README.md•12.7 kB
# MCP Google Sheets Server
<a href="https://glama.ai/mcp/servers/@freema/mcp-gsheets">
<img width="380" height="200" src="https://glama.ai/mcp/servers/@freema/mcp-gsheets/badge" />
</a>
[](https://www.npmjs.com/package/mcp-gsheets)
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Google Sheets API integration. Enables reading, writing, and managing Google Sheets documents directly from your MCP client (e.g., Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.).
## Key Features
- **Complete Google Sheets Integration**: Read, write, and manage spreadsheets
- **Advanced Operations**: Batch operations, formatting, charts, and conditional formatting
- **Flexible Authentication**: Support for both file-based and JSON string credentials
- **Production Ready**: Built with TypeScript, comprehensive error handling, and full test coverage
## Requirements
- [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/) v18 or higher
- [Google Cloud Project](https://console.cloud.google.com) with Sheets API enabled
- Service Account with JSON key file
- [npm](https://www.npmjs.com/)
## Getting Started
### Quick Install (Recommended)
Add the following config to your MCP client:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-gsheets": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "mcp-gsheets@latest"],
"env": {
"GOOGLE_PROJECT_ID": "your-project-id",
"GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS": "/absolute/path/to/service-account-key.json"
}
}
}
}
```
> [!NOTE]
> Using `mcp-gsheets@latest` ensures that your MCP client will always use the latest version of the MCP Google Sheets server.
### MCP Client Configuration
<details>
<summary>Claude Code</summary>
Use the Claude Code CLI to add the MCP Google Sheets server (<a href="https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/mcp">guide</a>):
```bash
claude mcp add mcp-gsheets npx mcp-gsheets@latest
```
After adding, edit your Claude Code config to add the required environment variables:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-gsheets": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["mcp-gsheets@latest"],
"env": {
"GOOGLE_PROJECT_ID": "your-project-id",
"GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS": "/absolute/path/to/service-account-key.json"
}
}
}
}
```
</details>
<details>
<summary>Claude Desktop</summary>
Add to your Claude Desktop config:
- macOS: `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
- Windows: `%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json`
- Linux: `~/.config/claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-gsheets": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "mcp-gsheets@latest"],
"env": {
"GOOGLE_PROJECT_ID": "your-project-id",
"GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS": "/absolute/path/to/service-account-key.json"
}
}
}
}
```
</details>
<details>
<summary>Cursor</summary>
Go to `Cursor Settings` → `MCP` → `New MCP Server`. Use the config provided above.
</details>
<details>
<summary>Cline</summary>
Follow https://docs.cline.bot/mcp/configuring-mcp-servers and use the config provided above.
</details>
<details>
<summary>Other MCP Clients</summary>
For other MCP clients, use the standard configuration format shown above. Ensure the `command` is set to `npx` and include the environment variables for Google Cloud authentication.
</details>
### Google Cloud Setup
1. Go to [Google Cloud Console](https://console.cloud.google.com)
2. Create a new project or select existing
3. Enable Google Sheets API:
- Navigate to "APIs & Services" → "Library"
- Search for "Google Sheets API" and click "Enable"
4. Create Service Account:
- Go to "APIs & Services" → "Credentials"
- Click "Create Credentials" → "Service Account"
- Download the JSON key file
5. Share your spreadsheets:
- Open your Google Sheet
- Click Share and add the service account email (from JSON file)
- Grant "Editor" permissions
### Alternative: JSON String Authentication
Instead of using a file path for credentials, you can provide the service account credentials directly as a JSON string. This is useful for containerized environments, CI/CD pipelines, or when you want to avoid managing credential files.
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-gsheets": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "mcp-gsheets@latest"],
"env": {
"GOOGLE_PROJECT_ID": "your-project-id",
"GOOGLE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_KEY": "{\"type\":\"service_account\",\"project_id\":\"your-project\",\"private_key_id\":\"...\",\"private_key\":\"-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----\\n...\\n-----END PRIVATE KEY-----\\n\",\"client_email\":\"...@....iam.gserviceaccount.com\",\"client_id\":\"...\",\"auth_uri\":\"https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/auth\",\"token_uri\":\"https://oauth2.googleapis.com/token\",\"auth_provider_x509_cert_url\":\"https://www.googleapis.com/oauth2/v1/certs\",\"client_x509_cert_url\":\"...\"}"
}
}
}
}
```
**Note**: When using `GOOGLE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_KEY`:
- The entire JSON must be on a single line
- All quotes must be escaped with backslashes
- Newlines in the private key must be represented as `\\n`
- If the JSON includes a `project_id`, you can omit `GOOGLE_PROJECT_ID`
## Local Development Setup
If you want to develop or contribute to this project, you can clone and build it locally:
```bash
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/freema/mcp-gsheets.git
cd mcp-gsheets
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Build the project
npm run build
```
### Interactive Setup Script
Run the interactive setup script to configure your local MCP client:
```bash
npm run setup
```
This will:
- Guide you through the configuration
- Automatically detect your Node.js installation (including nvm)
- Find your Claude Desktop config
- Create the proper JSON configuration
- Optionally create a .env file for development
### Manual Local Configuration
If you prefer manual configuration with a local build, add to your MCP client config:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-gsheets": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/absolute/path/to/mcp-gsheets/dist/index.js"],
"env": {
"GOOGLE_PROJECT_ID": "your-project-id",
"GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS": "/absolute/path/to/service-account-key.json"
}
}
}
}
```
## 📦 Build & Development
### Development Commands
```bash
# Development mode with hot reload
npm run dev
# Build for production
npm run build
# Type checking
npm run typecheck
# Clean build artifacts
npm run clean
# Run MCP inspector for debugging
npm run inspector
# Run MCP inspector in development mode
npm run inspector:dev
```
### Task Runner (Alternative)
If you have [Task](https://taskfile.dev) installed:
```bash
# Install dependencies
task install
# Build the project
task build
# Run in development mode
task dev
# Run linter
task lint
# Format code
task fmt
# Run all checks
task check
```
### Development Setup
1. Create `.env` file for testing:
```bash
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your credentials:
# GOOGLE_PROJECT_ID=your-project-id
# GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS=/path/to/service-account.json
# TEST_SPREADSHEET_ID=your-test-spreadsheet-id
```
2. Run in development mode:
```bash
npm run dev # Watch mode with auto-reload
```
## 📋 Available Tools
### Reading Data
- `sheets_get_values` - Read from a range
- `sheets_batch_get_values` - Read from multiple ranges
- `sheets_get_metadata` - Get spreadsheet info
- `sheets_check_access` - Check access permissions
### Writing Data
- `sheets_update_values` - Write to a range
- `sheets_batch_update_values` - Write to multiple ranges
- `sheets_append_values` - Append rows to a table (**Note:** Default `insertDataOption` is `OVERWRITE`. To insert new rows, set `insertDataOption: 'INSERT_ROWS'`)
- `sheets_clear_values` - Clear cell contents
- `sheets_insert_rows` - Insert new rows at specific position with optional data
### Sheet Management
- `sheets_insert_sheet` - Add new sheet
- `sheets_delete_sheet` - Remove sheet
- `sheets_duplicate_sheet` - Copy sheet
- `sheets_copy_to` - Copy to another spreadsheet
- `sheets_update_sheet_properties` - Update sheet settings
### Batch Operations
- `sheets_batch_delete_sheets` - Delete multiple sheets at once
- `sheets_batch_format_cells` - Format multiple cell ranges at once
### Cell Formatting
- `sheets_format_cells` - Format cells (colors, fonts, alignment, number formats)
- `sheets_update_borders` - Add or modify cell borders
- `sheets_merge_cells` - Merge cells together
- `sheets_unmerge_cells` - Unmerge previously merged cells
- `sheets_add_conditional_formatting` - Add conditional formatting rules
### Charts
- `sheets_create_chart` - Create various types of charts
- `sheets_update_chart` - Modify existing charts
- `sheets_delete_chart` - Remove charts
## 🔧 Code Quality
### Linting
```bash
# Run ESLint
npm run lint
# Fix auto-fixable issues
npm run lint:fix
```
### Formatting
```bash
# Check formatting with Prettier
npm run format:check
# Format code
npm run format
```
### Type Checking
```bash
# Run TypeScript type checking
npm run typecheck
```
## ❗ Troubleshooting
### Common Issues
**"Authentication failed"**
- If using file-based auth: Verify JSON key path is absolute and correct
- If using JSON string auth: Ensure JSON is properly escaped and valid
- Check GOOGLE_PROJECT_ID matches your project (or is included in JSON)
- Ensure Sheets API is enabled
**"Permission denied"**
- Share spreadsheet with service account email
- Service account needs "Editor" role
- Check email in JSON file (client_email field)
**"Spreadsheet not found"**
- Verify spreadsheet ID from URL
- Format: `https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/[SPREADSHEET_ID]/edit`
**MCP Connection Issues**
- Ensure you're using the built version (`dist/index.js`)
- Check that Node.js path is correct in Claude Desktop config
- Look for errors in Claude Desktop logs
- Use `npm run inspector` to debug
## 🔍 Finding IDs
### Spreadsheet ID
From the URL:
```
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BxiMVs0XRA5nFMdKvBdBZjgmUUqptlbs74OgvE2upms/edit
↑ This is the spreadsheet ID
```
### Sheet ID
Use `sheets_get_metadata` to list all sheets with their IDs.
## 📝 Tips
1. Always test with a copy of your data
2. Use batch operations for better performance
3. Set appropriate permissions (read-only vs edit)
4. Check rate limits for large operations
5. Use `sheets_check_access` to verify permissions before operations
## 📘 Tool Details
### sheets_insert_rows
Insert new rows at a specific position in a spreadsheet with optional data.
**Parameters:**
- `spreadsheetId` (required): The ID of the spreadsheet
- `range` (required): A1 notation anchor point where rows will be inserted (e.g., "Sheet1!A5")
- `rows` (optional): Number of rows to insert (default: 1)
- `position` (optional): 'BEFORE' or 'AFTER' the anchor row (default: 'BEFORE')
- `inheritFromBefore` (optional): Whether to inherit formatting from the row before (default: false)
- `values` (optional): 2D array of values to fill the newly inserted rows
- `valueInputOption` (optional): 'RAW' or 'USER_ENTERED' (default: 'USER_ENTERED')
**Examples:**
```javascript
// Insert 1 empty row before row 5
{
"spreadsheetId": "your-spreadsheet-id",
"range": "Sheet1!A5"
}
// Insert 3 rows after row 10 with data
{
"spreadsheetId": "your-spreadsheet-id",
"range": "Sheet1!A10",
"rows": 3,
"position": "AFTER",
"values": [
["John", "Doe", "john@example.com"],
["Jane", "Smith", "jane@example.com"],
["Bob", "Johnson", "bob@example.com"]
]
}
```
## 📋 Changelog
See [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md) for a list of changes in each version.
## 🤝 Contributing
1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (`git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature`)
3. Run tests and linting (`npm run check`)
4. Commit your changes (`git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature'`)
5. Push to the branch (`git push origin feature/amazing-feature`)
6. Open a Pull Request
## 📄 License
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for details.