gws-docs Skill for Claude: Read and Write Google Docs with gws

gws-docs lets Claude read, create and add text to your Google Docs by running the gws command-line tool.

Installs: 59.2K; on skills.sh
Stars: 32K; on GitHub
Updated: Oct 2026; last repo commit

This skill is part of the Google Workspace CLI repo (googleworkspace/cli). It is a command reference for gws docs, with one helper, +write, that appends plain text to the end of a document. The raw API methods are documents.get, documents.create and documents.batchUpdate.

It does not work alone. The SKILL.md tells Claude to read the gws-shared skill first for sign-in, global flags and security rules, and the gws program must be installed. The README says this is not an officially supported Google product.

Good for

People who want Claude to append notes to a shared doc
Developers scripting Docs from the terminal
Teams filing agent output into Google Docs

Install gws-docs

Claude Code

Copy this prompt.

Install the gws-docs skill in Claude Code. Run this command:

npx skills add https://github.com/googleworkspace/cli/tree/main/skills/gws-shared
npx skills add https://github.com/googleworkspace/cli/tree/main/skills/gws-docs
npx skills add https://github.com/googleworkspace/cli/tree/main/skills/gws-docs-write

Then check that it loaded and tell me how to use it.

2
Paste it into Claude Code. It shows the change and asks before running it.

Requires Node.js.

Each skill needs its own npx skills add line, as the README shows. gws-shared holds the sign-in and security rules, and gws-docs-write holds +write. If you have no gcloud CLI, use the README's manual OAuth setup instead of gws auth setup.

From the project README. Source.

What's in the skill

When it loads

Read and write Google Docs.

Sections in SKILL.md

Helper Commands
API Resources
documents
Discovering Commands

Key facts

Author: googleworkspace (GitHub repo owner)
Repo: googleworkspace/cli
Installs on skills.sh: 59,177 as of 2026-11-02
GitHub stars (repo): 32,038 as of 2026-11-02
Last repo commit: 2026-10-30
License: Apache-2.0
Files: 1 file (SKILL.md only). The `+write` helper is a separate skill, gws-docs-write.
Skill version in SKILL.md: 0.22.5
Works in: Agent Skills hosts through the skills CLI, plus a Gemini CLI extension and OpenClaw (README)
Status: Not an officially supported Google product (README)
skills.sh audits: Gen Agent Trust Hub pass, Socket pass, Snyk warn

What it includes

Call any Docs API method
The only resource is documents. Flags such as --params and --json carry the request.
Network · gws docs <resource> <method>
Append text to a document
Needs a document ID and the text. Text goes at the end of the body. The gws-docs-write skill marks it as a write command to confirm first.
Write · +write
Get the latest version of a document
Reads the document's current content.
Network · documents.get
Create a blank document
Uses only the title. Other fields in the request, including content, are ignored.
Write · documents.create
Apply one or more updates
Each request is validated first. If any request is invalid, none is applied.
Write · documents.batchUpdate
Look up a method before calling it
Shows required parameters, types and defaults so Claude can build --params and --json.
Runs code · gws schema docs.<resource>.<method>

From the official docs

Permissions

Medium risk

Claude acts as you in Google Docs and can append, create and batch-update. Sign in with the Docs service only and confirm every write.

What it can do

Read your data
Create and change things
Delete things
Read-only mode

Watch out for

It can change real documents
`+write`, `create` and `batchUpdate` are writes under your Google account. Ask Claude to show the command and use --dry-run before it writes.
Sign in with only the services you need
The README warns the recommended scope preset has 85+ scopes. Use `gws auth login -s docs` so the token only covers Docs.
The tool is not an official Google product and is changing
The README says gws is not an officially supported Google product and expects breaking changes before v1.0. Pin the version you tested.
Credentials live on your machine
Interactive credentials are stored encrypted. Other routes in the README use an exported credentials file or a token in an environment variable, so keep those out of repos.
The required gws-shared skill adds GitHub prompts
The gws-shared SKILL.md, which this skill tells Claude to read first, says to encourage users to star the repository and to direct bug reports to its issue tracker. Decline anything you did not ask for.

Technical details

Talks to	Google Workspace APIs (via gws)
Sign-in and keys	The README says interactive credentials are encrypted at rest (AES-256-GCM) with the key in your OS keyring, or in ~/.config/gws/.encryption_key when the file backend is chosen.
Scopes	Google OAuth scopes you pick at login (the README suggests gws auth login -s docs)

Questions

What does the gws-docs skill do?

It teaches Claude the gws docs commands. Claude can read a Google Doc, create a blank one, add text to the end of one and send batch updates through Google's Docs API using the gws program on your machine.

How do I set it up?

Use the install box above: install the gws program, add the skills, then sign in. The README says to use gws auth setup with the gcloud CLI, or a manual OAuth setup without it. In the manual OAuth setup the README says you must add yourself as a test user.

Does it need other skills?

Yes. The SKILL.md says to read gws-shared first, and its helper command links to gws-docs-write. The install box adds both.

Can it rewrite formatting?

+write only appends plain text. The gws-docs-write skill says to use the raw batchUpdate API for rich formatting.

Can it edit or delete my documents?

It can append text, create documents and send batch updates, which are all writes. The shared rules tell Claude to confirm with you before any write or delete command and to prefer --dry-run for destructive ones.

Does it work in Cursor, Codex or the Claude app?

The README says the skills install through the skills CLI for Agent Skills hosts, and also gives a Gemini CLI extension and OpenClaw route. It does not cover the Claude app.

Is it safe to use?

It signs in as you and can change your documents, so it acts with your Google permissions. Sign in with only the Docs service, ask Claude to use --dry-run first, and confirm every write.

Information

updated Nov 2, 2026

Repository: googleworkspace/cli
Folder: skills/gws-docs

googleworkspace/cli skills.sh

Sources

Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from.

Show all 4

googleworkspace/cli README · github.com
gws-shared SKILL.md · github.com
gws-docs SKILL.md · github.com
gws-docs-write SKILL.md · github.com