I’ve just started messing around with n8n, trying to build this simple test workflow where it needs to read and write data in Google Sheets.
So, I followed the instructions, GPT said I need to request scopes for both Drive and Sheets. But as soon as I tried to set up the Google credential in n8n and hit ‘Sign In,’ the whole thing crashed with an error!
Apparently, Google thinks those scopes are ‘too high risk.’ Seriously? My options, according to the AI, are either getting the app officially verified (which costs thousands, no thanks) or setting up a Service Account and giving the scope to that instead.
I just wanted to ask you, since you may have probably hit this wall:
Is the Service Account hustle really the standard fix here? Am I on the right track with this workaround?
@d1i3b All you need is a Google Cloud account, create a project, go to APIs & Services then OAuth Consent Screen (this is where you set up branding). Give your app a name, and then you’ll follow the steps.
Next, go to Credentials. Click OAuth client ID and set the type to Web application. This is where you add the redirect URL n8n had given you. You can copy your Client ID and Secret here.
Now, go back to the OAuth Consent Screen. You must not click “publish app,” because that triggers the costly verification. Instead, make sure the publishing status is set to Testing, and then add the exact email address you will use in n8n to the Test Users list.
Then you can start to enable the API and services you want, like Google Sheets and Gmail.
Finally, in n8n, you enter the Client ID and Secret to connect. Because you added your email as a Test User, you should be able to connect your account.
You actually wouldn’t need a Service Account for this. You’d want to go straight to your Google Cloud Console at
and create a project from there.
Once your project is created, you go to APIs & Services on the left side, then to the OAuth Consent Screen. You need to set the User Type to External.
Next, you create the app itself. You put in your app name and email address, and on the Scopes page, you select the Drive and Sheets scopes you need.
After that, go to Credentials and click Create Credentials, choosing OAuth client ID. Set the application type to Web application. This is where you put in your callback URI from n8n under Authorized redirect URIs.
Once that is set, you will get a window that appears which will show your Client ID and Secret. Make sure to save these because you won’t see the Secret again once this window closes.
Crucially, this is the part the other advice missed: You DO NOT need to publish your app. Go back to the OAuth Consent Screen and make sure the publishing status is Testing. Then, in the Test Users section, you must add the exact Google email address you will use to log in through n8n. If you skip this, the high-risk scope error will stop you.
Now that your credentials are ready, you just search for Google Sheets API and Google Drive API and simply enable both of them.
When you’re authenticating in n8n, you just add in the Client ID and Secret that you saved earlier. Because you added your email as a Test User, that should allow you to connect your account for Google Sheets without the error.
