Google Drive MCP Server

Connect Google Drive to Claude Code with a simple double-click setup. This MCP server allows Claude to read, create, update, and manage files in your Google Drive.

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10 or higher
• A Google Account (personal or Google Workspace)
• Google Cloud Console access

Step 1: Create Google Cloud Credentials

1.1 Create a Google Cloud Project

1. Go to Google Cloud Console
2. Click the project dropdown at the top of the page
3. Click New Project
4. Enter a project name (e.g., "Google Drive MCP")
5. Click Create
6. Wait for the project to be created, then select it

1.2 Enable the Google Drive API

1. In the Google Cloud Console, go to APIs & Services > Library
2. Search for "Google Drive API"
3. Click on Google Drive API
4. Click Enable

1.3 Configure OAuth Consent Screen

1. Go to APIs & Services > OAuth consent screen
2. Select External (or Internal if using Google Workspace)
3. Click Create
4. Fill in the required fields:
   • App name: Google Drive MCP
   • User support email: Your email
   • Developer contact email: Your email
5. Click Save and Continue
6. On the Scopes page, click Add or Remove Scopes
7. Add these scopes:
   • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive.readonly
   • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive.file
   • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive
8. Click Update, then Save and Continue
9. On the Test users page, click Add Users
10. Add your email address
11. Click Save and Continue

1.4 Create OAuth Client ID

1. Go to APIs & Services > Credentials
2. Click Create Credentials > OAuth client ID
3. Select Desktop app as the application type
4. Enter a name (e.g., "Google Drive MCP Desktop")
5. Click Create
6. Click Download JSON on the popup
7. Rename the downloaded file to credentials.json
8. Place credentials.json in the project root directory

Important: The credentials must be of type "Desktop app", not "Web application".

Step 2: Install Dependencies

Option A: Using Virtual Environment (Recommended)

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/david-valdivia/GoogleDriveMCP.git
cd GoogleDriveMCP

# Create virtual environment (Python 3.10+ required)
python3 -m venv .venv

# Activate virtual environment
# On macOS/Linux:
source .venv/bin/activate
# On Windows:
.venv\Scripts\activate

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

Option B: Global Installation

pip install -r requirements.txt

Step 3: Run the Setup GUI

# With virtual environment activated
python -m src.main

This opens the setup window where you can:

1. Select your permission level (Read Only, Read + Create, or Full Access)
2. Click "Connect to Google" to authenticate
3. Complete the OAuth flow in your browser
4. Click "Configure MCP" to select a project directory for Claude Code

Step 4: Build the Executable (Optional)

Build a standalone executable that doesn't require Python:

# With virtual environment activated
python build/build.py

Build Output

Platform	Output
macOS	build/dist/Google Drive MCP.app and build/dist/googledrive-mcp
Windows	build/dist/googledrive-mcp.exe
Linux	build/dist/googledrive-mcp

macOS Additional Requirements

If building on macOS, you need Tcl/Tk for the GUI:

# Install Homebrew if not already installed
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

# Install Python with Tcl/Tk support
brew install python-tk@3.12

Step 5: Configure Claude Code

After authentication, the app automatically creates a .mcp.json file in your selected project directory. Alternatively, create it manually:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "googledrive": {
      "command": "/path/to/googledrive-mcp",
      "args": ["--serve"]
    }
  }
}

Replace /path/to/googledrive-mcp with:

• Built executable: Full path to googledrive-mcp or googledrive-mcp.exe
• From source: Full path to Python and script, e.g.:

  {
    "mcpServers": {
      "googledrive": {
        "command": "/path/to/.venv/bin/python",
        "args": ["/path/to/GoogleDriveMCP/src/main.py", "--serve"]
      }
    }
  }
  

Permission Levels

Level	Scopes	Capabilities
Read Only	drive.readonly	View and search files
Read + Create	drive.file	Above + create new files
Full Access	drive	Read, create, update, delete, share

Available MCP Tools

Tool	Description	Required Permission
list_files	List files in a folder or root	Read Only
read_file	Read file contents (exports Google Docs to text)	Read Only
search_files	Full-text search across Drive	Read Only
list_folders	List all folders for navigation	Read Only
get_sharing_info	View who has access to a file	Read Only
create_file	Create a new file or Google Doc	Read + Create
create_folder	Create a new folder	Read + Create
update_file	Update file contents	Full Access
delete_file	Move file to trash	Full Access
move_file	Move file to different folder	Full Access
copy_file	Copy a file	Full Access
share_file	Share file with email address	Full Access

Development

Run Tests

# With virtual environment activated
pytest -v

Project Structure

GoogleDriveMCP/
├── src/
│   ├── main.py          # Entry point, mode detection
│   ├── gui.py           # Setup GUI with tkinter
│   ├── server.py        # MCP server implementation
│   ├── drive.py         # Google Drive API wrapper
│   ├── auth.py          # OAuth flow and token management
│   └── config.py        # Platform-specific config paths
├── tests/               # Test files
├── build/
│   ├── build.py         # Build script
│   └── googledrive-mcp.spec  # PyInstaller spec
├── credentials.json     # Your OAuth credentials (not committed)
├── requirements.txt     # Python dependencies
└── README.md

Token Storage Location

Tokens are stored in platform-specific locations:

Platform	Location
macOS	~/Library/Application Support/GoogleDriveMCP/
Windows	%APPDATA%\GoogleDriveMCP\
Linux	~/.config/GoogleDriveMCP/

Troubleshooting

"credentials.json not found"

Make sure credentials.json is in the project root directory (same folder as src/).

"Error 400: redirect_uri_mismatch"

Your OAuth credentials are configured as "Web application" instead of "Desktop app". Create new credentials with type "Desktop app".

"Access blocked: This app's request is invalid"

1. Make sure you added yourself as a test user in the OAuth consent screen
2. Verify the app is in "Testing" mode (not "In production")

"ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'tkinter'"

On macOS with Homebrew Python:

brew install python-tk@3.12

On Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt-get install python3-tk

MCP server not connecting in Claude Code

1. Verify the path in .mcp.json is correct and absolute
2. Restart Claude Code after creating/modifying .mcp.json
3. Check that the executable has execute permissions: chmod +x googledrive-mcp

License

MIT