I’m trying to figure out how to run a Python script on my local machine that needs to connect to Google Workspace stuff like Drive and Sheets. I know there’s something called Google Application Default Credentials (ADC), but I haven’t figured out how to use it with my personal account instead of a service account. I’ve gone through some documents, but they don’t clearly explain how ADC works with personal credentials. Could someone please outline the steps or provide a simple example? Thanks a lot!
I’ve dealt with this exact issue before when building some automation for my photography business. Here’s what worked for me:
First, you need to set up a project in Google Cloud Console and enable the APIs you want to use (Drive, Sheets, etc.). Then, install the Google Cloud SDK on your machine and run ‘gcloud auth application-default login’. This will open a browser window where you log in with your personal Google account.
After that, the ADC should be set up on your local machine. In your Python code, you can use the google-auth library to automatically use these credentials. Something like:
from google.auth import default
credentials, _ = default()
Then use these credentials when initializing your Google API clients. It’s pretty straightforward once you get it set up. Just make sure you’re using the right scopes for the APIs you need access to.
Hope this helps! Let me know if you run into any snags.
In my experience, the key is to correctly set up Google Cloud and authenticate your application using personal credentials. First, set up a project on Google Cloud and enable your needed APIs. Next, install the Google Cloud CLI and run ‘gcloud auth application-default login’ from your terminal; this links your machine to your personal account by configuring Application Default Credentials.
In your Python script, you may use the google-auth library. For example, using google_auth_oauthlib to manage the OAuth flow can be a practical approach:
from google.auth.transport.requests import Request
from google.oauth2.credentials import Credentials
from google_auth_oauthlib.flow import InstalledAppFlow
Set up credentials
creds = None
if creds and creds.expired and creds.refresh_token:
creds.refresh(Request())
else:
flow = InstalledAppFlow.from_client_secrets_file(‘path/to/client_secret.json’, SCOPES)
creds = flow.run_local_server(port=0)
This method has worked consistently for integrating various Google Workspace APIs.
hey mandy, i’ve been there too. quick tip: after setting up ur project in google cloud, use the ‘gcloud auth application-default login’ command. it’ll open a browser window for u to log in with ur personal account. then in ur python script, you can use the google-auth library to grab those creds automatically. works like a charm for me!