Read Google Docs

Read Google Docs Skill

Use this skill to read the content of a specific Google Doc when you have its URL or document ID.

When to Use

Use this skill when you need to:

• Read a specific Google Doc by URL or document ID
• Extract document content for analysis, research, or reference
• Provide document context to other skills or workflows
• Access a document shared by the user

Do NOT use this skill when:

• You need to summarize recent docs from the last N days (use summarize_google_docs)
• You need to create a new document (use write_google_docs)
• You don't have a specific document URL or ID

How to Use

By URL (recommended)

python skills/read_google_docs/read_google_doc.py --url "https://docs.google.com/document/d/DOC_ID/edit"

The script handles various Google Docs URL formats:

• https://docs.google.com/document/d/DOC_ID/edit
• https://docs.google.com/document/d/DOC_ID/edit?usp=sharing
• https://docs.google.com/document/d/DOC_ID

By Document ID

python skills/read_google_docs/read_google_doc.py --id "YOUR_GOOGLE_DOC_ID"

JSON Output

For programmatic use, add the --json flag:

python skills/read_google_docs/read_google_doc.py --url "..." --json

This returns JSON with title, documentId, webViewLink, and content.

Output

Default (human-readable)

Document: Project Plan Q4 2025
ID: YOUR_GOOGLE_DOC_ID
Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/YOUR_GOOGLE_DOC_ID/edit
---
[Plain text content of the document]

JSON mode

{
  "title": "Project Plan Q4 2025",
  "documentId": "YOUR_GOOGLE_DOC_ID",
  "webViewLink": "https://docs.google.com/document/d/YOUR_GOOGLE_DOC_ID/edit",
  "content": "Plain text content of the document..."
}

Prerequisites

• Google OAuth credentials must be configured (same as other Google Docs skills)
• The authenticated user must have read access to the document
• If authentication fails, delete token.json in the project root and re-authenticate

Error Handling

Common errors:

• Invalid URL: The script couldn't parse a document ID from the URL
• Permission denied: You don't have access to the document
• Document not found: The document ID doesn't exist

Integration with Other Skills

After reading a document, you can:

1. Analyze its content and provide insights
2. Use write_google_docs to create a new document based on it
3. Use post_to_slack to share a summary