Dropbox Automation via Rube MCP

Automate Dropbox operations including file upload/download, search, folder management, sharing links, batch operations, and metadata retrieval through Composio's Dropbox toolkit.

Prerequisites

Rube MCP must be connected (RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS available)
Active Dropbox connection via
```
RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS
```
with toolkit
```
dropbox
```
Always call
```
RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS
```
first to get current tool schemas

Setup

Get Rube MCP: Add

https://rube.app/mcp

as an MCP server in your client configuration. No API keys needed — just add the endpoint and it works.

Verify Rube MCP is available by confirming
```
RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS
```
responds
Call
```
RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS
```
with toolkit
```
dropbox
```
If connection is not ACTIVE, follow the returned auth link to complete Dropbox OAuth
Confirm connection status shows ACTIVE before running any workflows

Core Workflows

1. Search for Files and Folders

When to use: User wants to find files or folders by name, content, or type

Tool sequence:

```
DROPBOX_SEARCH_FILE_OR_FOLDER
```
- Search by query string with optional path scope and filters [Required]
```
DROPBOX_SEARCH_CONTINUE
```
- Paginate through additional results using cursor [Required if has_more]
```
DROPBOX_GET_METADATA
```
- Validate and get canonical path for a search result [Optional]
```
DROPBOX_READ_FILE
```
- Read file content to verify it is the intended document [Optional]

Key parameters:

```
query
```
: Search string (case-insensitive, 1+ non-whitespace characters)
```
options.path
```
: Scope search to a folder (e.g.,
```
"/Documents"
```
); empty string for root

options.file_categories

: Filter by type (

"image"

"document"

"pdf"

"folder"

, etc.)

```
options.file_extensions
```
: Filter by extension (e.g.,
```
["jpg", "png"]
```
)
```
options.filename_only
```
: Set
```
true
```
to match filenames only (not content)
```
options.max_results
```
: Results per page (default 100, max 1000)

Pitfalls:

Search returns
```
has_more: true
```
with a
```
cursor
```
when more results exist; MUST continue to avoid silently missing matches
Maximum 10,000 matches total across all pages of search + search_continue
```
DROPBOX_GET_METADATA
```
returned
```
path_display
```
may differ in casing from user input; always use the returned canonical path
File content from
```
DROPBOX_READ_FILE
```
may be returned as base64-encoded
```
file_content_bytes
```
; decode before parsing

2. Upload and Download Files

When to use: User wants to upload files to Dropbox or download files from it

Tool sequence:

```
DROPBOX_UPLOAD_FILE
```
- Upload a file to a specified path [Required for upload]
```
DROPBOX_READ_FILE
```
- Download/read a file from Dropbox [Required for download]
```
DROPBOX_DOWNLOAD_ZIP
```
- Download an entire folder as a zip file [Optional]
```
DROPBOX_SAVE_URL
```
- Save a file from a public URL directly to Dropbox [Optional]
```
DROPBOX_GET_SHARED_LINK_FILE
```
- Download a file from a shared link URL [Optional]
```
DROPBOX_EXPORT_FILE
```
- Export non-downloadable files like Dropbox Paper to markdown/HTML [Optional]

Key parameters:

```
path
```
: Dropbox path (must start with
```
/
```
, e.g.,
```
"/Documents/report.pdf"
```
)
```
mode
```
:
```
"add"
```
(default, fail on conflict) or
```
"overwrite"
```
for uploads
```
autorename
```
:
```
true
```
to auto-rename on conflict instead of failing
```
content
```
: FileUploadable object with
```
s3key
```
,
```
mimetype
```
, and
```
name
```
for uploads
```
url
```
: Public URL for
```
DROPBOX_SAVE_URL
```

export_format

"markdown"

"html"

, or

"plain_text"

for Paper docs

Pitfalls:

```
DROPBOX_SAVE_URL
```
is asynchronous and may take up to 15 minutes for large files
```
DROPBOX_DOWNLOAD_ZIP
```
folder must be under 20 GB with no single file over 4 GB and fewer than 10,000 entries
```
DROPBOX_READ_FILE
```
content may be base64-encoded; check response format
Shared link downloads via
```
DROPBOX_GET_SHARED_LINK_FILE
```
may require
```
link_password
```
for protected links

3. Share Files and Manage Links

When to use: User wants to create sharing links or manage existing shared links

Tool sequence:

```
DROPBOX_GET_METADATA
```
- Confirm file/folder exists and get canonical path [Prerequisite]
```
DROPBOX_LIST_SHARED_LINKS
```
- Check for existing shared links to avoid duplicates [Prerequisite]
```
DROPBOX_CREATE_SHARED_LINK
```
- Create a new shared link [Required]
```
DROPBOX_GET_SHARED_LINK_METADATA
```
- Resolve a shared link URL to metadata [Optional]
```
DROPBOX_LIST_SHARED_FOLDERS
```
- List all shared folders the user has access to [Optional]

Key parameters:

```
path
```
: File or folder path for link creation
```
settings.audience
```
:
```
"public"
```
,
```
"team"
```
, or
```
"no_one"
```
```
settings.access
```
:
```
"viewer"
```
or
```
"editor"
```
```
settings.expires
```
: ISO 8601 expiration date (e.g.,
```
"2026-12-31T23:59:59Z"
```
)

settings.require_password

settings.link_password

: Password protection

```
settings.allow_download
```
: Boolean for download permission
```
direct_only
```
: For
```
LIST_SHARED_LINKS
```
, set
```
true
```
to only return direct links (not parent folder links)

Pitfalls:

```
DROPBOX_CREATE_SHARED_LINK
```
fails with 409 Conflict if a shared link already exists for the path; check with
```
DROPBOX_LIST_SHARED_LINKS
```
first
Always validate path with
```
DROPBOX_GET_METADATA
```
before creating links to avoid
```
path/not_found
```
errors
Reuse existing links from
```
DROPBOX_LIST_SHARED_LINKS
```
instead of creating duplicates
```
requested_visibility
```
is deprecated; use
```
audience
```
for newer implementations

4. Manage Folders (Create, Move, Delete)

When to use: User wants to create, move, rename, or delete files and folders

Tool sequence:

```
DROPBOX_CREATE_FOLDER
```
- Create a single folder [Required for create]
```
DROPBOX_CREATE_FOLDER_BATCH
```
- Create multiple folders at once [Optional]
```
DROPBOX_MOVE_FILE_OR_FOLDER
```
- Move or rename a single file/folder [Required for move]
```
DROPBOX_MOVE_BATCH
```
- Move multiple items at once [Optional]
```
DROPBOX_DELETE_FILE_OR_FOLDER
```
- Delete a single file or folder [Required for delete]
```
DROPBOX_DELETE_BATCH
```
- Delete multiple items at once [Optional]
```
DROPBOX_COPY_FILE_OR_FOLDER
```
- Copy a file or folder to a new location [Optional]
```
DROPBOX_CHECK_MOVE_BATCH
```
/
```
DROPBOX_CHECK_FOLDER_BATCH
```
- Poll async batch job status [Required for batch ops]

Key parameters:

```
path
```
: Target path (must start with
```
/
```
, case-sensitive)
```
from_path
```
/
```
to_path
```
: Source and destination for move/copy operations
```
autorename
```
:
```
true
```
to auto-rename on conflict
```
entries
```
: Array of
```
{from_path, to_path}
```
for batch moves; array of paths for batch creates
```
allow_shared_folder
```
: Set
```
true
```
to allow moving shared folders
```
allow_ownership_transfer
```
: Set
```
true
```
if move changes ownership

Pitfalls:

All paths are case-sensitive and must start with
```
/
```
Paths must NOT end with
```
/
```
or whitespace

Batch operations may be asynchronous; poll with

DROPBOX_CHECK_MOVE_BATCH

DROPBOX_CHECK_FOLDER_BATCH

```
DROPBOX_FILES_MOVE_BATCH
```
(v1) has "all or nothing" behavior - if any entry fails, entire batch fails

DROPBOX_MOVE_BATCH

(v2) is preferred over

DROPBOX_FILES_MOVE_BATCH

(v1)

Maximum 1000 entries per batch delete/move; 10,000 paths per batch folder create
Case-only renaming is not supported in batch move operations

5. List Folder Contents

When to use: User wants to browse or enumerate files in a Dropbox folder

Tool sequence:

```
DROPBOX_LIST_FILES_IN_FOLDER
```
- List contents of a folder [Required]
```
DROPBOX_LIST_FOLDERS
```
- Alternative folder listing with deleted entries support [Optional]
```
DROPBOX_GET_METADATA
```
- Get details for a specific item [Optional]

Key parameters:

```
path
```
: Folder path (empty string
```
""
```
for root)
```
recursive
```
:
```
true
```
to list all nested contents
```
limit
```
: Max results per request (default/max 2000)
```
include_deleted
```
:
```
true
```
to include deleted but recoverable items
```
include_media_info
```
:
```
true
```
to get photo/video metadata

Pitfalls:

Use empty string
```
""
```
for root folder, not
```
"/"
```
Recursive listings can be very large; use
```
limit
```
to control page size
Results may paginate via cursor even with small limits
```
DROPBOX_LIST_FILES_IN_FOLDER
```
returns 409 Conflict with
```
path/not_found
```
for incorrect paths

Common Patterns

ID Resolution

Path-based: Most Dropbox tools use path strings (e.g.,
```
"/Documents/file.pdf"
```
)
ID-based: Some tools accept
```
id:...
```
format (e.g.,
```
"id:4g0reWVRsAAAAAAAAAAAQ"
```
)
Canonical path: Always use
```
path_display
```
or
```
path_lower
```
from
```
DROPBOX_GET_METADATA
```
responses for subsequent calls
Shared link URL: Use
```
DROPBOX_GET_SHARED_LINK_METADATA
```
to resolve URLs to paths/IDs

Pagination

Dropbox uses cursor-based pagination across most endpoints:

Search: Follow
```
has_more
```
+
```
cursor
```
with
```
DROPBOX_SEARCH_CONTINUE
```
(max 10,000 total matches)
Folder listing: Follow cursor from response until no more pages
Shared links: Follow
```
has_more
```
+
```
cursor
```
in
```
DROPBOX_LIST_SHARED_LINKS
```

Batch job status: Poll with

DROPBOX_CHECK_MOVE_BATCH

DROPBOX_CHECK_FOLDER_BATCH

Async Operations

Several Dropbox operations run asynchronously:

```
DROPBOX_SAVE_URL
```
- returns job ID; poll or set
```
wait: true
```
(up to 120s default)

DROPBOX_MOVE_BATCH

DROPBOX_FILES_MOVE_BATCH

- may return job ID

```
DROPBOX_CREATE_FOLDER_BATCH
```
- may return job ID
```
DROPBOX_DELETE_BATCH
```
- returns job ID

Known Pitfalls

Path Formats

All paths must start with
```
/
```
(except empty string for root in some endpoints)
Paths must NOT end with
```
/
```
or contain trailing whitespace
Paths are case-sensitive for write operations
```
path_display
```
from API may differ in casing from user input; always prefer API-returned paths

Rate Limits

Dropbox API has per-endpoint rate limits; batch operations help reduce call count
Search is limited to 10,000 total matches across all pagination
```
DROPBOX_SAVE_URL
```
has a 15-minute timeout for large files

File Content

```
DROPBOX_READ_FILE
```
may return content as base64-encoded
```
file_content_bytes
```
Non-downloadable files (Dropbox Paper, Google Docs) require
```
DROPBOX_EXPORT_FILE
```
instead
Download URLs from shared links require proper authentication headers

Sharing

Creating a shared link when one already exists returns a 409 Conflict error
Always check
```
DROPBOX_LIST_SHARED_LINKS
```
before creating new links
Shared folder access may not appear in standard path listings; use
```
DROPBOX_LIST_SHARED_FOLDERS
```

Quick Reference

Task	Tool Slug	Key Params
Search files	`DROPBOX_SEARCH_FILE_OR_FOLDER`	`query` , `options.path`
Continue search	`DROPBOX_SEARCH_CONTINUE`	`cursor`
List folder	`DROPBOX_LIST_FILES_IN_FOLDER`	`path` , `recursive` , `limit`
List folders	`DROPBOX_LIST_FOLDERS`	`path` , `recursive`
Get metadata	`DROPBOX_GET_METADATA`	`path`
Read/download file	`DROPBOX_READ_FILE`	`path`
Upload file	`DROPBOX_UPLOAD_FILE`	`path` , `content` , `mode`
Save URL to Dropbox	`DROPBOX_SAVE_URL`	`path` , `url`
Download folder zip	`DROPBOX_DOWNLOAD_ZIP`	`path`
Export Paper doc	`DROPBOX_EXPORT_FILE`	`path` , `export_format`
Download shared link	`DROPBOX_GET_SHARED_LINK_FILE`	`url`
Create shared link	`DROPBOX_CREATE_SHARED_LINK`	`path` , `settings`
List shared links	`DROPBOX_LIST_SHARED_LINKS`	`path` , `direct_only`
Shared link metadata	`DROPBOX_GET_SHARED_LINK_METADATA`	`url`
List shared folders	`DROPBOX_LIST_SHARED_FOLDERS`	`limit`
Create folder	`DROPBOX_CREATE_FOLDER`	`path`
Create folders batch	`DROPBOX_CREATE_FOLDER_BATCH`	`paths`
Move file/folder	`DROPBOX_MOVE_FILE_OR_FOLDER`	`from_path` , `to_path`
Move batch	`DROPBOX_MOVE_BATCH`	`entries`
Delete file/folder	`DROPBOX_DELETE_FILE_OR_FOLDER`	`path`
Delete batch	`DROPBOX_DELETE_BATCH`	`entries`
Copy file/folder	`DROPBOX_COPY_FILE_OR_FOLDER`	`from_path` , `to_path`
Check batch status	`DROPBOX_CHECK_MOVE_BATCH`	`async_job_id`

dropbox-automation

NPX Install

SKILL.md Content

Dropbox Automation via Rube MCP

Prerequisites

Setup

Core Workflows

1. Search for Files and Folders

2. Upload and Download Files

3. Share Files and Manage Links

4. Manage Folders (Create, Move, Delete)

5. List Folder Contents

Common Patterns

ID Resolution

Pagination

Async Operations

Known Pitfalls

Path Formats

Rate Limits

File Content

Sharing

Quick Reference