How to use the Google Workflow Cross-Service Helper agent skill

What does the gws-workflow skill make the agent do?

An agent skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file that tells an AI agent how to perform a particular task. This one covers cross-service productivity workflows built on the gws command-line tool. Instead of making separate calls to each Google service, the agent can run one of five helper workflows that pull information from several services at once.

• +standup-report: today's meetings and open tasks, formatted as a standup summary.
• +meeting-prep: prepares you for your next meeting, covering the agenda, attendees and linked docs.
• +email-to-task: converts a Gmail message into a Google Tasks entry.
• +weekly-digest: a weekly summary of this week's meetings plus your unread email count.
• +file-announce: announces a Drive file in a Chat space.

Install the gws-workflow skill

Download the skill ZIP from this page and unzip it. Then place the resulting folder in one of two locations: ~/.claude/skills/ to make it available to you across projects, or .claude/skills/ inside a specific project to limit it to that project.

If you use the Claude apps instead, you can upload the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

The skill also depends on the gws CLI. The source says the skill requires the gws command-line tool (the googleworkspace CLI) to be installed and authenticated with Google Workspace. Account authorisation must also cover the services the helpers use: Calendar, Gmail, Drive, Tasks and Chat.

• Unzip the downloaded file and confirm the folder contains SKILL.md.
• Copy the folder to ~/.claude/skills/ or to a project's .claude/skills/ folder.
• Or upload it in the Claude apps under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

Check the companion files and prerequisites

The SKILL.md file points to a companion file, ../gws-shared/SKILL.md, which covers authentication, global flags and security rules. Read it before you start. If that file is missing, the source says to run gws generate-skills to create it.

The helper commands also link to their own SKILL.md files in sibling folders. This download includes SKILL.md only, so those linked files are not covered here.

• Companion file: ../gws-shared/SKILL.md (create with gws generate-skills if missing).
• Binary required: gws.
• Authorisation needed: Calendar, Gmail, Drive, Tasks and Chat.

Trigger the helpers with natural requests

You do not need to type the gws commands yourself. Describe what you want in plain language and the agent should choose the matching helper. Phrasing such as a standup summary, prep for my next meeting, or a weekly digest maps to the matching workflow. Be specific about the item you mean, such as which email or which Drive file, so the agent does not guess.

If you want to see what the tool can do, the source lists the commands used to browse workflow resources and methods and to inspect a method's parameters.

• "Give me my standup summary for today."
• "Prepare me for my next meeting, including the agenda and any linked docs."
• "Turn the email from Priya about the budget into a task."
• "Give me this week's digest with my unread email count."
• "Announce the Q3 planning deck in the design Chat space."

Use gws schema before the agent builds requests

The source instructs the agent to inspect a method before calling it. gws schema shows a method's required parameters, types and defaults, and the agent uses that output to build its --params and --json flags. You can run the same check yourself if you want to understand a request before it runs.

This step matters because the helpers read and write real data. Checking the schema first reduces the chance of a malformed request.

• Run gws workflow --help to browse resources and methods.
• Run gws schema with the full method name to see its inputs.
• Review the built request before accepting an action that writes data.

Safety: scripts, network and what can be changed

This skill runs scripts and uses the network. Every helper reads or writes personal or work data in Google services. Two helpers can take actions on your behalf: +email-to-task creates a Google Tasks entry, and +file-announce posts a message to a Chat space.

Because of this, the skill is not suited to unattended use. Review what the agent proposes, especially before any message is posted to Chat. The companion file's security rules apply to every helper.

• Runs scripts: yes.
• Uses network: yes.
• Can create Tasks entries and post Chat messages on your behalf.
• Not suitable for unattended actions on email or chat without review.

Tips for getting reliable results

Set up gws and its authorisation first, and test a plain gws command before asking the agent for a workflow. Most failures in this setup trace back to authentication rather than the skill itself. Keep requests concrete so the agent picks the right helper and the right item.

Start with read-only helpers such as the standup report and weekly digest to learn how the output looks before using the helpers that write data.

• Confirm gws is installed and authenticated before using the skill.
• Start with +standup-report or +weekly-digest, which read data.
• Name the specific email, file or meeting you mean.
• Read the proposed request before approving any task or Chat post.