Google Drive
Google Drive is a cloud storage solution for uploading, sharing, and collaborating on files across devices, with robust search and offline access
Verdict
Common use cases
- Draft meeting notes as a Doc mid-conversation
- Create project folders and grant team access
- Copy templates for new client engagements
- Surface comment threads on shared files
- Spin up Shared Drives for cross-functional work
Integration
- Vendor
- Google Drive
- Category
- other
- Auth
- OAUTH2
- Tools
- 50
- Composio slug
googledrive
Tools
- Add file sharing preference
Modifies sharing permissions for an existing google drive file, granting a specified role to a user, group, domain, or 'anyone'.
- Copy file
Duplicates an existing file in google drive, identified by its `file id`.
- Create a File from Text
Creates a new file in google drive from provided text content (up to 10mb), supporting various formats including automatic conversion to google workspace types.
- Create a folder
Creates a new folder in google drive, optionally within a parent folder specified by its id or name; if a parent name is provided but not found, the action will fail.
- Create Comment
Tool to create a comment on a file. use when you need to add a new comment to a specific file in google drive.
- Create File or Folder
Creates a new file or folder with metadata. use to create empty files or folders, or files with content by providing it in the request body (though this action primarily focuses on metadata creation).
- Create Reply
Tool to create a reply to a comment in google drive. use when you need to respond to an existing comment on a file.
- Create Shared Drive
Tool to create a new shared drive. use when you need to programmatically create a new shared drive for collaboration or storage.
- Create Shortcut to File/Folder
Tool to create a shortcut to a file or folder in google drive. use when you need to link to an existing drive item from another location without duplicating it.
- Delete Commentdestructive
Deletes a comment from a file. use when you need to remove a specific comment from a google drive file.
- Delete folder or filedestructive
Tool to delete a file or folder in google drive. use when you need to permanently remove a specific file or folder using its id. note: this action is irreversible.
- Delete Permissiondestructive
Deletes a permission from a file by permission id. use when you need to revoke access for a specific user or group from a file.
- Delete Replydestructive
Tool to delete a specific reply by reply id. use when you need to remove a reply from a comment on a file.
- Delete Shared Drivedestructive
Tool to permanently delete a shared drive. use when you need to remove a shared drive and its contents (if specified).
- Download a file from Google Drive
Downloads a file from google drive by its id. for google workspace documents (docs, sheets, slides), optionally exports to a specified `mime type`. for other file types, downloads in their native format regardless of mime type.
- Edit File
Updates an existing google drive file by overwriting its entire content with new text (max 10mb).
- Empty Trash
Tool to permanently delete all of the user's trashed files. use when you want to empty the trash in google drive.
- Export or download a file
Deprecated: exports google workspace files (max 10mb) to a specified format using `mime type`, or downloads other file types; use `googledrive download file` instead.
- Find file
Tool to list or search for files and folders in google drive. use when you need to find specific files based on query criteria or list contents of a drive/folder.
- Find folder
Tool to find a folder in google drive by its name and optionally a parent folder. use when you need to locate a specific folder to perform further actions like creating files in it or listing its contents.
- Generate File IDs
Generates a set of file ids which can be provided in create or copy requests. use when you need to pre-allocate ids for new files or copies.
- Get about
Tool to retrieve information about the user, the user's drive, and system capabilities. use when you need to check storage quotas, user details, or supported import/export formats.
- Get Changes Start Page Token
Tool to get the starting pagetoken for listing future changes in google drive. use this when you need to track changes to files and folders.
- Get Comment
Tool to get a comment by id. use when you need to retrieve a specific comment from a google drive file and have both the file id and comment id.
- Get File Metadata
Tool to get a file's metadata by id. use when you need to retrieve the metadata for a specific file in google drive.
- Get Permission
Gets a permission by id. use this tool to retrieve a specific permission for a file or shared drive.
- Get Reply
Tool to get a specific reply to a comment on a file. use when you need to retrieve the details of a particular reply.
- Get Revision
Tool to get a specific revision's metadata by revision id. use when you need to retrieve information about a particular version of a file.
- Get Shared Drive
Tool to get a shared drive by id. use when you need to retrieve information about a specific shared drive.
- Hide Shared Drive
Tool to hide a shared drive from the default view. use when you want to remove a shared drive from the user's main google drive interface without deleting it.
- List Changes
Tool to list the changes for a user or shared drive. use when you need to track modifications to files and folders, such as creations, deletions, or permission changes. this action requires a `pagetoken` which can be initially obtained usin
- List Comments
Tool to list all comments for a file in google drive. use when you need to retrieve comments associated with a specific file.
- List File Labels
Tool to list the labels on a file. use when you need to retrieve all labels associated with a specific file in google drive.
- List File Revisions
Tool to list a file's revisions. use when you need to retrieve the revision history of a specific file in google drive.
- List Files and Folders
Tool to list a user's files and folders in google drive. use this to search or browse for files and folders based on various criteria.
- List Permissions
Tool to list a file's permissions. use when you need to retrieve all permissions associated with a specific file or shared drive.
- List Replies to Comment
Tool to list replies to a comment in google drive. use this when you need to retrieve all replies associated with a specific comment on a file.
- List Shared Drives
Tool to list the user's shared drives. use when you need to get a list of all shared drives accessible to the authenticated user.
- Modify File Labels
Modifies the set of labels applied to a file. returns a list of the labels that were added or modified. use when you need to programmatically change labels on a google drive file, such as adding, updating, or removing them.
- Move File
Tool to move a file from one folder to another in google drive. use when you need to reorganize files by changing their parent folder(s).
- Stop Watch Channel
Tool to stop watching resources through a specified channel. use this when you want to stop receiving notifications for a previously established watch.
- Unhide Shared Drive
Tool to unhide a shared drive. use when you need to restore a shared drive to the default view.
- Untrash File
Tool to restore a file from the trash. use when you need to recover a deleted file. this action updates the file's metadata to set the 'trashed' property to false.
- Update Comment
Tool to update an existing comment on a google drive file. use when you need to change the content or status (e.g., resolve) of a comment.
- Update File (Metadata)
Updates file metadata. uses patch semantics (partial update) as per google drive api v3. use this tool to modify attributes of an existing file like its name, description, or parent folders. note: this action currently supports metadata upd
- Update File Revision Metadata
Updates metadata of a file revision (e.g., keepforever, publish). use this tool to modify the metadata of a specific revision of a file in google drive.
- Update Permission
Tool to update a permission with patch semantics. use when you need to modify an existing permission for a file or shared drive.
- Update Reply
Tool to update a reply to a comment on a google drive file. use when you need to modify the content of an existing reply.
- Update Shared Drive
Tool to update the metadata for a shared drive. use when you need to modify properties like the name, theme, background image, or restrictions of a shared drive.
- Upload File
Uploads a file (max 5mb) to google drive, moving it to a specified folder if a valid folder id is provided, otherwise uploads to root.
Setup
Setup guide
- 11. Open your Switchy workspace settings and navigate to the Integrations tab. 2. Find Google Drive in the MCP catalog and click Connect. 3. You'll be redirected to Google's OAuth consent screen — sign in with the Google account that owns or has access to the Drive you want to manage. 4. Review the requested scopes (typically drive.file and drive.metadata for creating and modifying files you create through the MCP, plus drive for broader access if you need to manage existing files). 5. Click Allow to grant permissions. 6. Switchy confirms the connection and returns you to the workspace. 7. Open any Space, type '@Google Drive create a folder called Q1 Planning' and send — if the MCP replies with a folder ID, the integration is live. 8. You can now @mention Google Drive in any Space to invoke its tools.
What teammates see: by default, memories from Google Drive are scoped to the Space (PROJECT visibility) - you can mark any memory PRIVATE or share it ORG-wide.
Works well with
Top models
Compatibility data appears once enough Spaces have used this MCP together with a given model.
How Switchy teams use it
Starter prompts
Draft Weekly Update
@Google Drive create a file called 'Weekly Update' from the summary of our discussion above, then share it with editor access to alice@company.com.Open in a Space →
Organize Sprint Files
@Google Drive create a folder named 'Sprint 12' and copy the file 'Sprint Template' into it, then share the folder with the engineering team.Open in a Space →
Grant Stakeholder Access
@Google Drive add viewer access for partners@clientco.com to the file 'Q2 Roadmap Deck'.Open in a Space →
Capture Action Items
@Google Drive create a file called 'Action Items' from the list I just posted and place it in the 'Project Alpha' folder.Open in a Space →
Reply to File Feedback
@Google Drive reply to the latest comment on 'Design Spec v3' with: 'Updated the color palette per your feedback—ready for another look.'Open in a Space →
Example outputs
Illustrative - representative of the model's voice and quality, not literal recordings.
@Google Drive search for all PDFs in the 'Q1 Planning' folder that mention 'budget' and were modified in the last 30 days
Found 4 PDF files matching your criteria in the Q1 Planning folder: 1. 'Budget_Proposal_v3.pdf' (modified Jan 15, 2025) - 2.3 MB 2. 'Marketing_Budget_Review.pdf' (modified Jan 22, 2025) - 1.8 MB 3. 'Engineering_Budget_2025.pdf' (modified Jan 28, 2025) - 3.1 MB 4. 'Budget_Variance_Analysis.pdf' (modified Feb 2, 2025) - 1.5 MB This is an illustrative example. Actual results depend on your Drive's folder structure and file metadata at query time.
This example demonstrates the MCP's search and filtering capabilities across file types, modification dates, and folder hierarchies. Requires read-only Drive scope. Search accuracy depends on Google's indexing of file content—OCR'd PDFs may not be fully searchable immediately after upload. Rate limits apply to bulk search operations.
@Google Drive create a new folder called 'Sprint 12 Deliverables' inside the 'Product Team' shared drive and share it with engineering@company.com as an editor
Created folder 'Sprint 12 Deliverables' in the Product Team shared drive (folder ID: 1a2b3c4d5e6f7g8h9i0j). Sharing permissions updated: - engineering@company.com granted Editor access - Notification email sent to recipient This is an illustrative example showing the folder creation and permission-setting workflow. Actual folder IDs and shared drive names vary by your organization's Drive structure.
This example showcases the MCP's ability to create folders within shared drives and immediately configure permissions—useful for automated project setup workflows. Requires Drive file creation and sharing scopes. Side-effect: recipients receive email notifications unless suppressed. Shared drive membership must exist before folder creation.
@Google Drive review all comments on 'Product_Roadmap_2025.docx' and draft a summary of unresolved feedback, grouped by theme
Analyzed 23 comments on Product_Roadmap_2025.docx. Here's a summary of 8 unresolved threads: **Timeline Concerns (3 comments)** - Q3 launch date conflicts with engineering capacity (Sarah, Jan 30) - Mobile release should precede web version (Marcus, Feb 1) **Feature Scope (3 comments)** - Analytics dashboard needs clearer success metrics (Priya, Jan 28) - Integration requirements underspecified (Jordan, Feb 2) **Resource Allocation (2 comments)** - Design headcount insufficient for proposed scope (Alex, Jan 29) - Budget line items missing for third-party tools (Casey, Feb 1) This illustrative example shows how the AI synthesizes comment metadata with content analysis.
This example pairs the MCP's comment-retrieval tools with the AI's reasoning to surface actionable insights from collaborative feedback. Requires Drive comments read scope. The MCP fetches comment threads; the AI performs thematic grouping. Resolved comments are excluded by default but can be included if specified.
Use-case deep-dives
When Google Drive MCP handles client file workflows
A 6-person creative agency ships final assets to clients every week—revised decks, video exports, brand guidelines. The Google Drive MCP wins here because it automates the handoff ritual: create a client folder, copy the approved files from internal staging, set sharing to 'anyone with link can view', and post a comment tagging the account lead. The 'Add file sharing preference' and 'Create Comment' tools handle the permissions and notification in one pass, no manual clicking through Drive's UI. This works cleanly up to about 20 active clients; beyond that, you'll want a DAM with versioning hooks. If your agency already lives in Google Workspace and clients expect Drive links, this MCP is the fastest path from 'approved' to 'delivered'.
Why this MCP fits async meeting documentation
A 12-person remote startup runs weekly all-hands on Zoom, and someone takes notes in a Google Doc. The Google Drive MCP automates the post-meeting flow: create a timestamped doc in the 'Meeting Notes' folder, paste the transcript or summary, share it with the team domain, and drop a comment linking to the recording. The 'Create a File from Text' tool handles up to 10MB of content, which covers even verbose hour-long transcripts. This breaks down if your notes need rich formatting or embedded tables—plain text only. But for teams that want meeting notes searchable in Drive without manual file wrangling, this MCP closes the loop from 'meeting ends' to 'notes are live' in under a minute.
When Drive MCP bridges support docs and CRM
A 4-person support team maintains troubleshooting guides in Google Docs and references them in Zendesk tickets. The Google Drive MCP automates the lookup: when a ticket mentions 'password reset', the MCP searches Drive for the latest doc, copies it to a 'Ticket Attachments' folder, and shares the link with the customer. The 'Copy file' and 'Add file sharing preference' tools keep the original guide intact while giving customers a read-only snapshot. This works if your knowledge base is under 200 docs; beyond that, Drive's search gets slow and you need a proper help center. If your support flow is already Google-native and you're tired of manually attaching the same 12 docs every day, this MCP pays for itself in saved clicks.
Frequently asked
What can the Google Drive MCP do in Switchy?
It lets AI agents create files from text, manage folders, copy documents, adjust sharing permissions, and handle comments. The MCP exposes 50 Drive operations, so agents can build documents, organize team folders, or respond to file comments without switching to the Drive UI. It won't replace your file browser, but it automates the repetitive file-wrangling tasks teams do daily.
Which OAuth scopes does the Google Drive MCP request?
The MCP requests full Drive read-write access, which includes creating files, modifying sharing settings, and managing comments. You'll authorize it through Google's OAuth flow. If your workspace enforces admin-approved scopes, your IT team must whitelist the Drive API before individual users can connect. The permission screen will list exactly which Drive capabilities Switchy requests.
Can the MCP upload existing files from my computer to Drive?
No. It creates new files from text content (up to 10MB) or copies existing Drive files, but it can't upload arbitrary binaries from your local machine. If you need to move PDFs or images into Drive, use the Drive web UI or desktop sync client first, then reference those files by ID in Switchy.
How is this different from just using the Drive API directly?
The MCP wraps the Drive API in a format AI agents understand natively. You describe what you want in plain language; the agent picks the right tool and parameters. Using the API directly means writing code, handling auth tokens, and parsing JSON responses yourself. The MCP trades flexibility for speed—most teams ship Drive automations in minutes, not days.
Who on my team should connect their Google account?
Whoever owns the Drive folders your agents will touch. If agents create files in a shared team folder, connect an account with editor access to that folder. If they manage permissions, that account needs sharing rights. The MCP acts as the connected user, so file ownership and audit logs will reflect that person's identity.