Log Automation — Append log entries to Google Sheet

Google Sheets Log Automation. Use when the user wants to append log entries, record audit trails, or automate event logging to a pre-configured Google Sheet (PortEden Secure access).

porteden sheets-logger

Append log entries to a Google Sheet with porteden sheets. This skill configures a target log spreadsheet via environment variable so agents can record events, activity logs, and audit trails without repeating the file ID. Use -jc flags for AI-optimized output.

If porteden is not installed: brew install porteden/tap/porteden (or go install github.com/porteden/cli/cmd/porteden@latest).

Setup

1. Authenticate (once)

• Browser login (recommended): porteden auth login — opens browser, credentials stored in system keyring
• Direct token: porteden auth login --token <key> — stored in system keyring
• Verify: porteden auth status
• If PE_API_KEY is set in the environment, the CLI uses it automatically (no login needed).
• Drive access requires a token with driveAccessEnabled: true and a connected Google account with Drive scopes.

2. Set the target log sheet (one-time)

If PE_SHEET_ID is already set, skip to step 3 — the target sheet is configured.

If PE_SHEET_ID is not set, find the spreadsheet by name:

bash

porteden drive files -q "Activity Log" --mime-type application/vnd.google-apps.spreadsheet -jc

Copy the id field from the result (already provider-prefixed, e.g., google:1BxiMVs0XRA5...) and set it:

bash

export PE_SHEET_ID="google:1BxiMVs0XRA5nFMdKvBdBZjgmU..."

To persist across sessions, add to your shell profile (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc) or .env file. Once set, this step does not need to be repeated.

3. Test the connection (one-time)

bash

porteden sheets info $PE_SHEET_ID -jc

Expected: returns spreadsheet title, sheet tabs, and dimensions. If this fails, verify the file ID and that your token has Drive access. Once verified, skip this step in future runs.

4. Read the header row (one-time)

Before logging, confirm the column layout of the target sheet:

bash

porteden sheets read $PE_SHEET_ID --range "Sheet1!1:1" -jc

Match your log entries to this column order. Once you know the schema, skip this step in future runs.

Logging data

Append a log entry

Append adds rows after the last row with data. Existing log entries are never overwritten.

• Single log entry:

  bash

  porteden sheets append $PE_SHEET_ID --range "Sheet1!A:E" --values '[["2025-01-15T09:30:00Z","deploy","production","v2.4.1 released","success"]]'
  

• Multiple log entries (batch):

  bash

  porteden sheets append $PE_SHEET_ID --range "Sheet1!A:E" --values '[["2025-01-15T09:30:00Z","deploy","production","v2.4.1 released","success"],["2025-01-15T09:31:12Z","healthcheck","production","all endpoints healthy","success"]]'
  

• Log entry from CSV string:

  bash

  porteden sheets append $PE_SHEET_ID --range "Sheet1!A:E" --csv "2025-01-15T09:30:00Z,deploy,production,v2.4.1 released,success"
  

• Bulk log import from CSV file:

  bash

  porteden sheets append $PE_SHEET_ID --range "Sheet1!A:E" --csv-file ./events.csv
  

Verify logged entries

Read back recent rows to confirm the log was recorded:

bash

porteden sheets read $PE_SHEET_ID --range "Sheet1" -jc

Log schema examples

Structure your log sheet with a header row. Common schemas:

Event log: Timestamp | Event | Source | Details | Status

Audit trail: Timestamp | Actor | Action | Resource | Before | After

Error log: Timestamp | Severity | Service | Message | Stack

Task log: Timestamp | Task | Agent | Input | Output | Duration

Best practices

1. Always use append — logging is append-only by nature. Never use write to overwrite log entries.
2. Include a timestamp in every entry — use ISO 8601 format (2025-01-15T09:30:00Z) for sortability and consistency.
3. Use --raw for literal values — prevents unintended formula evaluation (e.g., log messages starting with =).
4. Batch entries when possible — send multiple rows in one --values array rather than one-row-at-a-time to reduce API calls.
5. Specify column range in append (e.g., A:E not just A) — ensures data lands in the correct columns.
6. Read the header row first — confirm column order with porteden sheets read $PE_SHEET_ID --range "Sheet1!1:1" -jc before appending.
7. Use -jc on read/info — compact JSON output minimizes tokens for AI agents.

Range format

• Open-ended columns (for append): Sheet1!A:E
• Specific cells: Sheet1!A1:E10
• Whole sheet: Sheet1
• Header row only: Sheet1!1:1

Notes

• Credentials persist in the system keyring after login. No repeated auth needed.
• Set PE_PROFILE=work to avoid repeating --profile.
• -jc is shorthand for --json --compact: strips noise, limits fields, reduces tokens for AI agents.
• File IDs are always provider-prefixed (e.g., google:1BxiMVs0XRA5...). Pass them as-is.
• --values, --csv, and --csv-file are mutually exclusive — provide exactly one.
• --csv inline: use \n as row separator (e.g., "ts,event,src\nts2,event2,src2").
• --raw flag disables formula evaluation (values written literally, not parsed as formulas).
• accessInfo in responses describes active token restrictions.
• Environment variables: PE_API_KEY, PE_PROFILE, PE_SHEET_ID, PE_FORMAT, PE_COLOR, PE_VERBOSE.