Automate Google Workspace: A Guide to Managing Docs & Drive with Gemini CLI

You already know Gemini CLI is a powerhouse on your local machine, but what if you could extend its reach into the cloud? What if you could manage your Google Docs, Sheets, and Drive files right from your terminal?

This guide will show you how to do just that. We'll explore the advanced technique of using Gemini CLI as a smart script generator to automate your Google Workspace. If you're new to scripting with Gemini CLI, you might want to start with our Ultimate Automation Guide, which covers the basics of creating simple, powerful shell scripts.

The Core Concept: Generating Scripts

Gemini CLI doesn't have built-in commands like gemini list-docs. Instead, we'll use its powerful code generation to write scripts (e.g., in Python or as shell commands) that leverage Google's own official tools, like the Google Cloud SDK (gcloud).

This approach is incredibly powerful because it's infinitely flexible. If you can describe the task, you can generate the script to do it.

Prerequisites

This is an advanced tutorial that builds on a few concepts:

1. Gemini CLI is Installed: You should have a working setup. If you're just getting started, follow our Ultimate Guide to Installing Gemini CLI on Windows & Linux to get set up.
2. Google Cloud SDK (gcloud): This is the official CLI for Google Cloud. It's essential for authenticating and interacting with Google services. Install the gcloud CLI if you don't have it.
3. API Permissions: In your Google Cloud project, you'll need to enable the APIs you want to work with (e.g., Google Drive API, Google Docs API).

Use Case 1: Summarize Any Google Doc

Let's say you have a long project proposal in Google Docs and need a quick summary.

Step 1: Export the Document Text

First, you need the document's ID. It's the long string of characters in the URL: https://docs.google.com/document/d/DOCUMENT_ID/edit.

The Google Drive API doesn't have a simple "export as text" gcloud command, so we'll ask Gemini to write a script for us.

Prompt:

gemini "Write a Python script that uses the Google Drive and Docs APIs to export the text content of a Google Doc with a given DOCUMENT_ID. The script should authenticate using default application credentials."

This will give you a Python script. Save it as export_doc.py.

Step 2: Pipe the Content to Gemini for Summarization

Now you can combine your new script with Gemini CLI in a single, powerful command chain:

python export_doc.py YOUR_DOCUMENT_ID | gemini "Summarize the key points of this document in a bulleted list."

You've just created an automated workflow to summarize any Google Doc from your terminal!

Use Case 2: Generate a Script to Clean Up Your Google Drive

This is where the true power of this method shines. Imagine you want to find large, old files cluttering your Google Drive.

Prompt:

gemini "Write a Python script that uses the Google Drive API to find all files in my Drive larger than 500MB that have not been viewed or modified in the last 2 years. It should print a list of the file names and their sizes. Ensure it handles pagination for large file lists."

Save the resulting script (e.g., find_old_files.py) and run it with python find_old_files.py. Gemini CLI has just acted as your expert programmer, writing a custom tool tailored to your exact needs.

Why This Approach is a Game-Changer

By using Gemini CLI as a "meta-tool" to generate scripts, you're not limited to a predefined set of commands. You can automate virtually any task within Google Workspace, from bulk-renaming files in Drive to extracting data from a range of Google Sheets.

This workflow turns your command line into a true AI-powered command center, ready to tackle any custom automation task you can imagine.