mcp-google-drive

# <img src="./assets/a1-logo.svg" alt="A1" width="40"> Google Drive MCP

**English** | [Русский](./README.ru.md)

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**A1 Google Drive MCP** lets an AI app work with your Google Drive in plain language. Find a file, tidy up folders, upload and download content, export a Doc as Markdown, share it with the right people — and keep the trash between you and permanent deletion.

It uses the Google Drive API with your Google account. It sees My Drive and shared drives alike, treats “delete” as the reversible trash and makes the limits of the Drive API explicit instead of implying that every file task is possible.

- **21 tools.** Search and metadata, folders and moving, upload and download, export of Docs/Sheets/Slides, the trash, sharing and comments.
- **Connects from the conversation.** Say "connect Google Drive": the server walks you through the OAuth client, catches Google's redirect on `127.0.0.1` with PKCE and keeps the tokens itself — no config files, no restart.
- **The trash comes first.** “Delete” means the reversible trash; permanent deletion is a deliberately separate tool that cannot be picked by accident.
- **Documents stay intact.** Docs, Sheets and Slides move, copy, export and convert as whole files — the server never edits the text inside them.
- **You choose the scope.** `drive.readonly` covers every read and `drive.file` limits access to app-created files; the full tool surface needs `drive`.

Start with a read-only question:

> Find the project roadmap doc in my Drive, export it to Markdown and summarize it.

[Connect the server](#quick-start) · [Explore use cases](#what-you-can-ask-it-to-do) · [Open technical documentation](#technical-documentation)

---

## See it work in a minute

> **You:** Show me what’s in the “Contracts 2025” folder, newest first.
>
> **Assistant:** Lists the files with their types, owners and modification dates. Nothing changes.
>
> **You:** Prepare an “Archive” subfolder and move everything older than a year into it.
>
> **Assistant:** Shows the folder it would create and the files it would move, then asks for confirmation.
>
> **You:** Confirm.
>
> **Assistant:** Creates the folder and moves the files. Nothing is shared, trashed or deleted unless you ask separately.

## Contents

- [Quick start](#quick-start)
- [What you can ask it to do](#what-you-can-ask-it-to-do)
- [How your Drive changes](#how-your-drive-changes)
- [What can change](#what-can-change)
- [Getting access](#getting-access)
- [Configuration](#configuration)
- [Data, limits and background work](#data-limits-and-background-work)
- [Technical documentation](#technical-documentation)
- [Support](#support)

## Quick start

You need Node.js 20+ and a Google account. Credentials are not required at install time — the server connects from the conversation.

1. Add the server to your AI app.
2. Say "connect Google Drive": the assistant walks you through [creating the OAuth client and approving access](#getting-access) without editing config files.
3. Ask the read-only question above.

<details open>
<summary><strong>Codex</strong></summary>

<br>

**In the desktop app:** open **Settings → MCP servers**, select **Add server**, choose **STDIO**, and enter the command `npx -y @a1-x-tech/mcp-google-drive@latest` with `GOOGLE_DRIVE_CLIENT_ID`, `GOOGLE_DRIVE_CLIENT_SECRET` and `GOOGLE_DRIVE_REFRESH_TOKEN`. Select **Save**, then **Restart**.

**In the IDE extension:** open the **gear menu → MCP servers**, select **Add server**, choose **STDIO**, and enter the same command and environment variables. Select **Save**, then **Restart extension**.

**From the command line:**

```bash
codex mcp add google-drive \
  -- npx -y @a1-x-tech/mcp-google-drive@latest
```

```bash
codex mcp list
```

[Codex MCP documentation](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/extend/mcp?surface=cli)

</details>

<details>
<summary><strong>Claude Code</strong></summary>

<br>

```bash
claude mcp add \
  --transport stdio --scope user google-drive \
  -- npx -y @a1-x-tech/mcp-google-drive@latest
```

```bash
claude mcp list
```

[Claude Code MCP documentation](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/mcp)

</details>

<details>
<summary><strong>Claude Desktop</strong></summary>

<br>

The current official path is **Settings → Extensions**. For a custom desktop extension, open **Advanced settings → Extension Developer → Install Extension…**, select a `.mcpb` file and follow the prompts.

This repository currently publishes an npm stdio package and does not contain a `.mcpb` bundle. For Claude Desktop builds that still support local configuration, use the following JSON stdio configuration as a fallback:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-drive": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@a1-x-tech/mcp-google-drive@latest"]
    }
  }
}
```

In those builds, save it to `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json` on macOS or `%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json` on Windows.

[Claude Desktop MCP documentation](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/10949351-getting-started-with-local-mcp-servers-on-claude-desktop)

</details>

<details>
<summary><strong>Cursor</strong></summary>

<br>

Add this to `~/.cursor/mcp.json` on macOS/Linux or `%USERPROFILE%\.cursor\mcp.json` on Windows:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-drive": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@a1-x-tech/mcp-google-drive@latest"]
    }
  }
}
```

[Cursor MCP documentation](https://cursor.com/docs/mcp)

</details>

<details>
<summary><strong>VS Code</strong></summary>

<br>

Run **MCP: Open User Configuration** and add:

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "google-drive": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@a1-x-tech/mcp-google-drive@latest"]
    }
  }
}
```

Check it with **MCP: List Servers**.

[VS Code MCP documentation](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/agent-customization/mcp-servers)

</details>

## What you can ask it to do

### Find and read files

- Find last quarter’s budget spreadsheet and show where it lives and who owns it.
- Export the project brief to Markdown and summarize the open questions.
- Download the signed contract PDF into my reports folder.

### Organize and transfer content

- Create a “2026 Reports” folder and move the monthly reports into it.
- Upload these meeting notes and convert them into a Google Doc.
- Copy the proposal template and rename the copy for the new client.

### Share and discuss

- Share the folder with a teammate as a commenter and add a note to the invitation.
- List the open comments on the design doc and resolve the ones we’ve addressed.
- Revoke the external contractor’s access to the archive.

### Clean up deliberately

- Trash the outdated drafts — and restore the one deleted by mistake.
- Permanently delete the folder of test uploads once I confirm.
- Show what’s in the trash before anything is purged.

## How your Drive changes

1. Everything in Drive — folders and shared-drive items included — is a **file** with an id. Names are not unique, so tools act on ids, and duplicate names are legal: it pays to search before creating.
2. “Delete” means the **trash**: reversible, auto-purged by Google after about 30 days. Permanent deletion bypasses the trash, takes folder subtrees with it and lives in a deliberately separate tool.
3. Google Docs, Sheets and Slides are moved, copied, shared, exported and converted as whole units. The server has no tool that edits text inside a Doc or cells inside a Sheet.
4. A write is never replayed after an uncertain failure: retries after network and `5xx` errors apply to reads only, so a copy, upload or new folder cannot be duplicated behind your back.

Built-in uploads are capped at 5 MB (larger files go through a resumable session via `raw_request`), exports at 10 MB per the Drive API. Comments created through the API cannot be anchored to a specific passage inside a Doc.

## What can change

| Operation | What happens | Confirmation boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Search, metadata, download, export | Reads files and folders | No change |
| Create a folder, copy or upload | Adds files or replaces content | Changes Drive |
| Move, rename, update metadata | Changes a file’s location or properties | Changes a file |
| Manage permissions | Grants, changes or revokes access | Changes who can open a file |
| Manage comments | Creates, resolves or deletes comment threads | Can destroy a discussion |
| Trash or restore a file | Moves it into or out of the trash | Reversible for ~30 days |
| Delete forever | Erases past the trash, subtrees included | Destructive |
| Raw API request | Can call API methods without a dedicated tool | Potentially destructive |

The AI client controls confirmation prompts. The server marks reads, writes and destructive tools so the client can distinguish an inspection from a live change.

## Getting access

Google Drive requires OAuth 2.0; an API key is not enough. There are two ways in, and the first one needs no configuration files.

### Connect from the chat (recommended)

Say "connect Google Drive" and the assistant runs the flow with you:

1. `setup_instructions` prints the checklist: create or select a Google Cloud project, enable **Google Drive API**, configure the consent screen and create a **Desktop app** OAuth client.
2. Download that client's JSON ("Download JSON") and give the assistant its **path** — `set_client` stores it owner-only. The secret never goes through the conversat