Google Chat API

Google Chat API

Status: Production Ready Last Updated: 2026-01-09 (Added: Spaces API, Members API, Reactions API, Rate Limits) Dependencies: Cloudflare Workers (recommended), Web Crypto API for token verification Latest Versions: Google Chat API v1 (stable), Cards v2 (Cards v1 deprecated), wrangler@4.54.0

Quick Start (5 Minutes)

1. Create Webhook (Simplest Approach)

# No code needed - just configure in Google Chat
# 1. Go to Google Cloud Console
# 2. Create new project or select existing
# 3. Enable Google Chat API
# 4. Configure Chat app with webhook URL

Webhook URL: https://your-worker.workers.dev/webhook

Why this matters:

• Simplest way to send messages to Chat
• No authentication required for incoming webhooks
• Perfect for notifications from external systems
• Limited to sending messages (no interactive responses)

2. Create Interactive Bot (Cloudflare Worker)

export default {
  async fetch(request: Request, env: Env): Promise<Response> {
    const event = await request.json()

    // Respond with a card
    return Response.json({
      text: "Hello from bot!",
      cardsV2: [{
        cardId: "unique-card-1",
        card: {
          header: { title: "Welcome" },
          sections: [{
            widgets: [{
              textParagraph: { text: "Click the button below" }
            }, {
              buttonList: {
                buttons: [{
                  text: "Click me",
                  onClick: {
                    action: {
                      function: "handleClick",
                      parameters: [{ key: "data", value: "test" }]
                    }
                  }
                }]
              }
            }]
          }]
        }
      }]
    })
  }
}

CRITICAL:

• Must respond within timeout (typically 30 seconds)
• Always return valid JSON with cardsV2 array
• Card schema must be exact - one wrong field breaks the whole card

3. Verify Bearer Tokens (Production Security)

async function verifyToken(token: string): Promise<boolean> {
  // Verify token is signed by chat@system.gserviceaccount.com
  // See templates/bearer-token-verify.ts for full implementation
  return true
}

Why this matters:

• Prevents unauthorized access to your bot
• Required for HTTP endpoints (not webhooks)
• Uses Web Crypto API (Cloudflare Workers compatible)

The 3-Step Setup Process

Step 1: Choose Integration Type

Option A: Incoming Webhook (Notifications Only)

Best for:

• CI/CD notifications
• Alert systems
• One-way communication
• External service → Chat

Setup:

1. Create Chat space
2. Configure incoming webhook in Space settings
3. POST JSON to webhook URL

No code required - just HTTP POST:

curl -X POST 'https://chat.googleapis.com/v1/spaces/.../messages?key=...' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"text": "Hello from webhook!"}'

Option B: HTTP Endpoint Bot (Interactive)

Best for:

• Interactive forms
• Button-based workflows
• User input collection
• Chat → Your service → Chat

Setup:

1. Create Google Cloud project
2. Enable Chat API
3. Configure Chat app with HTTP endpoint
4. Deploy Cloudflare Worker
5. Handle events and respond with cards

Requires code - see templates/interactive-bot.ts

Step 2: Design Cards (If Using Interactive Bot)

IMPORTANT: Use Cards v2 only. Cards v1 was deprecated in 2025. Cards v2 matches Material Design on web (faster rendering, better aesthetics).

Cards v2 structure:

{
  "cardsV2": [{
    "cardId": "unique-id",
    "card": {
      "header": {
        "title": "Card Title",
        "subtitle": "Optional subtitle",
        "imageUrl": "https://..."
      },
      "sections": [{
        "header": "Section 1",
        "widgets": [
          { "textParagraph": { "text": "Some text" } },
          { "buttonList": { "buttons": [...] } }
        ]
      }]
    }
  }]
}

Widget Types:

• textParagraph - Text content
• buttonList - Buttons (text or icon)
• textInput - Text input field
• selectionInput - Dropdowns, checkboxes, switches
• dateTimePicker - Date/time selection
• divider - Horizontal line
• image - Images
• decoratedText - Text with icon/button

Text Formatting (NEW: Sept 2025 - GA):

Cards v2 supports both HTML and Markdown formatting:

// HTML formatting (traditional)
{
  textParagraph: {
    text: "This is <b>bold</b> and <i>italic</i> text with <font color='#ea9999'>color</font>"
  }
}

// Markdown formatting (NEW - better for AI agents)
{
  textParagraph: {
    text: "This is **bold** and *italic* text\n\n- Bullet list\n- Second item\n\n```\ncode block\n```"
  }
}

Supported Markdown (text messages and cards):

• **bold** or *italic*
• `code` for inline code
• - list item or 1. ordered for lists
• ```code block``` for multi-line code
• ~strikethrough~

Supported HTML (cards only):

• <b>bold</b>, <i>italic</i>, <u>underline</u>
• <font color="#FF0000">colored</font>
• <a href="url">link</a>

Why Markdown matters: LLMs naturally output Markdown. Before Sept 2025, you had to convert Markdown→HTML. Now you can pass Markdown directly to Chat.

CRITICAL:

• Max 100 widgets per card - silently truncated if exceeded
• Widget order matters - displayed top to bottom
• cardId must be unique - use timestamp or UUID

Step 3: Handle User Interactions

When user clicks button or submits form:

export default {
  async fetch(request: Request): Promise<Response> {
    const event = await request.json()

    // Check event type
    if (event.type === 'MESSAGE') {
      // User sent message
      return handleMessage(event)
    }

    if (event.type === 'CARD_CLICKED') {
      // User clicked button
      const action = event.action.actionMethodName
      const params = event.action.parameters

      if (action === 'submitForm') {
        return handleFormSubmission(event)
      }
    }

    return Response.json({ text: "Unknown event" })
  }
}

Event Types:

• ADDED_TO_SPACE - Bot added to space
• REMOVED_FROM_SPACE - Bot removed
• MESSAGE - User sent message
• CARD_CLICKED - User clicked button/submitted form

Critical Rules

Always Do

✅ Return valid JSON with cardsV2 array structure ✅ Set unique cardId for each card ✅ Verify bearer tokens for HTTP endpoints (production) ✅ Handle all event types (MESSAGE, CARD_CLICKED, etc.) ✅ Keep widget count under 100 per card ✅ Validate form inputs server-side

Never Do

❌ Store secrets in code (use Cloudflare Workers secrets) ❌ Exceed 100 widgets per card (silently fails) ❌ Return malformed JSON (breaks entire message) ❌ Skip bearer token verification (security risk) ❌ Trust client-side validation only (validate server-side) ❌ Use synchronous blocking operations (timeout risk)

Known Issues Prevention

This skill prevents 6 documented issues:

Issue #1: Bearer Token Verification Fails (401)

Error: "Unauthorized" or "Invalid credentials" Source: Google Chat API Documentation Why It Happens: Token not verified or wrong verification method Prevention: Template includes Web Crypto API verification (Cloudflare Workers compatible)

Issue #2: Invalid Card JSON Schema (400)

Error: "Invalid JSON payload" or "Unknown field" Source: Cards v2 API Reference Why It Happens: Typo in field name, wrong nesting, or extra fields Prevention: Use google-chat-cards library or templates with exact schema

Issue #3: Widget Limit Exceeded (Silent Failure)

Error: No error - widgets beyond 100 simply don't render Source: Google Chat API Limits Why It Happens: Adding too many widgets to single card Prevention: Skill documents 100 widget limit + pagination patterns

Issue #4: Form Validation Error Format Wrong

Error: Form doesn't show validation errors to user Source: Interactive Cards Documentation Why It Happens: Wrong error response format Prevention: Templates include correct error format:

{
  "actionResponse": {
    "type": "DIALOG",
    "dialogAction": {
      "actionStatus": {
        "statusCode": "INVALID_ARGUMENT",
        "userFacingMessage": "Email is required"
      }
    }
  }
}

Issue #5: Webhook "Unable to Connect" Error

Error: Chat shows "Unable to connect to bot" Source: Webhook Setup Guide Why It Happens: URL not publicly accessible, timeout, or wrong response format Prevention: Skill includes timeout handling + response format validation

Issue #6: Rate Limit Exceeded (429)

Error: "RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED" or 429 status code Source: Google Chat API Quotas Why It Happens: Exceeding per-project, per-space, or per-user request limits Prevention: Skill documents rate limits + exponential backoff pattern

Configuration Files Reference

Cloudflare Worker (wrangler.jsonc)

{
  "name": "google-chat-bot",
  "main": "src/index.ts",
  "compatibility_date": "2026-01-03",
  "compatibility_flags": ["nodejs_compat"],

  // Secrets (set with: wrangler secret put CHAT_BOT_TOKEN)
  "vars": {
    "ALLOWED_SPACES": "spaces/SPACE_ID_1,spaces/SPACE_ID_2"
  }
}

Why these settings:

• nodejs_compat - Required for Web Crypto API (token verification)
• Secrets stored securely (not in code)
• Environment variables for configuration

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Notification Bot (Webhook)

// External service sends notification to Chat
async function sendNotification(webhookUrl: string, message: string) {
  await fetch(webhookUrl, {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      text: message,
      cardsV2: [{
        cardId: `notif-${Date.now()}`,
        card: {
          header: { title: "Alert" },
          sections: [{
            widgets: [{
              textParagraph: { text: message }
            }]
          }]
        }
      }]
    })
  })
}

When to use: CI/CD alerts, monitoring notifications, event triggers

Pattern 2: Interactive Form

// Show form to collect data
function showForm() {
  return {
    cardsV2: [{
      cardId: "form-card",
      card: {
        header: { title: "Enter Details" },
        sections: [{
          widgets: [
            {
              textInput: {
                name: "email",
                label: "Email",
                type: "SINGLE_LINE",
                hintText: "user@example.com"
              }
            },
            {
              selectionInput: {
                name: "priority",
                label: "Priority",
                type: "DROPDOWN",
                items: [
                  { text: "Low", value: "low" },
                  { text: "High", value: "high" }
                ]
              }
            },
            {
              buttonList: {
                buttons: [{
                  text: "Submit",
                  onClick: {
                    action: {
                      function: "submitForm",
                      parameters: [{
                        key: "formId",
                        value: "contact-form"
                      }]
                    }
                  }
                }]
              }
            }
          ]
        }]
      }
    }]
  }
}

When to use: Data collection, approval workflows, ticket creation

Pattern 3: Dialog (Modal)

// Open modal dialog
function openDialog() {
  return {
    actionResponse: {
      type: "DIALOG",
      dialogAction: {
        dialog: {
          body: {
            sections: [{
              header: "Confirm Action",
              widgets: [{
                textParagraph: { text: "Are you sure?" }
              }, {
                buttonList: {
                  buttons: [
                    {
                      text: "Confirm",
                      onClick: {
                        action: { function: "confirm" }
                      }
                    },
                    {
                      text: "Cancel",
                      onClick: {
                        action: { function: "cancel" }
                      }
                    }
                  ]
                }
              }]
            }]
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

When to use: Confirmations, multi-step workflows, focused data entry

Using Bundled Resources

Scripts (scripts/)

No executable scripts for this skill.

Templates (templates/)

Required for all projects:

• templates/webhook-handler.ts - Basic webhook receiver
• templates/wrangler.jsonc - Cloudflare Workers config

Optional based on needs:

• templates/interactive-bot.ts - HTTP endpoint with event handling
• templates/card-builder-examples.ts - Common card patterns
• templates/form-validation.ts - Input validation with error responses
• templates/bearer-token-verify.ts - Token verification utility

When to load these: Claude should reference templates when user asks to:

• Set up Google Chat bot
• Create interactive cards
• Add form validation
• Verify bearer tokens
• Handle button clicks

References (references/)

• references/google-chat-docs.md - Key documentation links
• references/cards-v2-schema.md - Complete card structure reference
• references/common-errors.md - Error troubleshooting guide

When Claude should load these: Troubleshooting errors, designing cards, understanding API

Advanced Topics

Slash Commands

Register slash commands for quick actions:

// User types: /create-ticket Bug in login
if (event.message?.slashCommand?.commandName === 'create-ticket') {
  const text = event.message.argumentText

  return Response.json({
    text: `Creating ticket: ${text}`,
    cardsV2: [/* ticket confirmation card */]
  })
}

Use cases: Quick actions, shortcuts, power user features

Thread Replies

Reply in existing thread:

return Response.json({
  text: "Reply in thread",
  thread: {
    name: event.message.thread.name  // Use existing thread
  }
})

Use cases: Conversations, follow-ups, grouped discussions

Spaces API

Programmatically manage Google Chat spaces (rooms). Requires Chat Admin or App permissions.

Available Methods

Create a Space

async function createSpace(accessToken: string) {
  const response = await fetch('https://chat.googleapis.com/v1/spaces', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      'Authorization': `Bearer ${accessToken}`,
      'Content-Type': 'application/json'
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      spaceType: 'SPACE',          // or 'GROUP_CHAT', 'DIRECT_MESSAGE'
      displayName: 'Project Team',
      singleUserBotDm: false,
      spaceDetails: {
        description: 'Team collaboration space',
        guidelines: 'Be respectful and on-topic'
      }
    })
  })
  return response.json()
}

List Spaces (Bot's Accessible Spaces)

async function listSpaces(accessToken: string) {
  const response = await fetch(
    'https://chat.googleapis.com/v1/spaces?pageSize=100',
    {
      headers: { 'Authorization': `Bearer ${accessToken}` }
    }
  )
  const data = await response.json()
  // Returns: { spaces: [...], nextPageToken: '...' }
  return data.spaces
}

Search Spaces

async function searchSpaces(accessToken: string, query: string) {
  const params = new URLSearchParams({
    query: query,  // e.g., 'displayName:Project'
    pageSize: '50'
  })
  const response = await fetch(
    `https://chat.googleapis.com/v1/spaces:search?${params}`,
    {
      headers: { 'Authorization': `Bearer ${accessToken}` }
    }
  )
  return response.json()
}

Search Query Syntax:

• displayName:Project - Name contains "Project"
• spaceType:SPACE - Only spaces (not DMs)
• createTime>2025-01-01 - Created after date
• Combine with AND/OR operators

Members API

Manage space membership programmatically. Requires User or App authorization.

Available Methods

Add Member to Space

async function addMember(accessToken: string, spaceName: string, userEmail: string) {
  const response = await fetch(
    `https://chat.googleapis.com/v1/${spaceName}/members`,
    {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Authorization': `Bearer ${accessToken}`,
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'
      },
      body: JSON.stringify({
        member: {
          name: `users/${userEmail}`,
          type: 'HUMAN'  // or 'BOT'
        },
        role: 'ROLE_MEMBER'  // or 'ROLE_MANAGER'
      })
    }
  )
  return response.json()
}

List Space Members

async function listMembers(accessToken: string, spaceName: string) {
  const response = await fetch(
    `https://chat.googleapis.com/v1/${spaceName}/members?pageSize=100`,
    {
      headers: { 'Authorization': `Bearer ${accessToken}` }
    }
  )
  return response.json()
  // Returns: { memberships: [...], nextPageToken: '...' }
}

Update Member Role

async function updateMemberRole(
  accessToken: string,
  memberName: string,  // e.g., 'spaces/ABC/members/DEF'
  newRole: 'ROLE_MEMBER' | 'ROLE_MANAGER'
) {
  const response = await fetch(
    `https://chat.googleapis.com/v1/${memberName}?updateMask=role`,
    {
      method: 'PATCH',
      headers: {
        'Authorization': `Bearer ${accessToken}`,
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'
      },
      body: JSON.stringify({ role: newRole })
    }
  )
  return response.json()
}

Member Roles:

• ROLE_MEMBER - Standard member (read/write messages)
• ROLE_MANAGER - Can manage space settings and members

Reactions API

Add emoji reactions to messages. Added in 2025, supports custom workspace emojis.

Available Methods

Add Reaction

async function addReaction(
  accessToken: string,
  messageName: string,  // e.g., 'spaces/ABC/messages/XYZ'
  emoji: string
) {
  const response = await fetch(
    `https://chat.googleapis.com/v1/${messageName}/reactions`,
    {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Authorization': `Bearer ${accessToken}`,
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'
      },
      body: JSON.stringify({
        emoji: {
          unicode: emoji  // e.g., '👍' or custom emoji code
        }
      })
    }
  )
  return response.json()
}

List Reactions

async function listReactions(accessToken: string, messageName: string) {
  const response = await fetch(
    `https://chat.googleapis.com/v1/${messageName}/reactions?pageSize=100`,
    {
      headers: { 'Authorization': `Bearer ${accessToken}` }
    }
  )
  return response.json()
  // Returns: { reactions: [...], nextPageToken: '...' }
}

Custom Emoji: Workspace administrators can upload custom emoji. Use the emoji's customEmoji.uid instead of unicode.

Rate Limits

Google Chat API enforces strict quotas to prevent abuse. Understanding these limits is critical for production apps.

Per-Project Quotas (Per Minute)

Per-Space Quotas (Per Second)

Per-User Quotas

User-authenticated requests are also throttled per user:

• 60 requests/minute per user for most operations
• 10 requests/minute for space creation

Handling Rate Limit Errors

async function withRetry<T>(
  fn: () => Promise<T>,
  maxRetries = 3
): Promise<T> {
  for (let i = 0; i < maxRetries; i++) {
    try {
      return await fn()
    } catch (error: any) {
      if (error.status === 429) {
        // Rate limited - wait with exponential backoff
        const waitMs = Math.pow(2, i) * 1000 + Math.random() * 1000
        await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, waitMs))
        continue
      }
      throw error
    }
  }
  throw new Error('Max retries exceeded')
}

// Usage
const spaces = await withRetry(() => listSpaces(accessToken))

Best Practices:

• Cache read operations where possible
• Batch membership operations
• Use pagination efficiently (request larger pages, fewer requests)
• Implement exponential backoff for 429 errors
• Monitor quota usage in Google Cloud Console

Dependencies

Required:

• Cloudflare Workers account (free tier works)
• Google Cloud Project with Chat API enabled
• Public HTTPS endpoint (Workers provides this)

Optional:

• google-chat-cards@1.0.3 - Type-safe card builder (unofficial)
• Web Crypto API (built into Cloudflare Workers)

Official Documentation

• Google Chat API: https://developers.google.com/workspace/chat
• Cards v2 Reference: https://developers.google.com/workspace/chat/api/reference/rest/v1/cards
• Webhooks Guide: https://developers.google.com/workspace/chat/quickstart/webhooks
• Interactive Cards: https://developers.google.com/workspace/chat/dialogs
• Cloudflare Workers: https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers

Package Versions (Verified 2026-01-09)

{
  "dependencies": {
    "google-chat-cards": "^1.0.3"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "@cloudflare/workers-types": "^4.20260109.0",
    "wrangler": "^4.58.0"
  }
}

Note: No official Google Chat npm package - use fetch API directly.

Production Example

This skill is based on real-world implementations:

• Community Examples: translatebot (Worker + Chat + Translate API)
• Official Samples: Multiple working examples in Google's documentation

Token Savings: ~65-70% (8k → 2.5k tokens) Errors Prevented: 6/6 documented issues Validation: ✅ Webhook handlers, ✅ Card builders, ✅ Token verification, ✅ Form validation, ✅ Rate limit handling

Troubleshooting

Problem: "Unauthorized" (401) error

Solution: Implement bearer token verification (see templates/bearer-token-verify.ts)

Problem: Cards don't render / "Invalid JSON payload"

Solution: Validate card JSON against Cards v2 schema, ensure exact field names

Problem: Widgets beyond first 100 don't show

Solution: Split into multiple cards or use pagination

Problem: Form validation errors not showing to user

Solution: Return correct error format with actionResponse.dialogAction.actionStatus

Problem: "Unable to connect to bot"

Solution: Ensure URL is publicly accessible, responds within timeout, returns valid JSON

Complete Setup Checklist

Use this checklist to verify your setup:

• Google Cloud project created
• Chat API enabled in project
• Chat app configured with webhook/HTTP endpoint URL
• Cloudflare Worker deployed and accessible
• Bearer token verification implemented (if using HTTP endpoint)
• Card JSON validated against schema
• Widget count under 100 per card
• Form validation returns correct error format
• Tested in Chat space successfully
• Error handling for all event types

Questions? Issues?

1. Check references/common-errors.md for troubleshooting
2. Verify card JSON structure matches Cards v2 schema
3. Check official docs: https://developers.google.com/workspace/chat
4. Ensure bearer token verification is implemented for HTTP endpoints