google-drive-files-mcp

A focused Model Context Protocol server (and standalone CLI) for Google Drive file management (move, upload, organize) and Google Sheets editing (update cells, append rows, edit tabs, format). Fourteen granular, single-purpose tools — each one an explicit operation, with writes returning before/after so nothing is silently overwritten.

Built because the hosted Google Drive connectors can search, read, and copy files, but cannot move them (copy duplicates a file with a new ID rather than relocating it), cannot reliably upload a real binary (their inline-content API needs the bytes embedded as base64, which breaks for large/binary files), and cannot edit spreadsheet contents. This server adds a true move, a resumable upload from a local path, folder creation, and a full set of Google Sheets value/structure/format edits — for any MCP client (Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Cline, etc.).

Tools

Drive — files & folders

• drive_search(query, only_folders=False, max_results=20) — find files/folders (and their IDs).
• drive_create_folder(name, parent=None) — create a folder (parent accepts an ID, URL, root, or an unambiguous folder name).
• drive_move(file, dest_folder, keep_existing_parents=False) — true move (removed from its current folder); keep_existing_parents=True adds without removing.
• drive_upload_file(local_path, parent=None, name=None, mime_type=None) — upload a local file (any type, incl. large binaries) via a resumable media upload. Stored as-is (no Google-format conversion).

Google Sheets — read, edit, structure, format

• sheets_get_info(spreadsheet) — list tabs + sizes (call first to learn tab names).
• sheets_read(spreadsheet, range_a1, render_option="FORMATTED_VALUE") — read a range (FORMULA/UNFORMATTED_VALUE available).
• sheets_write(spreadsheet, range_a1, values, value_input_option="USER_ENTERED") — overwrite a range; returns before. USER_ENTERED parses numbers and makes =SUM(..) a formula; RAW writes literally.
• sheets_append(spreadsheet, range_a1, values, ...) — append rows after a table.
• sheets_clear(spreadsheet, range_a1) — clear values (keeps formatting); returns before.
• sheets_batch_write(spreadsheet, updates, ...) — write many ranges atomically.
• sheets_add_tab / sheets_rename_tab / sheets_delete_tab — manage tabs (delete is destructive).
• sheets_format(spreadsheet, range_a1, number_format=None, bold=None, background=None) — number pattern / bold / #RRGGBB background.

No rename/copy/trash/delete of files (copy already exists in the hosted Drive connector); destructive Sheets ops (sheets_clear, sheets_delete_tab) are their own explicit tools so you control exactly when they run.

Scope warning (read this)

Moving an existing arbitrary file requires the full drive scope — read/write/delete on all your Drive files. There is no narrower scope that can change a file's parents (drive.file only covers files the app itself created). This tool is therefore far more powerful than a read-only connector. Treat its cached token like a password (stored 0600), and prefer an isolated OAuth client/token rather than sharing one with read-only tools.

Install

pip install google-drive-files-mcp
# or: uv tool install google-drive-files-mcp

One-time setup (~10 min)

1. Google Cloud Console → create/pick a project.
2. Enable the Drive API (library link) and, for the Sheets tools, the Sheets API (library link). (The full drive scope already authorizes the Sheets API — no extra consent, just enable the API.)
3. OAuth consent screen → Internal (Workspace; no verification needed even for the restricted full-drive scope) or External + add yourself as a test user (personal Gmail).
4. Credentials → OAuth client ID → Desktop app → download JSON.
5. google-drive-files-mcp setup --import-credentials ~/Downloads/client_secret_*.json → consent in the browser.

Verify:

google-drive-files-mcp status
google-drive-files-mcp search "Reports" --folders

Claude Code

claude mcp add --scope user google-drive-files google-drive-files-mcp -- serve

Find my "Q2 Report" doc and move it into the "2026 Reports" folder.

Claude Desktop

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-drive-files": { "command": "google-drive-files-mcp", "args": ["serve"] }
  }
}

CLI

google-drive-files-mcp search "budget"                 # find a file + its ID
google-drive-files-mcp search "Reports" --folders      # find destination folders
google-drive-files-mcp mkdir "2026 Reports"            # create a folder
google-drive-files-mcp move <file-url-or-id> "2026 Reports"   # move into it (by folder name)
google-drive-files-mcp move <file-url-or-id> root      # move back to My Drive root
google-drive-files-mcp upload ~/Downloads/report.zip --parent "2026 Reports"   # upload a local file

# Google Sheets
google-drive-files-mcp sheet-info  <sheet-url-or-id>                 # list tabs + sizes
google-drive-files-mcp sheet-read  <sheet-url-or-id> "Sheet1!A1:D10" # read a range
google-drive-files-mcp sheet-write <sheet-url-or-id> "Sheet1!B2:B4" '[[100],[200],[300]]'   # set numbers
google-drive-files-mcp sheet-format <sheet-url-or-id> "Sheet1!B2:B4" --number-format '#,##0.00' --bold

drive_move returns the before/after parents so the move is auditable:

{ "id": "1Abc…", "name": "Q2 Report", "moved_from": ["0OldFolderId"], "moved_to": "1NewFolderId", "parents_now": ["1NewFolderId"], "web_view_link": "https://docs.google.com/…" }

Configuration

Variable	Default	What
GDRIVE_FILES_MCP_CREDENTIALS	~/.config/google-drive-files-mcp/credentials.json	OAuth client secret
GDRIVE_FILES_MCP_TOKEN	~/.config/google-drive-files-mcp/token.json	Cached refresh token
GDRIVE_FILES_MCP_SCOPES	https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive	OAuth scopes (comma-separated)

Safety notes

• True move removes the file from its current folder. Drive items can have multiple parents; keep_existing_parents=True adds without removing.
• Folder-name destinations must be unambiguous. If two folders share a name, drive_move refuses and lists the candidates so you can pass an explicit ID.
• The before/after parents are returned on every move so an agent (or you) can verify the result.

Troubleshooting

HttpError 403: Google Drive API has not been used in project … or it is disabled Enable the Drive API on the project that owns your OAuth client: console.cloud.google.com/apis/library/drive.googleapis.com → Enable, then wait ~1 min and retry. (This is the single most common first-run error.)

multiple folders named '…'; pass the folder ID/URL instead Two or more of your folders share that name, so a name is ambiguous. Run google-drive-files-mcp search "<name>" --folders to get the IDs and pass the exact one.

no folder named '…' found Create it first (google-drive-files-mcp mkdir "<name>") or pass a folder ID/URL/root.

HttpError 403: insufficientFilePermissions when moving Either the token lacks the full drive scope — re-authorize with google-drive-files-mcp setup --reauth — or you don't have edit rights on the file/destination (you can't move a file someone else owns unless they've granted you edit access).

No valid Google token from Claude Desktop / cron The first consent needs a browser. Run google-drive-files-mcp setup once in a terminal; later headless runs reuse and auto-refresh the cached token.

A move "removed" a file from a shared folder unexpectedly A true move removes the item from its current parent(s). If you meant to also keep it where it was, use keep_existing_parents=true (CLI --keep).

Use it from other clients (Cursor, Cline, Continue, …)

Any stdio MCP client works — see docs/other-clients.md.

Authentication — bring your own Google OAuth client

There are no API keys and no shipped secrets. The server authenticates to your Google account with an OAuth client you create, and caches a refresh token locally. The author has zero access to your data.

• Why your own client? Google's restricted scopes (here, the full drive scope) can't be redistributed in a shared app, and an unverified shared app is capped at 100 users. "Bring your own OAuth client" is the standard pattern for personal-data MCP servers.
• What you need: a free Google Cloud project, the Drive API enabled, an OAuth consent screen, and a Desktop OAuth client. Full walkthrough → docs/setup-google-oauth.md.
• Where your token lives: ~/.config/google-drive-files-mcp/token.json (mode 0600). Delete it to revoke locally; revoke fully at myaccount.google.com/permissions.
• No hosted/SaaS option — everything runs locally; your Drive data never touches a third-party server.

More guides

• docs/setup-google-oauth.md — full OAuth walkthrough (full-drive scope) + common errors
• docs/claude-code.md · docs/claude-desktop.md · docs/other-clients.md
• examples/ — e.g. file a document into a YYYY-MM folder

Related tools

Part of a small family of focused, local MCP servers for Google Workspace data the hosted connectors don't expose:

• gmail-attachments-mcp — download Gmail attachment bytes to disk
• google-drive-comments-mcp — read comment threads on Docs/Sheets/Slides
• google-drive-files-mcp — move/organize Drive files (this repo)

They can share one OAuth login or stay isolated — see each repo's setup.

License

MIT. See LICENSE.