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Support authentication without a Google Cloud project #298
As a regular Google user (e.g., @gmail.com), I want to use gws to access my own Google Drive, Gmail, etc. without needing to set up a Google Cloud Console project, configure OAuth consent screens, or create OAuth client credentials.
Problem
Currently, all authentication paths require the user to either:
Run gws auth setup (requires gcloud CLI + a GCP project)
Manually create an OAuth client in the Google Cloud Console
Already have a credentials file or access token from another tool
This gates the CLI's value behind Google Cloud Console knowledge and setup — a significant barrier for the average Google Workspace user who just wants to interact with their own files, emails, and calendars from the terminal.
Why this matters
gws is described as "One CLI for all of Google Workspace — built for humans and AI agents." The target audience includes regular users of Google services, not just developers with GCP experience. Requiring a Cloud Console setup to get started contradicts this positioning — it turns a ~1 minute "install and go" experience into a ~10 minute detour through unfamiliar infrastructure.
Possible approaches
Ship a default OAuth client ID with the CLI (the way gcloud and many other Google-integrated tools do), so users can just run gws auth login immediately after install
Provide a hosted OAuth flow that handles consent without requiring users to create their own client credentials
Document a zero-GCP path if one can be constructed from existing capabilities
Activity
alertNiKole commentedon Mar 8, 2026
Use of GitHub, npm and Command Line imply development experience as a requirement [even if your agent is the developer]
reneehuang1 commentedon Mar 9, 2026
huge +1 to this request.