Does it understand ranges or just whole sheets?

Ranges, in standard A1 notation. read_sheet_values and modify_sheet_values both take ranges like Sheet2!B2:E50, so operations touch exactly the cells intended — important when an agent edits a spreadsheet other people are working in.

Can it format cells, or only write raw values?

format_sheet_range applies text styling and number/date/currency formats to a range, and manage_conditional_formatting manages rule-based highlighting. An assistant can deliver a readable report, not a wall of unformatted numbers.

Can it add a tab to an existing workbook instead of creating a new file?

Yes — create_sheet adds sheets to existing spreadsheets, while create_spreadsheet makes a new file. get_spreadsheet_info reports the tabs already present so the assistant knows what exists first.

Google Sheets MCP Server

Range-level spreadsheet access with real formatting control.

Quick start Jump to all 15 tools →

The Sheets service works the way spreadsheet people think: in ranges. read_sheet_values and modify_sheet_values operate on A1-notation ranges, so an assistant can pull a pipeline tab, update a forecast column, or clear a staging area without touching the rest of the workbook.

It goes beyond values — format_sheet_range applies number and text formats, and manage_conditional_formatting adds, updates, or removes rules, which is the difference between dumping data and producing a sheet someone can actually read.

What you can ask

“Read the pipeline tab and tell me which deals slipped since last month”
“Append these survey results and highlight any satisfaction score below 7 in red”
“Create a release-checklist spreadsheet with one tab per milestone”

All 15 Google Sheets MCP tools

Expand any tool for its full parameter list. Tiers control how many tools the server registers: start lean with --tool-tier core and step up to extended or complete when a workflow needs more.

read_sheet_values Core Read values from ranges. 3

Parameter	Description
`spreadsheet_id` required	The ID of the spreadsheet.
`range_name`	The range to read (e.g., "Sheet1!A1:D10", "A1:D10"). Defaults to "A1:Z1000".
`include_hyperlinks`	If True, also fetch hyperlink metadata for the range.

modify_sheet_values Core Write, update, and clear range values. 5

Parameter	Description
`spreadsheet_id` required	The ID of the spreadsheet.
`range_name` required	The range to modify (e.g., "Sheet1!A1:D10", "A1:D10").
`values`	2D array of values to write/update. Can be a JSON string or Python list. Required unless clear_values=True.
`value_input_option`	How to interpret input values ("RAW" or "USER_ENTERED"). Defaults to "USER_ENTERED".
`clear_values`	If True, clears the range instead of writing values. Defaults to False.

create_spreadsheet Core Create spreadsheets. 2

Parameter	Description
`title` required	The title of the new spreadsheet.
`sheet_names`	List of sheet names to create. If not provided, creates one sheet with default name.

list_spreadsheets Extended List available spreadsheets. 1

Parameter	Description
`max_results`	Maximum number of spreadsheets to return. Defaults to 25.

get_spreadsheet_info Extended Read spreadsheet metadata and sheet info. 1

Parameter	Description
`spreadsheet_id` required	The ID of the spreadsheet to get info for.

format_sheet_range Extended Apply styling and number/text formats to ranges. 12

Parameter	Description
`spreadsheet_id` required	The ID of the spreadsheet.
`range_name` required	A1-style range (optionally with sheet name).
`background_color`	Hex background color (e.g., "#FFEECC").
`text_color`	Hex text color (e.g., "#000000").
`number_format_type`	Sheets number format type (e.g., "DATE").
`number_format_pattern`	Custom pattern for the number format.
`wrap_strategy`	Text wrap strategy (WRAP, OVERFLOW_CELL, CLIP).
`horizontal_alignment`	Horizontal alignment.
`vertical_alignment`	Vertical alignment.
`bold`	Whether to make text bold.
`italic`	Whether to make text italic.
`font_size`	Font size.

list_sheet_tables Extended List structured tables with IDs, names, ranges, and columns. 1

Parameter	Description
`spreadsheet_id` required	The ID of the spreadsheet.

create_sheet Complete Add sheets to existing spreadsheets. 2

Parameter	Description
`spreadsheet_id` required	The ID of the spreadsheet.
`sheet_name`	The name of the new sheet. Defaults to a Google-assigned name when omitted.

manage_sheet_tab Complete Manage the lifecycle of an existing tab: rename, delete, hide, unhide, or reorder it. Use create_sheet to add a tab and resize_sheet_dimensions for row and column changes. 5

Parameter	Description
`spreadsheet_id` required	The ID of the spreadsheet.
`sheet_name` required	Title of the existing tab to act on.
`action` required	One of `rename`, `delete`, `hide`, `unhide`, or `reorder`.
`new_name`	New title. Required for `rename`.
`new_index`	New zero-based position. Required for `reorder`.

append_table_rows Complete Append rows to a structured table, auto-extending the table range. 3

Parameter	Description
`spreadsheet_id` required	The ID of the spreadsheet.
`table_id` required	The ID of the table (from list_sheet_tables).
`values` required	2D array of row values to append.

move_sheet_rows Complete Move rows between sheets within a spreadsheet. 5

Parameter	Description
`spreadsheet_id` required	The ID of the spreadsheet.
`source_sheet` required	Name of the sheet to move rows from.
`start_row` required	First row to move (1-based).
`end_row` required	Last row to move (inclusive).
`destination_sheet` required	Name of the sheet to move rows to.

resize_sheet_dimensions Complete Resize, hide, freeze, insert, or delete rows and columns. 13

Parameter	Description
`spreadsheet_id` required	The ID of the spreadsheet.
`sheet_name`	Sheet to modify. Defaults to the first sheet.
`column_sizes`	Map of column letters to pixel widths.
`row_sizes`	Map of row numbers to pixel heights.
`auto_resize_columns`	Columns to auto-fit to content.
`frozen_row_count`	Number of frozen header rows.
`frozen_column_count`	Number of frozen columns.
`hide_columns`	Columns to hide (unhide_columns reverses).
`hide_rows`	Rows to hide (unhide_rows reverses).
`insert_rows`	Number of rows to insert (with insert_rows_at).
`insert_columns`	Number of columns to insert (with insert_columns_at).
`delete_rows`	Rows to delete.
`delete_columns`	Columns to delete.

list_spreadsheet_comments Complete List comments on spreadsheets. —

manage_spreadsheet_comment Complete Create, reply, and resolve spreadsheet comments. —

manage_conditional_formatting Complete Add, update, and remove conditional formatting rules. 10

Parameter	Description
`spreadsheet_id` required	The ID of the spreadsheet.
`action` required	The operation to perform ("add", "update", "remove").
`range_name`	Range to apply conditional formatting to.
`condition_type`	Type of condition.
`condition_values`	Values for the condition.
`background_color`	Background color for formatting.
`text_color`	Text color for formatting.
`rule_index`	Index of rule to update/remove.
`gradient_points`	Gradient points for gradient formatting.
`sheet_name`	Sheet name for the range.

Every service in one reference: full API documentation →

OAuth scopes

The server requests only the scopes for the services you enable. In read-only mode it requests just the readonly variants and skips registering write tools entirely.

spreadsheets.readonly read values and metadata
spreadsheets write values, formatting, and structure

Google Sheets MCP questions

Does it understand ranges or just whole sheets?: Ranges, in standard A1 notation. read_sheet_values and modify_sheet_values both take ranges like Sheet2!B2:E50, so operations touch exactly the cells intended — important when an agent edits a spreadsheet other people are working in.
Can it format cells, or only write raw values?: format_sheet_range applies text styling and number/date/currency formats to a range, and manage_conditional_formatting manages rule-based highlighting. An assistant can deliver a readable report, not a wall of unformatted numbers.
Can it add a tab to an existing workbook instead of creating a new file?: Yes — create_sheet adds sheets to existing spreadsheets, while create_spreadsheet makes a new file. get_spreadsheet_info reports the tabs already present so the assistant knows what exists first.

Works alongside

All services: Gmail MCP Google Drive MCP Google Calendar MCP Google Docs MCP Google Sheets MCP Google Slides MCP Google Forms MCP Google Tasks MCP Google Contacts MCP Google Chat MCP Google Custom Search MCP Google Apps Script MCP