recipe-create-vacation-responder: a Google Workspace CLI skill for Claude

Makes Claude turn on your Gmail out-of-office auto-reply with a custom message.

Installs: 30.3K; on skills.sh
Stars: 32K; on GitHub
Updated: Oct 2026; last repo commit

recipe-create-vacation-responder is a 3-step recipe for Claude. It turns on the Gmail vacation responder with a subject and message, reads the setting back to check it, and gives you the command to turn it off when you return. The example message says you are out until Jan 20, so tell Claude your own dates and backup contact.

It needs the gws command-line tool installed and signed in to your Google account, plus these skills, which the install box adds: gws-shared, gws-gmail. Claude runs the gws commands in your terminal, so it works in an agent that can run shell commands. Ask for the job in plain words and give your own names, dates and addresses.

Good for

Anyone who forgets to set an out-of-office before leaving
Managers who want a consistent away message for the team
Claude Code or Codex users who already run the gws command-line tool

Install recipe-create-vacation-responder

Claude Code

Copy this prompt.

Install the recipe-create-vacation-responder 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 or newer.

Read-only mode: Add --dry-run to a gws command to check the request without calling the API.

Run all three steps in order. The skills only drive the gws program, so it must be installed and signed in first. The skills CLI adds 3 skills: gws-shared, gws-gmail, recipe-create-vacation-responder. At sign-in, choose only the Google services this skill needs, for example gws auth login -s drive,gmail,sheets. The README warns that the full recommended scope list fails for unverified apps, and gives a manual OAuth route if gcloud is not available. The Claude app is not covered: the README does not document it, and gws has to run on your own computer.

From the project README. Source.

What's in the skill

When it loads

Enable a Gmail out-of-office auto-reply with a custom message and date range.

Sections in SKILL.md

Steps

Key facts

Author: googleworkspace (GitHub organisation that owns the repo)
Status: Not an officially supported Google product
Repo: googleworkspace/cli, folder skills/recipe-create-vacation-responder
License: Apache-2.0
Skill version: 0.22.5
Installs on skills.sh: 30,335 as of 2026-11-02
GitHub stars: 32,038 as of 2026-11-02 (whole repo)
Last repo commit: 2026-10-30
Files: 1 file: SKILL.md
Needs: The gws program, Node.js 18+ for the npm install, and a Google Cloud project for sign-in
skills.sh audits: Gen Agent Trust Hub pass, Socket pass, Snyk pass

What it includes

Claude loads the listed skills before it starts
SKILL.md opens with a note to load gws-gmail to run this recipe.
Prerequisite: load gws-gmail
Turns on the auto-reply with your subject and message
The example sets restrictToContacts and restrictToDomain to false.
Runs code · Step 1: Enable the vacation responder
Reads the vacation setting back
Shows what Gmail has stored so you can check the message.
Runs code · Step 2: Verify settings
Turns the auto-reply off again
Sets enableAutoReply to false. Ask Claude to run it when you return.
Runs code · Step 3: Disable when back

From the official docs

Permissions

Medium risk

It changes how your Gmail answers other people. Sign in with only the Google service this skill needs, and ask Claude to confirm each change before it runs.

What it can do

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

Watch out for

It changes how your Gmail answers other people
The example sets restrictToContacts and restrictToDomain to false. Check the message, who it goes to and the dates, then turn it off when you are back. github.com
Sign in with only the Google service you need
gws signs in with OAuth through a Google Cloud project, and your choice at gws auth login decides what it can reach. The README says the full recommended preset has 85+ scopes and fails for unverified apps. github.com
gws is not an official Google product
The README says so, and warns to expect breaking changes before v1.0. Its npm route downloads the gws binary from GitHub Releases. github.com

Technical details

Turning on read-only	gws has a --dry-run flag that validates a request locally without calling the API.
Talks to	Google Workspace APIs, called by the gws program. Google Discovery Service, which gws reads at runtime
Sign-in and keys	gws signs in with Google OAuth. The README says 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 services you choose at gws auth login: gmail

Questions

What do I get from recipe-create-vacation-responder?

An out-of-office auto-reply on your Gmail account, a read-back of the setting, and a command to turn it off. The subject, message, date and backup address in SKILL.md are examples.

How do I install recipe-create-vacation-responder?

Use the install box at the top of this page. It adds recipe-create-vacation-responder, gws-shared and gws-gmail with the skills CLI. You also need the gws program installed and signed in to Google, which the first two steps in the box cover. The README lists Node.js 18+ for the npm install and a Google Cloud project for sign-in.

Do I need a Google Cloud project or an API key?

You need a Google Cloud project for sign-in. The README describes OAuth sign-in with a Google account, and it also supports a service account file or a pre-obtained access token. gws auth setup creates the project for you but needs the gcloud CLI. Without gcloud, the README has a manual OAuth route. In testing mode Google limits an unverified app to about 25 scopes, so pick individual services at sign-in.

Is recipe-create-vacation-responder safe to run?

Use it with care. It changes how your Gmail answers other people. The gws-shared skill tells the agent to confirm write and delete commands with you and to prefer --dry-run for destructive operations. The README says gws is not an officially supported Google product and that breaking changes are expected before v1.0. Watch the first run yourself.

Does recipe-create-vacation-responder work in the Claude app or Codex?

The install box has Claude Code and Codex tabs that use the skills CLI. The README does not document the Claude app, and the skill only drives a gws program installed on your own computer. The README also documents OpenClaw and a Gemini CLI extension for the repo's skills.

How do I turn the auto-reply off?

Step 3 of the recipe sets enableAutoReply to false. Ask Claude to run it when you are back.

Does it set a start and end date?

No. The SKILL.md description says "custom message and date range", but step 1 sets only enableAutoReply, the subject, the plain-text body and the two restrict flags. The date in the example (Jan 20) appears only inside the message text. Step 3 is how the recipe turns the reply off.

Information

updated Nov 2, 2026

Repository: googleworkspace/cli
Folder: skills/recipe-create-vacation-responder

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
recipe-create-vacation-responder SKILL.md · github.com
gws-gmail SKILL.md · github.com