Google Workspace APIs

"Automate the boring parts so humans can do the interesting ones." — Unknown

TL;DR

Guides integration with Google Workspace APIs — reading/writing Google Sheets, generating Google Docs, managing Drive files, creating Calendar events, and sending Gmail programmatically. Use when building automations, data pipelines, or integrations that interact with Google Workspace. [EXPLICIT]

Procedure

Step 1: Discover

• Identify which Workspace APIs are needed (Sheets, Docs, Drive, Calendar, Gmail)
• Check Google Cloud Console for existing API enablement and credentials
• Review authentication requirements (service account vs OAuth2 user consent)
• Determine data flow direction (read from, write to, or bidirectional)

Step 2: Analyze

• Choose auth strategy: service account for server-to-server, OAuth2 for user data
• Plan API scope requirements (principle of least privilege)
• Design rate limiting and quota management (Sheets API: 300 requests/min)
• Evaluate batch request opportunities to reduce API calls

Step 3: Execute

• Enable required APIs in Google Cloud Console
• Set up credentials (service account key or OAuth2 client ID)
• Use googleapis npm package or REST API directly
• Implement Sheets integration: read ranges, append rows, format cells
• Build Drive file management: upload, share, organize in folders
• Create Calendar event automation with attendees and reminders
• Add error handling for quota limits, auth expiration, and permission errors

Step 4: Validate

• Test API calls with actual Workspace resources (use test account/folder)
• Verify service account has correct sharing permissions on target resources
• Confirm rate limiting handles burst scenarios gracefully
• Check that OAuth2 refresh tokens work for long-running automations

Quality Criteria

• API scopes follow principle of least privilege
• Service account keys stored securely (not in source code)
• Rate limiting and retry logic implemented for API quota management
• Error responses handled with user-friendly messages
• Evidence tags applied to all claims

Anti-Patterns

• Requesting broad OAuth scopes when narrow ones suffice
• Storing service account JSON keys in the repository
• Making individual API calls when batch requests are available

MCP Integration

This skill covers programmatic API integration patterns. For direct interactive access via MCP servers, use the specialized MCP skills:

Service	MCP Skill	MCP Server
Gmail	gmail-mcp	gmail
Calendar	google-calendar-mcp	google-workspace
Drive	google-drive-mcp	google-workspace
Docs	google-docs-mcp	google-workspace
Sheets	google-sheets-mcp	google-workspace
Slides	google-slides-mcp	google-workspace

Setup guide: docs/google-workspace-mcp-setup.md

Related Skills

• gmail-mcp — direct Gmail access via MCP
• google-calendar-mcp — direct Calendar access via MCP
• google-drive-mcp — direct Drive access via MCP
• google-docs-mcp — direct Docs access via MCP
• google-sheets-mcp — direct Sheets access via MCP
• google-slides-mcp — direct Slides access via MCP
• cloud-functions — Workspace API calls typically run in Cloud Functions
• scheduled-functions — automated Workspace workflows run on schedules

Usage

Example invocations:

• "/google-workspace-apis" — Run the full google workspace apis workflow
• "google workspace apis on this project" — Apply to current context

Assumptions & Limits

• Assumes access to project artifacts (code, docs, configs) [EXPLICIT]
• Requires English-language output unless otherwise specified [EXPLICIT]
• Does not replace domain expert judgment for final decisions [EXPLICIT]

Edge Cases

Scenario	Handling
Empty or minimal input	Request clarification before proceeding
Conflicting requirements	Flag conflicts explicitly, propose resolution
Out-of-scope request	Redirect to appropriate skill or escalate