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Google Workspace sync

Signatures that update when your directory does

Connect Google Workspace and Signed reads each person's details from your directory. On Gmail it can go further and put the finished signature straight into their settings, with nothing for anyone to install.

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What comes across

The details signatures actually use

Signed reads the fields that go into signatures.

  • Names and job titles

    Display names, first and last names, and job titles as they appear in your directory.

  • Departments

    Each person's department, read from their organisational unit, with departments created in Signed for you.

  • Phone numbers

    Work and mobile numbers, ready for the phone and mobile variables.

  • Addresses

    Street, city, postcode and country, where your directory has them.

Setting it up

Connected in three steps

  1. 01

    Authorise

    Your super admin adds Signed's client ID in the Google Admin console and gives it the two scopes it asks for. The portal shows both.

  2. 02

    Connect

    An owner in Signed connects Google Workspace and signs in with a Workspace admin account to confirm the domain.

  3. 03

    Leave it running

    Run the first sync, then switch on daily sync so starters, leavers and changed job titles take care of themselves.

Starters and leavers

New starters signed on day one. Leavers, stopped.

When someone joins, their Google account is all Signed needs. When they leave and their account is suspended or deleted, the next sync takes them out of the running.

  • New accounts in Google Workspace appear at the next sync
  • Suspended or removed accounts are marked inactive
  • Inactive people stop getting a signature

Gmail delivery

No add-in. The signature is just there.

Outlook has no API for signatures, which is why the Outlook add-in exists. Gmail does, so Signed can put the signature into each person's own Gmail settings instead. Nothing to deploy, nothing for anyone to install, and it works in Gmail on the web.

Turn it on and every sync refreshes it, or leave it off and use the API to deliver signatures somewhere else.

  • Written into each person's own Gmail settings
  • Works in Gmail on the web
  • Off by default, one switch in the portal to turn it on

Permissions

Read-only where it can be, and yours to switch off

  • Your super admin authorises it, not us. Signed's service account is granted access in your own Google Admin console. Signed then signs a short-lived request and acts as the administrator who connected the domain, so there is no customer password or refresh token for us to keep.

  • Reading people, and nothing else. The directory scope is read-only. It can't change users, groups or settings, and it never touches mail.

  • Disconnect any time. An owner can disconnect Google Workspace from the portal, and your super admin can remove the authorisation in the Admin console. Signatures already written into Gmail stay put, and Signed simply stops updating them.

Questions

Common questions

Can't see your question? Ask us directly.

What permissions does Signed need?

Two read-and-write-where-you-allow-it scopes. admin.directory.user.readonly reads the people in your domain. gmail.settings.basic is what lets Signed set a signature in Gmail, and it is only used when you switch Gmail delivery on. Neither scope lets Signed read anyone's mail.

Do we have to share a password or a token?

No. Your super admin authorises Signed's service account in the Admin console, which is Google's own mechanism for this. Signed signs a short-lived request of its own each time and acts as the administrator who connected the domain, so nothing of yours is stored.

How often does it sync?

Whenever you run a sync from the portal, and every day if you switch on automatic sync. Directory sync, including daily sync, is included on every plan and in the free trial.

What happens when someone leaves?

Suspended and deleted accounts are skipped, and anyone the directory no longer returns is marked inactive in Signed at the next sync. They keep their record, and their signature stops being served.

Does Signed change anything in Gmail?

Only if you turn Gmail delivery on. It then replaces the signature in each person's Gmail settings with the one your template produces. Tell people before you switch it on, because a signature they set themselves is overwritten.

Can we disconnect?

Yes. An owner can disconnect Google Workspace in the portal, which also switches off automatic sync, and your super admin can remove the authorisation in the Admin console. Signatures already written into Gmail stay where they are.

Related features

More from Signed

Every email, signed

Signed is in early access. Register your interest and we'll be in touch when you can sign up for a 14-day free trial of Pro and set everything up yourself.

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  • Early access
  • 14-day free trial
  • From 79p per user per month