google-chat

name	google-chat
version	1.0.0
tier	communication
description	Google Chat messaging for small business teams. Send messages, post automated updates, manage spaces, run daily standups, and coordinate your team. Built on the gws CLI.
requires	{"bins":["gws"],"skills":["google-workspace"]}

Google Chat

Team messaging for small businesses using Google Workspace.

Uses the gws CLI for all Chat operations. See the google-workspace skill for setup. For platform-agnostic team messaging best practices, see SMB Team Messaging — it applies to both Google Chat and Slack.

Triggers

• "send a chat message"
• "post to [space/channel]"
• "message the team"
• "set up chat spaces"
• "post an update"
• Any request involving Google Chat spaces or messages

Prerequisites

• gws CLI installed and authenticated with Chat scope
• Run gws auth login -s chat if not already done
• Google Workspace account (Chat is not available on free Gmail)

Core Commands

# Send a message to a space
gws chat +send

# List spaces you're in
gws chat spaces list

# Get space details
gws chat spaces get --params '{"name": "spaces/SPACE_ID"}'

# List messages in a space
gws chat spaces messages list --params '{"parent": "spaces/SPACE_ID"}'

# Create a message
gws chat spaces messages create \
  --params '{"parent": "spaces/SPACE_ID"}' \
  --json '{"text": "Your message here"}'

# Reply in a thread
gws chat spaces messages create \
  --params '{"parent": "spaces/SPACE_ID"}' \
  --json '{"text": "Thread reply", "thread": {"name": "spaces/SPACE_ID/threads/THREAD_ID"}}'

SMB Space Structure

Recommended spaces for small businesses

Space	Purpose	Who's In	Agent Posts
Daily Briefing	Morning digest + EOD summary	Everyone	Automated daily
General	Company-wide announcements	Everyone	Major alerts only
Orders	Order updates, fulfillment	Ops team	Order alerts
Sales	Revenue, transactions, wins	Leadership	Daily numbers
Inventory	Stock levels, vendor orders	Purchasing + ops	Low stock alerts
Ops Log	Shift notes, equipment, facilities	Ops team	Shift reminders

For very small teams (< 5 people)

Start with just 2-3 spaces:

Space	Purpose
General	Everything
Daily Briefing	Automated agent posts
Alerts	Urgent items only

Create spaces

# Create a new space
gws chat spaces create --json '{
  "displayName": "Daily Briefing",
  "spaceType": "SPACE",
  "externalUserAllowed": false
}'

SMB Messaging Patterns

Morning standup post

gws chat spaces messages create \
  --params '{"parent": "spaces/SPACE_ID"}' \
  --json '{"text": "*Daily Standup — Wednesday, Jan 15*\n\n*Yesterday:*\n• Revenue: $2,450 (forecast: $2,200, +11%)\n• 87 transactions, avg ticket $28.16\n• Vendor delivery received from Fresh Farms\n\n*Today:*\n• 3 deliveries scheduled\n• 2 customer pickups\n• Mike out — Sarah covering\n\n*Blockers:*\n• Cooler #2 running warm (38°F, target 34°F)"}'

Shift handoff

gws chat spaces messages create \
  --params '{"parent": "spaces/SPACE_ID"}' \
  --json '{"text": "*Shift Handoff — 3:00 PM*\n\n*Completed:*\n• Morning delivery received and checked in\n• Inventory count done for deli case\n• Customer order #4521 prepped for pickup\n\n*Needs attention:*\n• Paper towel supply low — reorder needed\n• Register 2 jamming on receipts\n\n*Heads up:*\n• Evening delivery from Sysco expected at 5pm\n• VIP customer (Johnson) pickup at 6pm"}'

Automated sales report

gws chat spaces messages create \
  --params '{"parent": "spaces/SPACE_ID"}' \
  --json '{"text": "📊 *Daily Sales — Wednesday, Jan 15*\n\n*Revenue:* $2,450 (+11% vs forecast)\n*Transactions:* 87 (avg ticket: $28.16)\n*Top seller:* NY Strip (23 units)\n\nStrong day. No action needed."}'

Alert — needs attention

gws chat spaces messages create \
  --params '{"parent": "spaces/SPACE_ID"}' \
  --json '{"text": "🚨 *Low Stock: Ground Beef*\n\nCurrent: 8 lbs (reorder point: 15 lbs)\nEstimated depletion: Tomorrow by 2pm\nSuggested: Order from Fresh Farms today for Thursday delivery."}'

Weekly recap

gws chat spaces messages create \
  --params '{"parent": "spaces/SPACE_ID"}' \
  --json '{"text": "*Weekly Recap — Week of Jan 13*\n\n*Revenue:* $12,450 (target: $11,500, +8.3%)\n*Best day:* Tuesday ($2,890)\n*Transactions:* 423 total, avg ticket $29.43\n\n*Highlights:*\n• New catering client signed\n• Google Ads ROAS improved to 3.2x\n\n*Issues:*\n• Cooler #2 still warm — repair Monday\n• 2 customer complaints (both resolved)\n\n*Next week:*\n• Vendor negotiation (Tuesday)\n• Monthly inventory count (Thursday)"}'

Announce a file from Drive

# Built-in workflow
gws workflow +file-announce

Rich Cards (Structured Messages)

For formatted messages with sections and buttons:

gws chat spaces messages create \
  --params '{"parent": "spaces/SPACE_ID"}' \
  --json '{
    "cardsV2": [{
      "cardId": "daily-sales",
      "card": {
        "header": {
          "title": "Daily Sales Report",
          "subtitle": "Wednesday, January 15"
        },
        "sections": [{
          "widgets": [{
            "columns": {
              "columnItems": [
                {"widgets": [{"decoratedText": {"topLabel": "Revenue", "text": "$2,450"}}]},
                {"widgets": [{"decoratedText": {"topLabel": "vs Forecast", "text": "+11%"}}]}
              ]
            }
          }]
        }]
      }
    }]
  }'

Communication Cadence

Daily rhythm

Time	What	Where
7:30 AM	Morning briefing	Daily Briefing space
9:00 AM	Team reads + responds in thread	Daily Briefing (thread)
Throughout day	Issues and updates	Relevant spaces
6:00 PM	EOD summary / shift handoff	Daily Briefing or Ops Log

Weekly

Day	What	Where
Monday AM	Week preview + priorities	Daily Briefing
Friday PM	Week recap + wins	Sales or Daily Briefing

Notification Rules

Urgency	How to Post	When
Urgent	@all mention + message	System down, safety issue
Important	Direct message, no @all	Revenue miss, complaint
Informational	Space message	Daily briefing, updates
FYI	Thread reply	Meeting notes, minor updates

Rule: If you @all more than once a week, you're doing it too much.

Integration with Other Skills

• morning-briefing — Post the daily briefing to a Chat space
• gmail — Forward important emails as Chat messages
• google-drive — Share files in Chat spaces via gws workflow +file-announce
• google-sheets — Pull KPI data for automated reports
• autoresearch — Post overnight experiment results
• google-ads — Post ad performance summaries
• slack — Alternative for Slack-based teams (same patterns, different platform)

Slack vs Google Chat?

If your team...	Use
Already uses Google Workspace for email/calendar/docs	Google Chat — it's integrated
Uses Slack for other projects or prefers it	Slack — see the slack skill
Is split or undecided	Pick one and commit — don't split communication across both

Both platforms work. The patterns in SMB Team Messaging apply to either. The worst choice is using both — consolidate.

Tips

• Use gws chat spaces list to find space IDs
• Use --dry-run before sending to preview the request
• Use threads for discussions — keep the main space as a clean feed
• Set space descriptions so everyone knows what each space is for
• Consolidate bot posts into 1-2 spaces, not every space
• Archive spaces nobody uses

Related Skills

• google-workspace — Required setup (install and auth)
• slack — Alternative for Slack-based teams
• morning-briefing — Daily digest that can post to Chat

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Keep your team in sync. One update, one place, one time.