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Google Drive

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Authentication & Setup

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Required API Scopes

• drive: Full access to all files in Drive including Team Drives.
• drive.file: Access only to files created or opened by the application.
• drive.readonly: Read-only access to view and download files.
• drive.metadata: Access to file metadata without file content access.
• drive.appdata: Access to application-specific data folder.

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Available Operations

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File Operations

• Upload File: Upload files from agent workspace to Drive with metadata (name, description, MIME type).
• Download File: Retrieve files for local processing or analysis.
• List Files: Browse files and folders with filtering by name, type, owner, or modification date.
• Search Files: Full-text search across file names and content using query parameters.
• Get File: Retrieve detailed file metadata including permissions, owners, and version history.
• Update File: Modify file content or metadata without changing file ID.
• Delete File: Move files to trash or permanently delete.
• Restore File: Recover files from trash.
• Export File: Convert Google Workspace files to standard formats (Docs to PDF, Sheets to Excel, etc.).

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Folder Management

• Create Folder: Create new folders with custom names for organization.
• Move File: Relocate files between folders by updating parent references.
• Copy File: Duplicate files with new names or to different locations.
• List Folder Contents: Retrieve all files within a specific folder.
• Get Folder Path: Determine full path hierarchy for any folder.

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Sharing & Permissions

• Share File: Generate sharing links with configurable permissions (view, comment, edit).
• Create Permission: Grant specific users or groups access to files.
• Update Permission: Modify existing access permissions.
• Remove Permission: Revoke access for users or sharing links.
• List Permissions: View all users and groups with access to a file.
• Set Link Expiration: Configure automatic expiration for sharing links.
• Restrict Download: Prevent viewers from downloading, printing, or copying content.

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Advanced Operations

• Get File Metadata: Retrieve creation date, modified date, size, owner, MIME type, thumbnail.
• Watch File: Set up notifications for file changes (webhooks).
• Get File Revisions: Access version history and restore previous versions.
• Add Comment: Post comments on Google Docs, Sheets, Slides files.
• Batch Operations: Perform multiple file operations in a single API call.

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Configuration Options

• Default Folder: Set default upload location to specific folder or Team Drive.
• File Size Limit: Configure maximum upload size (API limit is 5GB per file).
• Include Trashed: Whether to include trashed files in list/search results.
• Supports Team Drives: Enable access to Team Drives (Shared Drives) in Workspace accounts.
• Corpus: Search scope - user’s Drive, Team Drives, or all domains.

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Use Cases

• Document Backup: Automatically backup important files from project workspace to Drive with version control.
• File Organization: Auto-categorize and move uploaded files to appropriate folders based on content or metadata.
• Content Distribution: Upload reports, generate sharing links, and distribute to stakeholders via email.
• Collaborative Workflows: Upload drafts to Team Drives, share with team, track comments and revisions.
• Data Migration: Bulk transfer files between storage systems using Drive as intermediary.
• Media Library Management: Organize images, videos, and assets with metadata tagging and search.
• Document Processing Pipeline: Download files, process with Python/Node.js, upload results back to Drive.

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Best Practices

• Use File IDs: Always reference files by ID rather than name to avoid ambiguity with duplicates.
• Implement Resumable Uploads: For files >5MB, use resumable upload protocol to handle interruptions.
• Batch Requests: Combine multiple operations to reduce API calls and improve performance.
• Monitor Quota: Track API usage against daily quota limits (varies by account type).
• Organize with Folders: Use clear folder hierarchies instead of flat structure for large file collections.
• Set Appropriate Permissions: Use least privilege principle when sharing files.

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Common Issues & Solutions

• Upload Timeouts: For large files, use resumable upload and implement retry logic.
• Permission Denied: Verify user has granted drive scope during OAuth. Check file ownership and permissions.
• Duplicate Files: Drive allows multiple files with same name. Use search by ID or include parent folder in queries.
• Rate Limit: Implement exponential backoff for retries. Consider caching frequently accessed metadata.