Google Drive MCP Server

What the Google Drive MCP Server MCP server does

The Google Drive MCP Server MCP server connects an MCP client to Google Drive and Google Workspace APIs. It can list, search, read, create, update, delete, move, and copy Drive files and folders. File metadata includes names, sizes, timestamps, parent-folder names, shared-drive information, owners, and available capabilities.

The server also provides permission controls for sharing a file with a user as a reader, writer, or commenter, listing existing access, and removing a user's permission. Shared drives are supported across the documented operations, including deletion behavior when permanent removal is not allowed.

Google Docs operations cover structured reads, appending and inserting text, find-and-replace, Markdown conversion, themes, and corporate document templates. The README also documents editing for Sheets and Slides, Calendar event management, and Gmail draft creation. Gmail drafts remain in the user's Drafts folder; the server does not send messages.

How it works

The Google Drive MCP Server MCP server uses the official Google APIs and the MCP SDK. An agent calls named MCP tools, while the server translates those requests into Google API operations. OAuth2 authorization is completed with a browser-based command, and the resulting tokens are stored locally with automatic refresh.

Large regular files are read using byte ranges, so callers can request portions with offsets and maximum byte counts. Google Workspace files are exported into readable formats: Docs as Markdown, Sheets as CSV, and Slides as text. Office and OpenDocument files can also be converted to text during reads through a temporary Workspace copy.

Markdown written to Docs can retain headings, emphasis, inline code, code blocks, tables, lists, links, and blockquotes as native document formatting. Built-in document themes include corporate and minimal; custom themes can be loaded from JSON.

Setup and configuration

Create OAuth credentials in Google Cloud Console and enable the Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and, when needed, Calendar APIs. Run the authentication command through npm or from a built checkout, then configure the MCP client to launch the local process with GDRIVE_MCP_OAUTH_PATH pointing to the OAuth credentials JSON file.

The documented npm entry point is npx @ibarcarty/mcp-server-google-drive. A source installation uses npm install --ignore-scripts, npm run build, and the generated dist/index.js. Set GDRIVE_MCP_CUSTOM_THEMES_PATH only when custom document themes are required. The README also describes Streamable HTTP for Cloud Run, in addition to local stdio.

Tools and capabilities

The Google Drive MCP Server MCP server exposes tools for:

• Listing, searching, reading, creating, updating, deleting, moving, and copying Drive files.
• Creating folders and inspecting file metadata.
• Sharing files, listing permissions, and revoking access.
• Reading and editing Docs, including formatted Markdown output and document styling.
• Reading and modifying Sheets and Slides, managing Calendar events, and creating Gmail drafts.

Limitations and notes

Permanent deletion in a shared drive may not be available to every user. When the API rejects permanent deletion, the server moves the item to trash and explains the result instead of treating it as a missing file.

Gmail support is limited to draft creation for human review; there is intentionally no send tool. Calendar functionality requires the Calendar API to be enabled. File reads are paged by byte range, so callers handling large files should request suitable ranges rather than expecting one unbounded response.

This Google Drive MCP Server MCP server is listed in the Workplace & Productivity category and requires Google authorization before it can access user or shared-drive content.