Google Docs Skill

Integrate with Google Docs API to create, read, update, format, and manage documents using OAuth 2.0 authentication.

Install

openclaw skills install @zagran/google-docs-skill

Google Docs API Integration

Direct access to the Google Docs API using OAuth 2.0. Create documents, insert and format text, and manage document content.

Prerequisites

Google Cloud Project Setup
- Go to Google Cloud Console
- Create a new project or select existing one
- Enable the Google Docs API
- Create OAuth 2.0 credentials (Desktop app or Web application)
- Download the credentials JSON file

Environment Setup

bash

export GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID="your-client-id"
export GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET="your-client-secret"
export GOOGLE_REFRESH_TOKEN="your-refresh-token"

Authentication

Getting OAuth Tokens

Use the following Python script to obtain your refresh token (one-time setup):

python

import urllib.request
import urllib.parse
import json
import webbrowser
from http.server import HTTPServer, BaseHTTPRequestHandler
import os

# OAuth configuration
CLIENT_ID = os.environ.get('GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID')
CLIENT_SECRET = os.environ.get('GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET')
REDIRECT_URI = 'http://localhost:8080'
SCOPES = 'https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents'

# Step 1: Get authorization code
auth_url = (
    f"https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/v2/auth?"
    f"client_id={CLIENT_ID}&"
    f"redirect_uri={REDIRECT_URI}&"
    f"response_type=code&"
    f"scope={urllib.parse.quote(SCOPES)}&"
    f"access_type=offline&"
    f"prompt=consent"
)

print(f"Opening browser for authorization...")
webbrowser.open(auth_url)

# Step 2: Capture authorization code
auth_code = None

class OAuthHandler(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
    def do_GET(self):
        global auth_code
        query = urllib.parse.urlparse(self.path).query
        params = urllib.parse.parse_qs(query)
        auth_code = params.get('code', [None])[0]
        
        self.send_response(200)
        self.send_header('Content-type', 'text/html')
        self.end_headers()
        self.wfile.write(b'<html><body><h1>Authorization successful!</h1><p>You can close this window.</p></body></html>')

server = HTTPServer(('localhost', 8080), OAuthHandler)
server.handle_request()

# Step 3: Exchange code for tokens
if auth_code:
    data = urllib.parse.urlencode({
        'code': auth_code,
        'client_id': CLIENT_ID,
        'client_secret': CLIENT_SECRET,
        'redirect_uri': REDIRECT_URI,
        'grant_type': 'authorization_code'
    }).encode()
    
    req = urllib.request.Request('https://oauth2.googleapis.com/token', data=data)
    response = json.load(urllib.request.urlopen(req))
    
    print(f"\nRefresh Token: {response['refresh_token']}")
    print(f"Access Token: {response['access_token']}")
    print(f"\nSet your refresh token:")
    print(f"export GOOGLE_REFRESH_TOKEN=\"{response['refresh_token']}\"")

Getting Access Token

Before making API calls, get a fresh access token:

python

import urllib.request
import urllib.parse
import json
import os

def get_access_token():
    """Get a fresh access token using refresh token"""
    data = urllib.parse.urlencode({
        'client_id': os.environ['GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID'],
        'client_secret': os.environ['GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET'],
        'refresh_token': os.environ['GOOGLE_REFRESH_TOKEN'],
        'grant_type': 'refresh_token'
    }).encode()
    
    req = urllib.request.Request('https://oauth2.googleapis.com/token', data=data)
    response = json.load(urllib.request.urlopen(req))
    return response['access_token']

# Store for reuse
access_token = get_access_token()
print(f"Access Token: {access_token}")

Base URL

text

https://docs.googleapis.com/v1

All requests require the access token in the Authorization header:

text

Authorization: Bearer {access_token}

Quick Start

python

import urllib.request
import json
import os

# Get access token first (using function from above)
access_token = get_access_token()

# Get document
req = urllib.request.Request('https://docs.googleapis.com/v1/documents/{documentId}')
req.add_header('Authorization', f'Bearer {access_token}')
doc = json.load(urllib.request.urlopen(req))
print(json.dumps(doc, indent=2))

API Reference

Create Document

python

import urllib.request
import json

access_token = get_access_token()

data = json.dumps({'title': 'My New Document'}).encode()
req = urllib.request.Request(
    'https://docs.googleapis.com/v1/documents',
    data=data,
    method='POST'
)
req.add_header('Authorization', f'Bearer {access_token}')
req.add_header('Content-Type', 'application/json')

response = json.load(urllib.request.urlopen(req))
doc_id = response['documentId']
print(f"Created document: {doc_id}")
print(f"URL: https://docs.google.com/document/d/{doc_id}/edit")

Get Document

python

req = urllib.request.Request(
    f'https://docs.googleapis.com/v1/documents/{doc_id}'
)
req.add_header('Authorization', f'Bearer {access_token}')
doc = json.load(urllib.request.urlopen(req))

Batch Update Document

python

# Insert text at beginning
updates = {
    'requests': [
        {
            'insertText': {
                'location': {'index': 1},
                'text': 'Hello, World!\n\n'
            }
        }
    ]
}

data = json.dumps(updates).encode()
req = urllib.request.Request(
    f'https://docs.googleapis.com/v1/documents/{doc_id}:batchUpdate',
    data=data,
    method='POST'
)
req.add_header('Authorization', f'Bearer {access_token}')
req.add_header('Content-Type', 'application/json')

response = json.load(urllib.request.urlopen(req))

Common Operations

Insert Text

python

{
    'requests': [
        {
            'insertText': {
                'location': {'index': 1},
                'text': 'Your text here'
            }
        }
    ]
}

Format Text (Bold, Italic, Font Size)

python

{
    'requests': [
        {
            'updateTextStyle': {
                'range': {
                    'startIndex': 1,
                    'endIndex': 10
                },
                'textStyle': {
                    'bold': True,
                    'italic': True,
                    'fontSize': {
                        'magnitude': 14,
                        'unit': 'PT'
                    }
                },
                'fields': 'bold,italic,fontSize'
            }
        }
    ]
}

Insert Table

python

{
    'requests': [
        {
            'insertTable': {
                'location': {'index': 1},
                'rows': 3,
                'columns': 4
            }
        }
    ]
}

Replace Text

python

{
    'requests': [
        {
            'replaceAllText': {
                'containsText': {
                    'text': '{{placeholder}}',
                    'matchCase': True
                },
                'replaceText': 'Actual value'
            }
        }
    ]
}

Delete Content

python

{
    'requests': [
        {
            'deleteContentRange': {
                'range': {
                    'startIndex': 1,
                    'endIndex': 50
                }
            }
        }
    ]
}

Insert Page Break

python

{
    'requests': [
        {
            'insertPageBreak': {
                'location': {'index': 1}
            }
        }
    ]
}

Update Paragraph Style

python

{
    'requests': [
        {
            'updateParagraphStyle': {
                'range': {
                    'startIndex': 1,
                    'endIndex': 50
                },
                'paragraphStyle': {
                    'namedStyleType': 'HEADING_1',
                    'alignment': 'CENTER'
                },
                'fields': 'namedStyleType,alignment'
            }
        }
    ]
}

Complete Example: Create and Format Document

python

import urllib.request
import urllib.parse
import json
import os

def get_access_token():
    """Get fresh access token"""
    data = urllib.parse.urlencode({
        'client_id': os.environ['GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID'],
        'client_secret': os.environ['GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET'],
        'refresh_token': os.environ['GOOGLE_REFRESH_TOKEN'],
        'grant_type': 'refresh_token'
    }).encode()
    
    req = urllib.request.Request('https://oauth2.googleapis.com/token', data=data)
    response = json.load(urllib.request.urlopen(req))
    return response['access_token']

def create_document(title, access_token):
    """Create a new document"""
    data = json.dumps({'title': title}).encode()
    req = urllib.request.Request(
        'https://docs.googleapis.com/v1/documents',
        data=data,
        method='POST'
    )
    req.add_header('Authorization', f'Bearer {access_token}')
    req.add_header('Content-Type', 'application/json')
    
    response = json.load(urllib.request.urlopen(req))
    return response['documentId']

def batch_update(doc_id, requests, access_token):
    """Apply batch updates to document"""
    data = json.dumps({'requests': requests}).encode()
    req = urllib.request.Request(
        f'https://docs.googleapis.com/v1/documents/{doc_id}:batchUpdate',
        data=data,
        method='POST'
    )
    req.add_header('Authorization', f'Bearer {access_token}')
    req.add_header('Content-Type', 'application/json')
    
    return json.load(urllib.request.urlopen(req))

# Main workflow
access_token = get_access_token()

# Create document
doc_id = create_document('Project Report', access_token)
print(f"Created: https://docs.google.com/document/d/{doc_id}/edit")

# Add content with formatting
requests = [
    # Insert title
    {
        'insertText': {
            'location': {'index': 1},
            'text': 'Project Report\n\n'
        }
    },
    # Format title as heading
    {
        'updateParagraphStyle': {
            'range': {'startIndex': 1, 'endIndex': 15},
            'paragraphStyle': {'namedStyleType': 'HEADING_1'},
            'fields': 'namedStyleType'
        }
    },
    # Add body text
    {
        'insertText': {
            'location': {'index': 16},
            'text': 'Executive Summary\n\nThis report covers...\n\n'
        }
    },
    # Format section header
    {
        'updateParagraphStyle': {
            'range': {'startIndex': 16, 'endIndex': 34},
            'paragraphStyle': {'namedStyleType': 'HEADING_2'},
            'fields': 'namedStyleType'
        }
    }
]

batch_update(doc_id, requests, access_token)
print("Document updated successfully!")

Key Concepts

Document Indexing

Indices are 1-based (document starts at index 1)
Each character (including newlines) occupies one index
To append at the end, use endOfSegmentLocation

Batch Updates

Multiple requests are applied atomically
Requests are processed in order
Get the document first to determine correct indices

Field Masks

When updating styles, specify which fields to update
Use comma-separated field names: 'fields': 'bold,fontSize,foregroundColor'

Error Handling

Status Code	Meaning
400	Bad Request - Invalid request format
401	Unauthorized - Invalid or expired access token
403	Forbidden - Insufficient permissions
404	Not Found - Document doesn't exist
429	Rate Limited - Too many requests

Token Refresh

Access tokens expire after 1 hour. If you get a 401 error, refresh the token:

python

try:
    # Make API call
    req = urllib.request.Request(url)
    req.add_header('Authorization', f'Bearer {access_token}')
    response = urllib.request.urlopen(req)
except urllib.error.HTTPError as e:
    if e.code == 401:
        # Refresh token and retry
        access_token = get_access_token()
        req = urllib.request.Request(url)
        req.add_header('Authorization', f'Bearer {access_token}')
        response = urllib.request.urlopen(req)

Best Practices

Token Management
- Cache access tokens (valid for 1 hour)
- Store refresh token securely
- Implement automatic token refresh
Batch Operations
- Combine multiple updates into single batch call
- Reduces API calls and improves performance
Index Calculation
- Always get current document state before updates
- Account for newline characters (\n)
- Use endOfSegmentLocation for appending
Rate Limits
- Google Docs API has quotas (check Cloud Console)
- Implement exponential backoff for rate limit errors

Google Docs Skill

Install

Google Docs API Integration

Prerequisites

Authentication

Getting OAuth Tokens

Getting Access Token

Base URL

Quick Start

API Reference

Create Document

Get Document

Batch Update Document

Common Operations

Insert Text

Format Text (Bold, Italic, Font Size)

Insert Table

Replace Text

Delete Content

Insert Page Break

Update Paragraph Style

Complete Example: Create and Format Document

Key Concepts

Document Indexing

Batch Updates

Field Masks

Error Handling

Token Refresh

Best Practices

Resources

Related skills