# PasteSheet — a Google Sheets API and MCP server PasteSheet turns any public Google Sheet into a cached JSON REST API and a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, so apps and AI agents can read spreadsheet data without a backend, a Google Cloud project or an API key. *Source: * ## How it works 1. Paste a Google Sheet share URL. PasteSheet reads its tabs, headers and rows, and infers each column's type. 2. You get a permanent REST endpoint backed by a cache whose TTL you control, and the same endpoint doubles as an MCP server. 3. Query it from an app, a no-code tool, or an AI agent — filtered, searched, sorted and paginated. ## What you get - A JSON REST endpoint at `/api/{id}`, with filtering, sorting, search and pagination as plain URL parameters. - An MCP server at `/mcp/sheets/{id}` exposing three read-only tools: `list_tabs`, `get_schema` and `query_rows`. Works with Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor. - Cached reads with a configurable TTL (default 5 minutes; 30 seconds to 1 hour on paid plans). - Schema drift detection: PasteSheet snapshots your columns on every read and can alert you, or fail loudly, when they change. - Read-only by design. PasteSheet never writes back to your spreadsheet. ## Pricing The free plan includes 3 endpoints and 2,000 requests a month, with MCP, and needs no credit card. Full plans, limits and prices: ## Frequently asked questions ### Does my Google Sheet have to be public? No. You can paste a sheet shared with anyone who has the link, or connect your Google account and choose a restricted sheet in Google Picker. PasteSheet only reads the selected sheet and never writes to it. The source and endpoint are separate choices: keep the endpoint public for keyless reads, or protect it with a bearer key on a paid plan. ### Do I need a Google Cloud project or an API key? Not your own. Public sheets need only a share URL. For a restricted sheet, connect your Google account and choose the exact file in Google Picker; PasteSheet handles the connection and reads that file without asking you to create a Cloud project, OAuth client, service account, or Google API key. ### How quickly do edits to my sheet show up in the API? Rows are cached, so an edit appears once the cache expires. The default TTL is 5 minutes; paid plans can tune it anywhere from 30 seconds to 1 hour depending on whether you care more about freshness or about speed. You can also refresh an endpoint by hand at any moment to push a change through immediately, and a manual refresh does not count against your monthly request quota. ### Can Claude, ChatGPT, or Cursor read my sheet directly? Yes. Every endpoint is also a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, so you can connect it to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, or any MCP client and the agent queries your sheet as a native tool — it can list tabs, read the column schema, and filter rows. MCP is included on every plan, including the free one. There is nothing extra to deploy: the endpoint you already have is the MCP server. ### Can an AI agent change or delete my data? No. PasteSheet is read-only by design and never writes back to your spreadsheet. The MCP server exposes exactly three tools — list tabs, get schema, query rows — and none of them can create, edit, or delete anything. That is a deliberate difference from account-connection tools like Google's own MCP or Zapier, where an agent granted access to your sheet can overwrite your source of truth. ### What happens if I rename or reorder a column? The endpoint keeps serving, but the shape of the JSON changes with your sheet — which is exactly how a spreadsheet-backed API breaks a live site silently. PasteSheet snapshots your column schema on every read and compares it against the last known one, so on a paid plan you get an email or webhook alert the moment a column is renamed, added, or dropped. You can also lock the schema, which makes the endpoint fail loudly rather than quietly serve the wrong shape. ### Is PasteSheet really free? Yes — the free plan gives you 3 endpoints and 2,000 requests a month, with MCP included, no credit card, and no expiry. It is a real free tier meant to run a small site or a personal agent, not a trial that stops working after a fortnight. You only need a paid plan when you want more endpoints, more traffic, private endpoints, a custom cache TTL, or schema alerts. --- [PasteSheet](https://pastesheet.com) turns any Google Sheet into a live REST API and MCP server for AI agents — no backend, no code. Canonical HTML version of this page: