Google Photos | Operate As Docs

Website: google.com/photos/about
Connects by: Signing in with Google
Category: Files and docs
Part of: Google
Tools: 19

Service	Key	Base URL
Google Photos	`google-photos`	`https://photoslibrary.googleapis.com`

Connecting

Your client presses Connect on their link and approves on Google's own screen. Operate As never sees their password.

Check they're connected

curl https://api.operate.as/v1/me/clients \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OPERATE_AS_API_KEY"

curl https://api.operate.as/v1/me/clients \  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OPERATE_AS_API_KEY"

Response

[
  {
    "id": "6f1c2a7e-...",
    "name": "Miller Dental",
    "services": [
      "google-photos"
    ]
  }
]

[  {    "id": "6f1c2a7e-...",    "name": "Miller Dental",    "services": [      "google-photos"    ]  }]

Permissions

What the client reads	Permission it asks for
Add photos and videos to your Google Photos library	`https://www.googleapis.com/auth/photoslibrary.appendonly`
See the photos, videos and albums Operate As added	`https://www.googleapis.com/auth/photoslibrary.readonly.appcreateddata`
Change the photos, videos and albums Operate As added	`https://www.googleapis.com/auth/photoslibrary.edit.appcreateddata`

Tools

Install Google Photos's typed package for your language:

pip install operate-as-google-photos

pip install operate-as-google-photos

Run google-photos.albums_add_enrichment

curl -X POST https://api.operate.as/v1/actions/google-photos.albums_add_enrichment \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OPERATE_AS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "clientId": "6f1c2a7e-...",
    "input": {
      "album_id": "<album_id>"
    }
  }'

curl -X POST https://api.operate.as/v1/actions/google-photos.albums_add_enrichment \  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OPERATE_AS_API_KEY" \  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \  -d '{    "clientId": "6f1c2a7e-...",    "input": {      "album_id": "<album_id>"    }  }'

Shows the required inputs. Every input, with its JSON Schema: GET /v1/actions/google-photos.albums_add_enrichment

Response

{
  "status": 200,
  "data": {
    "…": "the service's own response"
  },
  "encoding": "json"
}

{  "status": 200,  "data": {    "…": "the service's own response"  },  "encoding": "json"}

Pass-through

Paths continue from https://photoslibrary.googleapis.com. Your Operate As key goes in Authorization; the client's access is added for you.

See Pass-through requests for the full request and response format.

Call any endpoint

curl "https://api.operate.as/v1/clients/6f1c2a7e-.../google-photos/..." \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OPERATE_AS_API_KEY"

curl "https://api.operate.as/v1/clients/6f1c2a7e-.../google-photos/..." \  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OPERATE_AS_API_KEY"

Response

{
  "status": 200,
  "data": {
    "…": "the service's own response"
  },
  "encoding": "json"
}

{  "status": 200,  "data": {    "…": "the service's own response"  },  "encoding": "json"}

When access ends

Operate As renews the sign-in before it runs out and checks it daily. If Google refuses to renew it, the service shows Expired, you're alerted, and your client reconnects from the same link.

See Keeping access alive and Removing access.

Calls answer

HTTP/1.1 409 Conflict
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "detail": "Miller Dental's Google access ended. Send them their link to reconnect."
}

HTTP/1.1 409 ConflictContent-Type: application/json{  "detail": "Miller Dental's Google access ended. Send them their link to reconnect."}

Your webhook receives

{
  "id": "evt_3f9a1c…",
  "type": "connection.expired",
  "createdAt": "2026-10-16T08:00:00+00:00",
  "data": {
    "clientId": "6f1c2a7e-...",
    "clientName": "Miller Dental",
    "provider": "google",
    "services": [
      "google-photos"
    ],
    "reconnectUrl": "https://…"
  }
}

{  "id": "evt_3f9a1c…",  "type": "connection.expired",  "createdAt": "2026-10-16T08:00:00+00:00",  "data": {    "clientId": "6f1c2a7e-...",    "clientName": "Miller Dental",    "provider": "google",    "services": [      "google-photos"    ],    "reconnectUrl": "https://…"  }}