Dropbox Automation via Rube MCP

Automate Dropbox operations including file upload/download, search, folder management, sharing links, batch operations, and metadata retrieval through Composio's Dropbox toolkit.

Toolkit docs: composio.dev/toolkits/dropbox

Prerequisites

• Rube MCP must be connected (RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS available)

• Active Dropbox connection via RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit dropbox

• Always call RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS first to get current tool schemas

Setup

Get Rube MCP: Add https://rube.app/mcp as an MCP server in your client configuration. No API keys needed — just add the endpoint and it works.

• Verify Rube MCP is available by confirming RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS responds

• Call RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit dropbox

• If connection is not ACTIVE, follow the returned auth link to complete Dropbox OAuth

• Confirm connection status shows ACTIVE before running any workflows

Core Workflows

1. Search for Files and Folders

When to use: User wants to find files or folders by name, content, or type

Tool sequence:

• DROPBOX_SEARCH_FILE_OR_FOLDER

• Search by query string with optional path scope and filters [Required]

• DROPBOX_SEARCH_CONTINUE

• Paginate through additional results using cursor [Required if has_more]

• DROPBOX_GET_METADATA

• Validate and get canonical path for a search result [Optional]

• DROPBOX_READ_FILE

• Read file content to verify it is the intended document [Optional]

Key parameters:

• query : Search string (case-insensitive, 1+ non-whitespace characters)

• options.path : Scope search to a folder (e.g., "/Documents" ); empty string for root

• options.file_categories : Filter by type ("image" , "document" , "pdf" , "folder" , etc.)

• options.file_extensions : Filter by extension (e.g., ["jpg", "png"] )

• options.filename_only : Set true to match filenames only (not content)

• options.max_results : Results per page (default 100, max 1000)

Pitfalls:

• Search returns has_more: true with a cursor when more results exist; MUST continue to avoid silently missing matches

• Maximum 10,000 matches total across all pages of search + search_continue

• DROPBOX_GET_METADATA returned path_display may differ in casing from user input; always use the returned canonical path

• File content from DROPBOX_READ_FILE may be returned as base64-encoded file_content_bytes ; decode before parsing

2. Upload and Download Files

When to use: User wants to upload files to Dropbox or download files from it

Tool sequence:

• DROPBOX_UPLOAD_FILE

• Upload a file to a specified path [Required for upload]

• DROPBOX_READ_FILE

• Download/read a file from Dropbox [Required for download]

• DROPBOX_DOWNLOAD_ZIP

• Download an entire folder as a zip file [Optional]

• DROPBOX_SAVE_URL

• Save a file from a public URL directly to Dropbox [Optional]

• DROPBOX_GET_SHARED_LINK_FILE

• Download a file from a shared link URL [Optional]

• DROPBOX_EXPORT_FILE

• Export non-downloadable files like Dropbox Paper to markdown/HTML [Optional]

Key parameters:

• path : Dropbox path (must start with / , e.g., "/Documents/report.pdf" )

• mode : "add" (default, fail on conflict) or "overwrite" for uploads

• autorename : true to auto-rename on conflict instead of failing

• content : FileUploadable object with s3key , mimetype , and name for uploads

• url : Public URL for DROPBOX_SAVE_URL

• export_format : "markdown" , "html" , or "plain_text" for Paper docs

Pitfalls:

• DROPBOX_SAVE_URL is asynchronous and may take up to 15 minutes for large files

• DROPBOX_DOWNLOAD_ZIP folder must be under 20 GB with no single file over 4 GB and fewer than 10,000 entries

• DROPBOX_READ_FILE content may be base64-encoded; check response format

• Shared link downloads via DROPBOX_GET_SHARED_LINK_FILE may require link_password for protected links

3. Share Files and Manage Links

When to use: User wants to create sharing links or manage existing shared links

Tool sequence:

• DROPBOX_GET_METADATA

• Confirm file/folder exists and get canonical path [Prerequisite]

• DROPBOX_LIST_SHARED_LINKS

• Check for existing shared links to avoid duplicates [Prerequisite]

• DROPBOX_CREATE_SHARED_LINK

• Create a new shared link [Required]

• DROPBOX_GET_SHARED_LINK_METADATA

• Resolve a shared link URL to metadata [Optional]

• DROPBOX_LIST_SHARED_FOLDERS

• List all shared folders the user has access to [Optional]

Key parameters:

• path : File or folder path for link creation

• settings.audience : "public" , "team" , or "no_one"

• settings.access : "viewer" or "editor"

• settings.expires : ISO 8601 expiration date (e.g., "2026-12-31T23:59:59Z" )

• settings.require_password / settings.link_password : Password protection

• settings.allow_download : Boolean for download permission

• direct_only : For LIST_SHARED_LINKS , set true to only return direct links (not parent folder links)

Pitfalls:

• DROPBOX_CREATE_SHARED_LINK fails with 409 Conflict if a shared link already exists for the path; check with DROPBOX_LIST_SHARED_LINKS first

• Always validate path with DROPBOX_GET_METADATA before creating links to avoid path/not_found errors

• Reuse existing links from DROPBOX_LIST_SHARED_LINKS instead of creating duplicates

• requested_visibility is deprecated; use audience for newer implementations

4. Manage Folders (Create, Move, Delete)

When to use: User wants to create, move, rename, or delete files and folders

Tool sequence:

• DROPBOX_CREATE_FOLDER

• Create a single folder [Required for create]

• DROPBOX_CREATE_FOLDER_BATCH

• Create multiple folders at once [Optional]

• DROPBOX_MOVE_FILE_OR_FOLDER

• Move or rename a single file/folder [Required for move]

• DROPBOX_MOVE_BATCH

• Move multiple items at once [Optional]

• DROPBOX_DELETE_FILE_OR_FOLDER

• Delete a single file or folder [Required for delete]

• DROPBOX_DELETE_BATCH

• Delete multiple items at once [Optional]

• DROPBOX_COPY_FILE_OR_FOLDER

• Copy a file or folder to a new location [Optional]

• DROPBOX_CHECK_MOVE_BATCH / DROPBOX_CHECK_FOLDER_BATCH

• Poll async batch job status [Required for batch ops]

Key parameters:

• path : Target path (must start with / , case-sensitive)

• from_path / to_path : Source and destination for move/copy operations

• autorename : true to auto-rename on conflict

• entries : Array of {from_path, to_path} for batch moves; array of paths for batch creates

• allow_shared_folder : Set true to allow moving shared folders

• allow_ownership_transfer : Set true if move changes ownership

Pitfalls:

• All paths are case-sensitive and must start with /

• Paths must NOT end with / or whitespace

• Batch operations may be asynchronous; poll with DROPBOX_CHECK_MOVE_BATCH or DROPBOX_CHECK_FOLDER_BATCH

• DROPBOX_FILES_MOVE_BATCH (v1) has "all or nothing" behavior - if any entry fails, entire batch fails

• DROPBOX_MOVE_BATCH (v2) is preferred over DROPBOX_FILES_MOVE_BATCH (v1)

• Maximum 1000 entries per batch delete/move; 10,000 paths per batch folder create

• Case-only renaming is not supported in batch move operations

5. List Folder Contents

When to use: User wants to browse or enumerate files in a Dropbox folder

Tool sequence:

• DROPBOX_LIST_FILES_IN_FOLDER

• List contents of a folder [Required]

• DROPBOX_LIST_FOLDERS

• Alternative folder listing with deleted entries support [Optional]

• DROPBOX_GET_METADATA

• Get details for a specific item [Optional]

Key parameters:

• path : Folder path (empty string "" for root)

• recursive : true to list all nested contents

• limit : Max results per request (default/max 2000)

• include_deleted : true to include deleted but recoverable items

• include_media_info : true to get photo/video metadata

Pitfalls:

• Use empty string "" for root folder, not "/"

• Recursive listings can be very large; use limit to control page size

• Results may paginate via cursor even with small limits

• DROPBOX_LIST_FILES_IN_FOLDER returns 409 Conflict with path/not_found for incorrect paths

Common Patterns

ID Resolution

• Path-based: Most Dropbox tools use path strings (e.g., "/Documents/file.pdf" )

• ID-based: Some tools accept id:... format (e.g., "id:4g0reWVRsAAAAAAAAAAAQ" )

• Canonical path: Always use path_display or path_lower from DROPBOX_GET_METADATA responses for subsequent calls

• Shared link URL: Use DROPBOX_GET_SHARED_LINK_METADATA to resolve URLs to paths/IDs

Pagination

Dropbox uses cursor-based pagination across most endpoints:

• Search: Follow has_more

• cursor with DROPBOX_SEARCH_CONTINUE (max 10,000 total matches)

• Folder listing: Follow cursor from response until no more pages

• Shared links: Follow has_more

• cursor in DROPBOX_LIST_SHARED_LINKS

• Batch job status: Poll with DROPBOX_CHECK_MOVE_BATCH / DROPBOX_CHECK_FOLDER_BATCH

Async Operations

Several Dropbox operations run asynchronously:

• DROPBOX_SAVE_URL

• returns job ID; poll or set wait: true (up to 120s default)

• DROPBOX_MOVE_BATCH / DROPBOX_FILES_MOVE_BATCH

• may return job ID

• DROPBOX_CREATE_FOLDER_BATCH

• may return job ID

• DROPBOX_DELETE_BATCH

• returns job ID

Known Pitfalls

Path Formats

• All paths must start with / (except empty string for root in some endpoints)

• Paths must NOT end with / or contain trailing whitespace

• Paths are case-sensitive for write operations

• path_display from API may differ in casing from user input; always prefer API-returned paths

Rate Limits

• Dropbox API has per-endpoint rate limits; batch operations help reduce call count

• Search is limited to 10,000 total matches across all pagination

• DROPBOX_SAVE_URL has a 15-minute timeout for large files

File Content

• DROPBOX_READ_FILE may return content as base64-encoded file_content_bytes

• Non-downloadable files (Dropbox Paper, Google Docs) require DROPBOX_EXPORT_FILE instead

• Download URLs from shared links require proper authentication headers

Sharing

• Creating a shared link when one already exists returns a 409 Conflict error

• Always check DROPBOX_LIST_SHARED_LINKS before creating new links

• Shared folder access may not appear in standard path listings; use DROPBOX_LIST_SHARED_FOLDERS

Quick Reference

Task Tool Slug Key Params

Search files DROPBOX_SEARCH_FILE_OR_FOLDER

query , options.path

Continue search DROPBOX_SEARCH_CONTINUE

cursor

List folder DROPBOX_LIST_FILES_IN_FOLDER

path , recursive , limit

List folders DROPBOX_LIST_FOLDERS

path , recursive

Get metadata DROPBOX_GET_METADATA

path

Read/download file DROPBOX_READ_FILE

path

Upload file DROPBOX_UPLOAD_FILE

path , content , mode

Save URL to Dropbox DROPBOX_SAVE_URL

path , url

Download folder zip DROPBOX_DOWNLOAD_ZIP

path

Export Paper doc DROPBOX_EXPORT_FILE

path , export_format

Download shared link DROPBOX_GET_SHARED_LINK_FILE

url

Create shared link DROPBOX_CREATE_SHARED_LINK

path , settings

List shared links DROPBOX_LIST_SHARED_LINKS

path , direct_only

Shared link metadata DROPBOX_GET_SHARED_LINK_METADATA

url

List shared folders DROPBOX_LIST_SHARED_FOLDERS

limit

Create folder DROPBOX_CREATE_FOLDER

path

Create folders batch DROPBOX_CREATE_FOLDER_BATCH

paths

Move file/folder DROPBOX_MOVE_FILE_OR_FOLDER

from_path , to_path

Move batch DROPBOX_MOVE_BATCH

entries

Delete file/folder DROPBOX_DELETE_FILE_OR_FOLDER

path

Delete batch DROPBOX_DELETE_BATCH

entries

Copy file/folder DROPBOX_COPY_FILE_OR_FOLDER

from_path , to_path

Check batch status DROPBOX_CHECK_MOVE_BATCH

async_job_id

Powered by Composio