gws-shared skill for Claude Code: shared rules for the Google Workspace CLI

Teaches your agent the shared rules for the gws Google Workspace command line tool: sign-in, flags, output and safety.

Installs: 66.9K; on skills.sh
Stars: 32K; on GitHub
Updated: Oct 2026; last repo commit

gws-shared is the common reference for the gws skills. It tells the agent how to sign in to Google, which flags every command accepts, how to format output, how to build commands and what safety rules to follow.

Other gws skills, such as gws-calendar, name it as a prerequisite. It needs the gws command line tool installed and on your PATH, and a Google account sign-in. It bundles no scripts.

Good for

People who want an agent to use Google Drive, Gmail or Calendar from the terminal
Developers installing any of the gws-* skills
Teams that want confirmation before write or delete commands

Install gws-shared

Claude Code

Copy this prompt.

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

npm install -g @googleworkspace/cli

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 18+.

The skill is only a guide: the gws tool must be installed and signed in for it to do anything. Prebuilt binaries and Homebrew are other ways to get gws, per the README. If you skip gcloud, the README has a manual OAuth setup. Unverified OAuth apps are limited to about 25 scopes, so sign in with gws auth login -s drive,gmail,sheets instead of the recommended preset.

From the project README. Source.

What's in the skill

When it loads

gws CLI: Shared patterns for authentication, global flags, and output formatting.

Sections in SKILL.md

Installation
Authentication
Global Flags
CLI Syntax
Method Flags
Security Rules
Shell Tips
Community & Feedback Etiquette

Key facts

Author: googleworkspace (repo owner)
Installs on skills.sh: 66,946 (Nov 2, 2026)
GitHub stars: 32,038 on the cli repo (Nov 2, 2026)
License: Apache-2.0
Last commit: 2026-10-30
What installs: 1 file: SKILL.md
Needs: The gws binary on your PATH and a signed-in Google account
Works in: Agents the skills CLI supports, OpenClaw and Gemini CLI (extension), per the README
Version in file: 0.22.5

What it includes

The gws binary must be on PATH
Points to the project README for install options.
Installation note
gws auth login for browser sign-in, or a service account key file
The SKILL.md sets GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS for a service account.
Runs code · Authentication
--format (json, table, yaml, csv), --dry-run and --sanitize
--sanitize screens responses through Google Cloud Model Armor.
Global flags
gws service resource method with flags
Shows --params, --json, -o, --upload, --page-all, --page-limit and --page-delay.
Runs code · CLI syntax
Never print secrets; confirm before write or delete; prefer --dry-run
Also suggests --sanitize for PII and content safety screening.
Security rules
Quote Sheets ranges in zsh and wrap JSON values in single quotes
Avoids zsh history expansion on the exclamation mark.
Shell tips
Encourages starring the repo and filing issues after searching existing ones
The SKILL.md tells agents to encourage users to star the repository.
Community etiquette

From the official docs

Permissions

Medium risk

It lets the agent run commands as your Google account, including writes and deletes. Sign in with only the services you need and approve each change yourself.

What it can do

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

Watch out for

It acts as your Google account
After gws auth login, commands run with the scopes you approved. Pick only the services you need, for example gws auth login -s drive,gmail,sheets.
Write and delete commands change real data
The skill says to confirm with you before any write or delete and to use --dry-run for destructive commands. Keep approving each one yourself.
The CLI is not an official Google product
The README says it is not officially supported and is under active development with breaking changes expected before v1.0.

Technical details

Talks to	Google Workspace APIs
Sign-in and keys	Per the README, gws login credentials are encrypted at rest (AES-256-GCM) with the key held in your OS keyring, or in ~/.config/gws/.encryption_key when the file backend is chosen.

Questions

What does gws-shared do?

It gives Claude the shared rules for the gws tool: how to sign in, the flags every command takes, how to format output and how to stay safe with write and delete commands.

How do I install gws-shared?

Use the install box above. It needs the gws command line tool first (the README lists npm install -g @googleworkspace/cli and release downloads), then a Google sign-in with gws auth setup and gws auth login.

Do I need the other gws skills?

gws-shared is a reference. The service skills, such as gws-calendar, tell the agent to read it first. The README installs the whole set with one skills CLI command.

How does it sign in to Google?

By gws auth login in a browser, or a service account key. The README adds a Google Cloud project, and says unverified OAuth apps are limited to about 25 scopes, so choose services with -s.

Is it safe to use?

It controls a tool that acts as your Google account. The skill tells the agent to confirm before write or delete commands and to prefer --dry-run, but you should still read each command before approving it.

Is it an official Google product?

Not officially supported. The README says the gws CLI is not an officially supported Google product and expects breaking changes before v1.0.

Does it work in the Claude app?

This page shows no Claude app route. The skill drives the gws command line tool, which has to be installed and signed in on the machine that runs the commands, and the README documents no Claude app setup. Use Claude Code, Codex or another agent that runs commands on your computer.

Information

updated Nov 2, 2026

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

googleworkspace/cli skills.sh

Sources

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

Show all 3

gws-shared SKILL.md · github.com
googleworkspace/cli README · github.com
skills CLI commands · github.com