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Gmail Add-on Setup Guide

The CTO Project Tracker Gmail add-on lets you save emails to your CivilTakeoff projects directly from your inbox. Follow the steps below to get started.

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Step 1: Create a CivilTakeoff Account

If you don't already have an account:

  1. Go to https://app.vertigraph.com/auth/signup
  2. Important: Sign up using the same email address as your Gmail account. This is how the add-on links to your CivilTakeoff projects.
  3. Complete the signup process and create your first project in the dashboard
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Step 2: Install the Add-on

There are two ways to install:

Option A: From the Google Workspace Marketplace

  1. Go to the Google Workspace Marketplace (https://workspace.google.com/marketplace)
  2. Search for "CTO Project Tracker"
  3. Click on the add-on, then click Install
  4. Review the permissions and click Allow

Option B: From inside Gmail

  1. Open Gmail (https://mail.google.com)
  2. Look at the right sidebar (if it's collapsed, click the small arrow at the bottom-right to expand it)
  3. Click the "+" icon (Get add-ons) at the bottom of the sidebar
  4. Search for "CTO Project Tracker"
  5. Click Install and grant the requested permissions

After installation, the CivilTakeoff icon will appear in your Gmail right sidebar. You may need to refresh Gmail once for it to show up.

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Step 3: Sign In

  1. Open any email in Gmail
  2. Click the CivilTakeoff icon in the right sidebar to open the add-on
  3. The add-on will automatically sign you in using your Google account
  4. If auto sign-in fails, you'll see a "Sign in with Google" button; click it to connect

Note: Your Gmail address must match the email you used to create your CivilTakeoff account. If they don't match, go to https://civiltakeoff.ai/settings to check your account email.

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Step 4: Save Your First Email

  1. Open an email you want to track in Gmail
  2. Click the CivilTakeoff icon in the right sidebar
  3. The add-on will show:
    • Auto-detected contacts; email addresses matched to your customers and vendors
    • Suggested project; auto-selected based on contact matches
  4. Select the project from the dropdown (or use the search box to find it)
  5. Optionally choose a Link to type:
    • Project only; just saves the email
    • Customer; links the email to the project's customer
    • Vendor; links to a specific vendor
    • RFQ; links to an RFQ (can also set response status and bidder)
    • RFI; links to an RFI (can update the RFI status)
  6. Optionally add a Note
  7. Click one of the save buttons:
    • Save Email; saves just this single email
    • Track Thread; saves all emails in the conversation AND automatically captures any future replies
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Tracking Outgoing Emails (Save When Sent)

You can tag outgoing emails for automatic tracking before you send them:

  1. Click Compose in Gmail to start a new email (or reply to an existing one)
  2. In the compose window, look for the CivilTakeoff icon in the bottom toolbar
  3. Click it to open the tracking panel
  4. Select a project, optionally set a Link to type and Note
  5. Click "Save when sent"
  6. Finish writing your email and click Send as normal

The add-on will detect the sent email within a few minutes and automatically save it to the selected project. This is especially useful for outgoing RFQ requests and RFI submissions.

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Automatic Email Sync (Background Tracking)

For the best experience, connect your Gmail account for background email sync. This lets CivilTakeoff automatically capture replies in tracked threads even when you're not using Gmail.

  1. Go to https://civiltakeoff.ai/settings
  2. Scroll down to the Mail Provider section
  3. Click Connect Gmail
  4. Grant the requested permissions

Once connected, CivilTakeoff syncs your email every 5 minutes. Any new replies in tracked threads are automatically saved to the correct project, and linked RFQ/RFI statuses are updated automatically.

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Viewing Project Details

While viewing an email, the add-on shows inline project details including:

  • Project status and bid due date
  • Customer information
  • RFQs and RFIs with counts
  • Pending and overdue follow-up reminders
  • Recent email activity

Click "Open in CRM" to jump directly to the full project view in your CivilTakeoff dashboard.

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Troubleshooting

Add-on not showing in the sidebar?
  • Refresh Gmail (press F5 or close and reopen the tab)
  • Make sure the right sidebar is expanded (click the small arrow at the bottom-right of Gmail)
  • Check that the add-on is installed: go to Gmail → right sidebar → "+" icon → "Manage add-ons"
"Session expired" error?
  • Close the sidebar and click the CivilTakeoff icon again. The add-on will automatically re-authenticate.
No projects showing?
  • Make sure you've created at least one project in your CivilTakeoff dashboard
  • Use the Search box in the add-on to find projects by name
Emails not auto-syncing in the background?
  • Make sure you've connected your Gmail account in Settings → Mail Provider
  • Background sync runs every 5 minutes; give it a few minutes after tracking a thread
Contact auto-detection not matching?
  • Make sure your customer and vendor email addresses are saved in your CivilTakeoff dashboard
  • The add-on matches the From, To, and CC email addresses against your saved contacts
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Need More Help?

If you're still having trouble, contact us at support@civiltakeoff.ai and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.

You can also manage your account settings, notification preferences, and connected email providers at https://civiltakeoff.ai/settings