ask about the values in a specific google sheets range

get the figures for your decision without digging through the workbook. name the file, tab and cells.

by the dusk bot team · checked 12 november 2026 · how we made this

the bot can read displayed figures, raw calculated values or formulas from that range. dusk labels this lookup as a write, so allow read and write and limit the bot to this retrieval action.

pixel art: a blue pixel bot, a pink pixel bot and a cyan pixel bot beside the Google Sheets mark on a white tile, a chart on an easel and a key with a tag, on a lemon field in front of little green islands on a lake, one saying "read this range"

get spreadsheet values, in plain words

get the number, or find out how the sheet got it. choose what your question needs. paste the sheet link and name the tab and cells, such as 'cost review, a1 to d12'.

displayed values are the default, including currency and date formatting
raw calculated values suit arithmetic
formulas show how the sheet gets its answer

for dates, choose readable dates or raw numbers.

a routine to copy

paste this into a chat with your bot

every tuesday at 14:05, read a1:d12 on the cost review tab in the linked lunecrest print sheet. use raw calculated values to compare paper and binding costs. name the range beside the result here. show blanks separately from zero. never update cells or reorder rows. ask before reading beyond that range.

when: tuesdays at 14:05
needs: google sheets read and write, limited to get spreadsheet values

what comes back looks like this (an example)

lunecrest print, cost review a1:d12
paper: 180
binding: 95
difference: 85
blank delivery cost excluded. no cells changed.

good jobs for it

read a quoted price table without editing its source
explain formulas in a small costing range
compare a monthly summary without bringing in the whole workbook

before it runs

dusk bot counts Get spreadsheet values as a change: it alters something in Google Sheets, and the sending setting does not cover it. a bot you allow only to read can never call it.

the permissions Google Sheets asks for to run it: drive, drive.readonly, drive.file, spreadsheets.

give it the lookup, keep the editing tools out. allow this retrieval action only. reading a range needs no sorting or cell updates.

how to start

connect sheets with read and write, allowing only this lookup action
paste the file link and name the tab and exact cells
ask for figures or formulas to match your question
compare one result with the sheet, then edit the schedule card if needed

limits worth knowing

copy the tab name from the sheet. a spelling mismatch can stop the lookup.
huge ranges can fail. ask the bot to read a few hundred rows at a time.
use calculated values to do the maths. formulas show the workings; readable dates save you from puzzling over raw date numbers.

the details it works from

input	required	what it is
`range`	yes	The A1 notation or R1C1 notation of the range to retrieve values from.
`spreadsheet_id`	yes	The unique identifier of the Google Spreadsheet from which to retrieve values.
`end_row`	no	1-based row number to stop reading at (inclusive).
`start_row`	no	1-based row number to start reading from (inclusive).
`major_dimension`	no	The major dimension for results.
`value_render_option`	no	How values should be rendered in the output.

from composio's catalog for Google Sheets (action GOOGLESHEETS_VALUES_GET, read 12 november 2026⁴). your bot fills these in from what you tell it.

try it in 2 minutes

paste the spreadsheet link
name one tab and a small range
ask for raw figures or formulas
compare one returned cell with the sheet

mistakes people make

treating an empty cost as zero

tell the bot to list blanks separately and leave them out of totals.

doing arithmetic on displayed currency text

ask for raw calculated values first.

questions

can it show formulas instead of the displayed totals?

yes, ask for formulas. ask for calculated values instead when you want to compare the resulting figures.

why is read-only access refusing a cell lookup?

dusk classifies this lookup as a change. give read and write access, then restrict it to this action. that keeps cell edits out.

sources

dusk bot docs: files and apps
dusk bot docs: routines
dusk bot docs: computer permissions
composio, Google Sheets toolkit (catalog version 20261101_00), checked 12 november 2026

drafted with ai help from the dusk bot docs and the sources listed on this page, then checked against them. if something here is wrong or out of date, write to [email protected].