Google Docs Interact with Google Docs for document creation, editing, and content management. Installation Dependencies : pip install --user google-auth google-auth-oauthlib google-api-python-client keyring pyyaml Setup Verification After installation, verify the skill is properly configured: $SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py check This will check: Python dependencies (google-auth, google-auth-oauthlib, google-api-python-client, keyring, pyyaml) Authentication configuration Connectivity to Google Docs API If anything is missing, the check command will provide setup instructions. Authentication Google Docs uses OAuth 2.0 for authentication. For complete setup instructions, see: GCP Project Setup Guide - Create project, enable Docs API Google OAuth Setup Guide - Configure credentials Quick Start Create ~/.config/agent-skills/google.yaml : oauth_client : client_id : your - client - id.apps.googleusercontent.com client_secret : your - client - secret Run $SKILL_DIR/scripts/google-docs.py check to trigger OAuth flow and verify setup. On scope or authentication errors, see the OAuth troubleshooting guide . Commands See permissions.md for read/write classification of each command. check Verify configuration and connectivity. $SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py check This validates: Python dependencies are installed Authentication is configured Can connect to Google Docs API Creates a test document to verify write access auth setup Store OAuth 2.0 client credentials for custom OAuth flow. $SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py auth setup \ --client-id YOUR_CLIENT_ID \ --client-secret YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET Credentials are saved to ~/.config/agent-skills/google-docs.yaml . Options: --client-id - OAuth 2.0 client ID (required) --client-secret - OAuth 2.0 client secret (required) auth reset Clear stored OAuth token. The next command that needs authentication will trigger re-authentication automatically. $SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py auth reset Use this when you encounter scope or authentication errors. auth status Show current OAuth token information without making API calls. $SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py auth status Displays: whether a token is stored, granted scopes, refresh token presence, token expiry, and client ID. documents create Create a new blank Google Doc. $SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py documents create --title "My Document" Options: --title - Document title (required) Example:
Create a new document
$SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py documents create --title "Project Notes"
Output:
✓ Document created successfully
Title: Project Notes
Document ID: 1abc...xyz
URL: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1abc...xyz/edit
documents get Get document metadata and structure. $SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py documents get DOCUMENT_ID Arguments: document_id - The Google Docs document ID Example:
Get document metadata
$SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py documents get 1abc .. .xyz
Output:
Title: Project Notes
Document ID: 1abc...xyz
Characters: 1234
Revision ID: abc123
documents read Read document content as plain text, markdown, or PDF. $SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py documents read DOCUMENT_ID Arguments: document_id - The Google Docs document ID Options: --format - Output format: markdown (default, preserves tables and headings) or pdf --output , -o - Output file path (used with pdf format) Example:
Read as markdown (default, preserves tables and headings)
$SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py documents read 1abc .. .xyz
Export as PDF
$SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py documents read 1abc .. .xyz --format pdf --output document.pdf
Output as markdown:
# Heading
This is a paragraph.
| Column 1 | Column 2 |
|----------|----------|
| Value 1 | Value 2 |
Note: Markdown and PDF export use Google's native Drive API export. Markdown preserves tables, headings, formatting, and structure with high fidelity. Both require the drive.readonly scope. content append Append text to the end of a document. $SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py content append DOCUMENT_ID --text "Additional content" Arguments: document_id - The Google Docs document ID Options: --text - Text to append (required) Example:
Append text
$SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py content append 1abc .. .xyz --text "Meeting notes from today..."
Output:
✓ Text appended successfully
content insert Insert text at a specific position in the document. $SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py content insert DOCUMENT_ID --text "Insert this" --index 10 Arguments: document_id - The Google Docs document ID Options: --text - Text to insert (required) --index - Position to insert at, 0-based (required) Example:
Insert text at the beginning (index 1, after title)
$SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py content insert 1abc .. .xyz --text "Introduction \n \n " --index 1
Output:
✓ Text inserted successfully
Note: Index 0 is before the document content. Index 1 is at the beginning of content. content delete Delete a range of content from the document. $SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py content delete DOCUMENT_ID --start-index 10 --end-index 50 Arguments: document_id - The Google Docs document ID Options: --start-index - Start position, inclusive (required) --end-index - End position, exclusive (required) Example:
Delete characters 10-50
$SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py content delete 1abc .. .xyz --start-index 10 --end-index 50
Output:
✓ Content deleted successfully
Warning: Be careful with indices. Deleting the wrong range can corrupt document structure. content insert-after-anchor Insert markdown-formatted content after a structural anchor (horizontal rule, heading, or bookmark) in a document. Handles text insertion, heading styles, bullet lists, bold formatting, and links in a single operation. $SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py content insert-after-anchor DOCUMENT_ID \ --anchor-type ANCHOR_TYPE --markdown "MARKDOWN_CONTENT" Arguments: document_id - The Google Docs document ID Options: --anchor-type - Type of anchor to find: horizontal_rule , heading , or bookmark (required) --anchor-value - Anchor-specific value: heading text (for heading ), bookmark ID (for bookmark ), or occurrence number (for horizontal_rule , default 1) --markdown - Markdown-formatted content to insert (required). Use \n for newlines. Supported markdown: Syntax Result
Heading
Heading (levels 1-6) text Bold text text Hyperlink - item Bullet list - item Nested bullet (indent 2 spaces per level) Examples:
Insert after the first horizontal rule
$SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py content insert-after-anchor 1abc .. .xyz \ --anchor-type horizontal_rule \ --markdown '## Status Update\n\nSummary:\n- Task completed\n - Sub-task done\n- Details'
Insert after a specific heading
$SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py content insert-after-anchor 1abc .. .xyz \ --anchor-type heading \ --anchor-value "Notes" \ --markdown '- New note item\n- Another item'
Insert after the second horizontal rule
$SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py content insert-after-anchor 1abc .. .xyz \ --anchor-type horizontal_rule \ --anchor-value 2 \ --markdown '## New Section\n\nParagraph text here.' formatting apply Apply text formatting to a range of text. $SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py formatting apply DOCUMENT_ID \ --start-index 1 --end-index 20 --bold --italic Arguments: document_id - The Google Docs document ID Options: --start-index - Start position, inclusive (required) --end-index - End position, exclusive (required) --bold - Apply bold formatting --italic - Apply italic formatting --underline - Apply underline formatting --font-size SIZE - Set font size in points Example:
Make title bold and larger
$SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py formatting apply 1abc .. .xyz \ --start-index 1 --end-index 20 --bold --font-size 18
Apply italic to a section
$SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py formatting apply 1abc .. .xyz \ --start-index 50 --end-index 100 --italic
Output:
✓ Formatting applied successfully
Examples Create and populate a document
Create a new document
$SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py documents create --title "Weekly Report"
Add content
$SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py content append $DOC_ID --text "Weekly Report \n \n " $SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py content append $DOC_ID --text "Summary: This week's accomplishments... \n "
Format the title
$SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py formatting apply $DOC_ID --start-index 1 --end-index 14 --bold --font-size 18
Read it back
$SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py documents read $DOC_ID Read and extract content
Get document info
$SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py documents get 1abc .. .xyz
Extract plain text
$SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py documents read 1abc .. .xyz
document.txt
Get document structure
$SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py documents get 1abc .. .xyz Insert formatted content after an anchor
Insert a formatted status update after a horizontal rule
$SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py content insert-after-anchor $DOC_ID \ --anchor-type horizontal_rule \ --markdown '## Weekly Update\n\nCompleted:\n- Feature implementation\n - Backend API\n - Frontend UI\n- Project board' Edit existing content
Insert a new section
$SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py content insert 1abc .. .xyz \ --text " \n \n New Section \n " --index 100
Format the new section header
$SKILL_DIR /scripts/google-docs.py formatting apply 1abc .. .xyz \ --start-index 102 --end-index 113 --bold
Append more content
- $SKILL_DIR
- /scripts/google-docs.py content append 1abc
- ..
- .xyz
- \
- --text
- "Additional details about the new section..."
- Error Handling
- Authentication and scope errors are not retryable.
- If a command fails with an authentication error, insufficient scope error, or permission denied error (exit code 1),
- stop and inform the user
- . Do not retry or attempt to fix the issue autonomously — these errors require user interaction (browser-based OAuth consent). Point the user to the
- OAuth troubleshooting guide
- .
- Retryable errors
- Rate limiting (HTTP 429) and temporary server errors (HTTP 5xx) may succeed on retry after a brief wait. All other errors should be reported to the user. Model Guidance This skill makes API calls requiring structured input/output. A standard-capability model is recommended. Troubleshooting Cannot find document Make sure you're using the correct document ID from the URL: URL: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1abc...xyz/edit Document ID: 1abc...xyz Index errors when inserting/deleting Use documents get to see the document structure and valid index ranges. Remember: Index 0 is before any content Index 1 is at the start of document body The last index is the document length API Reference For advanced usage, see: Google Docs API Documentation Document structure Formatting reference