google-workspace-cli-drive-setup.md

List Google Drive Files Using Google Workspace CLI

Prerequisites

• Node.js installed
• A Google Cloud project

Step 1: Install Google Workspace CLI

npm install -g @googleworkspace/cli

Verify:

gws --version

Step 2: Create OAuth Credentials in Google Cloud Console

1. Go to Google Cloud Console
2. Select or create a project
3. Navigate to APIs & Services → OAuth consent screen
4. Set up the consent screen:
   • User type: External
   • Fill in the required fields (app name, support email)
   • Add your Google account as a test user
   • Save
5. Navigate to APIs & Services → Credentials
6. Click + Create Credentials → OAuth client ID
7. Application type: Desktop app
8. Click Create and Download JSON

Step 3: Enable Google Drive API

1. Go to APIs & Services → Library
2. Search for Google Drive API
3. Click Enable

Step 4: Configure the CLI

Copy the downloaded client secret JSON to the gws config directory:

mkdir -p ~/.config/gws
cp ~/Downloads/client_secret_*.json ~/.config/gws/client_secret.json

Step 5: Authenticate

gws auth login

This opens a browser window. Sign in with the Google account you added as a test user.

Step 6: List Your Drive Files

# List first 10 files
gws drive files list --params '{"pageSize": 10}'

# List all files
gws drive files list --params '{"pageSize": 50}' --page-all

Useful Commands

# Search for files by name
gws drive files list --params '{"q": "name contains '\''budget'\''", "pageSize": 10}'

# List only spreadsheets
gws drive files list --params '{"q": "mimeType = '\''application/vnd.google-apps.spreadsheet'\''", "pageSize": 10}'

# List files in a specific folder
gws drive files list --params '{"q": "'\''FOLDER_ID'\'' in parents", "pageSize": 10}'

References

• Google Workspace CLI
• Google Drive API Reference