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Google Workspace CLI
+ Claude Code

Google just shipped a free tool that lets you control Gmail, Drive, Calendar, Docs, Sheets, and Meet from the terminal. One command. No Zapier. No custom code. Here's how to set it up and connect it to Claude Code so your AI can actually do things.

Section 1

What is the Google Workspace CLI?

Think of it like a remote control for your Google account. Instead of clicking around in Gmail or Drive, you just type a command and it happens. Instantly.

The official name is gws (short for Google Workspace). It was released in early March 2026, it's completely free, and it's open source under the Apache 2.0 license.

What makes it different from every other automation tool is how it talks to Claude Code. It has a built-in MCP server, meaning you can connect it to Claude and your AI can read your emails, create calendar events, move files in Drive, and generate full reports without you touching a single UI.

Before this, doing that kind of automation required Zapier (paid), custom API code (technical), or third-party connectors (slow and expensive). Now it's one command.

Section 2

Install It (2 Minutes)

You'll need Node.js installed first. If you've set up Claude Code before, you already have it. Run this in your terminal:

Step 1: Install gws

Terminal
$ npm install -g @googleworkspace/cli

Step 2: Set up authentication

This walks you through connecting your Google account. It opens a browser window and asks you to authorize. Takes about 60 seconds.

Terminal
$ gws auth setup

Step 3: Log in

Terminal
$ gws auth login

Done. That's the whole install. You're now connected to every Google Workspace service from your terminal. Let me show you what that actually means.

Section 3

Connect It to Claude Code

This is where it gets interesting. The gws CLI has a built-in MCP server. That means you can plug it directly into Claude Code and your AI gets access to your Google Workspace. No extra setup, no third-party tools.

Start the MCP server

One command

Run this to expose Drive, Gmail, and Calendar to Claude Code:

Terminal
$ gws mcp -s drive,gmail,calendar

Add any Workspace service you need:

  • drive: files, folders, uploads
  • gmail: read, send, triage inbox
  • calendar: events, meeting links
  • docs,sheets,slides: create and edit documents

Once the MCP server is running, open Claude Code and it will automatically detect the connection. You can now tell Claude to do things like "check my inbox for anything urgent" or "create a calendar event for tomorrow at 3pm" and it will actually do it.

Section 4

5 Best Use Cases

These are the ones that made me stop and say "wait, that actually just worked." Each one is something that used to take 10-30 minutes of manual clicking.

01

Inbox triage in seconds

Tell Claude: "Check my last 20 emails, tell me what's urgent, and draft replies for anything that needs a response." It reads your Gmail, summarizes everything, and hands you ready-to-send drafts.

Terminal
$ gws gmail +triage
02

Turn a folder of notes into a full report

Drop 10 meeting notes in a Drive folder. Tell Claude to read them and create a Google Doc summary, a Sheets tracker, and a Slides deck with key takeaways. That used to take an afternoon. Now it takes about 30 seconds.

03

Auto-create Meet links for any event

Any time you need a meeting, tell Claude to create a Calendar event with a Meet link and send invites to your participants. No more clicking through Calendar, then Meet, then email. One instruction, done.

04

Weekly review automation

Every Monday morning: tell Claude to pull all emails and calendar events from the past week, create a summary Doc in Drive, and prep your calendar for the week ahead. Your entire weekly review runs itself.

05

Client deliverable packaging

Take a project folder in Drive, have Claude compile everything into a clean Slides presentation, add a Docs summary, and share both with a client email list. Deliverable packaging that used to take 2 hours now takes 2 minutes.

Section 5

The Old Way vs. Right Now

Before

  • Zapier or Make.com, $50-200/mo, limited steps
  • Google Apps Script (requires JavaScript knowledge)
  • Third-party connectors: slow, add latency, another login
  • Custom API code (you need a developer)
  • Manual clicking, your time, every single time

Now

  • Free. Apache 2.0, open source
  • One install command, zero config files
  • First-party from Google, no third-party risk
  • Built-in MCP server for Claude Code
  • Covers every Workspace service in one tool

The fact that this is free and open source is the part that matters most. Google built this under the googleworkspace org on GitHub. It's not an unofficial hack. It's Google saying: here's the official way to automate Workspace with AI.

Quick Reference

Commands You'll Actually Use

Install

Terminal
npm install -g @googleworkspace/cli

Auth

Terminal
gws auth setup
Terminal
gws auth login

Connect to Claude Code (MCP)

Terminal
gws mcp -s drive,gmail,calendar

Gmail

Terminal
gws gmail +triage
Terminal
gws gmail +send --to user@example.com --subject "Hello" --body "Hi there!"

Drive

Terminal
gws drive files list --params '{"pageSize": 10, "orderBy": "modifiedTime desc"}'
Terminal
gws drive +upload ./report.pdf

Calendar

Terminal
gws calendar events list --params '{"calendarId": "primary"}'

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