Troubleshooting

Common issues and how to resolve them.

"gws: command not found"

Or download a binary from GitHub Releases

npm install -g @googleworkspace/cli

"Access blocked" during login

Your account may not be authorized. Contact your admin. If using personal Gmail, ensure the app is published.

"API not enabled"

Click the enable_url in the error message, wait 10 seconds, then retry.

"redirect_uri_mismatch"

Ensure your OAuth client is type "Web application" and the redirect URI matches exactly. Recreate the client if needed.

"No refresh token" / Token expired

Re-download credentials from the web app. Google only issues refresh tokens on first consent. The web app uses prompt=consent to force a new one.

"Invalid credentials" error

Verify GOOGLE_WORKSPACE_CLI_CREDENTIALS_FILE points to the correct file. Ensure the file contains both access_token and refresh_token. Re-download credentials from the web app.