---
name: doot-google-tasks-service-account-limitation
description: "doot's Google Tasks integration is broken by design — service account auth can't see the user's real task lists, unlike Calendar"
metadata: 
  node_type: memory
  type: project
  originSessionId: 61c70ef2-1b1b-456c-9cbd-ad1f76ea2401
---

Google Tasks in doot always returns 0 tasks because `GOOGLE_CREDENTIALS_FILE` (`task-dashboard-485123-e15b31930293.json`) is a **Cloud service account** key (`doot-terst-org@task-dashboard-485123.iam.gserviceaccount.com`), not the user's personal OAuth. Confirmed by calling `GoogleTasksClient.GetTaskLists`/`GetTasks` directly against the live API: it sees exactly one list ("My Tasks") with zero items — that's the *service account's own* empty default list, not the user's. The user's actual Google Tasks account has three lists (My Tasks, Holiday prep, Computer) with multiple open items, confirmed via a screenshot of the real Tasks app.

**Why:** Google Calendar supports sharing a calendar with any email address, including a service account's — that's why Calendar events fetch correctly through the same credentials file. Google Tasks has no equivalent list-sharing mechanism at all. A service account can never see a regular user's personal task lists, no matter how the lists are configured. This isn't a stale-ID or query-filter bug in doot's code — the current auth approach cannot work for Tasks, full stop.

**How to apply:** Any real fix requires standard 3-legged OAuth for Google Tasks specifically (consent screen, refresh token storage) — the service-account shortcut that works for Calendar has no path forward here. Don't spend time debugging `GoogleTasksClient`/`fetchGoogleTasks`/cache logic for "why don't tasks show up" — the code is fine; the auth model is the blocker. User has explicitly deferred fixing this ("leave it for now") as of 2026-07-14.