Introduction
# Google Sheets API Skill (Advanced)
## Purpose Provide a production-ready Google Sheets CLI for OpenClaw. This skill supports data reads/writes, batch operations, formatting, and sheet management with service account authentication.
## Best fit - You need a repeatable CLI for automation tasks. - You want JSON-in/JSON-out for pipelines. - You need more than basic read/write (formatting, sheet ops, batch updates).
## Not a fit - You must use end-user OAuth consent flows (this skill is service-account focused). - You only need lightweight, one-off edits.
## One-time setup 1. Create or select a Google Cloud project. 2. Enable the Google Sheets API. 3. Create a service account and download its JSON key. 4. Share target spreadsheets with the service account email.
## Install ```bash cd google-sheet-api npm install ```
## Run ```bash node scripts/sheets-cli.js help node scripts/sheets-cli.js read <spreadsheetId> "Sheet1!A1:C10" node scripts/sheets-cli.js append <spreadsheetId> "Sheet1!A:B" '@data.json' ```
You can also use npm: ```bash npm run sheets -- read <spreadsheetId> "Sheet1!A1:C10" ```
## Credentials Supported sources (first match wins): - `GOOGLE_SHEETS_CREDENTIALS_JSON` (inline JSON string) - `GOOGLE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_KEY` (file path) - `GOOGLE_SHEETS_KEY_FILE` (file path) - `GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS` (file path) - `./service-account.json`, `./credentials.json`, `./google-service-account.json` - `~/.config/google-sheets/credentials.json`
## Input conventions - JSON values can be inline or loaded from file using `@path`. - Write/append expect a 2D array of values.
Example `data.json`: ```json [["Name","Score"],["Alice",95]] ```
## Command map (high level) Data: - `read`, `write`, `append`, `clear`, `batchGet`, `batchWrite`
Formatting: - `format`, `getFormat`, `borders`, `merge`, `unmerge`, `copyFormat`
Layout: - `resize`, `autoResize`, `freeze`
Sheets: - `create`, `info`, `addSheet`, `deleteSheet`, `renameSheet`
Advanced: - `batch` (raw `spreadsheets.batchUpdate` requests)
## Operational guidance - Prefer read-only scope for read workflows when possible. - Add retry with exponential backoff for `429` and transient `5xx` errors. - Keep request payloads small to avoid limit issues.
## Expected output - JSON to stdout; non-zero exit code on errors.
## Security notes - Never log or commit service account keys. - Share spreadsheets only with the service account email required by this skill.