Google Docs, Sheets & Drive MCP Server

Connect Claude Desktop, Cursor, or any MCP client to your Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Drive.

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Quick Start

1. Create a Google Cloud OAuth Client

1. Go to the Google Cloud Console
2. Create or select a project
3. Enable the Google Docs API, Google Sheets API, and Google Drive API
4. Configure the OAuth consent screen (External, add your email as a test user)
5. Create an OAuth client ID (Desktop app type)
6. Copy the Client ID and Client Secret from the confirmation screen

Need more detail? See step-by-step instructions at the bottom of this page.

2. Authorize

GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID="your-client-id" \
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET="your-client-secret" \
npx -y google-docs-mcp auth

This opens your browser for Google authorization. After you approve, the refresh token is saved to ~/.config/google-docs-mcp/token.json.

3. Add to Your MCP Client

Claude Desktop / Cursor / Windsurf:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-docs": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "google-docs-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID": "your-client-id",
        "GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET": "your-client-secret"
      }
    }
  }
}

The server starts automatically when your MCP client needs it.

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What Can It Do?

Google Docs

Tool	Description
readDocument	Read content as plain text, JSON, or markdown
appendText	Append text to a document
insertText	Insert text at a specific position
deleteRange	Remove content by index range
listDocumentTabs	List all tabs in a multi-tab document
replaceDocumentWithMarkdown	Replace entire document content from markdown
appendMarkdownToGoogleDoc	Append markdown-formatted content
applyTextStyle	Bold, italic, colors, font size, links
applyParagraphStyle	Alignment, spacing, indentation
insertTable	Create tables
insertPageBreak	Insert page breaks
insertImage	Insert images from URLs or local files

Comments

Tool	Description
listComments	View all comments with author and date
getComment	Get a specific comment with replies
addComment	Create a comment anchored to text
replyToComment	Reply to an existing comment
resolveComment	Mark a comment as resolved
deleteComment	Remove a comment

Google Sheets

Tool	Description
readSpreadsheet	Read data from a range (A1 notation)
writeSpreadsheet	Write data to a range
appendSpreadsheetRows	Add rows to a sheet
clearSpreadsheetRange	Clear cell values
createSpreadsheet	Create a new spreadsheet
addSpreadsheetSheet	Add a sheet/tab
getSpreadsheetInfo	Get metadata and sheet list
listGoogleSheets	Find spreadsheets
formatCells	Bold, colors, alignment on cell ranges
freezeRowsAndColumns	Pin header rows/columns
setDropdownValidation	Add/remove dropdown lists on cells

Google Drive

Tool	Description
listDocuments	List documents, optionally filtered by date
searchGoogleDocs	Search by name or content
getDocumentInfo	Get document metadata
createDocument	Create a new document
createFromTemplate	Create from an existing template
createFolder	Create a folder
listFolderContents	List folder contents
getFolderInfo	Get folder metadata
moveFile	Move a file to another folder
copyFile	Duplicate a file
renameFile	Rename a file
deleteFile	Move to trash or permanently delete

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Usage Examples

Google Docs

"Read document ABC123 as markdown"
"Append 'Meeting notes for today' to document ABC123"
"Make the text 'Important' bold and red in document ABC123"
"Replace the entire document with this markdown: # Title\n\nNew content here"
"Insert a 3x4 table at index 50 in document ABC123"

Google Sheets

"Read range A1:D10 from spreadsheet XYZ789"
"Write [[Name, Score], [Alice, 95], [Bob, 87]] to range A1 in spreadsheet XYZ789"
"Create a new spreadsheet titled 'Q1 Report'"
"Format row 1 as bold with a light blue background in spreadsheet XYZ789"
"Freeze the first row in spreadsheet XYZ789"
"Add a dropdown with options [Open, In Progress, Done] to range C2:C100"

Google Drive

"List my 10 most recent Google Docs"
"Search for documents containing 'project proposal'"
"Create a folder called 'Meeting Notes' and move document ABC123 into it"

Markdown Workflow

The server supports a full round-trip markdown workflow:

1. Read a document as markdown: readDocument with format='markdown'
2. Edit the markdown locally
3. Push changes back: replaceDocumentWithMarkdown

Supported: headings, bold, italic, strikethrough, links, bullet/numbered lists, horizontal rules.

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Authentication Options

OAuth (Default)

Pass your Google Cloud OAuth client credentials as environment variables:

Variable	Description
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID	OAuth client ID from Google Cloud Console
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET	OAuth client secret from Google Cloud Console

Service Account (Enterprise)

For Google Workspace with domain-wide delegation:

Variable	Description
SERVICE_ACCOUNT_PATH	Path to the service account JSON key file
GOOGLE_IMPERSONATE_USER	Email of the user to impersonate (optional)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-docs": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "google-docs-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "SERVICE_ACCOUNT_PATH": "/path/to/service-account-key.json",
        "GOOGLE_IMPERSONATE_USER": "user@yourdomain.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

Token Storage

OAuth refresh tokens are stored in ~/.config/google-docs-mcp/token.json (respects XDG_CONFIG_HOME). To re-authorize, run the auth command again or delete the token file.

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Known Limitations

• Comment anchoring: Programmatically created comments appear in the comment list but aren't visibly anchored to text in the Google Docs UI. This is a Google Drive API limitation.
• Comment resolution: Resolved status may not persist in the Google Docs UI.
• Converted documents: Docs converted from Word may not support all API operations.
• Markdown tables/images: Not yet supported in the markdown-to-Docs conversion.
• Deeply nested lists: Lists with 3+ nesting levels may have formatting quirks.

Troubleshooting

• Server won't start:
  • Verify GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID and GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET are set in the env block of your MCP config.
  • Try running manually: npx google-docs-mcp and check stderr for errors.
• Authorization errors:
  • Ensure Docs, Sheets, and Drive APIs are enabled in Google Cloud Console.
  • Confirm your email is listed as a Test User on the OAuth consent screen.
  • Re-authorize: npx google-docs-mcp auth
  • Delete ~/.config/google-docs-mcp/token.json and re-authorize if upgrading.
• Tab errors:
  • Use listDocumentTabs to see available tab IDs.
  • Omit tabId for single-tab documents.

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Google Cloud Setup Details

Step-by-step Google Cloud Console instructions

1. Go to Google Cloud Console: Open console.cloud.google.com
2. Create or Select a Project: Click the project dropdown > "NEW PROJECT". Name it (e.g., "MCP Docs Server") and click "CREATE".
3. Enable APIs:
   • Navigate to "APIs & Services" > "Library"
   • Search for and enable: Google Docs API, Google Sheets API, Google Drive API
4. Configure OAuth Consent Screen:
   • Go to "APIs & Services" > "OAuth consent screen"
   • Choose "External" and click "CREATE"
   • Fill in: App name, User support email, Developer contact email
   • Click "SAVE AND CONTINUE"
   • Add scopes: documents, spreadsheets, drive
   • Click "SAVE AND CONTINUE"
   • Add your Google email as a Test User
   • Click "SAVE AND CONTINUE"
5. Create Credentials:
   • Go to "APIs & Services" > "Credentials"
   • Click "+ CREATE CREDENTIALS" > "OAuth client ID"
   • Application type: "Desktop app"
   • Click "CREATE"
   • Copy the Client ID and Client Secret

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Contributing

Contributions are welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for development setup, architecture overview, and guidelines.

License

MIT -- see LICENSE for details.