Google Drive Automation via Rube MCP

Automate Google Drive workflows including file upload/download, search, folder management, sharing/permissions, and organization through Composio's Google Drive toolkit.

Prerequisites

Rube MCP must be connected (RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS available)
Active Google Drive connection via
```
RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS
```
with toolkit
```
googledrive
```
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
```
googledrive
```
If connection is not ACTIVE, follow the returned auth link to complete Google OAuth
Confirm connection status shows ACTIVE before running any workflows

Core Workflows

1. Upload and Download Files

When to use: User wants to upload files to or download files from Google Drive

Tool sequence:

```
GOOGLEDRIVE_FIND_FILE
```
- Locate target folder for upload [Prerequisite]
```
GOOGLEDRIVE_UPLOAD_FILE
```
- Upload a file (max 5MB) [Required]
```
GOOGLEDRIVE_RESUMABLE_UPLOAD
```
- Upload large files [Fallback]
```
GOOGLEDRIVE_DOWNLOAD_FILE
```
- Download a file by ID [Required]
```
GOOGLEDRIVE_DOWNLOAD_FILE_OPERATION
```
- Track long-running downloads [Fallback]
```
GOOGLEDRIVE_GET_FILE_METADATA
```
- Verify file after upload/download [Optional]

Key parameters:

```
file_to_upload
```
: Object with
```
name
```
,
```
mimetype
```
, and
```
s3key
```
(file must be in internal storage)
```
folder_to_upload_to
```
: Target folder ID (optional; uploads to root if omitted)
```
file_id
```
: ID of file to download
```
mime_type
```
: Export format for Google Workspace files only (omit for native files)

Pitfalls:

```
GOOGLEDRIVE_UPLOAD_FILE
```
requires
```
file_to_upload.s3key
```
; files must already be in internal storage
For non-Google formats (Excel, PDF), do NOT set
```
mime_type
```
; it causes errors for native files
Download responses provide a temporary URL at
```
data.downloaded_file_content.s3url
```
, not inline bytes
Use
```
GOOGLEDRIVE_RESUMABLE_UPLOAD
```
for files >5MB or when basic uploads fail

2. Search and List Files

When to use: User wants to find specific files or browse Drive contents

Tool sequence:

```
GOOGLEDRIVE_FIND_FILE
```
- Search by name, content, type, date, or folder [Required]
```
GOOGLEDRIVE_LIST_FILES
```
- Browse files with folder scoping [Alternative]
```
GOOGLEDRIVE_LIST_SHARED_DRIVES
```
- Enumerate shared drives [Optional]
```
GOOGLEDRIVE_GET_FILE_METADATA
```
- Get detailed file info [Optional]
```
GOOGLEDRIVE_GET_ABOUT
```
- Check storage quota and supported formats [Optional]

Key parameters:

```
q
```
: Drive query string (e.g., "name contains 'report'", "mimeType = 'application/pdf'")
```
corpora
```
: Search scope ('user', 'domain', 'drive', 'allDrives')
```
fields
```
: Response fields to include (e.g., 'files(id,name,mimeType)')
```
orderBy
```
: Sort key ('modifiedTime desc', 'name', 'quotaBytesUsed desc')
```
pageSize
```
: Results per page (max 1000)
```
pageToken
```
: Pagination cursor from
```
nextPageToken
```
```
folder_id
```
: Scope search to a specific folder

Pitfalls:

403 PERMISSION_DENIED if OAuth scopes insufficient for shared drives
Pagination required; files are in
```
response.data.files
```
; follow
```
nextPageToken
```
until exhausted

corpora="domain"

may trigger 400; try

"allDrives"

with

includeItemsFromAllDrives=true

Query complexity limits: >5-10 OR clauses may error "The query is too complex"
Wildcards (*) NOT supported in
```
name
```
; use
```
contains
```
for partial matching
'My Drive' is NOT searchable by name; use
```
folder_id='root'
```
for root folder

User email searches: use

'user@example.com' in owners

(NOT

owner:user@example.com

)

3. Share Files and Manage Permissions

When to use: User wants to share files or manage access permissions

Tool sequence:

```
GOOGLEDRIVE_FIND_FILE
```
- Locate the file to share [Prerequisite]
```
GOOGLEDRIVE_ADD_FILE_SHARING_PREFERENCE
```
- Set sharing permission [Required]
```
GOOGLEDRIVE_LIST_PERMISSIONS
```
- View current permissions [Optional]
```
GOOGLEDRIVE_GET_PERMISSION
```
- Inspect a specific permission [Optional]
```
GOOGLEDRIVE_UPDATE_PERMISSION
```
- Modify existing permission [Optional]
```
GOOGLEDRIVE_DELETE_PERMISSION
```
- Revoke access [Optional]

Key parameters:

```
file_id
```
: ID of file to share
```
type
```
: 'user', 'group', 'domain', or 'anyone'
```
role
```
: 'owner', 'organizer', 'fileOrganizer', 'writer', 'commenter', 'reader'
```
email_address
```
: Required for type='user' or 'group'
```
domain
```
: Required for type='domain'
```
transfer_ownership
```
: Required when role='owner'

Pitfalls:

Invalid type/email combinations trigger 4xx errors
Using
```
type='anyone'
```
or powerful roles is risky; get explicit user confirmation
Org policies may block certain sharing types, causing 403
Permission changes may take time to propagate
Use
```
GMAIL_SEARCH_PEOPLE
```
to resolve contact names to emails before sharing

4. Create and Organize Folders

When to use: User wants to create folder structures or move files between folders

Tool sequence:

```
GOOGLEDRIVE_FIND_FILE
```
- Check if folder already exists [Prerequisite]
```
GOOGLEDRIVE_CREATE_FOLDER
```
- Create a new folder [Required]
```
GOOGLEDRIVE_GET_FILE_METADATA
```
- Verify created folder [Optional]
```
GOOGLEDRIVE_MOVE_FILE
```
- Move files between folders [Optional]
```
GOOGLEDRIVE_UPDATE_FILE_PUT
```
- Update file metadata/parents [Alternative]

Key parameters:

```
name
```
: Folder name
```
parent_id
```
: Parent folder ID (NOT name); omit for root
```
file_id
```
: File to move
```
add_parents
```
: Destination folder ID for move
```
remove_parents
```
: Source folder ID to remove from

Pitfalls:

```
GOOGLEDRIVE_CREATE_FOLDER
```
requires
```
parent_id
```
as an ID, not a folder name
Using
```
parent_id="root"
```
creates at top level; for nested paths, chain folder IDs
```
GOOGLEDRIVE_FIND_FILE
```
returns ~100 items/page; follow
```
nextPageToken
```
for large drives
Move operations can leave items with multiple parents; use
```
remove_parents
```
for true moves
Always verify parent folder exists before creating children

Common Patterns

ID Resolution

File/folder name -> ID:
```
GOOGLEDRIVE_FIND_FILE
```
with
```
q
```
parameter
Root folder: Use
```
folder_id='root'
```
or
```
'root' in parents
```
Shared drive -> driveId:
```
GOOGLEDRIVE_LIST_SHARED_DRIVES
```
Contact name -> email:
```
GMAIL_SEARCH_PEOPLE
```
(for sharing)

Query Syntax

Google Drive uses a specific query language:

Name search:

"name contains 'report'"

"name = 'exact.pdf'"

Type filter:

"mimeType = 'application/pdf'"

"mimeType = 'application/vnd.google-apps.folder'"

Folder scoping:
```
"'FOLDER_ID' in parents"
```
Date filter:
```
"modifiedTime > '2024-01-01T00:00:00'"
```

Combine with

and

or

not

"name contains 'report' and trashed = false"

Boolean filters:

"sharedWithMe = true"

"starred = true"

"trashed = false"

Pagination

Follow
```
nextPageToken
```
until absent for complete results
Set
```
pageSize
```
explicitly (default 100, max 1000)
De-duplicate results if running multiple searches

Export Formats

For Google Workspace files, set

mime_type

to export:

Docs:

application/pdf

text/plain

text/html

application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document

Sheets:

text/csv

application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet

Slides:

application/pdf

application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.presentationml.presentation

Known Pitfalls

Internal storage required: Upload requires files in internal S3 storage (s3key)
Export vs download: Set
```
mime_type
```
ONLY for Google Workspace files; omit for native files
Temporary URLs: Downloaded content via
```
s3url
```
is temporary; fetch promptly
Query complexity: >5-10 OR clauses may error; split complex searches into multiple queries
Shared drive scoping: Missing drive permissions yield empty results; verify access first
No wildcards: Use
```
contains
```
operator instead of
```
*
```
for partial name matching
Folder creation chains: Always pass folder IDs (not names) as
```
parent_id
```
Multiple parents: Move operations may leave items with multiple parents; use
```
remove_parents
```
Rate limits: Heavy searches/exports can trigger 403/429; implement backoff

Quick Reference

Task	Tool Slug	Key Params
Search files	`GOOGLEDRIVE_FIND_FILE`	`q` , `corpora` , `pageSize`
List files	`GOOGLEDRIVE_LIST_FILES`	`folderId` , `q` , `orderBy`
Upload file	`GOOGLEDRIVE_UPLOAD_FILE`	`file_to_upload` , `folder_to_upload_to`
Resumable upload	`GOOGLEDRIVE_RESUMABLE_UPLOAD`	file data
Download file	`GOOGLEDRIVE_DOWNLOAD_FILE`	`file_id` , `mime_type` (Workspace only)
File metadata	`GOOGLEDRIVE_GET_FILE_METADATA`	`fileId` , `fields`
Create folder	`GOOGLEDRIVE_CREATE_FOLDER`	`name` , `parent_id`
Move file	`GOOGLEDRIVE_MOVE_FILE`	`file_id` , `add_parents` , `remove_parents`
Share file	`GOOGLEDRIVE_ADD_FILE_SHARING_PREFERENCE`	`file_id` , `role` , `type` , `email_address`
List permissions	`GOOGLEDRIVE_LIST_PERMISSIONS`	`fileId`
Update permission	`GOOGLEDRIVE_UPDATE_PERMISSION`	file_id, permission_id
Delete permission	`GOOGLEDRIVE_DELETE_PERMISSION`	file_id, permission_id
List shared drives	`GOOGLEDRIVE_LIST_SHARED_DRIVES`	`pageSize`
Drive info	`GOOGLEDRIVE_GET_ABOUT`	(none)
Create shortcut	`GOOGLEDRIVE_CREATE_SHORTCUT_TO_FILE`	target file_id

google-drive-automation

NPX Install

SKILL.md Content

Google Drive Automation via Rube MCP

Prerequisites

Setup

Core Workflows

1. Upload and Download Files

2. Search and List Files

3. Share Files and Manage Permissions

4. Create and Organize Folders

Common Patterns

ID Resolution

Query Syntax

Pagination

Export Formats

Known Pitfalls

Quick Reference