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Step-by-step guide to building AI agents in Google Workspace using Apps Script, Workspace Studio, or an AI agent platform.
Table of Contents
AI agents are quickly becoming the backbone of modern automation inside Google Workspace. From processing invoices in Gmail to automating follow up emails for the Sales team to summarizing Google Voice transcripts and routing approval tasks in Sheets, businesses are embedding AI directly into their daily workflows. This guide will help you learn what options are available for you in 2026 to build your own AI agents in Google Workspace, using apps like Gmail, Docs, Sheets and of course, Gemini AI; as well as start building your own AI agents in Google today.
How This Guide Was Developed
This guide on how to build AI agents using Google Apps is not theoretical. It is based on real-world implementation experience, technical documentation, and insights from professionals actively building AI-driven automation in Google Workspace environments.
To ensure accuracy and practical relevance, we analyzed:
- Technical patterns used by 125 certified Google Cloud and Google Workspace partners
- Published guidance from Google Workspace developer documentation
- Real deployment insights shared by industry practitioners on social media
We also talked to the automation agencies asking them about their implementation frameworks for AI agents their customers hire them to build in Google Workspace. Specifically, agencies like Scripvade and automation expert Michel H. Van Osch, provided a lot of useful insights.
Professionals such as Nancy Marku Mangortey — who actively shares insights on AI adoption, workflow automation, and operational transformation — highlight a critical theme: AI agents are most valuable when embedded into structured processes rather than used as standalone assistants.
This guide synthesizes those perspectives into a clear decision framework, outlining three distinct approaches to building AI agents inside Google Workspace:
- Coding from scratch using Apps Script and APIs
- Using Google Workspace Studio for personal AI agents
- Deploying a structured AI agent platform for enterprise automation
Let’s have a closer look at all three options and explore what kind of AI agents — and how — can be built using these approches.
The #1 Platform For Building AI Agents Using Native Google Apps
Zenphi is the best tool to build your AI agents in Google Workspace. Zenphi allows you to create secure AI agents in a fully no-code environment: from invoice processing to employee onboarding, to inbox automation, to smart purchasing agents and so much more. Talk to us to get access to the platform today!
What Is an AI Agent in Google Workspace?
But first, let’s quickly cover the basics. Specifically, what is an AI Agent in Google Workspace? And how is it different from other agents?
An AI agent inside Google Apps is a workflow-driven system that:
- Triggers from or creates Google events (actions happening inside Gmail, Drive, Sheets, Forms, Calendar)
- Uses AI at least to some extend
- Applies predefined logic (if this - do that)
- And finally, takes automated action (route, notify, update, escalate)
In practical terms, it’s not “just AI.” It’s AI embedded in your operations, but still “trapped” inside the workflow logic. The latter doesn’t allow AI function in an unexpected, unpredictable way. It imposes the limitations, and – what is considered to be a best practice – provides some failsaves. It can be human-in-the-loop approach, or a more advanced architecture with multiple If conditions that would guide the AI agent on how to function based on every possible output.
Good examples of AI agents within Google Apps would be an inbox automation agent: it would monitor your Gmail mailbox, extract data from incoming invoices (PDF data extraction), validate it against the POs stored in Sheets, and creates an Approval task for the Finance — but only if there’s a match. In case of a mismatch, the agent would generate an email to a sender asking for corrections.
This is a simple fut powerful AI agent that truly removes a lot of burden from your accounts payable team, while not replacing human control completely.
How to Build AI Agents Using Google Apps (3 Practical Ways in 2026)
Now, a long as we established the nature of AI agents in Google Workspace, let’s break down clearly available approaches to building them.
Option 1: Build AI Agents from Scratch (Full Custom Code)
If you’re technically savvy and want maximum flexibility, you can build AI agents in Google Workspace using:
- Google Apps Script — Free
- AI APIs (Gemini, OpenAI, etc.) — you'll have to pay for each subscription
- Gmail, Sheets, Drive, Docs, Calendar APIs — included in your Google Workspace package
- Webhooks & external system integrations like Zapier or Make — you'll have to pay for those as well
What You Need
To build AI agents from scratch, you’ll need:
- JavaScript knowledge (Apps Script is JS-based)
- API authentication handling
- Error handling and logging logic
- Prompt engineering expertise
- Workflow control logic
- Security configuration
- Deployment & monitoring setup
What This Approach Enables
Using this approach you can build pretty much anything that is technically feasible.
The Trade-Off
Building AI agents this way requires ongoing maintenance, manual scaling management, custom logging, careful control design — and of course, significant development time. Very unlikely you’d have your AI agents up and running in 1-2 weeks. Most probably, in several months.
As you can see, this approach is is powerful but resource-intensive.
It best suited for:
- Custom product development — if you develop an AI agent as a part of your product or service
- You have plenty of in-house developers
Option 2: Use Google Workspace Studio (Great For Personal AI Agents)
Launched in December 2025, Google Workspace Studio provides a simplified way to create AI-powered automations inside your Workspace environment.
However, these agents are primarily designed for personal productivity use, not cross-department enterprise automation. You can read more on the limitations of using Workspace Studio for approvals and document generation, how did Workspace Studio performed on the tests for document workflows in Google Drive, and see actual workflows being built with Workspace Studio on a list of items (looping the automation).
This is only one out of many tests on Google Workspace Studio capabilities.
What You Can Build
Using Workspace Studio, you can create simple AI agents for personal use such as:
- Email summarization assistant
- Meeting recap generator — only for the meetings booked in your Calendar, not in the department Calendar
- Document summarizer
- Email drafting assistant — mind you, Google Workspace Srudio CAN NOT send emails on your behalf, it can only generate drafts
What This Approach Enables
Personal productivity increase
Key Limitations
All agents built this way are personal-use oriented and not designed for structured multi-step workflows. Workspace Studio is very limited in governance controls and certanly not suited for serious operational routing or compliance.
Workspace Studio is ideal for:
- Individual contributors
- Personal productivity enhancement
Option 3: Use an AI Agent Platform
There are several platforms and tools that you can use to build AI Agents in a no-code way: n8n, stack.ai, even Zapier to some extent. However, if you prefer to keep all your data within Google Workspace, Zenphi would be the best choice. Especially, if you want to build AI agents that:
- Operate across departments
- Integrate deeply with Google Workspace
- Route approvals
- Maintain audit trails
- Allow for secure document generation
Zenphi is perfect for all these and even more.
3 AI Agents You Can Build Using Zenphi
Here are three highly efficienct AI agents that can be built without custom coding.
1. Document Validation Agent
The Problem: Manual Document Review Slows Down Decisions
Organizations that collect documents via Gmail, Google Drive, or Forms often rely on manual review to verify completeness and correctness. Teams must check whether all required documents were submitted, confirm the document types match expectations, and determine if the package is ready for the next step.
This process is repetitive, error-prone, and difficult to scale — especially when submissions increase. Missing or incorrect documents delay approvals, create back-and-forth communication, and consume valuable manager time.
The Solution: Document Validation Agent Built With Zenphi
A simple fut efficient AI agent built in Google Apps that allows you to:
- Analyze incoming documents
- Compare them against a list – for example, you need 3 documents to be submitted, but a sender submitted just 2, or some documents don't match the type of the documents you expect to receive (say, a rental agreement instead of a work agreement)
- If documents match (the package is complete), it would notify a relevant manager and assign a task to this manager to take the next step (for example, analyze eligibility)
- If they don't match, it would generate an email to the sender requesting updated documents to be sent across
Watch a short video on how exactly to build this AI Agent using Zenphi.
2. AI Agent For Invoice Processing & Approvals
The Problem: Manual Invoice Processing Slows Finance Teams Down
Finance teams often rely on manual processes to handle incoming invoices — downloading attachments from Gmail, copying data into spreadsheets, checking contracts or purchase orders, and routing approvals via email. These repetitive tasks are time-consuming and prone to human error, especially during peak periods.
Copy-paste mistakes, delayed approvals, and inconsistent validation against contracts create compliance risks and strain vendor relationships. As invoice volume grows, manual processing becomes unsustainable, slowing down payments and increasing operational overhead.
Without automation, accounts payable remains a bottleneck instead of a controlled, scalable financial workflow.
The Solution: Invoice Processing & Accounts Payable Automation AI Agent Built With Zenphi
This AI Agent allows you to achieve 100% accuracy in your invoice processing and accounts payable automation (no more copy-paste mistakes), and speed up approvals. This is exactly what the AI Agent would do:
- Captures invoices directly from Gmail
- Extracts vendor, amount, PO number, and due date automatically with AI
- Validates invoices against contracts and purchase orders
- Routes approvals instantly via Gmail or Google Chat
- Logs everything in Google Sheets and store securely in Drive
Watch a short video on how exactly to build this AI Agent using Zenphi.
3. AI Agent For Report Generation
The Problem: Manual Reporting Is Time-Consuming and Hard to Scale
Many organizations rely on recurring customer or stakeholder reports to communicate performance, usage data, or project outcomes. However, generating these reports often requires teams to manually gather raw data, format slides, personalize messaging, and send updates one by one.
This process is repetitive, slow, and difficult to scale — especially when reporting must be tailored for multiple clients or internal stakeholders. Valuable team time is spent formatting presentations instead of analyzing insights or improving performance.
The Solution: Report Generation Agent Built With Zenphi
This AI Agent allows you to generate personalized customer and stakeholder reports — automatically, at scale, and without changing how your teams work. This is exactly what the AI Agent would do:
- Captures raw usage data
- Translate it into professional slides
- Emails these personalized reports to customers or stakeholders
Watch a short video on how exactly to build this AI Agent using Zenphi.
Final Thoughts: Building AI Agents in Google Workspace the Right Way
Learning how to build AI agents using Google Apps is no longer just a developer question — it’s an operational strategy decision.
The real differentiator is not whether you can connect an AI model to Gmail. It’s weather you can:
- Embed AI into structured workflows
- Enforce deterministic logic
- Maintain auditability
- Scale safely across departments
That’s what turns AI from a personal assistant into an operational AI agent.
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