Google Docs

---
name: google-docs
description: |
  Google Docs API integration with managed OAuth. Create documents, insert text, apply formatting, and manage content. Use this skill when users want to interact with Google Docs. For other third party apps, use the api-gateway skill (https://clawhub.ai/byungkyu/api-gateway).
compatibility: Requires network access and valid Maton API key
metadata:
  author: maton
  version: "1.0"
  clawdbot:
    emoji: 🧠
    requires:
      env:
        - MATON_API_KEY
---

# Google Docs

Access the Google Docs API with managed OAuth authentication. Create documents, insert and format text, and manage document content.

## Quick Start

```bash
# Get document
python <<'EOF'
import urllib.request, os, json
req = urllib.request.Request('https://api.maton.ai/google-docs/v1/documents/{documentId}')
req.add_header('Authorization', f'Bearer {os.environ["MATON_API_KEY"]}')
print(json.dumps(json.load(urllib.request.urlopen(req)), indent=2))
EOF
```

## Base URL

```
https://api.maton.ai/google-docs/{native-api-path}
```

Maton proxies requests to `docs.googleapis.com` and automatically injects your OAuth token.

## Authentication

All requests require the Maton API key in the Authorization header:

```
Authorization: Bearer $MATON_API_KEY
```

**Environment Variable:** Set your API key as `MATON_API_KEY`:

```bash
export MATON_API_KEY="YOUR_API_KEY"
```

### Getting Your API Key

1. Sign in or create an account at [maton.ai](https://maton.ai)
2. Go to [maton.ai/settings](https://maton.ai/settings)
3. Copy your API key

## Connection Management

Manage your Google OAuth connections at `https://api.maton.ai`.

### List Connections

```bash
python <<'EOF'
import urllib.request, os, json
req = urllib.request.Request('https://api.maton.ai/connections?app=google-docs&status=ACTIVE')
req.add_header('Authorization', f'Bearer {os.environ["MATON_API_KEY"]}')
print(json.dumps(json.load(urllib.request.urlopen(req)), indent=2))
EOF
```

### Create Connection

```bash
python <<'EOF'
import urllib.request, os, json
data = json.dumps({'app': 'google-docs'}).encode()
req = urllib.request.Request('https://api.maton.ai/connections', data=data, method='POST')
req.add_header('Authorization', f'Bearer {os.environ["MATON_API_KEY"]}')
req.add_header('Content-Type', 'application/json')
print(json.dumps(json.load(urllib.request.urlopen(req)), indent=2))
EOF
```

### Get Connection

```bash
python <<'EOF'
import urllib.request, os, json
req = urllib.request.Request('https://api.maton.ai/connections/{connection_id}')
req.add_header('Authorization', f'Bearer {os.environ["MATON_API_KEY"]}')
print(json.dumps(json.load(urllib.request.urlopen(req)), indent=2))
EOF
```

**Response:**
```json
{
  "connection": {
    "connection_id": "{connection_id}",
    "status": "ACTIVE",
    "creation_time": "2025-12-08T07:20:53.488460Z",
    "last_updated_time": "2026-01-31T20:03:32.593153Z",
    "url": "https://connect.maton.ai/?session_token=...",
    "app": "google-docs",
    "metadata": {}
  }
}
```

Open the returned `url` in a browser to complete OAuth authorization.

### Delete Connection

```bash
python <<'EOF'
import urllib.request, os, json
req = urllib.request.Request('https://api.maton.ai/connections/{connection_id}', method='DELETE')
req.add_header('Authorization', f'Bearer {os.environ["MATON_API_KEY"]}')
print(json.dumps(json.load(urllib.request.urlopen(req)), indent=2))
EOF
```

### Specifying Connection

If you have multiple Google Docs connections, specify which one to use with the `Maton-Connection` header:

```bash
python <<'EOF'
import urllib.request, os, json
req = urllib.request.Request('https://api.maton.ai/google-docs/v1/documents/{documentId}')
req.add_header('Authorization', f'Bearer {os.environ["MATON_API_KEY"]}')
req.add_header('Maton-Connection', '{connection_id}')
print(json.dumps(json.load(urllib.request.urlopen(req)), indent=2))
EOF
```

If you have multiple connections, always include this header to ensure requests go to the intended account.

## Security & Permissions

- Access is scoped to documents, content, formatting, and document metadata within the connected Google Docs account.
- **All write operations require explicit user approval.** Before executing any create, update, or delete call, confirm the target resource and intended effect with the user.

## API Reference

### Get Document

```bash
GET /google-docs/v1/documents/{documentId}
```

### Create Document

```bash
POST /google-docs/v1/documents
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "title": "New Document"
}
```

### Batch Update Document

```bash
POST /google-docs/v1/documents/{documentId}:batchUpdate
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "requests": [
    {
      "insertText": {
        "location": {"index": 1},
        "text": "Hello, World!"
      }
    }
  ]
}
```

## Common batchUpdate Requests

### Insert Text

```json
{
  "insertText": {
    "location": {"index": 1},
    "text": "Text to insert"
  }
}
```

### Delete Content

```json
{
  "deleteContentRange": {
    "range": {
      "startIndex": 1,
      "endIndex": 10
    }
  }
}
```

### Replace All Text

```json
{
  "replaceAllText": {
    "containsText": {
      "text": "{{placeholder}}",
      "matchCase": true
    },
    "replaceText": "replacement value"
  }
}
```

### Insert Table

```json
{
  "insertTable": {
    "location": {"index": 1},
    "rows": 3,
    "columns": 3
  }
}
```

### Update Text Style

```json
{
  "updateTextStyle": {
    "range": {
      "startIndex": 1,
      "endIndex": 10
    },
    "textStyle": {
      "bold": true,
      "fontSize": {"magnitude": 14, "unit": "PT"}
    },
    "fields": "bold,fontSize"
  }
}
```

### Insert Page Break

```json
{
  "insertPageBreak": {
    "location": {"index": 1}
  }
}
```

## Code Examples

### JavaScript

```javascript
// Create document
const response = await fetch(
  'https://api.maton.ai/google-docs/v1/documents',
  {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      'Content-Type': 'application/json',
      'Authorization': `Bearer ${process.env.MATON_API_KEY}`
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({ title: 'New Document' })
  }
);

// Insert text
await fetch(
  `https://api.maton.ai/google-docs/v1/documents/${docId}:batchUpdate`,
  {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      'Content-Type': 'application/json',
      'Authorization': `Bearer ${process.env.MATON_API_KEY}`
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      requests: [{ insertText: { location: { index: 1 }, text: 'Hello!' } }]
    })
  }
);
```

### Python

```python
import os
import requests

# Create document
response = requests.post(
    'https://api.maton.ai/google-docs/v1/documents',
    headers={'Authorization': f'Bearer {os.environ["MATON_API_KEY"]}'},
    json={'title': 'New Document'}
)
```

## Notes

- Index positions are 1-based (document starts at index 1)
- Use `endOfSegmentLocation` to append at end
- Multiple requests in batchUpdate are applied atomically
- Get document first to find correct indices for updates
- The `fields` parameter in style updates uses field mask syntax
- IMPORTANT: When using curl commands, use `curl -g` when URLs contain brackets (`fields[]`, `sort[]`, `records[]`) to disable glob parsing
- IMPORTANT: When piping curl output to `jq` or other commands, environment variables like `$MATON_API_KEY` may not expand correctly in some shell environments. You may get "Invalid API key" errors when piping.

## Error Handling

| Status | Meaning |
|--------|---------|
| 400 | Missing Google Docs connection |
| 401 | Invalid or missing Maton API key |
| 429 | Rate limited (10 req/sec per account) |
| 4xx/5xx | Passthrough error from Google Docs API |

### Troubleshooting: API Key Issues

1. Check that the `MATON_API_KEY` environment variable is set:

```bash
echo $MATON_API_KEY
```

2. Verify the API key is valid by listing connections:

```bash
python <<'EOF'
import urllib.request, os, json
req = urllib.request.Request('https://api.maton.ai/connections')
req.add_header('Authorization', f'Bearer {os.environ["MATON_API_KEY"]}')
print(json.dumps(json.load(urllib.request.urlopen(req)), indent=2))
EOF
```

### Troubleshooting: Invalid App Name

1. Ensure your URL path starts with `google-docs`. For example:

- Correct: `https://api.maton.ai/google-docs/v1/documents/{documentId}`
- Incorrect: `https://api.maton.ai/docs/v1/documents/{documentId}`

## Resources

- [Docs API Overview](https://developers.google.com/docs/api/how-tos/overview)
- [Get Document](https://developers.google.com/docs/api/reference/rest/v1/documents/get)
- [Create Document](https://developers.google.com/docs/api/reference/rest/v1/documents/create)
- [Batch Update](https://developers.google.com/docs/api/reference/rest/v1/documents/batchUpdate)
- [Request Types](https://developers.google.com/docs/api/reference/rest/v1/documents/request)
- [Document Structure](https://developers.google.com/docs/api/concepts/structure)
- [Maton Community](https://discord.com/invite/dBfFAcefs2)
- [Maton Support](mailto:support@maton.ai)