mcp-gsheets 1.5.2 → 1.5.3

package/README.md

@@ -143,7 +143,9 @@ For other MCP clients, use the standard configuration format shown above. Ensure
    - Click Share and add the service account email (from JSON file)
    - Grant "Editor" permissions
 
-### Alternative: JSON String Authentication
+### Alternative Authentication Methods
+
+#### Option 1: JSON String Authentication
 
 Instead of using a file path for credentials, you can provide the service account credentials directly as a JSON string. This is useful for containerized environments, CI/CD pipelines, or when you want to avoid managing credential files.
 
@@ -168,6 +170,31 @@ Instead of using a file path for credentials, you can provide the service accoun
 - Newlines in the private key must be represented as `\\n`
 - If the JSON includes a `project_id`, you can omit `GOOGLE_PROJECT_ID`
 
+#### Option 2: Private Key Authentication (Simplified)
+
+For the most user-friendly approach, you can provide just the private key and email directly. This is the simplest method and requires only two fields from your service account JSON:
+
+```json
+{
+  "mcpServers": {
+    "mcp-gsheets": {
+      "command": "npx",
+      "args": ["-y", "mcp-gsheets@latest"],
+      "env": {
+        "GOOGLE_PRIVATE_KEY": "-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----\\nMIIEvgIBADANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEFAASCBKgwggSkAgEAAoIBAQCgR6bvMNOUHZ29\\n+YgbVHAXsT/s+L/jnXTCB193zikCzspSBSfxLu8VRDjkNq9WUoDxizTATzMFNvNf\\n...\\n-----END PRIVATE KEY-----\\n",
+        "GOOGLE_CLIENT_EMAIL": "spreadsheet@your-project.iam.gserviceaccount.com"
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
+```
+
+**Note**: When using `GOOGLE_PRIVATE_KEY`:
+- Newlines in the private key should be represented as `\\n`
+- The private key must include the `-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----` and `-----END PRIVATE KEY-----` markers
+- The client email should be the service account email from your JSON file
+- `GOOGLE_PROJECT_ID` is optional when using this method
+
 ## Local Development Setup
 
 If you want to develop or contribute to this project, you can clone and build it locally:
@@ -356,7 +383,9 @@ npm run typecheck
 **"Authentication failed"**
 - If using file-based auth: Verify JSON key path is absolute and correct
 - If using JSON string auth: Ensure JSON is properly escaped and valid
-- Check GOOGLE_PROJECT_ID matches your project (or is included in JSON)
+- If using private key auth: Check that the private key includes BEGIN/END markers and newlines are escaped as `\\n`
+- Verify GOOGLE_CLIENT_EMAIL is a valid service account email
+- Check GOOGLE_PROJECT_ID matches your project (or is included in JSON for full JSON auth)
 - Ensure Sheets API is enabled
 
 **"Permission denied"**

package/dist/index.js

@@ -12336,6 +12336,13 @@ async function getAuthClient() {
           "Failed to parse GOOGLE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_KEY: Invalid JSON format. Please ensure the environment variable contains valid JSON."
         );
       }
+    } else if (process.env.GOOGLE_PRIVATE_KEY && process.env.GOOGLE_CLIENT_EMAIL) {
+      const credentials = {
+        type: "service_account",
+        private_key: process.env.GOOGLE_PRIVATE_KEY.replace(/\\n/g, "\n"),
+        client_email: process.env.GOOGLE_CLIENT_EMAIL
+      };
+      options.credentials = credentials;
     }
     authClient = new GoogleAuth(options);
   }
@@ -12353,12 +12360,35 @@ async function getAuthenticatedClient() {
   return sheetsClient;
 }
 function validateAuth() {
-  if (!process.env.GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS && !process.env.GOOGLE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_KEY) {
+  const hasFileAuth = !!process.env.GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS;
+  const hasJsonAuth = !!process.env.GOOGLE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_KEY;
+  const hasPrivateKeyAuth = !!process.env.GOOGLE_PRIVATE_KEY && !!process.env.GOOGLE_CLIENT_EMAIL;
+  if (!hasFileAuth && !hasJsonAuth && !hasPrivateKeyAuth) {
     throw new Error(
-      "No authentication method provided. Please set either:\n- GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS to the path of your service account key file, or\n- GOOGLE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_KEY to the JSON string of your service account credentials."
+      "No authentication method provided. Please set one of:\n- GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS to the path of your service account key file\n- GOOGLE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_KEY to the JSON string of your service account credentials\n- GOOGLE_PRIVATE_KEY and GOOGLE_CLIENT_EMAIL for direct private key authentication"
     );
   }
-  if (!process.env.GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS && process.env.GOOGLE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_KEY) {
+  if (!hasFileAuth && !hasJsonAuth && hasPrivateKeyAuth) {
+    if (!process.env.GOOGLE_PRIVATE_KEY) {
+      throw new Error("GOOGLE_PRIVATE_KEY is required when using private key authentication");
+    }
+    if (!process.env.GOOGLE_CLIENT_EMAIL) {
+      throw new Error("GOOGLE_CLIENT_EMAIL is required when using private key authentication");
+    }
+    const privateKey = process.env.GOOGLE_PRIVATE_KEY.replace(/\\n/g, "\n");
+    if (!privateKey.includes("BEGIN PRIVATE KEY") || !privateKey.includes("END PRIVATE KEY")) {
+      throw new Error(
+        "GOOGLE_PRIVATE_KEY appears to be invalid. It should start with -----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY----- and end with -----END PRIVATE KEY-----"
+      );
+    }
+    const emailRegex2 = /^[^\s@]+@[^\s@]+\.[^\s@]+$/;
+    if (!emailRegex2.test(process.env.GOOGLE_CLIENT_EMAIL)) {
+      throw new Error(
+        "GOOGLE_CLIENT_EMAIL appears to be invalid. It should be a valid email address (e.g., your-service-account@your-project.iam.gserviceaccount.com)"
+      );
+    }
+  }
+  if (!hasFileAuth && hasJsonAuth) {
     try {
       const credentials = JSON.parse(process.env.GOOGLE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_KEY);
       if (!credentials.type || credentials.type !== "service_account") {
@@ -12382,7 +12412,7 @@ function validateAuth() {
       throw error;
     }
   }
-  if (!process.env.GOOGLE_PROJECT_ID) {
+  if (!process.env.GOOGLE_PROJECT_ID && !hasPrivateKeyAuth) {
     throw new Error(
       "GOOGLE_PROJECT_ID environment variable is not set. Please set it to your Google Cloud project ID, or ensure it is included in your service account credentials."
     );

package/package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "mcp-gsheets",
-  "version": "1.5.2",
+  "version": "1.5.3",
   "description": "Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Google Sheets API integration",
   "author": "freema",
   "license": "MIT",