Connect Google Gemini to atbridge.ai

Once Gemini is connected, the atbridge AI Chat inside Thunderbird uses Google’s models to read, search, draft, and organise your email — across every account, on your machine.

Note

Install atbridge.ai and the Thunderbird add-on first — see Install atbridge.ai. New to the in-Thunderbird side? Start with Set up the atbridge extension.

1. Get your Gemini API key

1. Open Google AI Studio → API keys (sign in if prompted).

2. Click Create API key and copy it. It starts with AIza.

3. Keep the key somewhere safe — you’ll paste it into atbridge.ai in a moment.

Caution

Google offers a free tier with limits. Paid usage is billed to your own Google account; atbridge.ai puts no markup on what Google charges. Want fully free and private? Run a model locally with Ollama.

2. Add it to atbridge.ai

1. In Thunderbird, open the atbridge Settings — the gear, or Tools → Add-ons and Themes → atbridge.ai → Options (see Set up the atbridge extension). Go to the AI providers tab.

2. Pick Google Gemini from the Provider dropdown.

3. Paste your AIza… key into API key. It’s encrypted on this device — your key never reaches atbridge.ai’s servers.

4. Click Connect. The status turns to a green ✓.

3. Pick a model and chat

Open the atbridge AI Chat (the @b button in Thunderbird), pick a Gemini model from the model dropdown — Gemini Flash is fast and low-cost; Gemini Pro is stronger. Pick the latest from the dropdown — atbridge can fetch the current list — and ask away:

“Summarise the unread thread from Maya and draft a reply.”

Tip

You can connect more than one provider and switch in the chat any time — your keys all stay local. Prefer to keep everything on your machine? See Connect a local model (Ollama).

Related

• Connect your AI — overview
• Use the atbridge AI Chat
• Connect OpenAI
• Connect a local model (Ollama)