Google Drive API

Use the Google Drive API via direct curl calls to manage files, folders, uploads, downloads, sharing, and permissions.

Official docs: https://developers.google.com/drive/api/v3/reference

When to Use

Use this skill when you need to:

• List and search files and folders
• Upload files to Google Drive
• Download files from Google Drive
• Create folders and organize files
• Move and copy files between locations
• Share files and manage permissions
• Get file metadata (name, size, type, modified date)
• Delete files (move to trash or permanent deletion)
• Export Google Docs to different formats (PDF, DOCX, etc.)

Prerequisites

Go to vm0.ai Settings → Connectors and connect Google Drive. vm0 will automatically inject the required GOOGLE_DRIVE_TOKEN environment variable.

Placeholders: Values in {curly-braces} like {file-id} are placeholders. Replace them with actual values when executing.

How to Use

Base URL: https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3

Files

List Files

List files in your Google Drive:

curl -s "https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3/files?pageSize=10&fields=files(id,name,mimeType,modifiedTime,size)" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv GOOGLE_DRIVE_TOKEN)" | jq '.files[] | {id, name, mimeType, size}'

List Files with Query

Search using query syntax:

curl -s "https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3/files?q=name+contains+'report'&pageSize=10&fields=files(id,name,mimeType)" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv GOOGLE_DRIVE_TOKEN)" | jq '.files'

Common query operators:

• name = 'filename' - Exact name match
• name contains 'text' - Partial name match
• mimeType = 'application/pdf' - Filter by MIME type
• modifiedTime > '2024-01-01T00:00:00' - Modified after date
• trashed = false - Not in trash
• 'folder-id' in parents - Files in specific folder
• fullText contains 'keyword' - Search file content

Combine with and or or:

curl -s "https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3/files?q=mimeType+%3D+'application/pdf'+and+trashed+%3D+false&fields=files(id,name)" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv GOOGLE_DRIVE_TOKEN)" | jq '.files'

Get File Metadata

Get detailed information about a file:

curl -s "https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3/files/{file-id}?fields=id,name,mimeType,size,createdTime,modifiedTime,owners,parents,webViewLink,webContentLink" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv GOOGLE_DRIVE_TOKEN)" | jq .

Download File

Download a file's content:

curl -s "https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3/files/{file-id}?alt=media" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv GOOGLE_DRIVE_TOKEN)" > downloaded_file.bin

Export Google Docs

Export Google Docs, Sheets, Slides to different formats:

curl -s "https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3/files/{file-id}/export?mimeType=application/pdf" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv GOOGLE_DRIVE_TOKEN)" > document.pdf

curl -s "https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3/files/{file-id}/export?mimeType=application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv GOOGLE_DRIVE_TOKEN)" > spreadsheet.xlsx

curl -s "https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3/files/{file-id}/export?mimeType=application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv GOOGLE_DRIVE_TOKEN)" > document.docx

Common export MIME types:

• PDF: application/pdf
• DOCX: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document
• XLSX: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet
• Plain Text: text/plain
• HTML: text/html

Upload File (Simple)

Upload a file (up to 5MB):

curl -s -X POST "https://www.googleapis.com/upload/drive/v3/files?uploadType=media" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv GOOGLE_DRIVE_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/octet-stream" --data-binary @/path/to/file.txt | jq '{id, name, mimeType}'

Note: Simple upload creates the file with an auto-generated name ("Untitled"). Use Update File Metadata immediately after to set the filename.

Update File Metadata

Update file name or other metadata:

Write to /tmp/drive_request.json:

{
  "name": "NewFileName.txt"
}

Then run:

curl -s -X PATCH "https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3/files/{file-id}?fields=id,name,modifiedTime" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv GOOGLE_DRIVE_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/drive_request.json | jq '{id, name, modifiedTime}'

Copy File

Create a copy of a file:

Write to /tmp/drive_request.json:

{
  "name": "Copy of Document"
}

Then run:

curl -s -X POST "https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3/files/{file-id}/copy" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv GOOGLE_DRIVE_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/drive_request.json | jq '{id, name}'

Move File to Trash

Move a file to trash (can be restored):

Write to /tmp/drive_request.json:

{
  "trashed": true
}

Then run:

curl -s -X PATCH "https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3/files/{file-id}?fields=id,name,trashed" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv GOOGLE_DRIVE_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/drive_request.json | jq '{id, name, trashed}'

Delete File Permanently

Permanently delete a file (cannot be restored):

curl -s -X DELETE "https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3/files/{file-id}" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv GOOGLE_DRIVE_TOKEN)"

Folders

List Folders Only

List only folders:

curl -s "https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3/files?q=mimeType+%3D+'application/vnd.google-apps.folder'+and+trashed+%3D+false&fields=files(id,name,modifiedTime)" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv GOOGLE_DRIVE_TOKEN)" | jq '.files'

Create Folder

Create a new folder:

Write to /tmp/drive_request.json:

{
  "name": "My New Folder",
  "mimeType": "application/vnd.google-apps.folder"
}

Then run:

curl -s -X POST "https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3/files" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv GOOGLE_DRIVE_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/drive_request.json | jq '{id, name, mimeType}'

Create Folder in Parent Folder

Create a folder inside another folder:

Write to /tmp/drive_request.json:

{
  "name": "Subfolder",
  "mimeType": "application/vnd.google-apps.folder",
  "parents": ["{parent-folder-id}"]
}

Then run:

curl -s -X POST "https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3/files?fields=id,name,parents" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv GOOGLE_DRIVE_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/drive_request.json | jq '{id, name, parents}'

List Files in Folder

List all files in a specific folder:

curl -s "https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3/files?q='{folder-id}'+in+parents&fields=files(id,name,mimeType,size)" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv GOOGLE_DRIVE_TOKEN)" | jq '.files'

Sharing and Permissions

List Permissions

List all permissions for a file:

curl -s "https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3/files/{file-id}/permissions?fields=permissions(id,type,role,emailAddress)" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv GOOGLE_DRIVE_TOKEN)" | jq '.permissions'

Share with Specific User

Grant access to a specific user:

Write to /tmp/drive_request.json:

{
  "type": "user",
  "role": "reader",
  "emailAddress": "user@example.com"
}

Then run:

curl -s -X POST "https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3/files/{file-id}/permissions" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv GOOGLE_DRIVE_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/drive_request.json | jq '{id, type, role, emailAddress}'

Share with Anyone (Public Link)

Make a file accessible to anyone with the link:

Write to /tmp/drive_request.json:

{
  "type": "anyone",
  "role": "reader"
}

Then run:

curl -s -X POST "https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3/files/{file-id}/permissions" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv GOOGLE_DRIVE_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/drive_request.json | jq .

Update Permission

Change permission level:

Write to /tmp/drive_request.json:

{
  "role": "writer"
}

Then run:

curl -s -X PATCH "https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3/files/{file-id}/permissions/{permission-id}" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv GOOGLE_DRIVE_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/drive_request.json | jq .

Remove Permission

Revoke access:

curl -s -X DELETE "https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3/files/{file-id}/permissions/{permission-id}" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv GOOGLE_DRIVE_TOKEN)"

Permission roles:

• reader: Can view and download
• commenter: Can view, download, and comment
• writer: Can view, download, comment, and edit
• owner: Full control (only for type=user)

Permission types:

• user: Specific email address
• group: Google Group email
• domain: Everyone in organization
• anyone: Public access

Common MIME Types

Guidelines

1. Rate limits: Default quota is 1,000 requests per 100 seconds per user
2. File IDs: File IDs are permanent and don't change when files are renamed or moved
3. Pagination: Use pageToken from response to get next page of results
4. Fields parameter: Specify fields to reduce response size and improve performance
5. Upload size limits: Simple upload limited to 5MB; use resumable upload for larger files
6. Query escaping: Escape single quotes in queries as \' and backslashes as \\

API Reference

• REST Reference: https://developers.google.com/drive/api/v3/reference
• Search Query Guide: https://developers.google.com/drive/api/guides/search-files
• Upload Guide: https://developers.google.com/drive/api/guides/manage-uploads
• Download Guide: https://developers.google.com/drive/api/guides/manage-downloads
• OAuth Playground: https://developers.google.com/oauthplayground/
• OAuth Scopes: https://developers.google.com/identity/protocols/oauth2/scopes#drive