Setup Guide

Google Sheets MCP
Setup Guide

Connect Google Sheets to Claude Desktop & Cowork so Claude can read and edit your spreadsheets.

⏱ ~15 minutes 🔒 Service Account (most secure) 📅 March 2026

This guide sets up a personal Google Sheets connection for Claude. Once complete, Claude can read, edit, and create spreadsheets in both regular chats and Cowork sessions.

The setup uses a Service Account — a separate Google identity that can only see sheets you explicitly share with it. Nothing else in your Drive is visible. Credentials don't expire, so there's no periodic re-authentication needed.

1

Create a Google Cloud Project & Enable APIs

If you already have a Google Cloud project with these APIs enabled, skip to Step 2.

  1. Go to console.cloud.google.com and sign in with your Google account.
  2. Click the project dropdown at the top → New Project.
  3. Name it something like my-sheets-mcp and click Create.
  4. Make sure your new project is selected in the dropdown.
  5. In the left sidebar, go to APIs & Services → Library.
  6. Search for Google Sheets API → click it → click Enable.
  7. Go back to the Library, search for Google Drive API → click it → click Enable.
✓ Both APIs should now show as "Enabled" in your APIs & Services dashboard.
2

Create a Service Account & Download the Key

A Service Account is like a robot Google account that Claude uses to access your sheets. It can only see what you share with it.

  1. In the left sidebar, go to IAM & Admin → Service Accounts.
  2. Click + CREATE SERVICE ACCOUNT at the top.
  3. Name it something like mcp-sheets. An email address will auto-generate — you'll need this later.
  4. For the role, select Editor (gives read/write access to shared sheets).
  5. Click Done.
  6. Find it in the list → click the three dots (⋮) → Manage keys.
  7. Click ADD KEY → Create new key → JSON → Create.
  8. A .json file downloads. Save it somewhere safe and permanent (e.g., ~/Documents/mcp-keys/). You'll need the full file path later.
⚠ Keep this file safe. It grants access to anything shared with the service account. Treat it like a password — don't share it or commit it to git.
3

Share Your Sheets Folder

Now you'll tell Google Drive which sheets Claude can access.

  1. Open the JSON key file in a text editor and find the "client_email" field. Copy that email address.
  2. Go to Google Drive.
  3. Create a folder for the sheets you want Claude to access (e.g., "AI Managed Sheets"), or use an existing one.
  4. Right-click the folder → Share → paste the service account email → give it Editor access.
  5. Copy the folder ID from the URL — it's the long string after /folders/.
✓ Save these two things: the full path to your JSON key file, and the folder ID. You'll need both in Step 5.
4

Install uvx

The MCP server runs via uvx. You only install this once.

  1. Open Terminal (Cmd + Space, type "Terminal").
  2. Paste this and hit Enter:
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
  1. When it finishes, run only this line (not both lines it suggests):
source $HOME/.local/bin/env
  1. Verify it works:
uvx --version
  1. Get the full path (you'll need this next):
which uvx

Copy the output (usually /Users/yourname/.local/bin/uvx).

  1. Open PowerShell.
  2. Paste this and hit Enter:
powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"
  1. Close and reopen PowerShell, then verify:
uvx --version
  1. Get the full path:
where uvx

Copy the output. You'll need it in the next step.

5

Configure Claude Desktop

  1. Open Claude Desktop.
  2. Go to Settings (Mac: Claude → Settings or Cmd + comma).
  3. Click Developer in the left sidebar.
  4. Click Edit Config. A JSON file opens.
  5. Add the mcpServers block below. If the file already has content, add it inside the existing outer curly braces — don't create two separate { } objects.
{ "mcpServers": { "google-sheets": { "command": "/YOUR/PATH/TO/uvx", "args": ["mcp-google-sheets@latest"], "env": { "SERVICE_ACCOUNT_PATH": "/YOUR/PATH/TO/key.json", "DRIVE_FOLDER_ID": "YOUR_FOLDER_ID" } } } }

Replace the highlighted values with your actual uvx path, key file path, and folder ID from the previous steps.

  1. Save the config file.
  2. Fully quit Claude Desktop (Cmd+Q on Mac) and reopen it.
! Common mistake: Make sure mcpServers is inside the same outer { } as any existing config like preferences. Two separate JSON objects will break the file.
✓

Test Your Setup

Open a new chat in Claude Desktop. You should see a hammer/tools icon. Try asking:

"List the spreadsheets in my Google Drive folder."

If it returns your sheets, you're all set!

Managing Access

Claude can only access sheets shared with the service account. To adjust:

  1. Add more sheets: Move them into the shared folder, or share individual sheets with the service account email.
  2. Revoke access: Remove the service account from the sheet/folder's sharing settings.

Troubleshooting

command not found: uvx ▼
Run source $HOME/.local/bin/env in Terminal, then try again. To make it permanent, add that line to your ~/.zshrc file.
No tools showing in Claude Desktop ▼
Make sure you fully quit (Cmd+Q) and reopened Claude Desktop. Check that your config JSON is valid — look for missing commas or mismatched curly braces.
Permission denied or file not found errors ▼
Double-check the SERVICE_ACCOUNT_PATH in your config. It must be the full absolute path (starting with / on Mac or C:\ on Windows), not a relative path.
Claude can't find a specific sheet ▼
The sheet must be in the shared folder or individually shared with the service account email. Check the sharing settings on the sheet in Google Drive.

Built with 💜 by Haley Knapp  ·  Powered by mcp-google-sheets

💡 Tip: Upload this guide to a Claude chat and ask it to walk you through each step!

Questions? Drop a comment or DM me.