Google Photos CLI

Google Photos Library and Picker APIs for app-created media, albums, uploads, and user-selected media.

Created by @cathrynlavery (Cathryn Lavery).

Install

The recommended path installs both the google-photos-pp-cli binary and the pp-google-photos agent skill (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot, and other agents supported by the upstream skills CLI) in one shot:

npx -y @mvanhorn/printing-press-library install google-photos

For CLI only (no skill):

npx -y @mvanhorn/printing-press-library install google-photos --cli-only

For skill only — installs the skill into the same agents as the default command above, but skips the CLI binary (use this to update or reinstall just the skill):

npx -y @mvanhorn/printing-press-library install google-photos --skill-only

To constrain the skill install to one or more specific agents (repeatable — agent names match the skills CLI):

npx -y @mvanhorn/printing-press-library install google-photos --agent claude-code
npx -y @mvanhorn/printing-press-library install google-photos --agent claude-code --agent codex

Without Node (Go fallback)

If npx isn't available (no Node, offline), install the CLI directly via Go (requires Go 1.26.3 or newer):

go install github.com/mvanhorn/printing-press-library/library/media-and-entertainment/google-photos/cmd/google-photos-pp-cli@latest

This installs the CLI only — no skill.

Pre-built binary

Download a pre-built binary for your platform from the latest release. On macOS, clear the Gatekeeper quarantine: xattr -d com.apple.quarantine <binary>. On Unix, mark it executable: chmod +x <binary>.

Install for Hermes

Install the CLI binary first. The installer writes binaries to a per-user managed bin directory by default: $HOME/.local/bin on macOS/Linux and %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\PrintingPress\bin on Windows.

npx -y @mvanhorn/printing-press-library install google-photos --cli-only

Then install the focused Hermes skill.

From the Hermes CLI:

hermes skills install mvanhorn/printing-press-library/cli-skills/pp-google-photos --force

Inside a Hermes chat session:

/skills install mvanhorn/printing-press-library/cli-skills/pp-google-photos --force

Restart the Hermes session or gateway if the newly installed skill is not visible immediately.

Install for OpenClaw

Install both the CLI binary and the focused OpenClaw skill. The installer defaults binaries to a per-user bin directory ($HOME/.local/bin on macOS/Linux, %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\PrintingPress\bin on Windows):

npx -y @mvanhorn/printing-press-library install google-photos --agent openclaw

Restart the OpenClaw session or gateway if the newly installed skill is not visible immediately.

Use with Claude Desktop

This CLI ships an MCPB bundle — Claude Desktop's standard format for one-click MCP extension installs (no JSON config required).

The bundle reuses your local OAuth tokens — authenticate first if you haven't:

google-photos-pp-cli auth login --client-id "$GOOGLE_PHOTOS_CLIENT_ID"

To install:

Download the .mcpb for your platform from the latest release.
Double-click the .mcpb file. Claude Desktop opens and walks you through the install.
Fill in GOOGLE_PHOTOS_TOKEN when Claude Desktop prompts you.

Requires Claude Desktop 1.0.0 or later. Pre-built bundles ship for macOS Apple Silicon (darwin-arm64) and Windows (amd64, arm64); for other platforms, use the manual config below.

Manual JSON config (advanced)

If you can't use the MCPB bundle (older Claude Desktop, unsupported platform), install the MCP binary and configure it manually.

go install github.com/mvanhorn/printing-press-library/library/media-and-entertainment/google-photos/cmd/google-photos-pp-mcp@latest

Add to your Claude Desktop config (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-photos": {
      "command": "google-photos-pp-mcp",
      "env": {
        "GOOGLE_PHOTOS_TOKEN": "<your-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Quick Start

1. Install

See Install above.

2. Authenticate

Authorize via your browser:

google-photos-pp-cli auth login --client-id "$GOOGLE_PHOTOS_CLIENT_ID"

This opens a browser window to complete the OAuth2 flow. Your tokens are stored locally and refreshed automatically. For multiple Google accounts, pass an account email and select it later:

google-photos-pp-cli auth login you@example.com --client-id "$GOOGLE_PHOTOS_CLIENT_ID"
google-photos-pp-cli auth list
google-photos-pp-cli auth use you@example.com
google-photos-pp-cli --account you@example.com albums list

3. Verify Setup

google-photos-pp-cli doctor

This checks your configuration and credentials.

4. Try Your First Command

google-photos-pp-cli albums list

Usage

Run google-photos-pp-cli --help for the full command reference and flag list.

Commands

albums

Manage app-created Google Photos albums.

google-photos-pp-cli albums add-enrichment - Add text, location, or map enrichment to an app-created album.
google-photos-pp-cli albums batch-add-media-items - Add app-created media items to an app-created album.
google-photos-pp-cli albums batch-remove-media-items - Remove app-created media items from an app-created album.
google-photos-pp-cli albums create - Create an album in the user's Google Photos library.
google-photos-pp-cli albums get - Get an app-created album by ID.
google-photos-pp-cli albums list - List albums created by this app.
google-photos-pp-cli albums patch - Update title or cover photo on an app-created album.

media-items

Manage app-created Google Photos media items.

google-photos-pp-cli media-items batch-create - Create media items from upload tokens.
google-photos-pp-cli media-items batch-get - Get multiple app-created media items by ID.
google-photos-pp-cli media-items get - Get an app-created media item by ID.
google-photos-pp-cli media-items list - List media items created by this app.
google-photos-pp-cli media-items patch - Update the description on an app-created media item.
google-photos-pp-cli media-items search - Search app-created media items by album or filters.

picker

Create, poll, clean up, and read Google Photos Picker sessions.

google-photos-pp-cli picker create-session - Create a Picker session and return the picker URI.
google-photos-pp-cli picker delete-session - Delete a Picker session after selected media bytes have been retrieved.
google-photos-pp-cli picker get-session - Get Picker session status.
google-photos-pp-cli picker list-media-items - List media items picked by the user during a Picker session.
google-photos-pp-cli picker wait <session-id> - Poll a Picker session until selected media items are ready.

upload

Upload media bytes and create upload tokens.

google-photos-pp-cli upload file <path> - Upload raw photo or video bytes and print the upload token for media-items batch-create.

auth

Manage OAuth accounts and token storage.

google-photos-pp-cli auth login [account-email] - Authenticate via OAuth2 and store tokens, optionally under an account email.
google-photos-pp-cli auth list - List stored OAuth accounts.
google-photos-pp-cli auth status - Show authentication status for the selected account.
google-photos-pp-cli auth use <account-email> - Set the default OAuth account.
google-photos-pp-cli auth remove <account-email> - Remove a stored OAuth account.
google-photos-pp-cli auth logout - Remove the selected account token, or legacy token when no account is selected.

schema

Emit machine-readable command, flag, auth, and safety-policy metadata.

google-photos-pp-cli schema --pretty - Print the same structured contract agents use for discovery.

Google Photos Scope Limits

Google Photos Library API read and edit scopes are limited to app-created albums and media. Use Library API commands here for app-created content, uploads, and album/media management. Use Picker commands when a user needs to select media from their broader Google Photos library.

Output Formats

# Human-readable table (default in terminal, JSON when piped)
google-photos-pp-cli albums list

# JSON for scripting and agents
google-photos-pp-cli albums list --json

# Filter to specific fields
google-photos-pp-cli albums list --json --select id,name,status

# Dry run — show the request without sending
google-photos-pp-cli albums list --dry-run

# Agent mode — JSON + compact + no prompts in one flag
google-photos-pp-cli albums list --agent

# Command guard — permit only selected command families
google-photos-pp-cli --enable-commands albums.list albums list --agent

# Command guard — block specific risky commands
google-photos-pp-cli --disable-commands picker.delete-session picker delete-session SESSION_ID --agent

Agent Usage

This CLI is designed for AI agent consumption:

Non-interactive - never prompts, every input is a flag
Pipeable - --json output to stdout, errors to stderr
Filterable - --select id,name returns only fields you need
Previewable - --dry-run shows the request without sending
Retryable - creates return "already exists" on retry, deletes return "already deleted"
Confirmable - --yes for explicit confirmation of destructive actions
Piped input - write commands can accept structured input when their help lists --stdin
Offline-friendly - sync/search commands can use the local SQLite store when available
Agent-safe by default - no colors or formatting unless --human-friendly is set
Guarded - --enable-commands and --disable-commands restrict runtime command execution with dotted command paths
Introspectable - schema and agent-context expose commands, flags, auth account selection, and safety policy as JSON

Exit codes: 0 success, 2 usage error, 3 not found, 4 auth error, 5 API error, 7 rate limited, 10 config error.

Safety Profiles

The stock binary allows every command unless runtime guards are provided:

google-photos-pp-cli --enable-commands albums.list,media-items.get albums list --agent
google-photos-pp-cli --disable-commands picker.delete-session picker delete-session SESSION_ID --agent

For agent or MCP deployments that need stronger local guardrails, build a baked profile. Baked profiles are compiled into the binary and cannot be loosened by command-line flags:

make build-readonly
make build-agent-safe
make build-mcp-readonly
make build-mcp-agent-safe

safety_readonly permits read/list/search/export/schema-style commands and blocks Google Photos mutations. safety_agent_safe permits reads and local archive/search workflows while blocking auth writes, uploads, creates, patches, deletes, and album/media mutations.

Health Check

google-photos-pp-cli doctor

Verifies configuration, credentials, and connectivity to the API.

Configuration

Config file: ~/.config/google-photos-pp-cli/config.toml

Environment variables:

GOOGLE_PHOTOS_TOKEN
GOOGLE_PHOTOS_ACCOUNT
GOOGLE_PHOTOS_ENABLE_COMMANDS
GOOGLE_PHOTOS_DISABLE_COMMANDS

OAuth account selection order:

--account <email>
GOOGLE_PHOTOS_ACCOUNT
default_account from auth use
legacy single-token fields in the config file

Troubleshooting

Authentication errors (exit code 4)

Run google-photos-pp-cli doctor to check credentials
Verify the environment variable is set: echo $GOOGLE_PHOTOS_TOKEN Not found errors (exit code 3)
Check the resource ID is correct
Run the list command to see available items

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Google Photos CLI

Install

Without Node (Go fallback)

Pre-built binary

Install for Hermes

Install for OpenClaw

Use with Claude Desktop

Quick Start

1. Install

2. Authenticate

3. Verify Setup

4. Try Your First Command

Usage

Commands

albums

media-items

picker

upload

auth

schema

Google Photos Scope Limits

Output Formats

Agent Usage

Safety Profiles

Health Check

Configuration

Troubleshooting

FilesExpand file tree

README.md

Latest commit

History

README.md

File metadata and controls

Google Photos CLI

Install

Without Node (Go fallback)

Pre-built binary

Install for Hermes

Install for OpenClaw

Use with Claude Desktop

Quick Start

1. Install

2. Authenticate

3. Verify Setup

4. Try Your First Command

Usage

Commands

albums

media-items

picker

upload

auth

schema

Google Photos Scope Limits

Output Formats

Agent Usage

Safety Profiles

Health Check

Configuration

Troubleshooting