Google Docs API

Use the Google Docs API via direct curl calls to create, read, update, and format Google Docs documents.

Official docs: https://developers.google.com/docs/api

When to Use

Use this skill when you need to:

Create new documents from scratch
Read document content and metadata
Insert or replace text in documents
Format text (bold, italic, font size, color)
Manage paragraphs (alignment, spacing, bullets)
Insert tables, images, and page breaks
Get document structure and element information

Prerequisites

Go to vm0.ai Settings → Connectors and connect Google Docs. vm0 will automatically inject the required GOOGLE_DOCS_TOKEN environment variable.

Important: When using $VAR in a command that pipes to another command, wrap the command containing $VAR in bash -c '...'. Due to a Claude Code bug, environment variables are silently cleared when pipes are used directly.

Placeholders: Values in {curly-braces} like {document-id} are placeholders. Replace them with actual values when executing.

How to Use

Base URL: https://docs.googleapis.com/v1

Finding your Document ID: The document ID is in the URL: https://docs.google.com/document/d/{DOCUMENT_ID}/edit

1. Create New Document

Create a blank document with a title:

Write to /tmp/gdocs_request.json:

{
  "title": "My New Document"
}

Then run:

bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://docs.googleapis.com/v1/documents" --header "Authorization: Bearer $GOOGLE_DOCS_TOKEN" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/gdocs_request.json' | jq '{documentId, title, documentUrl: ("https://docs.google.com/document/d/" + .documentId + "/edit")}'

2. Get Document Content

Read the entire document structure and content:

bash -c 'curl -s "https://docs.googleapis.com/v1/documents/{document-id}" --header "Authorization: Bearer $GOOGLE_DOCS_TOKEN"' | jq '{title: .title, body: .body.content}'

3. Get Document Metadata Only

Get just the title and basic properties:

bash -c 'curl -s "https://docs.googleapis.com/v1/documents/{document-id}" --header "Authorization: Bearer $GOOGLE_DOCS_TOKEN"' | jq '{documentId, title, revisionId, suggestionsViewMode}'

4. Insert Text at Beginning

Insert text at the start of the document (index 1):

Write to /tmp/gdocs_request.json:

{
  "requests": [
    {
      "insertText": {
        "location": {
          "index": 1
        },
        "text": "Hello, this is my first paragraph.\n"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Then run:

bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://docs.googleapis.com/v1/documents/{document-id}:batchUpdate" --header "Authorization: Bearer $GOOGLE_DOCS_TOKEN" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/gdocs_request.json' | jq '.error // .replies // "done"'

5. Insert Text at Specific Location

Insert text at a specific index (get indexes from document content):

Write to /tmp/gdocs_request.json:

{
  "requests": [
    {
      "insertText": {
        "location": {
          "index": 25
        },
        "text": "This is inserted text.\n"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Then run:

bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://docs.googleapis.com/v1/documents/{document-id}:batchUpdate" --header "Authorization: Bearer $GOOGLE_DOCS_TOKEN" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/gdocs_request.json' | jq '.error // .replies // "done"'

6. Delete Content Range

Delete text from a specific range:

Write to /tmp/gdocs_request.json:

{
  "requests": [
    {
      "deleteContentRange": {
        "range": {
          "startIndex": 1,
          "endIndex": 50
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

Then run:

bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://docs.googleapis.com/v1/documents/{document-id}:batchUpdate" --header "Authorization: Bearer $GOOGLE_DOCS_TOKEN" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/gdocs_request.json' | jq '.error // .replies // "done"'

7. Find and Replace Text

Replace all occurrences of text throughout the document:

Write to /tmp/gdocs_request.json:

{
  "requests": [
    {
      "replaceAllText": {
        "containsText": {
          "text": "old text",
          "matchCase": true
        },
        "replaceText": "new text"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Then run:

bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://docs.googleapis.com/v1/documents/{document-id}:batchUpdate" --header "Authorization: Bearer $GOOGLE_DOCS_TOKEN" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/gdocs_request.json' | jq '.error // .replies[0].replaceAllText'

8. Format Text as Bold

Make text bold in a specific range:

Write to /tmp/gdocs_request.json:

{
  "requests": [
    {
      "updateTextStyle": {
        "range": {
          "startIndex": 1,
          "endIndex": 20
        },
        "textStyle": {
          "bold": true
        },
        "fields": "bold"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Then run:

bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://docs.googleapis.com/v1/documents/{document-id}:batchUpdate" --header "Authorization: Bearer $GOOGLE_DOCS_TOKEN" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/gdocs_request.json' | jq '.error // .replies // "done"'

9. Format Text with Multiple Styles

Apply multiple text styles (bold, italic, font size, color):

Write to /tmp/gdocs_request.json:

{
  "requests": [
    {
      "updateTextStyle": {
        "range": {
          "startIndex": 1,
          "endIndex": 30
        },
        "textStyle": {
          "bold": true,
          "italic": true,
          "fontSize": {
            "magnitude": 14,
            "unit": "PT"
          },
          "foregroundColor": {
            "color": {
              "rgbColor": {
                "red": 0.2,
                "green": 0.4,
                "blue": 0.8
              }
            }
          }
        },
        "fields": "bold,italic,fontSize,foregroundColor"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Then run:

bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://docs.googleapis.com/v1/documents/{document-id}:batchUpdate" --header "Authorization: Bearer $GOOGLE_DOCS_TOKEN" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/gdocs_request.json' | jq '.error // .replies // "done"'

10. Set Paragraph Alignment

Change paragraph alignment (LEFT, CENTER, RIGHT, JUSTIFIED):

Write to /tmp/gdocs_request.json:

{
  "requests": [
    {
      "updateParagraphStyle": {
        "range": {
          "startIndex": 1,
          "endIndex": 50
        },
        "paragraphStyle": {
          "alignment": "CENTER"
        },
        "fields": "alignment"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Then run:

bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://docs.googleapis.com/v1/documents/{document-id}:batchUpdate" --header "Authorization: Bearer $GOOGLE_DOCS_TOKEN" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/gdocs_request.json' | jq '.error // .replies // "done"'

11. Create Bulleted List

Convert paragraphs to a bulleted list:

Write to /tmp/gdocs_request.json:

{
  "requests": [
    {
      "createParagraphBullets": {
        "range": {
          "startIndex": 1,
          "endIndex": 100
        },
        "bulletPreset": "BULLET_DISC_CIRCLE_SQUARE"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Then run:

bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://docs.googleapis.com/v1/documents/{document-id}:batchUpdate" --header "Authorization: Bearer $GOOGLE_DOCS_TOKEN" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/gdocs_request.json' | jq '.error // .replies // "done"'

Available bullet presets:

BULLET_DISC_CIRCLE_SQUARE
BULLET_DIAMONDX_ARROW3D_SQUARE
BULLET_CHECKBOX
NUMBERED_DECIMAL_ALPHA_ROMAN
NUMBERED_DECIMAL_NESTED

12. Insert Table

Insert a table with specified rows and columns:

Write to /tmp/gdocs_request.json:

{
  "requests": [
    {
      "insertTable": {
        "rows": 3,
        "columns": 4,
        "location": {
          "index": 1
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

Then run:

bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://docs.googleapis.com/v1/documents/{document-id}:batchUpdate" --header "Authorization: Bearer $GOOGLE_DOCS_TOKEN" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/gdocs_request.json' | jq '.error // .replies // "done"'

13. Insert Page Break

Insert a page break at a specific location:

Write to /tmp/gdocs_request.json:

{
  "requests": [
    {
      "insertPageBreak": {
        "location": {
          "index": 50
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

Then run:

bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://docs.googleapis.com/v1/documents/{document-id}:batchUpdate" --header "Authorization: Bearer $GOOGLE_DOCS_TOKEN" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/gdocs_request.json' | jq '.error // .replies // "done"'

14. Insert Inline Image

Insert an image from a URL:

Write to /tmp/gdocs_request.json:

{
  "requests": [
    {
      "insertInlineImage": {
        "uri": "https://example.com/image.png",
        "location": {
          "index": 1
        },
        "objectSize": {
          "height": {
            "magnitude": 200,
            "unit": "PT"
          },
          "width": {
            "magnitude": 300,
            "unit": "PT"
          }
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

Then run:

bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://docs.googleapis.com/v1/documents/{document-id}:batchUpdate" --header "Authorization: Bearer $GOOGLE_DOCS_TOKEN" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/gdocs_request.json' | jq '.error // .replies // "done"'

15. Batch Operations (Multiple Updates)

Combine multiple operations in a single request:

Write to /tmp/gdocs_request.json:

{
  "requests": [
    {
      "insertText": {
        "location": {
          "index": 1
        },
        "text": "Title: Important Document\n\n"
      }
    },
    {
      "updateTextStyle": {
        "range": {
          "startIndex": 1,
          "endIndex": 26
        },
        "textStyle": {
          "bold": true,
          "fontSize": {
            "magnitude": 18,
            "unit": "PT"
          }
        },
        "fields": "bold,fontSize"
      }
    },
    {
      "insertText": {
        "location": {
          "index": 28
        },
        "text": "This is the body text of the document.\n"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Then run:

bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://docs.googleapis.com/v1/documents/{document-id}:batchUpdate" --header "Authorization: Bearer $GOOGLE_DOCS_TOKEN" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/gdocs_request.json' | jq '.error // (.replies | length)'

16. Extract Plain Text

Get just the text content from a document:

bash -c 'curl -s "https://docs.googleapis.com/v1/documents/{document-id}" --header "Authorization: Bearer $GOOGLE_DOCS_TOKEN"' | jq -r '.body.content[]?.paragraph?.elements[]?.textRun?.content' | tr -d '\0'

17. Get Document Structure

View document structure with element types and indexes:

bash -c 'curl -s "https://docs.googleapis.com/v1/documents/{document-id}" --header "Authorization: Bearer $GOOGLE_DOCS_TOKEN"' | jq '.body.content[] | {startIndex, endIndex, paragraph: .paragraph.elements[0].textRun.content}'

Common Scopes

Scope	Permission
`documents.readonly`	Read-only access
`documents`	Full read/write access
`drive.readonly`	Read files in Drive
`drive.file`	Access files created by app
`drive`	Full Drive access

Use full URL: https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

Index Reference

Understanding indexes is critical for the Google Docs API:

Index 1: Start of document body
Index N: Each character, newline, and structural element increments the index
End index: Use "endIndex": startIndex + textLength for ranges
Tip: Get document content first to see current indexes

Text Style Fields

When using updateTextStyle, specify which fields to update in the fields parameter:

Field	Description
`bold`	Bold text
`italic`	Italic text
`underline`	Underline text
`strikethrough`	Strikethrough text
`fontSize`	Font size (PT or PX)
`foregroundColor`	Text color (RGB)
`backgroundColor`	Background color (RGB)
`fontFamily`	Font name (e.g., "Arial")
`baselineOffset`	Superscript/subscript
`link`	Hyperlink URL

Use comma-separated for multiple: "fields": "bold,italic,fontSize"

Paragraph Style Fields

When using updateParagraphStyle:

Field	Description
`alignment`	LEFT, CENTER, RIGHT, JUSTIFIED
`lineSpacing`	Line spacing percentage (100 = single)
`direction`	LEFT_TO_RIGHT or RIGHT_TO_LEFT
`spaceAbove`	Space before paragraph
`spaceBelow`	Space after paragraph
`indentFirstLine`	First line indentation
`indentStart`	Left indentation
`indentEnd`	Right indentation
`namedStyleType`	HEADING_1, HEADING_2, NORMAL_TEXT, etc.

Guidelines

Batch operations: Combine multiple requests in a single batchUpdate call to improve performance
Index calculation: Always get current document content to determine correct indexes
Request order: Requests are processed in order; later requests see effects of earlier ones
Fields parameter: Always specify which fields to update to avoid overwriting other properties
RGB colors: Color values range from 0.0 to 1.0 (not 0-255)
Share permissions: Ensure the authenticated user has edit access to the document
batchUpdate responses: Some operations (updateParagraphStyle, insertTable, insertPageBreak, insertInlineImage) return empty or absent .replies; output of "done" means success with no reply data. An .error key indicates failure.

API Reference

REST Reference: https://developers.google.com/docs/api/reference/rest
Guides: https://developers.google.com/docs/api/how-tos/overview
OAuth Playground: https://developers.google.com/oauthplayground/
Scopes: https://developers.google.com/identity/protocols/oauth2/scopes#docs
Request Types: https://developers.google.com/docs/api/reference/rest/v1/documents/request

google-docs

Google Docs API

When to Use

Prerequisites

How to Use

1. Create New Document

2. Get Document Content

3. Get Document Metadata Only

4. Insert Text at Beginning

5. Insert Text at Specific Location

6. Delete Content Range

7. Find and Replace Text

8. Format Text as Bold

9. Format Text with Multiple Styles

10. Set Paragraph Alignment

11. Create Bulleted List

12. Insert Table

13. Insert Page Break

14. Insert Inline Image

15. Batch Operations (Multiple Updates)

16. Extract Plain Text

17. Get Document Structure

Common Scopes

Index Reference

Text Style Fields

Paragraph Style Fields

Guidelines

API Reference