Google Drive MCP vs Obsideo MCP
A side-by-side look at the Google Drive MCP and Obsideo MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Google Drive MCP for file systems work as a local process; choose Obsideo MCP for file systems as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Google Drive MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the File Systems domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
GOOGLE_DRIVE_CLIENT_ID, GOOGLE_DRIVE_CLIENT_SECRET, GOOGLE_DRIVE_REFRESH_TOKEN. - You want tools like
auth_status, setup_instructions, set_client.
Choose Obsideo MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the File Systems domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
trial, signup_start, signup_verify.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | File Systems | File Systems |
| Quality signal | 61/100 · Good | 63/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | GOOGLE_DRIVE_CLIENT_IDGOOGLE_DRIVE_CLIENT_SECRETGOOGLE_DRIVE_REFRESH_TOKEN | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 0 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 3 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 21 | 13 |
| Full listing | View Google Drive MCP | View Obsideo MCP |
Tools & capabilities
Google Drive MCP tools 21
auth_statusShows whether this server is connected to Google: token presence and source (env variables or a stored in-chat login), expiry, the Google account email, granted vs missing OAuth scopes, where the credentials file lives and where the OAuth client comes from. Makes no network calls and never returns the token itself. Call it first when other tools report the server is not connected.setup_instructionsStep-by-step checklist for connecting this server to Google: creating a Google Cloud project and a Desktop-app OAuth client, publishing the consent screen (mandatory — Testing-mode refresh tokens die after 7 days), downloading the client JSON and handing its PATH to set_client. Works without any credentials; the checklist shortens to 'enable the API + log in' when an OAuth client is already configured (one client serves the whole mcp-google-* line). Never asks the user to paste secrets into the chat.set_clientSaves the OAuth client credentials from the JSON file downloaded from Google Cloud Console ('Download JSON' on a Desktop-app client). Pass the file PATH — the secret must never be pasted into the chat. The client is stored once in the shared ~/.config/mcp-google-auth/client.json (owner-only) and reused by every mcp-google-* server; tokens stay per-server. After this, call start_login.start_loginFirst step of connecting from the chat, without editing config files or restarting the client. Returns authorizeUrl — show it to the user as a clickable link and ask them to open it in the browser ON THIS MACHINE, pick the Google account and approve access. A one-shot listener on 127.0.0.1 catches Google's redirect; the code is exchanged locally and never passes through the chat. Does not open the browser itself. The attempt lives 10 minutes; when the browser shows the success page, call finish_login.finish_loginSecond step: confirms the browser consent finished, saves the tokens to an owner-only file and verifies the login with a read-only identity call, returning the account email and the granted scopes. After success every tool works immediately — no client restart. If the user granted only part of the requested permissions, the login is still saved and missingScopes lists what will not work. Logging in under a different Google account replaces the previous login (its refresh token is revoked best-effort) and the response carries previousAccountEmail so the change never goes unnoticed.logoutRevokes the stored token at Google (oauth2.googleapis.com/revoke) and deletes the local credentials file. Tokens supplied via env variables are NOT touched — remove them from the MCP client config manually; envTokenStillSet in the response says whether any are still in effect.search_filesSearches and lists files and folders: id, name, mimeType, size, parents, driveId, modifiedTime, trashed, starred, webViewLink and shortcutDetails per file, plus nextPageToken. The convenience filters (name_contains, full_text_contains, mime_type, parent_id, only_folders) are AND-ed together and with the raw Drive `query` expression (q syntax, e.g. "modifiedTime > '2026-01-01T00:00:00'"). Trashed files are hidden unless include_trashed=true. Names are NOT unique in Drive — expect several hits and pick by id. parent_id lists a folder's direct children (use 'root' for My Drive's top level). Shared drives: pass drive_id to search one drive, or include_all_drives=true to search everything at once. Paginate with page_token; order_by e.g. 'modifiedTime desc,name'. incompleteSearch=true in the result means some corpora were skipped — narrow the search.list_shared_drivesLists the shared drives (formerly Team Drives) the authorized user is a member of: id, name, createdTime, plus nextPageToken. Use a drive's id as drive_id in search_files to browse its contents, or as parent_id to list its root. name_contains filters by name. My Drive is not a shared drive and never appears here.get_fileReturns a file's metadata (never its content — that is download_file/export_file): id, name, mimeType, size, parents, driveId, createdTime/modifiedTime, trashed, starred, description, md5Checksum, webViewLink, webContentLink, exportLinks (for Google-native files), owners, lastModifyingUser, shortcutDetails (a shortcut's real target id/mimeType) and capabilities (canEdit/canShare/canTrash/canDelete/canDownload — check before mutating). Google-native files (mimeType application/vnd.google-apps.*) report no size and no md5Checksum. Pass fields to select a custom projection (Drive fields syntax) when the default set is too much or too little.create_folderCreates a folder (a Drive file with mimeType application/vnd.google-apps.folder) and returns its id, name, parents and webViewLink. parent_id places it inside a folder or a shared drive ('root' or omitted = My Drive top level). Drive allows several folders with the same name in the same parent — search_files first if the folder might already exist, and reuse its id instead of creating a duplicate.copy_fileCopies a file and returns the new copy's metadata (a fresh fileId — the original is untouched). name renames the copy (default: same name as the original, NOT 'Copy of ...'); parent_id places it in a folder (default: same parent as the original for My Drive files). Works on Google-native files (Docs/Sheets/Slides) and binaries alike, but folders cannot be copied — recreate the tree with create_folder + copy_file per file. Comments and permissions are not copied. Each retry would create another copy, so after an ambiguous failure check with search_files before calling again.move_fileMoves a file or folder into another folder (or shared drive) and returns id, name and the new parents. By default the file leaves all its current parents (a plain move); keep_existing_parents=true only adds the new parent — note that files in shared drives always have exactly one parent, so keeping old parents fails there. Moving between My Drive and a shared drive changes ownership rules and may be rejected by the drive's settings. The move costs one extra read (the current parents are fetched first).- +9 more on the listing page
Obsideo MCP tools 13
trialCreate a free Obsideo account with no email and no human in the loop: a small proof-of-work and a ~10 second wait in place of identity. Returns a real account on the production network (100 MB, about 7 days, RF=3 replication, continuous possession proofs) and saves credentials locally. You usually do NOT need to call this: the first put/get/ls/usage auto-creates a trial if no account is configured. Call it to provision explicitly. To keep data beyond the trial, claim it with an email via signup_start (same account and data, quota rises to 12 GB). Takes about 15 to 30 seconds (proof of work plus a 10 second issuance window); progress is reported while it runs.signup_startStart Obsideo signup: emails a 6-digit verification code (12 GB free tier, no card, no expiry). If a no-email trial is configured on this machine, this CLAIMS it in place: same account, bucket, keys and data, only the quota rises. Otherwise it creates a new account for the email. Use a real inbox you or your human can read; documentation placeholders and disposable domains are refused with labeled errors. Then call signup_verify.signup_verifyComplete signup with the emailed code. When claiming a trial, nothing but the quota and the identity changes (credentials stay valid, no propagation wait). For a new account, generates the Ed25519 account signing keypair locally (only the public half is sent) and stores S3 credentials in ~/.obsideo/mcp.json; re-running that path rotates credentials and keypair with no overlap, so do not re-run to retry.putStore a local file or inline content as an object. ENCRYPTED BY DEFAULT: the bytes are encrypted client-side with AES-256-GCM using a locally generated, user-held key before they leave the machine, so the platform stores ciphertext it cannot read. The key lives only in the local config file and Obsideo has no copy: if the user loses it the data is unrecoverable, so tell them to back it up. Pass encrypt=false only when another tool must read the stored bytes directly (S3 interop); that stores plaintext. Zero-byte objects are rejected. Objects are replicated to 3 providers and verified on a continuous cryptographic challenge cycle. The first call on a fresh machine also creates the account and can take 20 to 50 seconds; progress is reported while it runs. Encrypted objects are readable only with this machine's key: there is no cross-user sharing of encrypted objects.getRetrieve an object. Encrypted objects (the default for anything stored through this server) are decrypted automatically with the local key; retrieval from a machine without that key will fail, which is the intended property. Small text objects return inline; pass local_path for anything else. WRITES TO DISK: passing local_path writes the bytes to that path and overwrites any existing file there, so treat it as a write operation and confirm the path with your human first.lsList stored objects (size TAB key), optionally under a prefix.rmDelete an object by key.verifyIndependently verify that the network still holds an object, without downloading it. Challenges each provider directly and compares every answer, on this machine, against a merkle root. For objects stored through this server, that root is the one this machine recorded at upload time, if the local record still has it. Pass local_path (your copy of the stored file) to compare against a root computed from that file instead. If neither is available, it falls back to the coordinator's recorded root and says so. The coordinator chooses which providers to ask, where to reach them, and the public keys their signatures are checked against. Returns how many providers proved possession right now, how many of those answers were signed, and whether any returned bad data.usageShow account storage usage versus quota.planShow the account's plan: free tier or paid blocks (200 GB per block, $5/month each), status, period end, and any upgrade offer waiting for the human's agreement. Never changes anything and never contacts Stripe.upgradeGet a Stripe-hosted checkout link for a paid plan of N x 200 GB blocks at $5/month per block. This tool charges NOTHING and changes nothing: the human opens the link and pays on Stripe's page, and the quota rises after payment. Call it only when the human has asked for more space, and hand the link back to them; do not open or submit it yourself. If the account already has a paid plan this returns the plan instead (plan size is never changed from here; only the human's click on Obsideo's emailed agree link does that).portalGet the Stripe Customer Portal link for a paid plan: cancel, change card, download invoices. For the human to open. Cancelling keeps everything stored and readable; the account returns to its free quota at the end of the paid period.- +1 more on the listing page
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Google Drive MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"google-drive-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@a1-x-tech/mcp-google-drive@latest"
],
"env": {
"GOOGLE_DRIVE_CLIENT_ID": "YOUR_GOOGLE_DRIVE_CLIENT_ID_HERE",
"GOOGLE_DRIVE_CLIENT_SECRET": "YOUR_GOOGLE_DRIVE_CLIENT_SECRET_HERE",
"GOOGLE_DRIVE_REFRESH_TOKEN": "YOUR_GOOGLE_DRIVE_REFRESH_TOKEN_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Obsideo MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"regan-milne-obsideo-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"obsideo-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Google Drive MCP is categorized under File Systems and uses a local stdio subprocess. Obsideo MCP belongs to File Systems and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Google Drive MCP for file systems work and Obsideo MCP for file systems.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
Google Drive MCP has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Obsideo MCP has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add google-drive-mcp and regan-milne-obsideo-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Google Drive MCP has a quality signal of 61/100 (Good) with 3 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. Obsideo MCP has 63/100 (Good) with 2 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.
