Drives Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Contacts through the gws CLI or the bundled Python OAuth wrapper (setup.py / google_api.py). Use when the user wants to search or send mail, manage events, upload or share Drive files, or edit Sheets/Docs. Not for email-only Gmail App Password setups (prefer himalaya). Do not use for Microsoft 365 or local Obsidian notes.
Drives Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Contacts through the gws CLI or the bundled Python OAuth wrapper (setup.py / google_api.py). Use when the user wants to search or send mail, manage events, upload or share Drive files, or edit Sheets/Docs. Not for email-only Gmail App Password setups (prefer himalaya). Do not use for Microsoft 365 or local Obsidian notes.
version
1.1.1
author
Nous Research
license
MIT
platforms
["linux","macos","windows"]
required_credential_files
[{"path":"google_token.json","description":"Google OAuth2 token (created by setup script)"},{"path":"google_client_secret.json","description":"Google OAuth2 client credentials (downloaded from Google Cloud Console)"}]
Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Contacts, Sheets, and Docs — through Hermes-managed OAuth and a thin CLI wrapper. When gws is installed, the skill uses it as the execution backend for broader Google Workspace coverage; otherwise it falls back to the bundled Python client implementation.
When to Use
User asks to search, read, send, or reply to Gmail messages.
User asks to list, create, or delete Calendar events.
User asks to search, upload, download, share, or delete Drive files.
User asks to read, create, or append to Google Sheets or Docs.
User asks to list Google Contacts.
User mentions keywords: Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Google Sheets, Google Docs, Google Contacts, Workspace.
If the user needs email only and has not already set up this skill, prefer the himalaya skill (Gmail App Password, 2-minute setup, no Google Cloud project). Load the himalaya skill and follow its setup instructions.
Prerequisites
Python 3.8+ installed and on PATH.
A Google Cloud OAuth Desktop client (google_client_secret.json).
Required APIs enabled in Google Cloud Console: Gmail API, Google Calendar API, Google Drive API, Google Sheets API, Google Docs API, People API.
On Windows (PowerShell), use the same commands but adjust path separators. The scripts are Python and cross-platform; $GSETUP / $GAPI shorthands use bash syntax — on PowerShell define them as:
If HERMES_HOME is unset, default to $HOME/.hermes (bash) or $env:USERPROFILE\.hermes (PowerShell).
References
references/gmail-search-syntax.md — Gmail search operators (is:unread, from:, newer_than:, has:attachment, etc.). Load this file with skill_view("google-workspace", file_path="references/gmail-search-syntax.md") whenever the user asks for a complex Gmail search or you are unsure of the correct operator syntax.
Scripts
scripts/setup.py — OAuth2 setup (run once to authorize). Also handles --check, --revoke, --install-deps.
scripts/google_api.py — compatibility wrapper CLI. Prefers gws for operations when available, while preserving Hermes' existing JSON output contract.
Procedure
First-Time Setup
The setup is fully non-interactive — you drive it step by step so it works on CLI, Telegram, Discord, or any platform.
If it prints AUTHENTICATED, skip to Usage — setup is already done.
Step 1: Triage — ask the user what they need
Before starting OAuth setup, ask the user TWO questions:
Question 1: "What Google services do you need? Just email, or also Calendar/Drive/Sheets/Docs?"
Email only → They don't need this skill at all. Use the himalaya skill instead — it works with a Gmail App Password (Settings → Security → App Passwords) and takes 2 minutes to set up. No Google Cloud project needed. Load the himalaya skill and follow its setup instructions.
Email + Calendar → Continue with this skill, but use --services email,calendar during auth so the consent screen only asks for the scopes they actually need.
Calendar/Drive/Sheets/Docs only → Continue with this skill and use a narrower --services set like calendar,drive,sheets,docs.
Full Workspace access → Continue with this skill and use the default all service set.
Question 2: "Does your Google account use Advanced Protection (hardware security keys required to sign in)? If you're not sure, you probably don't — it's something you would have explicitly enrolled in."
No / Not sure → Normal setup. Continue below.
Yes → Their Workspace admin must add the OAuth client ID to the org's allowed apps list before Step 4 will work. Let them know upfront.
Enable the required APIs from the API Library:
https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/library
Enable: Gmail API, Google Calendar API, Google Drive API,
Google Sheets API, Google Docs API, People API
Important Hermes CLI note: if the file path starts with /, do NOT send only the bare path as its own message in the CLI, because it can be mistaken for a slash command. Send it in a sentence instead, like:
The JSON file path is: /home/user/Downloads/client_secret_....json
If they paste the raw client ID / client secret values instead of a file path, write a valid Desktop OAuth JSON file for them yourself, save it somewhere explicit (for example ~/Downloads/hermes-google-client-secret.json), then run --client-secret against that file.
This returns JSON with an auth_url field and also saves the exact URL to ~/.hermes/google_oauth_last_url.txt.
Agent rules for this step:
Extract the auth_url field and send that exact URL to the user as a single line.
Tell the user that the browser will likely fail on http://localhost:1 after approval, and that this is expected.
Tell them to copy the ENTIRE redirected URL from the browser address bar.
If the user gets Error 403: access_denied, send them directly to https://console.cloud.google.com/auth/audience to add themselves as a test user.
Step 4: Exchange the code
The user will paste back either a URL like http://localhost:1/?code=4/0A...&scope=... or just the code string. Either works. The --auth-url step stores a temporary pending OAuth session locally so --auth-code can complete the PKCE exchange later, even on headless systems:
If --auth-code fails because the code expired, was already used, or came from an older browser tab, it now returns a fresh fresh_auth_url. In that case, immediately send the new URL to the user and have them retry with the newest browser redirect only.
Step 5: Verify
$GSETUP --check
Should print AUTHENTICATED. Setup is complete — token refreshes automatically from now on.
Usage
All commands go through the API script. Set GAPI as a shorthand:
# Read$GAPI docs get DOC_ID
# Create a new Doc (optionally seeded with body text)$GAPI docs create --title "Meeting Notes"$GAPI docs create --title "Draft" --body "First paragraph..."# Append text to the end of an existing Doc$GAPI docs append DOC_ID --text "Additional content to append"
Output Format
All commands return JSON. Parse with jq or read directly. Key fields:
Gmail search: [{id, threadId, from, to, subject, date, snippet, labels}]
Gmail get: {id, threadId, from, to, subject, date, labels, body}
Never send email, create/delete calendar events, delete Drive files, share files, or modify Docs/Sheets without confirming with the user first. Show what will be done (recipients, file IDs, content, share role) and ask for approval. For drive delete, prefer the default trash (reversible) over --permanent.
Check auth before first use — run setup.py --check. If it fails, guide the user through setup.
Use the Gmail search syntax reference for complex queries — load it with skill_view("google-workspace", file_path="references/gmail-search-syntax.md").
Calendar times must include timezone — always use ISO 8601 with offset (e.g., 2026-03-01T10:00:00-06:00) or UTC (Z).
Respect rate limits — avoid rapid-fire sequential API calls. Batch reads when possible.
Revoking Access
$GSETUP --revoke
Pitfalls
Problem
Fix
NOT_AUTHENTICATED
Run setup Steps 2–5 above
REFRESH_FAILED
Token revoked or expired — redo Steps 3–5
HttpError 403: Insufficient Permission
Missing API scope — $GSETUP --revoke then redo Steps 3–5
AUTHENTICATED (partial) or "Token missing scopes"
New write capabilities (Drive write/delete, Docs create/edit) require re-authorization. $GSETUP --revoke then redo Steps 3–5 to grant the upgraded scopes.
HttpError 403: Access Not Configured
API not enabled — user needs to enable it in Google Cloud Console
ModuleNotFoundError
Run $GSETUP --install-deps
Advanced Protection blocks auth
Workspace admin must allowlist the OAuth client ID
OAuth code expired / already used
--auth-code returns a fresh_auth_url; send the new URL to the user and retry with the newest browser redirect only
Error 403: access_denied during consent
User is not a test user — send them to https://console.cloud.google.com/auth/audience to add themselves
Bare /path mistaken for slash command in CLI
Always send file paths inside a sentence, e.g. The JSON file path is: /home/user/Downloads/client_secret_....json
Token stored at ~/.hermes/google_token.json
Auto-refreshes; if gws is installed it shares the same token file — no separate gws auth login needed
Pending OAuth state at ~/.hermes/google_oauth_pending.json
Temporary; cleared after exchange completes
Verification
Auth check — run after setup or before first use:
$GSETUP --check
Expected output: AUTHENTICATED
Gmail read — verify email access:
$GAPI gmail search "is:unread" --max 1
Expected: JSON array (possibly empty [] if no unread mail).
Calendar read — verify calendar access:
$GAPI calendar list
Expected: JSON array of upcoming events.
Drive read — verify Drive access:
$GAPI drive search "" --max 1
Expected: JSON array of file objects.
Dependencies — if any command raises ModuleNotFoundError:
$GSETUP --install-deps
Then re-run the failing command.
Related Skills
himalaya — Lightweight IMAP/SMTP email client. Prefer for email-only use cases to avoid the Google Cloud OAuth setup overhead. Works with a Gmail App Password.
