordinary Gemini chat — Custom apps are a Gemini Spark feature. An ordinary Gemini chat — the default box you land in — does not use them; there's a separate Spark mode/tab for that. Connect & manage custom apps for Gemini Spark

Depends on your setup

  • Everyone — Google labels Gemini Spark beta. Custom apps are a recent addition to it, and both the setup flow and what's available can change without notice — if a step here doesn't match what you see, that's the most likely reason.

If something’s not working

I connected Giraffe, but a normal Gemini chat doesn't use it.

That's expected, not a bug. Custom apps for Spark are a Gemini Spark feature — ordinary Gemini chat doesn't reach for them at all. Switch to Spark and try again there.

I don't see "Custom apps for Spark" under Connected Apps.

Google's own documentation ties this to a personal Google Account, a Google AI Pro or Ultra subscription, Keep Activity being on, and (per their published wording) your age and region. If it's genuinely missing, one of those is the likely reason — there's no setting on Giraffe's side that affects this.

I went through the whole flow and nothing seems connected.

We saw this too: Google's own account-linking screens completed with no error shown, but the connection didn't actually take, and Spark reported no connected app when asked. Simply trying the whole flow again worked on the next attempt, with nothing changed. If it still doesn't take after two or three tries, the most likely cause is on Google's side, not Giraffe's — Custom apps for Spark is a newer feature and still rolling out.

Gemini shows "Google" instead of "Gemini" when I'm approving the connection.

That's expected and harmless — it's how Gemini Spark's connector currently identifies itself to Giraffe, not a sign you're connecting the wrong thing. Giraffe recognizes it and still records everything it does as Gemini.

Can I set this up from my phone?

Not the connection itself — adding a custom app happens on the Gemini web app only. Once it's added there, it works in Spark on the mobile app too, including iPhone and iPad.

Last verified Aug 18, 2026, against Gemini’s own documentation: Connect & manage custom apps for Gemini Spark. Provider settings change without notice — if a step doesn’t match what you see, the underlying idea (add the address, then turn the connection on) still holds.

Start with Giraffe