diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 70871ab..e3e233b 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ GitHub Action runs
 
 ### testing
 
-RSpec tests require the environment variables checked in [spec_helper.rb](spec/spec_helper.rb). Out of the box your tests that call Google (mocked with VCR) will fail because you do (should) not have access to my test account credentials.
+    $ rake spec
 
 ## Release
 Build
diff --git a/lib/sheet_zoukas.rb b/lib/sheet_zoukas.rb
index f0a724d..f8ef258 100644
--- a/lib/sheet_zoukas.rb
+++ b/lib/sheet_zoukas.rb
@@ -12,11 +12,16 @@ class Error < StandardError; end
 
   class << self
     def retrieve_sheet_json(sheet_id, tab_name, range = nil)
-      exit 1 unless SheetZoukas::Utils.vars_present?(REQUIRED_VARS, 'required for Google Sheets API calls')
+      SheetZoukas.exit_program unless SheetZoukas::Utils.vars_present?(REQUIRED_VARS,
+                                                                       'required for Google Sheets API calls')
 
       sheet = GoogleSheets.new
       data = sheet.retrieve_sheet(sheet_id, tab_name, range)
       DataConverter.new(data.values).convert
     end
+
+    def exit_program
+      raise StandardError, 'Error encountered'
+    end
   end
 end
diff --git a/lib/sheet_zoukas/google_sheets.rb b/lib/sheet_zoukas/google_sheets.rb
index 7f1f946..0823d53 100644
--- a/lib/sheet_zoukas/google_sheets.rb
+++ b/lib/sheet_zoukas/google_sheets.rb
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ class GoogleSheets
     DEFAULT_SCOPE = 'https://www.googleapis.com/auth/spreadsheets.readonly'
 
     def initialize(scope = DEFAULT_SCOPE)
-      @authorizer = Google::Auth::ServiceAccountCredentials.from_env(scope: scope)
+      init_authorizer(scope)
     end
 
     def retrieve_sheet(sheet_id, tab_name, range = nil)
@@ -25,5 +25,12 @@ def retrieve_sheet(sheet_id, tab_name, range = nil)
 
       "#{tab_name}!#{range}"
     end
+
+    private
+
+    # overriden in spec_helper so we don't try to authenticate with Google for tests
+    def init_authorizer(scope)
+      @authorizer = Google::Auth::ServiceAccountCredentials.from_env(scope: scope)
+    end
   end
 end
diff --git a/spec/fixtures/vcr_cassettes/get_spreadsheet_values_no_range.yml b/spec/fixtures/vcr_cassettes/get_spreadsheet_values_no_range.yml
index 6288e39..62b85ca 100644
--- a/spec/fixtures/vcr_cassettes/get_spreadsheet_values_no_range.yml
+++ b/spec/fixtures/vcr_cassettes/get_spreadsheet_values_no_range.yml
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ http_interactions:
     uri: https://www.googleapis.com/oauth2/v4/token
     body:
       encoding: ASCII-8BIT
-      string: grant_type=urn%3Aietf%3Aparams%3Aoauth%3Agrant-type%3Ajwt-bearer&assertion=eyJhbGciOiJSUzI1NiJ9.eyJpc3MiOiJzdHAtZm9vZC1zZXJ2aWNlQHN0cC1mb29kLmlhbS5nc2VydmljZWFjY291bnQuY29tIiwiYXVkIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlYXBpcy5jb20vb2F1dGgyL3Y0L3Rva2VuIiwiZXhwIjoxNzI4NzcyNjE4LCJpYXQiOjE3Mjg3NzI0OTgsInNjb3BlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlYXBpcy5jb20vYXV0aC9kcml2ZS5yZWFkb25seSJ9.C7iPR9Lavlv44wtQcNs2orahR_Er7QjjBn7TJTMfd7lI5eE3tRC2ixwuS1oGEXPG1ColjAc3gojKFtJxTJsWUYiCTwdFk1Kx6U8lBJV_sNY8F8Y_LxiDfS8zGPldXJ5RBabHRzJofRfXPOK1q6M8IpPgoK1jV3ilynfnUajlwpmhIcHUOeGmu0h2XxHzcXgKhJFBxVRw5PjOmdC0EOqyGIC6KVu2JJKPDhZ-LE4WCNuiFZIEfNY2huzxKYxhTz-C9dWkmlS2TDeGkWLWsD1QLN3p5D2TCO3V3jmQ3SQpncbSZQ475OcpRdCnAnByo49qVxR8U6lR6XEdqQbwKInibg
+      string: grant_type=urn%3Aietf%3Aparams%3Aoauth%3Agrant-type%3Ajwt-bearer&assertion=<ASSERTION>
     headers:
       User-Agent:
       - Faraday v2.12.0
@@ -44,11 +44,11 @@ http_interactions:
       - chunked
     body:
       encoding: ASCII-8BIT
-      string: '{"access_token":"ya29.c.c0ASRK0GYEVGz-_kslN9gKdl0NhSMljNMSKv-F2fBcXarlK3Itsq5TzaHMHf-opp_pMdKmgG5FZp7s3iATwMYaRTjbi50PjyYk17kmZKZPf079yhIw68aqnMLfZ8UeRBHN1Uvby2RXh9ExZjcGWBTQt7tRF0n-nOHwr0e7rnEQuyNeSDHTTvsp7ckSJ6BwnErQUIdI0B6rCU1-V6pl7nlV60rnKg0O23MtYjThWjmtZAdC6OB-DHbfjkrpaFB5ZqhJljDpbDixfVqqiX-W6sv0RXZuaHlR3Z-Soxhk0isUyXZg7fOXm5WlsxleesaaPyOLsGT8YNcuNDNvOcSN14K0dkGY9IXMypt67F9U6bPpSimxFgSebiugVIAN384PakY4_Ut97ol-n4M8m1kbwf5Q5pRwj7S9WWmBZjFi43hsMwiq-RjyZfRc17yQR776Bpnv0sSoZzacZ4tRtfmc4k-uZIXXmeQgyjM4niOW7v2BZ1RyuxcdskmWWgssM1cM18wWecpk4eBoWnwzcx6lZQ0h_aSaJmrFQvMURqwZp1eQg426vyaOs7xw61hF7Se4z5X08laBwZe6lBaXUXdyyRBB8j9eiSsgB9sXBO04sYzUMSVw1qzlc9atWIbczvjupQYpmlysyoz_feviOpjwn1lXU2j6URbmbc1iSBleOwf5nb5W_cveUc7jmkl128-pn6pnl2RS_v3dyyUhV4wj8FBpgvWMyBYRWb3q3WiR820_9c-MiQtBxURos01wYRyXcurulcWatrz_bd6VnOZBjpQRBYdvVyeqWQFpxFjJgyV-J2Xq5jy5eh8a-ahc0tonYr14R37hU7um5wgz31QQhI3c0hVZmzV00-aod0tg53g3BZ01conosyoaZj-axdjsB8zlIcO3dQtvo-xf6igxfbWxOa416vJkI1oSnot0fQeW87qyMW7bofi27MicXgfUIhrkOyVuuR2SOmtRUj_esm_r6O-mW_icS-gpR9uoZ2x1OvegOqmB7XviR1k","expires_in":3599,"token_type":"Bearer"}'
+      string: '{"access_token":"<TOKEN>","expires_in":3599,"token_type":"Bearer"}'
   recorded_at: Sat, 12 Oct 2024 22:35:58 GMT
 - request:
     method: get
-    uri: https://sheets.googleapis.com/v4/spreadsheets/<SPREADSHEET_ID>/values/Log
+    uri: https://sheets.googleapis.com/v4/spreadsheets/test_id/values/Log
     body:
       encoding: UTF-8
       string: ''
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ http_interactions:
       X-Goog-Api-Client:
       - gl-ruby/3.3.5 gdcl/1.36.0
       Authorization:
-      - Bearer ya29.c.c0ASRK0GYEVGz-_kslN9gKdl0NhSMljNMSKv-F2fBcXarlK3Itsq5TzaHMHf-opp_pMdKmgG5FZp7s3iATwMYaRTjbi50PjyYk17kmZKZPf079yhIw68aqnMLfZ8UeRBHN1Uvby2RXh9ExZjcGWBTQt7tRF0n-nOHwr0e7rnEQuyNeSDHTTvsp7ckSJ6BwnErQUIdI0B6rCU1-V6pl7nlV60rnKg0O23MtYjThWjmtZAdC6OB-DHbfjkrpaFB5ZqhJljDpbDixfVqqiX-W6sv0RXZuaHlR3Z-Soxhk0isUyXZg7fOXm5WlsxleesaaPyOLsGT8YNcuNDNvOcSN14K0dkGY9IXMypt67F9U6bPpSimxFgSebiugVIAN384PakY4_Ut97ol-n4M8m1kbwf5Q5pRwj7S9WWmBZjFi43hsMwiq-RjyZfRc17yQR776Bpnv0sSoZzacZ4tRtfmc4k-uZIXXmeQgyjM4niOW7v2BZ1RyuxcdskmWWgssM1cM18wWecpk4eBoWnwzcx6lZQ0h_aSaJmrFQvMURqwZp1eQg426vyaOs7xw61hF7Se4z5X08laBwZe6lBaXUXdyyRBB8j9eiSsgB9sXBO04sYzUMSVw1qzlc9atWIbczvjupQYpmlysyoz_feviOpjwn1lXU2j6URbmbc1iSBleOwf5nb5W_cveUc7jmkl128-pn6pnl2RS_v3dyyUhV4wj8FBpgvWMyBYRWb3q3WiR820_9c-MiQtBxURos01wYRyXcurulcWatrz_bd6VnOZBjpQRBYdvVyeqWQFpxFjJgyV-J2Xq5jy5eh8a-ahc0tonYr14R37hU7um5wgz31QQhI3c0hVZmzV00-aod0tg53g3BZ01conosyoaZj-axdjsB8zlIcO3dQtvo-xf6igxfbWxOa416vJkI1oSnot0fQeW87qyMW7bofi27MicXgfUIhrkOyVuuR2SOmtRUj_esm_r6O-mW_icS-gpR9uoZ2x1OvegOqmB7XviR1k
+      - Bearer <TOKEN>
       Content-Type:
       - application/x-www-form-urlencoded
   response:
diff --git a/spec/fixtures/vcr_cassettes/get_spreadsheet_values_range.yml b/spec/fixtures/vcr_cassettes/get_spreadsheet_values_range.yml
index 01b2b2c..4e94686 100644
--- a/spec/fixtures/vcr_cassettes/get_spreadsheet_values_range.yml
+++ b/spec/fixtures/vcr_cassettes/get_spreadsheet_values_range.yml
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ http_interactions:
     uri: https://www.googleapis.com/oauth2/v4/token
     body:
       encoding: ASCII-8BIT
-      string: grant_type=urn%3Aietf%3Aparams%3Aoauth%3Agrant-type%3Ajwt-bearer&assertion=eyJhbGciOiJSUzI1NiJ9.eyJpc3MiOiJzdHAtZm9vZC1zZXJ2aWNlQHN0cC1mb29kLmlhbS5nc2VydmljZWFjY291bnQuY29tIiwiYXVkIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlYXBpcy5jb20vb2F1dGgyL3Y0L3Rva2VuIiwiZXhwIjoxNzI4NzcyNjE4LCJpYXQiOjE3Mjg3NzI0OTgsInNjb3BlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlYXBpcy5jb20vYXV0aC9kcml2ZS5yZWFkb25seSJ9.C7iPR9Lavlv44wtQcNs2orahR_Er7QjjBn7TJTMfd7lI5eE3tRC2ixwuS1oGEXPG1ColjAc3gojKFtJxTJsWUYiCTwdFk1Kx6U8lBJV_sNY8F8Y_LxiDfS8zGPldXJ5RBabHRzJofRfXPOK1q6M8IpPgoK1jV3ilynfnUajlwpmhIcHUOeGmu0h2XxHzcXgKhJFBxVRw5PjOmdC0EOqyGIC6KVu2JJKPDhZ-LE4WCNuiFZIEfNY2huzxKYxhTz-C9dWkmlS2TDeGkWLWsD1QLN3p5D2TCO3V3jmQ3SQpncbSZQ475OcpRdCnAnByo49qVxR8U6lR6XEdqQbwKInibg
+      string: grant_type=urn%3Aietf%3Aparams%3Aoauth%3Agrant-type%3Ajwt-bearer&assertion=<ASSERTION>
     headers:
       User-Agent:
       - Faraday v2.12.0
@@ -44,11 +44,11 @@ http_interactions:
       - chunked
     body:
       encoding: ASCII-8BIT
-      string: '{"access_token":"ya29.c.c0ASRK0GbFIkrrzSnGUpIS3wiTPBIJGQZLMy78KWhu-et3-yUzcuy-219qqUZoHTfuXUB9IkW-qgQn9my7j5KYKaENaHK3H--SbiBCIU0u4NnEUz_ydHIDDwmPD12jykdTvlah89EdPm3ITP00Lwd-TmFBtsRCPnHhcqGxE_qYivEliNHIoiSnuzOnle43iiopj4rFCKaeIer8U5rBzix8dzpN9c3ktGXhy3jXKvxSItiz180Z-l7mFulztaB-09nHG4BxdxAFDDdi9Z3jdx4J6sQa9sgV0k0ULvawiGr0g-EdPOc-EBmoUPtRGahrKepkslgMDma_JsmwO-Lskv79JtpYN6KsuRv1oiLm25J0zAao0JclzMXlc3VwN385DJFrl_uFqVMkaetr3RvBnUdU3xnxRM93arssih09Ulwv9BFl2WdWb6rXmQ6f09q8JU0aW-7noSYZobfs5Ob-3Q6WS3VzppzFFoFnF9wx40iU8Z619ckuZy429haWyj1U52XmBpwux_mWjZQatJFZ0yeqhbof9vVdmFY_ncjgojQfe54_srtm3S2lnexejs4q6ozJaZqItcqjtsu9pr_JwF-myfJjS54IaOue82p34Mx_zz4vnvuUI7Ieapid6XqfxMwUqJS6luQxf1U8-9l5qOwl-qx29wSi0WWbkQVj-8n2Rj7pn33V48JihwOMjIJW6i5oRUwyBgkQMif2y-xWSW4fRrlVBc417020B9tt4imnmelcwsX-vfWBUuIlO35w0S1bmMixgwdbX8Yn9lZr1Uv3f5VeFev48k59q7gwSR9uZZdg7Z3qfw_ZX7YBttFvXFjn_nwy8Va0aoRRw9o3r0euJ0nv_fSBywpYb_wjSVb9kmOdbqa5mzeV4jiv8x_xqo-vOy5ZmVyyv6qsjSWtfBq3U62xOUQYhZzxj5yXFh1yBYJv38zb_7JkSoZcQ4SS8-qUp4pf7zd-MUum2jmq6FsFlUre5U9lXZlY5bxI760cSbpzMXQerMVWcj4","expires_in":3599,"token_type":"Bearer"}'
+      string: '{"access_token":"<TOKEN>","expires_in":3599,"token_type":"Bearer"}'
   recorded_at: Sat, 12 Oct 2024 22:35:58 GMT
 - request:
     method: get
-    uri: https://sheets.googleapis.com/v4/spreadsheets/<SPREADSHEET_ID>/values/Log!A:Z
+    uri: https://sheets.googleapis.com/v4/spreadsheets/test_id/values/Log!A:Z
     body:
       encoding: UTF-8
       string: ''
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ http_interactions:
       X-Goog-Api-Client:
       - gl-ruby/3.3.5 gdcl/1.36.0
       Authorization:
-      - Bearer ya29.c.c0ASRK0GbFIkrrzSnGUpIS3wiTPBIJGQZLMy78KWhu-et3-yUzcuy-219qqUZoHTfuXUB9IkW-qgQn9my7j5KYKaENaHK3H--SbiBCIU0u4NnEUz_ydHIDDwmPD12jykdTvlah89EdPm3ITP00Lwd-TmFBtsRCPnHhcqGxE_qYivEliNHIoiSnuzOnle43iiopj4rFCKaeIer8U5rBzix8dzpN9c3ktGXhy3jXKvxSItiz180Z-l7mFulztaB-09nHG4BxdxAFDDdi9Z3jdx4J6sQa9sgV0k0ULvawiGr0g-EdPOc-EBmoUPtRGahrKepkslgMDma_JsmwO-Lskv79JtpYN6KsuRv1oiLm25J0zAao0JclzMXlc3VwN385DJFrl_uFqVMkaetr3RvBnUdU3xnxRM93arssih09Ulwv9BFl2WdWb6rXmQ6f09q8JU0aW-7noSYZobfs5Ob-3Q6WS3VzppzFFoFnF9wx40iU8Z619ckuZy429haWyj1U52XmBpwux_mWjZQatJFZ0yeqhbof9vVdmFY_ncjgojQfe54_srtm3S2lnexejs4q6ozJaZqItcqjtsu9pr_JwF-myfJjS54IaOue82p34Mx_zz4vnvuUI7Ieapid6XqfxMwUqJS6luQxf1U8-9l5qOwl-qx29wSi0WWbkQVj-8n2Rj7pn33V48JihwOMjIJW6i5oRUwyBgkQMif2y-xWSW4fRrlVBc417020B9tt4imnmelcwsX-vfWBUuIlO35w0S1bmMixgwdbX8Yn9lZr1Uv3f5VeFev48k59q7gwSR9uZZdg7Z3qfw_ZX7YBttFvXFjn_nwy8Va0aoRRw9o3r0euJ0nv_fSBywpYb_wjSVb9kmOdbqa5mzeV4jiv8x_xqo-vOy5ZmVyyv6qsjSWtfBq3U62xOUQYhZzxj5yXFh1yBYJv38zb_7JkSoZcQ4SS8-qUp4pf7zd-MUum2jmq6FsFlUre5U9lXZlY5bxI760cSbpzMXQerMVWcj4
+      - Bearer <TOKEN>
       Content-Type:
       - application/x-www-form-urlencoded
   response:
diff --git a/spec/fixtures/vcr_cassettes/retrieve_sheet_json.yml b/spec/fixtures/vcr_cassettes/retrieve_sheet_json.yml
index 518c23e..c3c72f5 100644
--- a/spec/fixtures/vcr_cassettes/retrieve_sheet_json.yml
+++ b/spec/fixtures/vcr_cassettes/retrieve_sheet_json.yml
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ http_interactions:
   recorded_at: Sun, 13 Oct 2024 11:03:14 GMT
 - request:
     method: get
-    uri: https://sheets.googleapis.com/v4/spreadsheets/<SPREADSHEET_ID>/values/Log
+    uri: https://sheets.googleapis.com/v4/spreadsheets/test_id/values/Log
     body:
       encoding: UTF-8
       string: ''
diff --git a/spec/sheet_zoukas/google_sheets_spec.rb b/spec/sheet_zoukas/google_sheets_spec.rb
index ce1a84f..0b70756 100644
--- a/spec/sheet_zoukas/google_sheets_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/sheet_zoukas/google_sheets_spec.rb
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
 require 'sheet_zoukas/google_sheets'
 
 RSpec.describe SheetZoukas::GoogleSheets do
+  before { ENV.store('GOOGLE_API_SPREADSHEET_ID_TEST', 'test_id') }
+
   describe '#initialize' do
     it 'uses default scope' do
       ret = described_class.new.instance_variable_get(:@authorizer).scope
@@ -32,14 +34,14 @@
   describe '#retrieve_sheet' do
     it 'retrieves sheet with range' do
       VCR.use_cassette('get_spreadsheet_values_range') do
-        sheet = described_class.new.retrieve_sheet(ENV.fetch('GOOGLE_API_SPREADSHEET_ID', nil), 'Log', 'A:Z')
+        sheet = described_class.new.retrieve_sheet(ENV.fetch('GOOGLE_API_SPREADSHEET_ID_TEST', nil), 'Log', 'A:Z')
         expect(sheet.values.first).to include('Reward Type')
       end
     end
 
     it 'retrieves sheet without range' do
       VCR.use_cassette('get_spreadsheet_values_no_range') do
-        sheet = described_class.new.retrieve_sheet(ENV.fetch('GOOGLE_API_SPREADSHEET_ID', nil), 'Log')
+        sheet = described_class.new.retrieve_sheet(ENV.fetch('GOOGLE_API_SPREADSHEET_ID_TEST', nil), 'Log')
         expect(sheet.values.first).to include('Reward Type')
       end
     end
diff --git a/spec/sheet_zoukas_spec.rb b/spec/sheet_zoukas_spec.rb
index 0cd6725..4cdc612 100644
--- a/spec/sheet_zoukas_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/sheet_zoukas_spec.rb
@@ -6,9 +6,11 @@
   end
 
   describe '.retrieve_sheet_json' do
+    before { ENV.store('GOOGLE_API_SPREADSHEET_ID_TEST', 'test_id') }
+
     it 'retrieves sheet data' do # rubocop:disable RSpec/ExampleLength
       VCR.use_cassette('retrieve_sheet_json') do
-        data = described_class.retrieve_sheet_json(ENV.fetch('GOOGLE_API_SPREADSHEET_ID', nil), 'Log')
+        data = described_class.retrieve_sheet_json(ENV.fetch('GOOGLE_API_SPREADSHEET_ID_TEST', nil), 'Log')
         expect(data[0]).to eq('Place' => 'Slice Brothers',
                               'Deal' => '2 slices for $5.99',
                               'Deal Earned' => '',
@@ -26,9 +28,9 @@
       ENV.delete(missing)
       expect do
         expect do
-          described_class.retrieve_sheet_json(ENV.fetch('GOOGLE_API_SPREADSHEET_ID', nil), 'Log')
-        end.to raise_error(SystemExit) do |error| # rubocop:disable Style/MultilineBlockChain
-          expect(error.status).to eq(1)
+          described_class.retrieve_sheet_json(ENV.fetch('GOOGLE_API_SPREADSHEET_ID_TEST', nil), 'Log')
+        end.to raise_error(StandardError) do |error| # rubocop:disable Style/MultilineBlockChain
+          expect(error.message).to eq('Error encountered')
         end
       end.to output("⛔️ #{missing} required for Google Sheets API calls.\n").to_stdout
     end
diff --git a/spec/spec_helper.rb b/spec/spec_helper.rb
index 1d79510..7a215b6 100644
--- a/spec/spec_helper.rb
+++ b/spec/spec_helper.rb
@@ -26,11 +26,26 @@
 VCR.configure do |config|
   config.cassette_library_dir = 'spec/fixtures/vcr_cassettes'
   config.hook_into :webmock
-  config.filter_sensitive_data('<GOOGLE_API_KEY>') { ENV.fetch('GOOGLE_API_KEY', nil) }
-  config.filter_sensitive_data('<SPREADSHEET_ID>') { ENV.fetch('GOOGLE_API_SPREADSHEET_ID', nil) }
 end
 
-# make sure all vars required for testing are present
-require 'sheet_zoukas/utils'
-REQUIRED_VARS_TEST = (SheetZoukas::REQUIRED_VARS + ['GOOGLE_API_SPREADSHEET_ID']).freeze
-exit 1 unless SheetZoukas::Utils.vars_present?(REQUIRED_VARS_TEST, 'required for tests to run')
+# initialize required environment variables
+ENV.store('GOOGLE_ACCOUNT_TYPE', 'service_account')
+ENV.store('GOOGLE_API_KEY', 'fake_google_api_key')
+ENV.store('GOOGLE_CLIENT_EMAIL', 'sheet@zoukas.zoukas')
+ENV.store('GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID', 'fake_google_client_id')
+ENV.store('GOOGLE_PRIVATE_KEY', "----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----\nfake_google_private_key==\n-----END PRIVATE KEY-----\n")
+
+module SheetZoukas
+  # for testing don't try to authenticate with Google
+  # will need to remove when recording new VCR cassettes
+  class GoogleSheets
+    Authorizer = Struct.new(:scope)
+
+    private
+
+    def init_authorizer(scope)
+      scopes = scope.is_a?(Array) ? scope : [scope]
+      @authorizer = Authorizer.new(scopes)
+    end
+  end
+end