Connecting Google to Windmill
As part of onboarding your organization to Windmill, you’ll be prompted to connect your Google Workspace account. This connection enables Windmill to sync users, organizational structures, and group memberships—ensuring Windy has access to the information it needs to operate effectively across your workspace.
What Windmill syncs from Google
Once connected, Windmill will:
Sync all employees in your Google Workspace
Retrieve organizational structures
Access group memberships
This ensures Windy can provide accurate context for users across your company.
Windmill only accesses information users already have permission to view within Google Workspace. Windy mirrors the visibility settings defined in your Google Workspace environment—whether data lives in shared or individual drives.
Will Windy have visibility into confidential data (e.g., financials, salary sheets, HR documents) that may exist in Google Drive or shared drives?
No. Windy will only have access to data that users already have permission to view.
Windmill mirrors the permissions and access controls defined in your Google Workspace. If a user does not have access to a specific file or folder (including confidential documents like financials or HR files), Windy will not be able to see or access that data either.
Windmill does not override or expand access beyond what is already granted within your organization's Google Drive settings.
Does Windy read files in shared drives, or is access limited to individual user drives?
Windy can access both shared drives and individual user drives, but only within the bounds of existing permissions. If a user has access to a shared drive, Windy may surface relevant activity or file references from that drive, but again, this is limited to what that user can already see.
Are there admin controls available to restrict or customize the scopes further?
Yes. During the Google Workspace setup process, admins are presented with the list of scopes Windmill requests. Admins can review and edit these scopes before completing the connection.
Scopes Windmill Requests
Connecting Google Workspace grants Windy access to the following scopes:
Scope | Description |
View the user's email address | |
user.readonly | View user directory details |
calendar.readonly | View calendars |
calendar.events.readonly | View calendar events |
calendar.settings.readonly | View calendar settings |
drive.activity.readonly | View recent Drive activity |
drive.readonly | View Drive files and folders |
meetings.space.readonly | View Google Meet spaces and info |
admin.directory.group.member.readonly | View group members |
admin.directory.group.readonly | View groups |
Super Admin access is required
To establish this connection, you must be a Google Workspace Super Admin. This is because Windmill uses Google’s Admin APIs to access Google’s Admin SDK, sync organization-wide data (not just individual user data), and retrieve employee directories and team structures. Without Super Admin access, Windmill cannot complete the sync process or function as intended across your workspace.
How Windmill handles data
Windmill respects all permission levels set in Google Workspace. Windy will only surface data users already have access to. Windmill does not override Google Workspace settings or expose unauthorized information.