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How to use the Announce Drive File in Chat agent skill

Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data

This guide explains the Announce Drive File in Chat agent skill, a small skill for AI agents that uses the gws command-line tool to post a Google Drive file into a Google Chat space. It is written for readers who have not used agent skills before. By the end you will know what the skill does, how to install it, how to ask for it in plain language, and what to check before it sends a message.

Announce Drive File in Chatgoogleworkspace/cli · Apache-2.0

Quick start

  1. 1Get the skill ZIP. Download the skill ZIP from this page. It contains SKILL.md.
  2. 2Install the skill. Unzip into ~/.claude/skills/ or a project's .claude/skills/ folder, or upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills in the Claude apps.
  3. 3Set up gws authentication. Install the gws command-line tool and configure Google Workspace authentication, following the gws-shared skill.
  4. 4Gather the IDs. Find the Drive file ID and the Chat space name, such as spaces/SPACE_ID.
  5. 5Ask the agent. Describe the file, the space and any custom message in plain language.
  6. 6Review before sending. Check the command the agent proposes, since it posts a real message to everyone in the space.

What the skill makes the agent do

Agent skills are instruction packages that teach an AI agent how to carry out a specific task. This skill, gws-workflow-file-announce, teaches the agent to use the gws command-line tool to share a Google Drive file into a Google Chat space.

Given a file ID and a Chat space name, the agent looks up the file's name in Drive and sends a Chat message announcing it. You can optionally include a custom message. The action is a single write: it sends a real message to everyone in that space.

Install the skill from the ZIP download

Download the skill as a ZIP file from this page. The package contains a single file, SKILL.md.

There are two ways to install it. For Claude Code, unzip the download into ~/.claude/skills/ to make it available for you, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder to make it available only in that project. For the Claude apps, upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

  • Personal Claude Code install: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/
  • Project install: unzip into the project's .claude/skills/ folder
  • Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the ZIP

Set up gws and Google Workspace authentication first

The skill cannot send messages without a working gws setup. Install the gws command-line tool and configure Google Workspace authentication for it. The skill's SKILL.md points to the gws-shared skill for authentication, global flags and security rules. If that file is missing, the source says to run gws generate-skills to create it.

You also need access to the target Drive file and the Google Chat space.

  • gws command-line tool (Google Workspace CLI) installed
  • Google Workspace authentication configured for gws (see the gws-shared skill)
  • Access to the target Drive file and the Google Chat space

Trigger the skill with a natural request

You do not need to type the command yourself. Ask the agent in plain language, and include the file ID and the Chat space name. The agent will use this skill to build the gws command. The skill's flags are --file-id (required, the Drive file ID), --space (required, a name such as spaces/SPACE_ID) and --message (optional, a custom announcement). Output formats are json (default), table, yaml or csv, set with --format.

Good requests name both the file and the space, and say whether you want a custom message.

  • "Announce Drive file FILE_ID in spaces/ABC123."
  • "Post the Drive file FILE_ID to the spaces/ABC123 Chat space with the message 'Check this out!'."
  • "Share the Q3 plan with the team space, using file ID FILE_ID."
gws workflow +file-announce --file-id FILE_ID --space spaces/ABC123

Examples of the command

The skill uses the gws workflow +file-announce command. The first example posts the file with the default announcement. The second adds a custom message.

Replace FILE_ID and spaces/ABC123 with your own values.

gws workflow +file-announce --file-id FILE_ID --space spaces/ABC123 --message 'Check this out!'

Safety notes: scripts and network access

This skill runs scripts and uses the network. The command sends a Chat message through Google Workspace, so anyone in the space will see it. Because the post is visible to others and cannot be treated as a draft, review the file ID, space and message before the agent runs the command.

Use this skill deliberately in shared spaces. If you want a review step, ask the agent to show you the exact command and wait for your approval before it runs.

  • Check the file ID and space name before sending
  • Do not let the agent post to a shared space without review
  • Remember that the Chat message is real and reaches everyone in the space

Tips for reliable use

The skill fetches the file name from Drive to build the announcement, so you do not need to supply it. If the file is not uploaded yet, the source suggests using gws drive +upload first, then announcing the file with this skill.

  • Upload first with gws drive +upload if the file is not in Drive yet
  • Use --message only when a short custom note adds context
  • For the full set of cross-service workflow commands, see the gws-workflow skill

What people use it for

  • Telling a team that a new document is ready for review in a Chat space
  • Posting a planning or meeting file to a project space with a short note
  • Automating a step in a file-sharing workflow after uploading a file with gws drive +upload

Frequently asked questions

How do I install the gws-workflow-file-announce skill?

Download the skill ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. In the Claude apps, upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

What do I need before this skill works?

You need the gws command-line tool, Google Workspace authentication configured for gws (see the gws-shared skill), and access to both the Drive file and the Chat space. Without authentication the skill cannot send messages.

Is this skill free to use?

The source is licensed under Apache-2.0, and the skill is published in the googleworkspace/cli repository. This page does not state any pricing, so check the repository and your Google Workspace plan for costs.

What command does the skill run?

It runs gws workflow +file-announce with --file-id and --space, and optionally --message. The source gives this example: gws workflow +file-announce --file-id FILE_ID --space spaces/ABC123.

Can the agent post to a space without me reviewing it?

The skill can send the message on request, and the message reaches everyone in the space. The source describes it as a write command, so it is safer to ask the agent to show the command and confirm before it runs.

Why does the skill fail, and what should I check?

Check that gws is installed, that authentication is configured (run gws generate-skills if gws-shared is missing), and that you have access to the file and space. Confirm the space name uses the spaces/ format, for example spaces/ABC123.

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Our verdict

This skill suits teams that share documents in Google Chat and developers who already have gws installed and authenticated with Google Workspace. It is not suitable if authentication is not set up, or in shared spaces where posts should go through review first. If you need a tool that does not send messages to others, pick a skill that only reads or drafts.

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