Google Drive CLI (gcmd) Skill

Quick reference for using gcmd CLI tool to work with Google Drive files.

Repository: https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd

Quick Start

The easiest way to use gcmd is with uvx - no installation or repository cloning required:

# Export a Google Doc as markdown
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd export "https://docs.google.com/document/d/FILE_ID/edit" -o /tmp/

# Export a Google Sheet as CSV (one file per sheet)
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd export "https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/FILE_ID/edit" -o /tmp/

# List recent files
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd list

# Search for files
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd list -q "quarterly report"

# View file info and comments
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd info -v "https://docs.google.com/document/d/FILE_ID/edit"

Tip: Add an alias to your shell for convenience:

alias gcmd='uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd'

# Then use it simply:
gcmd export "https://docs.google.com/document/d/FILE_ID/edit" -o /tmp/

Overview

gcmd is a Python CLI tool for working with Google Drive from the command line. Useful for:

• •Exporting Google Docs as markdown for processing/archival
• •Exporting Google Sheets as CSV (one file per sheet)
• •Listing and searching Drive files
• •Downloading files
• •Viewing file metadata, permissions, and comments
• •Reviewing document feedback and collaboration

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• •User asks to export Google Docs as markdown
• •User asks to export Google Sheets as CSV
• •User provides a Google Drive URL and wants to read/access the content
• •User asks to search for files in Google Drive
• •User wants to view file permissions or comments on Google Docs
• •User mentions "meeting notes" or "Gemini notes" from Google Meet
• •User asks to list recent Google Drive files

Common Commands

Export Google Docs as Markdown

RECOMMENDED: Export to /tmp/ for easy reading by Claude Code

uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd export "https://docs.google.com/document/d/FILE_ID/edit" -o /tmp/
# Creates: /tmp/Document Title.md (uses document title as filename)

Export to specific file path:

uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd export FILE_ID -o /tmp/meeting-notes.md
# Creates: /tmp/meeting-notes.md

Export all tabs as separate files:

uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd export --all-tabs FILE_ID -o /tmp/
# Creates: /tmp/Document Title - Tab1.md, /tmp/Document Title - Tab2.md, etc.

How -o works:

• •Without -o: Saves to current directory using document title + .exported.md
• •With -o /tmp/ (directory): Saves to /tmp/ using document title + .md extension (no .exported)
• •With -o /tmp/file.md (file): Saves to exact path /tmp/file.md

After exporting, ALWAYS read the file to provide the user with the content.

Export Google Sheets as CSV

Export creates a directory with one CSV file per sheet:

uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd export "https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/FILE_ID/edit" -o /tmp/
# Creates: /tmp/Spreadsheet Title/
#   Sheet1.csv
#   Sheet2.csv
#   ...

How it works:

• •Auto-detects Google Sheets vs Docs based on URL/file type
• •Creates a directory named after the spreadsheet
• •Exports each sheet/tab as a separate CSV file
• •Includes retry logic with exponential backoff for rate limiting

After exporting, read the CSV files to provide the user with the content.

List and Search Files

# List recent files (default 20, sorted by modified date)
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd list

# Search for files by name or content
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd list -q "quarterly report"

# List only Google Docs
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd list -t docs

# List with verbose details
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd list -v -n 10

# List only folders
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd list -t folders

# List Google Sheets
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd list -t sheets

View File Info

# Basic file metadata
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd info "https://docs.google.com/document/d/FILE_ID/edit"

# Detailed info with permissions, tabs, structure, and comments
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd info -v "https://docs.google.com/document/d/FILE_ID/edit"

# Show only comments (without other verbose details)
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd info --show-comments "https://docs.google.com/document/d/FILE_ID/edit"

# Also works with just file ID
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd info FILE_ID -v

Detailed info shows:

• •File metadata (name, type, size, dates)
• •Owner and last modifier
• •All permissions (users, groups, domains, public links)
• •Your capabilities (can edit, comment, share, download, etc.)
• •Document tabs (for multi-tab Google Docs)
• •Document outline with all headings
• •Comments and replies with quoted text, authors, timestamps, and status (resolved/deleted)

Download Files

# Download to current directory
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd download FILE_ID

# Download to specific path
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd download FILE_ID -o ~/Downloads/myfile.pdf

# Works with URLs
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd download "https://drive.google.com/file/d/FILE_ID/view"

URL Format Support

All commands accept multiple URL formats:

# Google Docs
https://docs.google.com/document/d/FILE_ID/edit
https://docs.google.com/document/d/FILE_ID/edit?tab=t.0

# Google Sheets
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/FILE_ID/edit

# Google Slides
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/FILE_ID/edit

# Drive files
https://drive.google.com/file/d/FILE_ID/view

# Just the file ID
FILE_ID

Workflow Example

When user provides a Google Drive URL:

1. •

   Export the document to /tmp/:

   bash

   uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd export "URL" -o /tmp/
   

2. •

   Read the exported file: The file will be in /tmp/ with the document title as filename.

3. •

   Provide the content to the user or answer their questions about it.

4. •

   Optional cleanup: After helping the user, you can delete the exported file:

   bash

   rm /tmp/exported-filename.md
   

Common Workflow Examples

Find and export a document

# Search for the document
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd list -q "MCP Server Analysis" -t docs

# Get detailed info (tabs, structure)
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd info -v "https://docs.google.com/document/d/FILE_ID/edit"

# Export all tabs to /tmp/ for easy reading
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd export --all-tabs FILE_ID -o /tmp/

Check permissions on shared docs

# View detailed permissions
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd info -v FILE_ID

# Shows:
# - Who has access (users, groups, domains, public)
# - Permission levels (owner, writer, reader, commenter)
# - Your capabilities (can edit, share, download, etc.)

Review document feedback

# View all comments and replies on a document
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd info --show-comments "https://docs.google.com/document/d/FILE_ID/edit"

# Shows:
# - All comments with quoted/highlighted text
# - Authors and timestamps
# - Replies with their authors
# - Status (resolved, deleted)
# - Total comment count

List recent work documents

# List recent Google Docs with details
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd list -t docs -v -n 20

Export a spreadsheet for analysis

# Export all sheets to CSV
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd export "https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/FILE_ID/edit" -o /tmp/

# List the exported files
ls /tmp/Spreadsheet\ Title/

# Read a specific sheet
cat "/tmp/Spreadsheet Title/Sheet1.csv"

Key Features

• •URL support: All commands accept full Google Drive URLs or file IDs
• •Native markdown export: Preserves formatting (headings, tables, links, bold, italic)
• •Sheets CSV export: Export Google Sheets to CSV (one file per sheet in a directory)
• •Multi-tab documents: Use --all-tabs to export each tab separately
• •Detailed info: View permissions, sharing, capabilities, document structure
• •Comments access: View all comments and replies with quoted text, authors, and timestamps
• •Auto-naming: Exported files use .exported.md extension (auto-ignored by git) when no -o specified
• •Rate limit handling: Automatic retries with exponential backoff for API rate limits

Authentication

First-Time Setup

Before first use, you need OAuth credentials:

1. •Go to Google Cloud Console
2. •Create a new project or select existing
3. •Enable APIs:
   • •Google Drive API
   • •Google Docs API
   • •Google Sheets API
4. •Create OAuth 2.0 Client ID credentials:
   • •Click "+ CREATE CREDENTIALS" → "OAuth client ID"
   • •Application type: "Desktop app"
   • •Name: "gcmd" (or anything)
5. •Download the JSON file
6. •Save to: ~/.config/gcmd/credentials.json

First Run

On first use, your browser will open for authentication:

uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd list
# Browser opens → sign in → grant permissions → done!

Token is cached at ~/.config/gcmd/token.json for future use.

Troubleshooting Authentication

If authentication fails, delete token and re-authenticate:

rm ~/.config/gcmd/token.json
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd list  # Will trigger new auth flow

Important Notes

1. •Always use /tmp/ for exports - Makes files easy to find and read
2. •No installation required - Use uvx to run directly from GitHub
3. •Read exported files - After exporting, read the file and provide content to user
4. •Clean up after - Delete exported files from /tmp/ when done

Troubleshooting

"credentials.json not found": Follow the Authentication setup steps above to create OAuth credentials

"Authentication failed": Delete token and re-authenticate:

rm ~/.config/gcmd/token.json
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd list

"Not a Google Doc": Use download command instead of export for non-Doc files

Browser won't open: The CLI will provide a manual URL to paste in your browser

Tips

1. •

   Add a shell alias for convenience:

   bash

   alias gcmd='uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd" gcmd'
   

2. •

   Export location: Always use -o /tmp/ when exporting so files are in a predictable location for easy reading

3. •

   File naming: Without -o, exported files use .exported.md extension. With -o /dir/, uses .md

4. •

   Multi-tab documents: Use --all-tabs to export each tab as a separate file

5. •

   Verbose mode: Use -v for detailed information (permissions, structure, comments, etc.)

6. •

   Comments: Use --show-comments to view just comments without other verbose details

7. •

   Search: The -q flag searches both file names and content

Links

• •Repository: https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd
• •Issues: https://github.com/shanemcd/gcmd/issues

Last updated: 2026-01-20