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Google Drive Adaptor

About Google Drive​

Google Drive is Google's cloud-based file storage and synchronization service that allows users to store files online and access them from any computer or mobile device. Google Drive provides secure cloud storage, real-time collaboration capabilities, and seamless integration with Google Workspace applications including Docs, Sheets, and Slides.

Integration Options​

REST API: Google Drive provides comprehensive REST APIs through the Google Drive API, enabling developers to create, read, update, and manage files and folders programmatically. The API supports OAuth 2.0 authentication and provides access to metadata, content manipulation, and sharing permissions management.

Authentication​

Google Drive authentication requires an access token, which can be obtained in two ways: via a Google Service Account (recommended) or via OAuth2 using a personal Google account.

We strongly recommend using a Google Service Account for production workflows. A service account is a dedicated, non-personal Google identity designed for machine-to-machine access. It does not require anyone to log in with their personal Gmail account, and it won't break if someone changes their password or loses access.

When setting up a service account for Google Drive:

  • Grant only the scopes your workflow requires, following the principle of least privilege. See Google's documentation on OAuth scopes for the available Drive scopes.
  • Share the specific Drive folder(s) or file(s) with the service account's email address (e.g. my-service-account@my-project.iam.gserviceaccount.com) at the appropriate permission level (Viewer for read-only, Editor for write access).

See the Credentials page for broader guidance on why dedicated integration users and service accounts are recommended for all OpenFn workflows.

OAuth2​

OpenFn has a built-in GoogleDrive OAuth credential type that handles the OAuth 2.0 flow for you. This works with any Google user account — personal Gmail or Google Workspace — but keep in mind the integration is tied to whichever account completes the authorization. If that person's access is revoked or they leave the organization, the integration will break.

To authorize Google Drive using OAuth2, read our documentation on using OAuth credentials.

Google Drive OAuth credential

Access Token (Local Testing Only)​

For local development and testing, you can generate a short-lived access token (valid for 1 hour) using the gcloud CLI and provide it directly:

gcloud auth print-access-token

Then set it as your credential:

{
  "access_token": "eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJSUzI1NiIsIng1dCI6IjlGWERwYmZNRlQyU3ZRdVhoODQ2WVR3RUlCdyIsI"
}

Google Drive access token credential

This approach is not suitable for production as the token expires quickly and must be manually refreshed.

I've noticed a problem with this Adaptor, or something is out of date, what can I do?​

Thanks for asking! We are a fully Open Source Digital Public Good, and we welcome contributions from our community. Check out our Adaptors Wiki for more information on how you can update Adaptors!

Or, you can always reach out to the Community through our Community Forum here.