A Model Context Protocol server for Google Docs with full tab support.
Google Docs MCP Server
A Model Context Protocol server for Google Docs with full tab support — something most existing servers get wrong or skip entirely.
Uses Google service accounts with domain-wide delegation, so it works in Workspace orgs without OAuth consent screens.
What it does
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
list_tabs |
List all tabs (including nested) in a document |
read_document |
Read one tab or all tabs as markdown with proper heading levels |
get_document_info |
Lightweight metadata: title, ID, link, tab list |
create_document |
Create a new doc with optional initial text |
append_text |
Append text to the end of a specific tab |
insert_text |
Insert text at a character index in a tab |
replace_text |
Find and replace within a tab (or whole doc) |
batch_update |
Full batchUpdate access — formatting, tables, images, styles |
list_documents |
Search Drive for docs by name |
All tab-targeting tools accept tab_id or tab_title (case-insensitive). The batch_update tool auto-injects tabId into requests so you don't have to.
Why this exists
Google Docs has supported tabs since late 2024, but most MCP servers either:
- Ignore tabs entirely (only read the first tab)
- Don't use
includeTabsContent=True, so tab content is invisible - Don't handle nested tabs
This server handles all of that correctly and converts content to markdown with proper heading structure.
Install
pip install google-docs-mcp-server
Or run directly with uv:
uvx google-docs-mcp-server
Prerequisites
- Python 3.11+
- A Google Cloud service account with domain-wide delegation
Setup
1. Create a GCP service account
- Go to Google Cloud Console and create (or select) a project
- Enable the Google Docs API and Google Drive API
- Create a service account under IAM & Admin > Service Accounts
- Create a JSON key and download it
2. Enable domain-wide delegation
- In GCP, on the service account details page, enable Domain-wide Delegation and note the Client ID
- In Google Workspace Admin > Security > API Controls > Domain-wide Delegation
- Add the Client ID with these scopes:
https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive.readonly
3. Configure your MCP client
Add to your MCP config (e.g. ~/.claude/mcp.json or .mcp.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"google-docs": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["google-docs-mcp-server"],
"env": {
"SERVICE_ACCOUNT_PATH": "/path/to/your-service-account-key.json",
"SUBJECT_EMAIL": "you@yourdomain.com"
}
}
}
}
SUBJECT_EMAIL is the Workspace user the service account impersonates.
Environment variables
| Variable | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
SERVICE_ACCOUNT_PATH |
Yes | Path to the service account JSON key file |
SUBJECT_EMAIL |
Yes | Email of the Workspace user to impersonate |
License
MIT
Tools (9)
list_tabsList all tabs including nested ones in a documentread_documentRead one tab or all tabs as markdown with proper heading levelsget_document_infoGet lightweight metadata including title, ID, link, and tab listcreate_documentCreate a new document with optional initial textappend_textAppend text to the end of a specific tabinsert_textInsert text at a specific character index in a tabreplace_textFind and replace text within a tab or the whole documentbatch_updatePerform full batchUpdate access for formatting, tables, images, and styleslist_documentsSearch Google Drive for documents by nameEnvironment Variables
SERVICE_ACCOUNT_PATHrequiredPath to the service account JSON key fileSUBJECT_EMAILrequiredEmail of the Workspace user to impersonateConfiguration
{"mcpServers": {"google-docs": {"command": "uvx", "args": ["google-docs-mcp-server"], "env": {"SERVICE_ACCOUNT_PATH": "/path/to/your-service-account-key.json", "SUBJECT_EMAIL": "you@yourdomain.com"}}}}