Gws Sheets Verify

Google Sheets — Verify After Write

Claude Code is multimodal — it can see screenshots via the Read tool. Use this to close a visual feedback loop after every Google Sheets write operation.

Verify-After-Write Workflow

Applies to ALL Google Sheets write operations: update values, sort, insert/delete rows, format, borders, batchUpdate.

Steps

1. Execute the Sheets API command (update, batchUpdate, sort, etc.)
2. Open the sheet in Playwright:

   browser_navigate to the spreadsheet URL
   

   Use the specific tab URL if working on a named tab (append #gid=SHEET_ID).
3. Wait for render:

   browser_wait_for selector=".grid-container" or timeout 5000
   

4. Take screenshot:

   browser_take_screenshot (full page or element-specific)
   

5. Read the screenshot with the Read tool to visually inspect.
6. Apply the Self-Review Checklist (below).
7. If issues found: fix the command, re-execute, re-verify (max 2 cycles).
8. If still broken after 3 cycles, report to user with the screenshot.

Important Notes

• Maximum 3 total verify cycles (initial + 2 fixes)
• The Playwright browser must be authenticated with Google (session cookies)
• For automated skills (cron), screenshot verification may not be possible — use API read-back as fallback

Self-Review Checklist

After reading the screenshot, check:

Data Integrity

• All columns are still aligned — no column was sorted independently
• Row count matches expected (check against pre-write count)
• No blank rows inserted where data should be
• Cell values match what was written (spot-check a few cells)

Sort Order

• Rows sorted by the correct field
• All columns within each row moved together (no detached columns)
• Never sort a single column — always sort entire rows

Borders and Formatting

• All data rows have visible horizontal divider lines (top/bottom borders)
• Vertical dividers present between columns where expected
• The last data row has correct borders (bulk ops often miss it)
• No broken/missing borders anywhere in the data range
• Number format preserved (currency, percentages, dates)

Layout

• Headers are intact and not shifted
• Frozen rows/columns still in place
• Column widths haven't collapsed
• No overflow text hiding adjacent cell content

Hard Rules for Google Sheets Operations

Sorting

• Sort entire rows, NEVER individual columns — a sort that moves only one column detaches it from the rest of the row, corrupting every record

Borders

• Use copyPaste PASTE_FORMAT to apply borders — NEVER updateBorders. updateBorders only sets top/bottom/innerHorizontal for the range; it does NOT set per-column left/right entries, resulting in missing vertical dividers
• Use generous endRowIndex buffer (+10 or 200) for bulk format operations — a fixed endRowIndex silently misses the last row when rows are added
• After insertDimension at index N, copy format from row N+1 (pushed down) to the new row at N
• Always verify the last data row has correct borders after any bulk operation

API Read-Back Fallback

When Playwright is unavailable (e.g., cron automation), verify via API:

# Read back the data range after writing
gws sheets spreadsheets.values get \
  --spreadsheetId SHEET_ID \
  --range "TAB_NAME!A1:G100" \
  --json values

Check that:

• Row count matches expected
• Column alignment is intact (each row has the same number of values)
• Sort order is correct (compare key fields across rows)

This catches data issues but NOT formatting. Flag formatting as "unverified" when using API-only fallback.

Requirements

• Claude Code with multimodal Read tool
• Playwright MCP server for screenshots
• Google Sheets API access (via gws CLI, Google Apps Script, or direct API)
• Playwright browser authenticated with Google (for screenshot access)