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.

Toolkit docs: composio.dev/toolkits/googledrive

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'" or "name = 'exact.pdf'"

• Type filter: "mimeType = 'application/pdf'" or "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

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