How do I install the Install Gws skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add jezweb/install-gws in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

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Is Install Gws free to use?

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Who published Install Gws?

jezweb (@jezweb) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Install Gws by jezweb — Agent Skill

Name: Install Gws
Author: jezweb

Install Gws

Install the official Google Workspace CLI (gws) so the agent can drive Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Calendar, Chat and Admin from the shell. Use when the user wants Google Workspace access on a box, asks to 'install gws' / 'add Google Workspace', or a workflow needs to read mail / write a Doc / update a Sheet. gws is a shell CLI, not an MCP server — the agent calls it through its developer/shell tool.

jezweb 820ae59 3.7 KB Updated Sep 17, 2026

File contents

Install gws (Google Workspace CLI)

Installs @googleworkspace/cli — Google's official Workspace command-line tool. Once installed and authenticated, the agent reads/sends Gmail, manages Drive, writes Docs and Sheets, handles Calendar/Chat/Tasks, and (with an admin account) pulls audit reports — all through the shell.

Unlike OfficeCLI, gws is not an MCP server. There's nothing to register in config.yaml; the agent uses it via its existing developer/shell tool (gws <service> <resource> <method>). This skill just gets the binary on PATH and authenticated.

Steps

1. Install the binary (needs Node ≥ 18)

node -v   # confirm Node is present
npm install -g @googleworkspace/cli
gws --version    # prints e.g. "gws 0.13.2"

If npm i -g hits an EACCES permission error, either use a Node managed by nvm/fnm (no sudo needed) or set a user prefix (npm config set prefix ~/.local and put ~/.local/bin on PATH). Don't sudo npm -g on a shared box.

2. Authenticate (hand the OAuth step to the human)

gws auth login      # opens a browser for Google OAuth

The agent must not enter Google credentials or complete the consent screen itself — signing into an account and granting OAuth scopes are the human's actions. Run the command, then tell the user to complete the browser sign-in. For a headless/server box, use a service account instead:

export GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS=/path/to/service-account-key.json
# (key file supplied by the human; never fetch or generate credentials yourself)

3. Verify end-to-end

gws auth status                       # shows the signed-in account + scopes
gws gmail messages list --format json --max-results 1   # one real read

If auth status shows the account and the list call returns JSON, gws is working.

Global flags worth knowing

Flag	Use
`--format json\|table\|yaml\|csv`	json is the default and best for the agent to parse
`--dry-run`	validate locally without calling the API — use before any write
`--api-version <v>`	pin an API version if a default changes under you

Usage shape

gws <service> <resource> [sub-resource] <method> [flags]

e.g. gws drive files list, gws sheets values get <id> <range>, gws calendar events list. A library of task-level gws skills (gmail triage, drive upload, doc writing, etc.) lives separately; this skill only covers getting gws installed and authed.

Safety

Never enter the user's Google password or click through the OAuth consent — those are the human's actions (run gws auth login, then hand off).
Prefer --dry-run before any send/delete/share. Sending mail, sharing files, and changing permissions are real-world side effects — confirm with the human first.
On a client box, use the client's own Google account/service-account, not yours.

Notes

Update: npm update -g @googleworkspace/cli (or npm i -g @googleworkspace/cli@latest).
Uninstall: npm uninstall -g @googleworkspace/cli.
Repo / issues: https://github.com/googleworkspace/cli

Last updated

2026-06-01 — initial author. Sourced from the live install on this machine (@googleworkspace/cli 0.13.2, npm-global, official googleworkspace/cli repo).

---name: install-gwsdescription: Install the official Google Workspace CLI (gws) so the agent can drive Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Calendar, Chat and Admin from the shell. Use when the user wants Google Workspace access on a box, asks to 'install gws' / 'add Google Workspace', or a workflow needs to read mail / write a Doc / update a Sheet. gws is a shell CLI, not an MCP server — the agent calls it through its developer/shell tool.---# Install gws (Google Workspace CLI)Installs [`@googleworkspace/cli`](https://github.com/googleworkspace/cli) — Google's officialWorkspace command-line tool. Once installed and authenticated, the agent reads/sends Gmail,manages Drive, writes Docs and Sheets, handles Calendar/Chat/Tasks, and (with an admin account)pulls audit reports — all through the shell.Unlike OfficeCLI, gws is **not an MCP server**. There's nothing to register in`config.yaml`; the agent uses it via its existing `developer`/shell tool (`gws <service><resource> <method>`). This skill just gets the binary on PATH and authenticated.## Steps### 1. Install the binary (needs Node ≥ 18)```bashnode -v # confirm Node is presentnpm install -g @googleworkspace/cligws --version # prints e.g. "gws 0.13.2"```If `npm i -g` hits an EACCES permission error, either use a Node managed by `nvm`/`fnm`(no sudo needed) or set a user prefix (`npm config set prefix ~/.local` and put`~/.local/bin` on PATH). Don't `sudo npm -g` on a shared box.### 2. Authenticate (hand the OAuth step to the human)```bashgws auth login # opens a browser for Google OAuth```**The agent must not enter Google credentials or complete the consent screen itself** —signing into an account and granting OAuth scopes are the human's actions. Run the command,then tell the user to complete the browser sign-in. For a headless/server box, use a serviceaccount instead:```bashexport GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS=/path/to/service-account-key.json# (key file supplied by the human; never fetch or generate credentials yourself)```### 3. Verify end-to-end```bashgws auth status # shows the signed-in account + scopesgws gmail messages list --format json --max-results 1 # one real read```If `auth status` shows the account and the list call returns JSON, gws is working.## Global flags worth knowing| Flag | Use ||---|---|| `--format json\|table\|yaml\|csv` | json is the default and best for the agent to parse || `--dry-run` | validate locally without calling the API — use before any write || `--api-version <v>` | pin an API version if a default changes under you |## Usage shape```gws <service> <resource> [sub-resource] <method> [flags]```e.g. `gws drive files list`, `gws sheets values get <id> <range>`, `gws calendar events list`.A library of task-level gws skills (gmail triage, drive upload, doc writing, etc.) livesseparately; this skill only covers getting gws installed and authed.## Safety- **Never** enter the user's Google password or click through the OAuth consent — those are the human's actions (run `gws auth login`, then hand off).- Prefer `--dry-run` before any send/delete/share. Sending mail, sharing files, and changing permissions are real-world side effects — confirm with the human first.- On a client box, use the client's own Google account/service-account, not yours.## Notes- Update: `npm update -g @googleworkspace/cli` (or `npm i -g @googleworkspace/cli@latest`).- Uninstall: `npm uninstall -g @googleworkspace/cli`.- Repo / issues: https://github.com/googleworkspace/cli## Last updated2026-06-01 — initial author. Sourced from the live install on this machine(`@googleworkspace/cli` 0.13.2, npm-global, official googleworkspace/cli repo).

Frequently asked questions