googledocs-automation

Google Docs Automation via Rube MCP

Create, edit, search, export, and manage Google Docs documents programmatically using Rube MCP (Composio).

Toolkit docs: composio.dev/toolkits/googledocs

Prerequisites

Rube MCP must be connected (RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS available)

Active connection via RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit googledocs

Always call RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS first to get current tool schemas

Setup

Get Rube MCP: Add https://rube.app/mcp as an MCP server in your client configuration. No API keys needed — just add the endpoint and it works.

Verify Rube MCP is available by confirming RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS responds

Call RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit googledocs

If connection is not ACTIVE, follow the returned auth link to complete setup

Confirm connection status shows ACTIVE before running any workflows

Core Workflows

1. Create a New Document

Use GOOGLEDOCS_CREATE_DOCUMENT to create a new Google Doc with a title and initial text content.

Tool: GOOGLEDOCS_CREATE_DOCUMENT
Parameters:
  - title (required): Document filename/title
  - text (required): Initial text content to insert into the document

2. Search for Documents

Use GOOGLEDOCS_SEARCH_DOCUMENTS to find Google Docs by name, content, date, or sharing status.

Tool: GOOGLEDOCS_SEARCH_DOCUMENTS
Parameters:
  - query: Search query string
  - max_results: Limit number of results
  - modified_after / created_after: Filter by date
  - shared_with_me: Filter shared documents
  - starred_only: Filter starred documents
  - include_shared_drives: Search shared drives
  - order_by: Sort results
  - page_token: Pagination token

3. Update Document Content with Markdown

Use GOOGLEDOCS_UPDATE_DOCUMENT_MARKDOWN to replace the entire content of a document with Markdown-formatted text.

Tool: GOOGLEDOCS_UPDATE_DOCUMENT_MARKDOWN
Parameters:
  - id (required): Document ID
  - markdown (required): Markdown content to replace entire document body

4. Find and Replace Text

Use GOOGLEDOCS_REPLACE_ALL_TEXT to replace all occurrences of a string in a document.

Tool: GOOGLEDOCS_REPLACE_ALL_TEXT
Parameters:
  - document_id (required): Target document ID
  - find_text (required): Text to search for
  - replace_text (required): Replacement text
  - match_case: Case-sensitive matching (boolean)
  - search_by_regex: Use regex for find_text
  - tab_ids: Specific tabs to search

5. Export Document as PDF

Use GOOGLEDOCS_EXPORT_DOCUMENT_AS_PDF to export a Google Doc to PDF format.

Tool: GOOGLEDOCS_EXPORT_DOCUMENT_AS_PDF
Parameters:
  - file_id (required): Document file ID
  - filename: Output PDF filename

6. Copy a Document

Use GOOGLEDOCS_COPY_DOCUMENT to duplicate an existing Google Doc.

Tool: GOOGLEDOCS_COPY_DOCUMENT
Parameters:
  - document_id (required): Source document ID to copy
  - title: Title for the new copy
  - include_shared_drives: Search shared drives for the source

Common Patterns

Search then edit: Use GOOGLEDOCS_SEARCH_DOCUMENTS to find a document by name, then use the returned document ID with GOOGLEDOCS_UPDATE_DOCUMENT_MARKDOWN or GOOGLEDOCS_REPLACE_ALL_TEXT to modify it.

Create from template: Use GOOGLEDOCS_COPY_DOCUMENT to duplicate a template, then GOOGLEDOCS_REPLACE_ALL_TEXT to fill in placeholder text.

Retrieve then update: Use GOOGLEDOCS_GET_DOCUMENT_BY_ID to read current content, then apply edits with GOOGLEDOCS_UPDATE_EXISTING_DOCUMENT.

Batch text insertion: Use GOOGLEDOCS_INSERT_TEXT_ACTION to insert text at specific positions (by index) or append to the end of a document.

Share documents: Combine with GOOGLEDRIVE_ADD_FILE_SHARING_PREFERENCE (googledrive toolkit) to share documents after creation.

Known Pitfalls

GOOGLEDOCS_UPDATE_DOCUMENT_MARKDOWN replaces the entire document content -- it does not append. Use it for full rewrites only.

GOOGLEDOCS_INSERT_TEXT_ACTION requires a precise insertion_index (character position). Set append_to_end: true to safely add text at the end.

GOOGLEDOCS_UPDATE_EXISTING_DOCUMENT requires constructing an editDocs request body with raw Google Docs API batch update requests -- consult the API documentation for the correct structure.

Document IDs and file IDs are the same value for Google Docs, but parameter names differ across tools (id, document_id, file_id).

GOOGLEDOCS_SEARCH_DOCUMENTS uses Google Drive search syntax for the query parameter (e.g., name contains 'report').

Quick Reference

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