Enable ChatGPT to Directly Edit Google Docs

Imagine transforming ChatGPT or Claude into your personal document specialist that can directly edit your Google Docs and create professional reports, format academic papers, build dynamic tables, and organize your entire Google Docs library. Google Docs MCP servers make this possible by creating a direct connection between your AI assistant and Google Docs. This guide will walk you through the setup process step by step.

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What is MCP and why use it with Google Docs?

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) allows AI assistants like ChatGPT/Claude to interact with external tools and services. By setting up a Google Docs MCP server, you unlock powerful document creation and management capabilities that transform how you work:

• Create professional documents: “Create a project proposal with a formatted header, executive summary, and table of contents”
• Sophisticated formatting: “Format my research paper with academic styling, double spacing, and proper citations”
• Dynamic tables & structures: “Create a comparison table of product features with formatted headers and alternating row colors”
• Intelligent organization: “Set up a complete project folder structure and organize my existing files by type and date”
• Automated templates: “Create personalized versions of this document template for each team member”

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Setup instructions

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Step 1: Create a Google Cloud project and get credentials

1. Go to the Google Cloud Console and sign in with your Google account.

2. Create a new project:

   • Click the project dropdown near the top and select New project
   • Give the project a name, select an organization and location, then click Create

3. Enable the required APIs:

   • In the search bar, type and select Library
   • Search for Google Docs API, click it, and click Enable
   • In the search bar, type and select Library
   • Search for Google Drive API, click it, and click Enable

4. Configure the OAuth:

   • In the search bar, type and select OAuth consent screen
   • On the Overview tab, click Get started
     • For App Information, provide an app name and an user support email, then click Next
     • For Audience, select External and click Next
     • For Contact Information, enter an email address, then click Next
     • Agree to the terms and click Continue, then click Create
   • On the Audience tab, find Test users and click + Add users, add your email, then click Save
   • On the Data Access tab, click Add or remove scopes
     • Select the following scopes:
       • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents (for reading/writing docs)
       • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive.file (for file access)
   • Click Update
   • Click Save

5. Create OAuth credentials:

   • In the search bar, type and select Credentials
   • Click + Create credentials and choose OAuth client ID
   • Select Desktop app as the Application type, and fill in a Name
   • Click Create
   • Click Download JSON to download the JSON file
   • Find the downloaded JSON file in your downloads folder and rename it to exactly credentials.json

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Step 2: Get and set up the server code

1. Download and install Git.

2. Download and install Node.js.

3. Open a terminal on your computer.

   • On macOS: Press Command (⌘) + Spacebar to open Spotlight. Type Terminal and hit Return.
   • On Windows: Press Windows + R, type cmd, and hit Enter.

4. Clone the repository by copying and pasting the following command into the terminal and hitting Return/Enter:

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   git clone https://github.com/a-bonus/google-docs-mcp.git mcp-googledocs-server
   

5. Navigate to the project directory by copying and pasting the following command into the terminal and hitting Return/Enter:

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   cd mcp-googledocs-server
   

6. Drag your credentials.json file from the download folder into the mcp-googledocs-server folder.

7. Install dependencies by copying and pasting the following command into the terminal and hitting Return/Enter:

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   npm install
   

8. Build the server by copying and pasting the following command into the terminal and hitting Return/Enter:

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   npm run build
   

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Step 3: First run and Google authorization

1. Start the server by copying and pasting the following command into the terminal and hitting Return/Enter:

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   node ./dist/server.js
   

2. In your terminal, you should see a message asking you to Authorize this app by visiting this url. Copy the URL following the message and paste it in your browser.

3. Sign in with your Google account and grant the requested permissions by clicking Allow.

4. You will see that the browser shows This site can’t be reached. This is expected.

5. Look at the URL of your browser, it should start with http://localhost/?code=. Copy the part of the url between code= and $scope= (Do not include code= and $scope= themselves), paste it into your terminal, then click Return/Enter.

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Step 4: Configure Claude desktop

1. Download Claude Desktop from Claude.ai.

2. Install and open the Claude Desktop application.

3. Close any terminal windows that are open.

4. Open a new terminal on your computer.

   • On macOS: Press Command (⌘) + Spacebar to open Spotlight. Type Terminal and hit Return.
   • On Windows: Press Windows + R, type cmd, and hit Enter.

5. Copy the absolute path of the mcp-googledocs-server folder.

   • First, navigate to the mcp-googledocs-server folder in your terminal by typing cd mcp-googledocs-server and hitting Return/Enter.
   • Then, type pwd on macOS or cd on Windows, hit Return/Enter, then copy the output. (It should look something like /Users/yourname/mcp-googledocs-server)
   • Paste the copied output somewhere you can remember it. We will refer to it as the absolute path of the mcp-googledocs-server folder in the next steps.

6. Go to Claude > Settings… > Developer > Edit Config, it should display a file named claude_desktop_config.json. Open the file with a text editor.

   • On macOS: Right click the file and select Open With > TextEdit.
   • On Windows: Right click the file and select Open With > Notepad.

7. Paste the following into the file:

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   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "google-docs-mcp": {
         "command": "node",
         "args": [
           "<absolute path of the mcp-googledocs-server folder>/dist/server.js"
         ],
         "env": {}
       }
     }
   }
   

8. Save the file by clicking File > Save.

9. Close Claude Desktop completely and reopen it.

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Using Claude with Google Docs

Now that everything is set up, you can start using Claude to interact with your Google Docs:

1. Open Claude Desktop and start a conversation.

2. Ask Claude to perform tasks with your Google Docs, such as:

• Create professional documents: “In Google Docs, create a project proposal with a formatted header, executive summary, and table of contents”
• Sophisticated formatting: “In Google Docs, format my research paper with academic styling, double spacing, and proper citations”
• Dynamic tables & structures: “In Google Docs, create a comparison table of product features with formatted headers and alternating row colors”
• Intelligent organization: “In Google Docs, set up a complete project folder structure and organize my existing files by type and date”
• Automated templates: “In Google Docs, create personalized versions of this document template for each team member”

Claude will use the MCP server to perform these actions directly on your Google Docs.

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A simpler alternative: MCP Now

While the setup process above works well, it requires several technical steps and ongoing maintenance. If you’re looking for a more streamlined experience, the free MCP Now desktop app offers a much simpler solution.

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What is MCP Now?

MCP Now is a free desktop application that gives you a control panel for the entire MCP ecosystem, including Google Docs integration. With MCP Now, you can:

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Discover and install with ease

• Find new servers through curated lists, live rankings, and personalized recommendations
• Install instantly with one click—no setup or commands required

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Manage everything from one place

• Switch servers mid-task without restarting apps
• Control hosts, profiles, and environments from a unified dashboard

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Inspect, test, and share with confidence

• Explore integrated Tools, Resources, and Prompts to inspect issues faster, test changes safely, and troubleshoot with clarity
• Share full setups or individual servers with a secure link in just a few clicks

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Setting up Google Docs MCP with MCP Now

1. Download and install MCP Now
2. Request a free access code from our Discord channel
3. Open MCP Now and enter the access code to unlock its full features
4. On the Dashboard tab, click Scan for MCP Hosts, select Claude Desktop, then click Add Selected Hosts
5. Click the Discovery tab, search for Google Docs, find the MCP server named Google Docs Drive, then click Install
6. For Command Arguments, enter node <absolute path of the mcp-googledocs-server folder>/dist/server.js
   Replace <absolute path of the mcp-googledocs-server folder> with the absolute path of the mcp-googledocs-server folder you copied in step 5 of the Step 4: Configure Claude desktop section above.
7. For Add to Profiles (Optional), select Default Profile
8. Click Install
9. Close and reopen Claude Desktop
10. On MCP Now, click the Dashboard tab, click Claude Desktop, and ensure Google Docs Drive’s status is Connected

That’s it! If you’re serious about using Claude/Cursor/Windsurf with Google Docs or other MCP servers, MCP Now provides the most seamless experience available.

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Conclusion

Whether you choose the manual setup process or the streamlined MCP Now approach, connecting Claude to your Google Docs opens up powerful new workflows. You can now harness Claude’s capabilities directly within your documents, eliminating the copy-paste dance and making your document creation process much more efficient.

For more information about MCP Now and its other features, visit MCP Now.