How to Build Internal Google Workspace Add-ons: Complete Walkthrough

Creating robust internal tools is a critical endeavor for any engineering organization aiming to streamline workflows, enhance productivity, and automate repetitive tasks. Google Workspace Add-ons, powered by Google Apps Script, offer a powerful way to build custom integrations directly into Gmail, Calendar, Drive, and other Workspace applications. This comprehensive walkthrough will guide you through the entire process of creating, testing, and deploying an internal Workspace Add-on for your organization.

Unlike standalone web applications, Workspace Add-ons provide a context-aware user experience directly within Google application interfaces, minimizing context switching and improving user adoption. Apps Script, Google’s serverless JavaScript-based development platform, handles the backend without requiring you to manage servers, authentication flows, or complex infrastructure. By the end of this guide, you’ll have built a functional add-on and understand how to deploy it organization-wide.