Google Sheets refreshToken is required. Cloud hosted

Questions
,
1

I am using cloud hosted n8n, and the Google Sheets Api. If I reconnect my Google Sheets Credentials, the workflow works fine. However, when the workflow is scheduled to run the next day, I get the following Error:

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Note that my Google Sheets belongs to the same credential that I am logging in to.

Share the output returned by the last node

{
“errorMessage”: “refreshToken is required”,
“errorDetails”: {
“rawErrorMessage”: [
“refreshToken is required”
],
“httpCode”: “ERR_ASSERTION”
},
“n8nDetails”: {
“nodeName”: “Append or update row in sheet”,
“nodeType”: “n8n-nodes-base.googleSheets”,
“nodeVersion”: 4.6,
“resource”: “sheet”,
“operation”: “appendOrUpdate”,
“time”: “7/30/2025, 11:41:55 AM”,
“n8nVersion”: “1.105.0 (Cloud)”,
“binaryDataMode”: “filesystem”,
“stackTrace”: [
“NodeApiError: refreshToken is required”,
" at ExecuteContext.apiRequest (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/n8n/node_modules/.pnpm/n8n-nodes-base@file+packages+nodes-base_@[email protected]_asn1.js@5_1af219c3f47f2a1223ec4ccec249a974/node_modules/n8n-nodes-base/nodes/Google/Sheet/v2/transport/index.ts:78:9)“,
" at processTicksAndRejections (node:internal/process/task_queues:105:5)”,
" at GoogleSheet.spreadsheetGetSheet (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/n8n/node_modules/.pnpm/n8n-nodes-base@file+packages+nodes-base_@[email protected]_asn1.js@5_1af219c3f47f2a1223ec4ccec249a974/node_modules/n8n-nodes-base/nodes/Google/Sheet/v2/helpers/GoogleSheet.ts:129:21)“,
" at ExecuteContext.router (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/n8n/node_modules/.pnpm/n8n-nodes-base@file+packages+nodes-base_@[email protected]_asn1.js@5_1af219c3f47f2a1223ec4ccec249a974/node_modules/n8n-nodes-base/nodes/Google/Sheet/v2/actions/router.ts:43:20)”,
" at ExecuteContext.execute (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/n8n/node_modules/.pnpm/n8n-nodes-base@file+packages+nodes-base_@[email protected]_asn1.js@5_1af219c3f47f2a1223ec4ccec249a974/node_modules/n8n-nodes-base/nodes/Google/Sheet/v2/GoogleSheetsV2.node.ts:30:10)“,
" at WorkflowExecute.runNode (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/n8n/node_modules/.pnpm/n8n-core@file+packages+core_@[email protected]_@[email protected]_46e522f8a77ed5eccc0991bfcca21502/node_modules/n8n-core/src/execution-engine/workflow-execute.ts:1212:9)”,
" at /usr/local/lib/node_modules/n8n/node_modules/.pnpm/n8n-core@file+packages+core_@[email protected]_@[email protected]_46e522f8a77ed5eccc0991bfcca21502/node_modules/n8n-core/src/execution-engine/workflow-execute.ts:1582:27",
" at /usr/local/lib/node_modules/n8n/node_modules/.pnpm/n8n-core@file+packages+core_@[email protected]_@[email protected]_46e522f8a77ed5eccc0991bfcca21502/node_modules/n8n-core/src/execution-engine/workflow-execute.ts:2158:11"
]
}
}

Information on your n8n setup

  • n8n version: 105.0
  • Running n8n via: n8n cloud
2

What’s going on

refreshToken is required means the Google Sheets node tried to renew the access token it obtained in the previous run, but n8n couldn’t find (or couldn’t use) a stored refresh token. This usually happens when:

  1. No refresh‑token was ever issued
    Google only sends a refresh token when the original OAuth request includes
    access_type=offline&prompt=consent. Without those flags the connection works for a few hours, then expires.

  2. The refresh‑token was short‑lived or revoked
    If your OAuth app is still in Testing status, Google invalidates refresh tokens after 7 days (sometimes 24 h for certain scopes).

  3. n8n didn’t save the token correctly
    Versions around n8n 1.105.0 have a bug in the Google Sheets node where the refresh token isn’t persisted; the workflow works right after reconnection but fails the next day.

Check this post out: ERR_ASSERTION - refreshToken is required

3

Hi William_Carlson,

Because the cloud version requires us to use n8n’s oauth app rather than specify our own that we created in Google Api Console, I can neither set the access_type, nor publish my Oauth App. When I set up the credentials for Google Sheets, there is no option to put a client key. I simply can sign in using my personal google account, which is the owner of this sheet.

You mentioned n8n 1.105.0 having a bug. Can you go a little more in detail about that? I can only switch between versions 1.104.0 and 1.105.0 in the Manage section, and neither work.

Also, can I use a Google Service Account to write to a google sheet in my personal Google Drive? If so, I will go down that route instead of the Oauth.

4

you managed to find a solution ?

5

Hi Hassan!

I ended up creating a Google Service Account, and sharing the sheet to the email of said account. This is actually better, as with OAuth I was forced to share all my google drive documents, where as with the Service Account I can grant access to specific files.

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6

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