Tool surface
Google Sheets uses three task-oriented tools rather than exposing individual API methods:
All require the existing Google Drive connection. See the
Google Drive and Sheets integration guide for
authorization modes, limits, safety behavior, examples, and troubleshooting.
With a read-only Drive connection,
google_sheets_read remains available but
google_sheets_edit and google_sheets_create are rejected server-side before
any Google mutation. Read-and-write Drive authorization is required for those
two mutation tools.
Selection guidance
Read before editing when the tab layout or current values are unknown. Use the returnedmodified_time as expected_modified_time when a best-effort
concurrent-edit check is useful. Mutations require explicit spreadsheet IDs and
bounded ranges; google_sheets_edit does not infer a clear target.
Use the default raw input mode for literal values. Select user_entered
explicitly only when formulas and Sheets-style parsing are intended. For
whole-workbook downloads, use google_drive_download_file; native Sheets reads
are optimized for selected ranges and cell-level work.