Google Docs: Find and replace text — MCP tool
Google Docs MCP tool: Replaces every occurrence of a literal string across the document or chosen tabs.
Technical name: replace_all_text
What task it solves
I want to find and replace text throughout a document.
Replaces every occurrence of a literal string across the document or chosen tabs.
When to use it
Use it for textual substitutions that should hit every occurrence — renaming a product, fixing a recurring typo, updating a date. It does not depend on indexes, so it is the safest text mutation.
What to provide
document_id— required.find— required. Literal text (no regex).replace— required. Empty string deletes the occurrences.match_case— optional, default true.tab_ids— optional. Limit to specific tabs.
What it returns
The batchUpdate reply; occurrencesChanged says how many replacements were made (0 = not found, not an error).
What changes in Google Docs
Every matching occurrence in scope is replaced, keeping the surrounding formatting.
Example request
Replace every mention of "Project Falcon" with "Project Heron" in this document.
Errors and limitations
Matching is literal, not regex. Replacing with an empty string across many paragraphs can merge text unexpectedly — check the result. Replaying the same call converges (already-replaced text no longer matches).
Access also depends on token permissions, quotas, and upstream API limits.
Related MCP tools
- Replace a text range —
replace_range - Read document as text —
read_document_text
Technical details
- Impact: destructive operation
- Group: Text editing
- Description source:
replace_all_textregistration insrc/tools/text.ts - Full technical reference
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