Marketplace googlesheets-automation

Automate Google Sheets operations (read, write, format, filter, manage spreadsheets) via Rube MCP (Composio). Read/write data, manage tabs, apply formatting, and search rows programmatically.

install
source · Clone the upstream repo
git clone https://github.com/aiskillstore/marketplace
Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/
T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/aiskillstore/marketplace "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/skills/sickn33/googlesheets-automation" ~/.claude/skills/aiskillstore-marketplace-googlesheets-automation && rm -rf "$T"
manifest: skills/sickn33/googlesheets-automation/SKILL.md
source content

Google Sheets Automation via Rube MCP

Automate Google Sheets workflows including reading/writing data, managing spreadsheets and tabs, formatting cells, filtering rows, and upserting records through Composio's Google Sheets toolkit.

Prerequisites

  • Rube MCP must be connected (RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS available)
  • Active Google Sheets connection via
    RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS
    with toolkit
    googlesheets
  • Always call
    RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS
    first to get current tool schemas

Setup

Get Rube MCP: Add

https://rube.app/mcp
as an MCP server in your client configuration. No API keys needed — just add the endpoint and it works.

  1. Verify Rube MCP is available by confirming
    RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS
    responds
  2. Call
    RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS
    with toolkit
    googlesheets
  3. If connection is not ACTIVE, follow the returned auth link to complete Google OAuth
  4. Confirm connection status shows ACTIVE before running any workflows

Core Workflows

1. Read and Write Data

When to use: User wants to read data from or write data to a Google Sheet

Tool sequence:

  1. GOOGLESHEETS_SEARCH_SPREADSHEETS
    - Find spreadsheet by name if ID unknown [Prerequisite]
  2. GOOGLESHEETS_GET_SHEET_NAMES
    - Enumerate tab names to target the right sheet [Prerequisite]
  3. GOOGLESHEETS_BATCH_GET
    - Read data from one or more ranges [Required]
  4. GOOGLESHEETS_BATCH_UPDATE
    - Write data to a range or append rows [Required]
  5. GOOGLESHEETS_VALUES_UPDATE
    - Update a single specific range [Alternative]
  6. GOOGLESHEETS_SPREADSHEETS_VALUES_APPEND
    - Append rows to end of table [Alternative]

Key parameters:

  • spreadsheet_id
    : Alphanumeric ID from the spreadsheet URL (between '/d/' and '/edit')
  • ranges
    : A1 notation array (e.g., 'Sheet1!A1:Z1000'); always use bounded ranges
  • sheet_name
    : Tab name (case-insensitive matching supported)
  • values
    : 2D array where each inner array is a row
  • first_cell_location
    : Starting cell in A1 notation (omit to append)
  • valueInputOption
    : 'USER_ENTERED' (parsed) or 'RAW' (literal)

Pitfalls:

  • Mis-cased or non-existent tab names error "Sheet 'X' not found"
  • Empty ranges may omit
    valueRanges[i].values
    ; treat missing as empty array
  • GOOGLESHEETS_BATCH_UPDATE
    values must be a 2D array (list of lists), even for a single row
  • Unbounded ranges like 'A:Z' on sheets with >10,000 rows may cause timeouts; always bound with row limits
  • Append follows the detected
    tableRange
    ; use returned
    updatedRange
    to verify placement

2. Create and Manage Spreadsheets

When to use: User wants to create a new spreadsheet or manage tabs within one

Tool sequence:

  1. GOOGLESHEETS_CREATE_GOOGLE_SHEET1
    - Create a new spreadsheet [Required]
  2. GOOGLESHEETS_ADD_SHEET
    - Add a new tab/worksheet [Required]
  3. GOOGLESHEETS_UPDATE_SHEET_PROPERTIES
    - Rename, hide, reorder, or color tabs [Optional]
  4. GOOGLESHEETS_GET_SPREADSHEET_INFO
    - Get full spreadsheet metadata [Optional]
  5. GOOGLESHEETS_FIND_WORKSHEET_BY_TITLE
    - Check if a specific tab exists [Optional]

Key parameters:

  • title
    : Spreadsheet or sheet tab name
  • spreadsheetId
    : Target spreadsheet ID
  • forceUnique
    : Auto-append suffix if tab name exists (default true)
  • properties.gridProperties
    : Set row/column counts, frozen rows

Pitfalls:

  • Sheet names must be unique within a spreadsheet
  • Default sheet names are locale-dependent ('Sheet1' in English, 'Hoja 1' in Spanish)
  • Don't use
    index
    when creating multiple sheets in parallel (causes 'index too high' errors)
  • GOOGLESHEETS_GET_SPREADSHEET_INFO
    can return 403 if account lacks access

3. Search and Filter Rows

When to use: User wants to find specific rows or apply filters to sheet data

Tool sequence:

  1. GOOGLESHEETS_LOOKUP_SPREADSHEET_ROW
    - Find first row matching exact cell value [Required]
  2. GOOGLESHEETS_SET_BASIC_FILTER
    - Apply filter/sort to a range [Alternative]
  3. GOOGLESHEETS_CLEAR_BASIC_FILTER
    - Remove existing filter [Optional]
  4. GOOGLESHEETS_BATCH_GET
    - Read filtered results [Optional]

Key parameters:

  • query
    : Exact text value to match (matches entire cell content)
  • range
    : A1 notation range to search within
  • case_sensitive
    : Boolean for case-sensitive matching (default false)
  • filter.range
    : Grid range with sheet_id for basic filter
  • filter.criteria
    : Column-based filter conditions
  • filter.sortSpecs
    : Sort specifications

Pitfalls:

  • GOOGLESHEETS_LOOKUP_SPREADSHEET_ROW
    matches entire cell content, not substrings
  • Sheet names with spaces must be single-quoted in ranges (e.g., "'My Sheet'!A:Z")
  • Bare sheet names without ranges are not supported for lookup; always specify a range

4. Upsert Rows by Key

When to use: User wants to update existing rows or insert new ones based on a unique key column

Tool sequence:

  1. GOOGLESHEETS_UPSERT_ROWS
    - Update matching rows or append new ones [Required]

Key parameters:

  • spreadsheetId
    : Target spreadsheet ID
  • sheetName
    : Tab name
  • keyColumn
    : Column header name used as unique identifier (e.g., 'Email', 'SKU')
  • headers
    : List of column names for the data
  • rows
    : 2D array of data rows
  • strictMode
    : Error on mismatched column counts (default true)

Pitfalls:

  • keyColumn
    must be an actual header name, NOT a column letter (e.g., 'Email' not 'A')
  • If
    headers
    is NOT provided, first row of
    rows
    is treated as headers
  • With
    strictMode=true
    , rows with more values than headers cause an error
  • Auto-adds missing columns to the sheet

5. Format Cells

When to use: User wants to apply formatting (bold, colors, font size) to cells

Tool sequence:

  1. GOOGLESHEETS_GET_SPREADSHEET_INFO
    - Get numeric sheetId for target tab [Prerequisite]
  2. GOOGLESHEETS_FORMAT_CELL
    - Apply formatting to a range [Required]
  3. GOOGLESHEETS_UPDATE_SHEET_PROPERTIES
    - Change frozen rows, column widths [Optional]

Key parameters:

  • spreadsheet_id
    : Spreadsheet ID
  • worksheet_id
    : Numeric sheetId (NOT tab name); get from GET_SPREADSHEET_INFO
  • range
    : A1 notation (e.g., 'A1:F1') - preferred over index fields
  • bold
    ,
    italic
    ,
    underline
    ,
    strikethrough
    : Boolean formatting options
  • red
    ,
    green
    ,
    blue
    : Background color as 0.0-1.0 floats (NOT 0-255 ints)
  • fontSize
    : Font size in points

Pitfalls:

  • Requires numeric
    worksheet_id
    , not tab title; get from spreadsheet metadata
  • Color channels are 0-1 floats (e.g., 1.0 for full red), NOT 0-255 integers
  • Responses may return empty reply objects ([{}]); verify formatting via readback
  • Format one range per call; batch formatting requires separate calls

Common Patterns

ID Resolution

  • Spreadsheet name -> ID:
    GOOGLESHEETS_SEARCH_SPREADSHEETS
    with
    query
  • Tab name -> sheetId:
    GOOGLESHEETS_GET_SPREADSHEET_INFO
    , extract from sheets metadata
  • Tab existence check:
    GOOGLESHEETS_FIND_WORKSHEET_BY_TITLE

Rate Limits

Google Sheets enforces strict rate limits:

  • Max 60 reads/minute and 60 writes/minute
  • Exceeding limits causes errors; batch operations where possible
  • Use
    GOOGLESHEETS_BATCH_GET
    and
    GOOGLESHEETS_BATCH_UPDATE
    for efficiency

Data Patterns

  • Always read before writing to understand existing layout
  • Use
    GOOGLESHEETS_UPSERT_ROWS
    for CRM syncs, inventory updates, and dedup scenarios
  • Append mode (omit
    first_cell_location
    ) is safest for adding new records
  • Use
    GOOGLESHEETS_CLEAR_VALUES
    to clear content while preserving formatting

Known Pitfalls

  • Tab names: Locale-dependent defaults; 'Sheet1' may not exist in non-English accounts
  • Range notation: Sheet names with spaces need single quotes in A1 notation
  • Unbounded ranges: Can timeout on large sheets; always specify row bounds (e.g., 'A1:Z10000')
  • 2D arrays: All value parameters must be list-of-lists, even for single rows
  • Color values: Floats 0.0-1.0, not integers 0-255
  • Formatting IDs:
    FORMAT_CELL
    needs numeric sheetId, not tab title
  • Rate limits: 60 reads/min and 60 writes/min; batch to stay within limits
  • Delete dimension:
    GOOGLESHEETS_DELETE_DIMENSION
    is irreversible; double-check bounds

Quick Reference

TaskTool SlugKey Params
Search spreadsheets
GOOGLESHEETS_SEARCH_SPREADSHEETS
query
,
search_type
Create spreadsheet
GOOGLESHEETS_CREATE_GOOGLE_SHEET1
title
List tabs
GOOGLESHEETS_GET_SHEET_NAMES
spreadsheet_id
Add tab
GOOGLESHEETS_ADD_SHEET
spreadsheetId
,
title
Read data
GOOGLESHEETS_BATCH_GET
spreadsheet_id
,
ranges
Read single range
GOOGLESHEETS_VALUES_GET
spreadsheet_id
,
range
Write data
GOOGLESHEETS_BATCH_UPDATE
spreadsheet_id
,
sheet_name
,
values
Update range
GOOGLESHEETS_VALUES_UPDATE
spreadsheet_id
,
range
,
values
Append rows
GOOGLESHEETS_SPREADSHEETS_VALUES_APPEND
spreadsheetId
,
range
,
values
Upsert rows
GOOGLESHEETS_UPSERT_ROWS
spreadsheetId
,
sheetName
,
keyColumn
,
rows
Lookup row
GOOGLESHEETS_LOOKUP_SPREADSHEET_ROW
spreadsheet_id
,
query
Format cells
GOOGLESHEETS_FORMAT_CELL
spreadsheet_id
,
worksheet_id
,
range
Set filter
GOOGLESHEETS_SET_BASIC_FILTER
spreadsheetId
,
filter
Clear values
GOOGLESHEETS_CLEAR_VALUES
spreadsheet_id
, range
Delete rows/cols
GOOGLESHEETS_DELETE_DIMENSION
spreadsheet_id
,
sheet_name
, dimension
Spreadsheet info
GOOGLESHEETS_GET_SPREADSHEET_INFO
spreadsheet_id
Update tab props
GOOGLESHEETS_UPDATE_SHEET_PROPERTIES
spreadsheetId
, properties