Claude MCP x Google Docs

Connect Claude Desktop (or other MCP clients) to your Google Docs!

This server uses the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and the fastmcp library to provide tools for reading and appending text to Google Documents. It acts as a bridge, allowing AI assistants like Claude to interact with your documents programmatically.

Features:

• Read Documents: Provides a readGoogleDoc tool to fetch the text content of a specified Google Doc.
• Append to Documents: Provides an appendToGoogleDoc tool to add text to the end of a specified Google Doc.
• Format Text (by Content): Provides a formatMatchingText tool to find specific text and apply character formatting (bold, color, etc.) to it. This is the primary method for formatting.
• Google Authentication: Handles the OAuth 2.0 flow to securely authorize access to your Google Account.
• MCP Compliant: Designed for use with MCP clients like Claude Desktop.

Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have:

1. Node.js and npm: A recent version of Node.js (which includes npm) installed on your computer. You can download it from nodejs.org. (Version 18 or higher recommended).
2. Git: Required for cloning this repository. (Download Git).
3. A Google Account: The account that owns or has access to the Google Docs you want to interact with.
4. Command Line Familiarity: Basic comfort using a terminal or command prompt (like Terminal on macOS/Linux, or Command Prompt/PowerShell on Windows).
5. Claude Desktop (Optional): If your goal is to connect this server to Claude, you'll need the Claude Desktop application installed.

Setup Instructions

Follow these steps carefully to get your own instance of the server running.

Step 1: Google Cloud Project & Credentials (The Important Bit!)

This server needs permission to talk to Google APIs on your behalf. You'll create special "keys" (credentials) that only your server will use.

1. Go to Google Cloud Console: Open your web browser and go to the Google Cloud Console. You might need to log in with your Google Account.
2. Create or Select a Project:
   • If you don't have a project, click the project dropdown near the top and select "NEW PROJECT". Give it a name (e.g., "My MCP Docs Server") and click "CREATE".
   • If you have existing projects, you can select one or create a new one.
3. Enable APIs: You need to turn on the specific Google services this server uses.
   • In the search bar at the top, type "APIs & Services" and select "Library".
   • Search for "Google Docs API" and click on it. Then click the "ENABLE" button.
   • Search for "Google Drive API" and click on it. Then click the "ENABLE" button (this is often needed for finding files or permissions).
4. Configure OAuth Consent Screen: This screen tells users (usually just you) what your app wants permission for.
   • On the left menu, click "APIs & Services" -> "OAuth consent screen".
   • Choose User Type: Select "External" and click "CREATE".
   • Fill in App Information:
     • App name: Give it a name users will see (e.g., "Claude Docs MCP Access").
     • User support email: Select your email address.
     • Developer contact information: Enter your email address.
   • Click "SAVE AND CONTINUE".
   • Scopes: Click "ADD OR REMOVE SCOPES". Search for and add the following scopes:
     • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents (Allows reading/writing docs)
     • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive.file (Allows access to specific files opened/created by the app)
     • Click "UPDATE".
   • Click "SAVE AND CONTINUE".
   • Test Users: Click "ADD USERS". Enter the same Google email address you are logged in with. Click "ADD". This allows you to use the app while it's in "testing" mode.
   • Click "SAVE AND CONTINUE". Review the summary and click "BACK TO DASHBOARD".
5. Create Credentials (The Keys!):
   • On the left menu, click "APIs & Services" -> "Credentials".
   • Click "+ CREATE CREDENTIALS" at the top and choose "OAuth client ID".
   • Application type: Select "Desktop app" from the dropdown.
   • Name: Give it a name (e.g., "MCP Docs Desktop Client").
   • Click "CREATE".
6. ⬇️ DOWNLOAD THE CREDENTIALS FILE: A box will pop up showing your Client ID. Click the "DOWNLOAD JSON" button.
   • Save this file. It will likely be named something like client_secret_....json.
   • IMPORTANT: Rename the downloaded file to exactly credentials.json.
7. ⚠️ SECURITY WARNING: Treat this credentials.json file like a password! Do not share it publicly, and never commit it to GitHub. Anyone with this file could potentially pretend to be your application (though they'd still need user consent to access data).

Step 2: Get the Server Code

1. Clone the Repository: Open your terminal/command prompt and run:
   git clone https://github.com/a-bonus/google-docs-mcp.git mcp-googledocs-server
2. Navigate into Directory:
   cd mcp-googledocs-server
3. Place Credentials: Move or copy the credentials.json file you downloaded and renamed (from Step 1.6) directly into this mcp-googledocs-server folder.

Step 3: Install Dependencies

Your server needs some helper libraries specified in the package.json file.

1. In your terminal (make sure you are inside the mcp-googledocs-server directory), run:
   npm install
   This will download and install all the necessary packages into a node_modules folder.

Step 4: Build the Server Code

The server is written in TypeScript (.ts), but we need to compile it into JavaScript (.js) that Node.js can run directly.

1. In your terminal, run:
   npm run build
   This uses the TypeScript compiler (tsc) to create a dist folder containing the compiled JavaScript files.

Step 5: First Run & Google Authorization (One Time Only)

Now you need to run the server once manually to grant it permission to access your Google account data. This will create a token.json file that saves your permission grant.

1. In your terminal, run the compiled server using node:
   node ./dist/server.js
2. Watch the Terminal: The script will print:
   • Status messages (like "Attempting to authorize...").
   • An "Authorize this app by visiting this url:" message followed by a long https://accounts.google.com/... URL.
3. Authorize in Browser:
   • Copy the entire long URL from the terminal.
   • Paste the URL into your web browser and press Enter.
   • Log in with the same Google account you added as a Test User in Step 1.4.
   • Google will show a screen asking for permission for your app ("Claude Docs MCP Access" or similar) to access Google Docs/Drive. Review and click "Allow" or "Grant".
4. Get the Authorization Code:
   • After clicking Allow, your browser will likely try to redirect to http://localhost and show a "This site can't be reached" error. THIS IS NORMAL!
   • Look carefully at the URL in your browser's address bar. It will look like http://localhost/?code=4/0Axxxxxxxxxxxxxx&scope=...
   • Copy the long string of characters between code= and the &scope part. This is your single-use authorization code.
5. Paste Code into Terminal: Go back to your terminal where the script is waiting ("Enter the code from that page here:"). Paste the code you just copied.
6. Press Enter.
7. Success! The script should print:
   • "Authentication successful!"
   • "Token stored to .../token.json"
   • It will then finish starting and likely print "Awaiting MCP client connection via stdio..." or similar, and then exit (or you can press Ctrl+C to stop it).
8. ✅ Check: You should now see a new file named token.json in your mcp-googledocs-server folder.
9. ⚠️ SECURITY WARNING: This token.json file contains the key that allows the server to access your Google account without asking again. Protect it like a password. Do not commit it to GitHub. The included .gitignore file should prevent this automatically.

Step 6: Configure Claude Desktop (Optional)

If you want to use this server with Claude Desktop, you need to tell Claude how to run it.

1. Find Your Absolute Path: You need the full path to the server code.
   • In your terminal, make sure you are still inside the mcp-googledocs-server directory.
   • Run the pwd command (on macOS/Linux) or cd (on Windows, just displays the path).
   • Copy the full path (e.g., /Users/yourname/projects/mcp-googledocs-server or C:\Users\yourname\projects\mcp-googledocs-server).
2. Locate mcp_config.json: Find Claude's configuration file:
   • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/mcp_config.json (You might need to use Finder's "Go" -> "Go to Folder..." menu and paste ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/)
   • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\mcp_config.json (Paste %APPDATA%\Claude into File Explorer's address bar)
   • Linux: ~/.config/Claude/mcp_config.json
   • If the Claude folder or mcp_config.json file doesn't exist, create them.
3. Edit mcp_config.json: Open the file in a text editor. Add or modify the mcpServers section like this, replacing /PATH/TO/YOUR/CLONED/REPO with the actual absolute path you copied in Step 6.1:
   { "mcpServers": { "google-docs-mcp": { "command": "node", "args": [ "/PATH/TO/YOUR/CLONED/REPO/mcp-googledocs-server/dist/server.js" ], "env": {} } // Add commas here if you have other servers defined } // Other Claude settings might be here }
   • Make sure the path in "args" is correct and absolute!
   • If the file already existed, carefully merge this entry into the existing mcpServers object. Ensure the JSON is valid (check commas!).
4. Save mcp_config.json.
5. Restart Claude Desktop: Close Claude completely and reopen it.

Usage with Claude Desktop

Once configured, you should be able to use the tools in your chats with Claude:

• "Use the google-docs-mcp server to read the document with ID YOUR_GOOGLE_DOC_ID."
• "Can you get the content of Google Doc YOUR_GOOGLE_DOC_ID?"
• "Append 'This was added by Claude!' to document YOUR_GOOGLE_DOC_ID using the google-docs-mcp tool."
• "Using google-docs-mcp, make the text 'Important Section' bold in document YOUR_GOOGLE_DOC_ID using the formatMatchingText tool."
• "Use formatMatchingText via google-docs-mcp to find the first instance of 'Project Alpha' and make it blue (#0000FF) in doc YOUR_GOOGLE_DOC_ID."

Remember to replace YOUR_GOOGLE_DOC_ID with the actual ID from a Google Doc's URL (the long string between /d/ and /edit).

Claude will automatically launch your server in the background when needed using the command you provided. You do not need to run node ./dist/server.js manually anymore.

Security & Token Storage

• .gitignore: This repository includes a .gitignore file which should prevent you from accidentally committing your sensitive credentials.json and token.json files. Do not remove these lines from .gitignore.
• Token Storage: This server stores the Google authorization token (token.json) directly in the project folder for simplicity during setup. In production or more security-sensitive environments, consider storing this token more securely, such as using system keychains, encrypted files, or dedicated secret management services.

Troubleshooting

• Claude shows "Failed" or "Could not attach":
  • Double-check the absolute path in mcp_config.json.
  • Ensure you ran npm run build successfully and the dist folder exists.
  • Try running the command from mcp_config.json manually in your terminal: node /PATH/TO/YOUR/CLONED/REPO/mcp-googledocs-server/dist/server.js. Look for any errors printed.
  • Check the Claude Desktop logs (see the official MCP debugging guide).
  • Make sure all console.log status messages in the server code were changed to console.error.
• Google Authorization Errors:
  • Ensure you enabled the correct APIs (Docs, Drive).
  • Make sure you added your email as a Test User on the OAuth Consent Screen.
  • Verify the credentials.json file is correctly placed in the project root.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details. (Note: You should add a LICENSE file containing the MIT License text to your repository).