Google Drive MCP server

Last verified: 2026-09

List and read files from a Google Drive account.

Official reference Files & knowledge Needs a secret Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Code, VS Code

What it does

Lets the model search and read files in a Google Drive you connect via OAuth. It is Drive, not the local disk. Setup is a Google Cloud OAuth client; the model then sees whatever that account can see.

It sits in Files & knowledge: These servers put the model inside a folder, a notes vault, or a Drive.

Good for

Search Drive for a deck or doc by name without downloading the whole folder.
Pull the text of a Google Doc the connected account can open.
Ask what changed in a shared folder you do not have locally.
Read a spreadsheet the team already keeps in Drive instead of exporting CSV.

Tools

search — Find files by name or query.
read file contents — Pull a document or spreadsheet the account can open.

Config (Claude Desktop / Cursor / Windsurf)

Paste the JSON below. Same mcpServers shape. Replace placeholder paths and secrets. Windows paths look like C:\\Users\\you\\project, not /path/to. Host-side steps →

Claude Desktop

OS	Config file
macOS	`~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
Windows	`%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json` (usually `C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Roaming\Claude\`)
Linux	`~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`

Cursor

Scope	macOS / Linux	Windows
This project	`.cursor/mcp.json` in the repo root
This user	`~/.cursor/mcp.json`	`%USERPROFILE%\.cursor\mcp.json`

Windsurf

OS	Config file
macOS / Linux	`~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json`
Windows	`%USERPROFILE%\.codeium\windsurf\mcp_config.json`

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gdrive": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-gdrive"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GDRIVE_OAUTH_CLIENT": "from Google Cloud"
      }
    }
  }
}

Windsurf remote MCP: use serverUrl instead of url if the block below is HTTP.

One-liner: npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-gdrive

Secrets it wants: Google OAuth client

Source repo →

How to get started

Create a Google Cloud OAuth client (Desktop app) and enable the Drive API.
Put the client id/secret in the env block, complete the browser consent once.
Share only the Drive folders that integration should see — or use a dedicated Google account.

Access risk

OAuth grants whatever scopes you approve. A full Drive scope can read docs you did not mean to expose to the model.

When to skip it

Skip it for a local repo (Filesystem / Git) or a personal vault (Obsidian). Drive is for files that already live in Google.

Instead: Filesystem, Notion, Obsidian.

OfficialFilesystemRead and write files inside a folder you choose. Chat, mail & docsNotionSearch and update Notion pages. Files & knowledgeObsidianRead and search a local Obsidian vault.

Vs alternatives

Server	Official?	Needs a secret?	Best for
Google Drive	Yes	Yes	List and read files from a Google Drive account.
Filesystem	Yes	No	Read and write files inside a folder you choose.
Notion	No	Yes	Search and update Notion pages.
Obsidian	No	Yes	Read and search a local Obsidian vault.

More in Files & knowledge

OfficialFilesystemRead and write files inside a folder you choose. OfficialMemoryPersistent notes the model can store and recall across chats. Files & knowledgeApple NotesRead local Apple Notes on macOS. Files & knowledgeLogseqRead a Logseq graph.

All 6 in this category →

FAQ

What Google setup do I need?

A Google Cloud OAuth client (Desktop app) with the Drive API enabled. The model then sees whatever that account can see.

Can it write or share files?

Treat the scopes you approve as the product. A full Drive scope can read docs you did not mean to expose. Share only the folders that integration should see, or use a dedicated account.

Drive or Filesystem?

Filesystem for a local repo. Drive for files that already live in Google and are not on this machine.

Is this Google's official MCP?

No. It is Anthropic's reference server that talks to Drive via OAuth.