Public Google Sheet

Connect publicly shared Google Sheets to Memex with just a URL.

When to Use This Connector

Use the Public Google Sheet connector when you have a Google Sheet that:

• Is shared with "Anyone with the link"

• Contains data that's okay for anyone to see

• Doesn't require authentication

This is the simplest way to connect a Google Sheet—no service account or API setup required.

If your sheet contains sensitive data and is only shared with specific people, use the Private Google Sheet connector instead.

What You'll Need

Credential	Description
Spreadsheet URL	The sharing link to your public Google Sheet

That's it! No API keys or service accounts needed.

Making Your Sheet Public

Before connecting, you need to make your Google Sheet publicly accessible:

Step 1: Open Your Google Sheet

Navigate to your Google Sheet in your browser.

Step 2: Open Sharing Settings

Click the Share button in the top-right corner of the page.

Step 3: Change to Public Access

1. Under General access, click on the current setting (probably "Restricted")

2. Select "Anyone with the link"

3. Make sure the permission is set to Viewer

4. Click Done

Step 4: Copy the URL

Copy the URL from your browser's address bar. It should look like:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BxiMVs0XRA5nFMdKvBdBZjgmUUqptlbs74OgvE2upms/edit#gid=0

Connecting to Memex

1. Open the Memex Hub from the sidebar

2. Click on the Connectors tab

3. Click on the Public Google Sheet card

4. Enter a Connection Name (e.g., "Product Catalog")

5. Paste your Spreadsheet URL

6. Click Add Connection

Your public Google Sheet is now connected! Memex can access it across all your conversations.

Verifying Your Connection

After connecting, try asking Memex:

Show me the first few rows from my spreadsheet

If Memex returns your data, the connection is working correctly.

Using Your Connection

Once connected, you can ask Memex to work with your spreadsheet data:

Show me all data from my Product Catalog Google Sheet

Using my Google Sheet connection, how many rows are in the data?

Create a pie chart from my Google Sheet data showing categories

From my Google Sheet, find all entries where the status is "Pending"

Working with Multiple Sheets

If your spreadsheet has multiple tabs (worksheets), you can specify which one to query:

Show me data from the "Inventory" tab in my spreadsheet

What sheets are available in my connected spreadsheet?

By default, Memex will read from the first sheet if you don't specify a tab name.

Supported URL Formats

Memex accepts Google Sheets URLs in various formats:

• Edit URL: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ABC123/edit#gid=0

• View URL: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ABC123/view

• Short URL: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ABC123

All formats work—just copy the URL from your browser's address bar.

Large Spreadsheets

Memex works best with spreadsheets under 10,000 rows. For very large datasets, consider using BigQuery or a database connector instead.

Security Considerations

Important: When you make a sheet public with "Anyone with the link" access, anyone who has the URL can view all the data in that sheet.

The URL Acts as a Credential

Think of your spreadsheet URL as a password:

• Anyone with the URL has full read access to your data

• The URL is stored securely by Memex, but you should treat it as sensitive

• Don't share the URL in public places if you want to limit access

What's Safe for Public Sheets

Public sheets work well for:

• Sample datasets and demos

• Publicly available information

• Data you'd be comfortable posting on a website

• Shared reference materials

What's NOT Safe for Public Sheets

Avoid making sheets public if they contain:

• Personal information (names, emails, addresses)

• Financial data

• Passwords or API keys

• Business-sensitive information

• Anything you wouldn't want everyone to see

Revoking Access

If you need to stop public access:

1. Open your Google Sheet

2. Click Share

3. Under General access, change back to Restricted

4. Anyone with the old link will no longer be able to access the data

Troubleshooting

You can ask the Memex agent to help troubleshoot, but here are a few common problems:

"Unable to access spreadsheet" Error

• Verify the sheet is set to "Anyone with the link" access

• Check that you copied the full URL including the spreadsheet ID

• Try opening the URL in an incognito/private browser window to confirm it's public

"Spreadsheet not found" Error

• Make sure you're using the correct URL

• Verify the sheet hasn't been deleted or moved

• Check that the sharing settings haven't been changed to Restricted

Wrong Data Appearing

• Confirm you're connecting to the correct spreadsheet

• Check that you copied the URL from the right browser tab

• Verify the sheet name (tab) you want to access

Public vs. Private: Quick Comparison

Feature	Public Sheet	Private Sheet
Setup complexity	Simple (just URL)	Requires GCP service account
Authentication	None	Service account JSON
Security	Anyone with link can access	Only shared accounts can access
Best for	Non-sensitive data	Confidential data

Learn More

• Google Sheets Sharing Settings

• Private Google Sheet Connector for authenticated access