Administrator guide
Google Workspace — server administrator setup
Configure Google Workspace once for your OpenCircle Server, then let each person connect their own account.
This setup is fiddlier than it should be, but it only needs to happen once per Server. Work through it, then everyone else just connects their own Google account with no project or credentials of their own.
Create a Google project and register the app
Enable the APIs
In Google Cloud Console, create or select a project — name a new one OpenCircle Workspace — then enable the Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Gmail, and Calendar APIs from the library.
Register the app
In the Google Auth platform's branding screen, enter an app name and support email. Choose External for personal or cross-organization accounts, or Internal if everyone belongs to the same Google organization.
Create the desktop client
Under Clients, create a client of type Desktop app named OpenCircle Desktop, and download its JSON immediately — Google only shows the full client secret once, at creation.
Grant permissions and publish
Add scopes
For an External app, add the required scopes under Data Access. These include write access to several Google services, so approve them only for accounts you intend to give that access.
Move to production
Testing mode expires authorizations after seven days. Publish the app to production before connecting real users so the connection keeps renewing automatically; reconnect once afterward if you already tested in Testing mode.
Upload the JSON and test the connection
- Sign in to your Server as an administrator allowed to manage connections.
- Open Connections → Apps & accounts → Google Workspace.
- Choose the downloaded JSON file and wait for the connect option to appear.
- Connect your own Google account and confirm your Familiar can read your calendar.
The Server-level setup is now complete. Send everyone else a short user guide instead of this page — they only sign in to their own account and never touch a Google Cloud project.