Google Docs Reader

Read content and metadata from one or multiple Google Docs documents

What does this node do?

The Google Docs Reader node reads content and metadata from one or multiple Google Docs documents. It supports multi-document selection via Google Drive Picker, per-document tab selection, and three output formats (JSON, plain text, markdown).

Common uses:

Extract documents for AI-powered summarization
Read content for SEO analysis and optimization
Pull documentation for automated translation workflows

Quick setup

Connect your Google account

Go to Builder → Integrations → Google and authenticate with the google_docs scope

Add the Google Docs Reader node

Find it in Integrations → Google → Docs Reader

Select your documents

Use the Google Drive Picker to select one or multiple documents, then configure output format and tab selection

Configuration

Version: 1.1 | Integration: google_docs

Parameters

integration_id string required

The Google Docs integration to use. Select from your configured Google integrations.

document_ids string[] required

The Google Doc IDs to read. Use the built-in Google Drive Picker to select one or multiple documents. Supports multi-select.

document_names string[]

Display names of the selected documents. Auto-filled when documents are selected via the Picker.

output_type select default: markdown

The format for the extracted content.

Value	Description
`json`	Structured JSON with full document metadata
`plain_text`	Raw text content without formatting
`markdown`	Markdown-formatted content (recommended for LLM processing)

read_all_tabs boolean default: true

Whether to read all tabs in each document. When enabled, content from every tab is included in the output.

selected_tabs object

Per-document tab selection. When read_all_tabs is disabled, use the tab selection modal to choose specific tabs for each document. Useful for large documents where only certain tabs are relevant.

Inputs

This node has no inputs. It reads directly from Google Docs using the configured parameters.

Output

document_data string

JSON string containing the document content and metadata for all selected documents.

{
  "documents": [
    {
      "document_id": "1aBcDeFgHiJkLmNoPqRsTuVwXyZ",
      "title": "Q1 Marketing Report",
      "tabs": [
        {
          "tab_id": "t.0",
          "tab_name": "Overview",
          "content": "# Q1 Marketing Report\n\nThis quarter saw a 25% increase..."
        }
      ],
      "url": "https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aBcDeFgHiJkLmNoPqRsTuVwXyZ"
    }
  ]
}

Access the output: {{Google_Docs_Reader_0.document_data}}

Examples

Extract documents for AI summarization

Read multiple marketing reports and summarize them with an LLM:

graph LR
    A[Google Docs Reader] --> B[LLM]
    B --> C[Email Sender]

Setup:

Select 3-5 marketing reports via the Google Drive Picker
Set output_type to markdown for optimal LLM processing
Connect to an LLM node with instructions: “Summarize each document in 3 bullet points”
Send the summary via email

Read documentation for translation

Pull technical documentation and translate it using AI:

graph LR
    A[Google Docs Reader] --> B[LLM Translate]
    B --> C[Google Docs Writer]

Setup:

Select the source documents to translate
Set output_type to markdown to preserve formatting
Use an LLM node to translate the content
Write the translated content to new documents with Google Docs Writer

Best practices

Use markdown format for LLM processing. The markdown output type preserves document structure (headings, lists, links) while remaining easy for AI models to interpret.
Select specific tabs for large documents. Disable read_all_tabs and choose only the tabs you need to reduce processing time and token usage.
Use JSON output for programmatic processing. When you need to extract specific metadata or process documents programmatically, the json format provides the most structured data.

Common issues

No content returned for a document

Verify that the Google integration has the correct permissions. The google_docs scope must be enabled. Also check that the authenticated account has read access to the selected documents.

Tab content is missing or incomplete

If read_all_tabs is disabled, ensure the correct tabs are selected in the tab selection modal. Some documents may have tabs with empty content or content that requires specific permissions.

Google Docs Writer

Create or update Google Docs documents

LLM

Process document content with AI

Google Sheets Reader

Read data from Google Sheets

Google Drive Reader

Read files from Google Drive