managing-google-sheets

name	managing-google-sheets
description	Read, write, and update Google Sheets data via CLI. Use when the user asks to read spreadsheet data, update cells, append rows, or work with Google Sheets. Triggers on mentions of spreadsheets, sheets, Google Sheets, tabular data in the cloud, or specific sheet names like "Projects" or "Tasks".

sheets-cli

CLI for Google Sheets primitives. Read tables, append rows, update cells by key or index, batch operations.

Installation: sheets-cli is already installed and available in the user's PATH. Run commands directly—no installation needed.

Quick Reference

# Find spreadsheet by name
sheets-cli sheets find --name "Projects"

# List sheets/tabs
sheets-cli sheets list --spreadsheet <id-or-url>

# Read table data
sheets-cli read table --spreadsheet <id> --sheet "Sheet1" --limit 100

# Update by key column (preferred - rows can shift)
sheets-cli update key --spreadsheet <id> --sheet "Projects" \
  --key-col "Name" --key "Acme" --set '{"Status":"Done"}'

# Append row
sheets-cli append --spreadsheet <id> --sheet "Projects" \
  --values '{"Name":"NewCo","Status":"Active"}'

Workflow Pattern

Always follow read → decide → dry-run → apply:

# 1. Understand current state
sheets-cli read table --sheet "Tasks" --limit 100

# 2. Dry-run first
sheets-cli update key --sheet "Tasks" --key-col "ID" --key "TASK-42" \
  --set '{"Status":"Complete"}' --dry-run

# 3. Apply if dry-run looks correct
sheets-cli update key --sheet "Tasks" --key-col "ID" --key "TASK-42" \
  --set '{"Status":"Complete"}'

Commands

Auth (Setup)

sheets-cli auth login --credentials <oauth-client.json>
sheets-cli auth status
sheets-cli auth logout

Find Spreadsheet by Name

sheets-cli sheets find --name "<query>" [--limit 10]

Searches Google Drive for spreadsheets matching the name. Returns ID, name, URL.

Requires Google Drive API enabled in the project.

List Sheets/Tabs

sheets-cli sheets list --spreadsheet <id>

Sheet Info

sheets-cli sheet info --spreadsheet <id> --sheet "<name>"
sheets-cli sheet info --spreadsheet <id> --gid <gid>

Get sheet metadata by name or GID.

Get Header Row

sheets-cli header --spreadsheet <id> --sheet "<name>" [--header-row N]

Returns column headers. Auto-detects header row if not specified.

Read Table Data

sheets-cli read table --spreadsheet <id> --sheet "<name>" [--limit N] [--raw]

Returns { headers: ["_row", ...], rows: [{_row: N, ...}, ...], headerRow: N }.

Each row includes _row - the absolute sheet row number for use with update row.

Read Raw Range

sheets-cli read range --spreadsheet <id> --range "Sheet1!A1:B10"

Append Row

sheets-cli append --spreadsheet <id> --sheet "<name>" \
  --values '<json>' [--dry-run]

JSON object with column names as keys. Column matching is case-insensitive with normalized whitespace.

Update by Key (Preferred)

sheets-cli update key --spreadsheet <id> --sheet "<name>" \
  --key-col "<column>" --key "<value>" --set '<json>' \
  [--allow-multi] [--dry-run]

Finds rows where key-col equals key, updates columns from --set. Throws if multiple matches unless --allow-multi.

Update by Row Index

sheets-cli update row --spreadsheet <id> --sheet "<name>" \
  --row <n> --set '<json>' [--dry-run]

Updates specific row by 1-indexed row number. Use _row from read table output directly.

Row Numbering

• read table returns headerRow and rows with _row field
• _row is the absolute sheet row number - use directly with update row --row
• Example: headerRow: 2 means headers on row 2, first data row is _row: 3
• Never calculate row numbers manually - always use _row from read output

Set Range

sheets-cli set range --spreadsheet <id> --range "Sheet1!A1:B2" \
  --values '<2d-json-array>' [--dry-run]

Batch Operations

sheets-cli batch --spreadsheet <id> --ops '<json-array>' [--dry-run]

Operations: append, updateRow, updateKey, setRange.

Global Options

Option	Description
--spreadsheet <id>	Spreadsheet ID or full URL
--dry-run	Preview without applying
--header-row <n>	Header row (auto-detects if omitted)
--value-input <mode>	USER_ENTERED (default) or RAW

Output Format

All commands return JSON:

{
  "ok": true,
  "cmd": "update key",
  "spreadsheetId": "...",
  "sheet": "Projects",
  "result": { "matchedRows": 1, "updatedCells": 2 }
}

Errors:

{
  "ok": false,
  "cmd": "update key",
  "error": { "code": "VALIDATION_ERROR", "message": "..." }
}

Best Practices

1. Use sheets find to get spreadsheet ID from name
2. --spreadsheet accepts URLs - paste full Google Sheets URL directly
3. Prefer key-based updates over row indices - rows shift on insert/delete
4. Always dry-run before writes
5. Check ok field in response before proceeding
6. Batch related operations for atomicity
7. Column names match case-insensitively with normalized whitespace
8. Header row auto-detects - skips empty rows to find first data row
9. Headerless sheets: read table returns columns as A, B, ...; use column letters for --set / --key-col
10. Empty sheets: append can bootstrap by writing a header row from JSON keys
11. read table --range accepts A1:Z (auto-prefixed with the sheet)

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
0	Success
10	Validation error
20	Auth error
30	Permission error
40	API/transient error