Docs / Strand / connectors/google-sheets

Google Sheets Connector

Direction: Read / Write | Type: google_sheets

Read, write, and manage spreadsheet data in Google Sheets from your Strand workflows via the Sheets API v4.

Prerequisites#

You need a Google Service Account with access to your spreadsheet:

1. Go to console.cloud.google.com
2. Create a new project (or select an existing one)
3. Enable the Google Sheets API: APIs & Services > Library > search "Google Sheets API" > Enable
4. Create a service account: IAM & Admin > Service Accounts > Create Service Account
5. Create a key: click the service account > Keys > Add Key > JSON > Download
6. Share your spreadsheet with the service account email (e.g., my-bot@my-project.iam.gserviceaccount.com) as an Editor

Tip: The service account email is in the JSON key file under client_email. You must share each spreadsheet with this email for the connector to access it.

Connector Setup#

Create a Google Sheets connector from the Connectors page.

Configuration Fields#

OAuth (recommended)#

Instead of creating a service account and sharing each spreadsheet with it, set Authentication Type to oauth and click Connect. You authorize Strand against your Google account in a popup window, and the access token is stored encrypted and refreshed automatically — no key file, and no per-spreadsheet sharing. You still set a default Spreadsheet ID (or pass one per node). The service-account Prerequisites above apply only to the service_account path.

Operations#

Read Range#

Read cell values from a spreadsheet range.

Example: Read a table

• Range: Sheet1!A1:D100

Append Rows#

Append rows to the end of a table in a spreadsheet.

Example: Append a row from event data

• Range: Sheet1!A1
• Values:

[["{{ payload.name }}", "{{ payload.email }}", "{{ payload.date }}", "{{ payload.amount }}"]]

Example: Append multiple rows

[
  ["Alice", "alice@example.com", "2025-01-15", 100],
  ["Bob", "bob@example.com", "2025-01-16", 250]
]

Update Range#

Update specific cells in a spreadsheet.

Clear Range#

Clear all values from a range (formatting is preserved).

Get Spreadsheet Info#

Get spreadsheet metadata including sheet names and dimensions.

Output#

Read Range Output#

{
  "success": true,
  "status": "completed",
  "data": {
    "spreadsheet_id": "1BxiMVs0XRA5nFMdKvBdBZjgmUUqptlbs74OgVE2upms",
    "range": "Sheet1!A1:D3",
    "values": [
      ["Name", "Email", "Date", "Amount"],
      ["Alice", "alice@example.com", "2025-01-15", "100"],
      ["Bob", "bob@example.com", "2025-01-16", "250"]
    ],
    "row_count": 3
  },
  "service": "google_sheets",
  "operation": "read_range"
}

Key fields for subsequent nodes:

• {{ steps.node_id.output_payload.data.values }}: 2D array of cell values
• {{ steps.node_id.output_payload.data.row_count }}: Number of rows returned

Append Rows Output#

{
  "success": true,
  "status": "completed",
  "data": {
    "spreadsheet_id": "1BxiMVs0XRA5nFMdKvBdBZjgmUUqptlbs74OgVE2upms",
    "updated_range": "Sheet1!A4:D4",
    "updated_rows": 1,
    "updated_cells": 4
  },
  "service": "google_sheets",
  "operation": "append_rows"
}

Get Spreadsheet Info Output#

{
  "success": true,
  "status": "completed",
  "data": {
    "spreadsheet_id": "1BxiMVs0XRA5nFMdKvBdBZjgmUUqptlbs74OgVE2upms",
    "title": "Sales Tracker",
    "sheets": [
      {"sheet_id": 0, "title": "Sheet1", "row_count": 1000, "column_count": 26},
      {"sheet_id": 123, "title": "Summary", "row_count": 100, "column_count": 10}
    ],
    "sheet_count": 2
  },
  "service": "google_sheets",
  "operation": "get_spreadsheet"
}

Errors#

Example Workflow#

1. Create Connector with your service account key and default spreadsheet ID
2. Read Range to get current data: Sheet1!A1:D100
3. Logic node to check if a condition is met
4. Append Rows to log new data:

• Range: Sheet1!A1
• Values: [["{{ payload.name }}", "{{ payload.value }}", "{{ payload.timestamp }}"]]

Limitations#

• Formatting: Only cell values can be read/written. Cell formatting, charts, and conditional formatting are not supported via this connector.
• Large spreadsheets: Reading very large ranges may timeout. Use specific ranges instead of full-sheet reads.
• Rate limits: Google Sheets API has a quota of 300 requests per minute per project. Use delays between rapid operations.
• File creation: Creating new spreadsheets is not supported. Create them manually and share with the service account.

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