Google Drive MCP Server

A custom Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Google Drive, Docs, and Sheets. Built for powerful document editing and file management with Claude Code.

Author: Nick Feamster

Features

Drive Operations

• List files with filtering and sorting

• Search files by content or name

• Get file metadata

• List documents and spreadsheets

Document Operations

• Get full document structure and content

• Extract plain text from documents

• Create new documents

• Insert, append, and replace text

• Delete content ranges

• Apply text formatting (bold, italic, underline, font size/family)

• Batch update documents with custom requests

Spreadsheet Operations

• Get spreadsheet metadata and structure

• Read cell values from ranges

• Update cell values

• Create new spreadsheets

Related MCP server: Google Drive MCP Server

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10+

• Box Drive sync (for credential storage)

• A Google Cloud project with OAuth credentials

• Claude Code installed

Architecture Overview

This MCP server uses a distributed credential storage approach:

1. Code Repository (~/src/google-drive-mcp/) - Cloned from GitHub

2. Credentials Storage (~/Library/CloudStorage/Box-Box/mcp-auth/google-drive-mcp/) - OAuth credentials in Box (synced across machines)

3. MCP Configuration (~/.claude/.mcp.json) - Can be managed via dotfiles repo

This allows:

• Code updates via git pull

• Automatic credential sync via Box

• Easy setup on new machines

Google Cloud Setup (One-time)

1. Create Google Cloud Project

1. Go to Google Cloud Console

2. Create a new project (or use existing)

3. Enable the following APIs:

   • Google Docs API

   • Google Drive API

   • Google Sheets API

2. Configure OAuth Consent Screen

1. Go to "APIs & Services" → "OAuth consent screen"

2. Choose "External" user type

3. Fill in required app info:

   • App name: "Google Drive MCP"

   • Support email: your email

4. Add scopes:

   • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

   • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive

   • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/spreadsheets

   • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/script.external_request

5. Add your email as a Test User (important!)

6. Save and continue

3. Create OAuth 2.0 Credentials

1. Go to "APIs & Services" → "Credentials"

2. Click "Create Credentials" → "OAuth 2.0 Client ID"

3. Application type: Desktop app

4. Name it (e.g., "Google Drive MCP Client")

5. Click "Create"

6. Save the Client ID and Client Secret

Credentials Storage in Box

All OAuth credentials are stored in Box for automatic sync across machines.

Directory Structure

~/Library/CloudStorage/Box-Box/mcp-auth/google-drive-mcp/
├── credentials.json       # OAuth Client ID and Secret
└── tokens/
    └── token.json        # OAuth refresh token (auto-generated)

Create credentials.json

Create the file in Box with your OAuth credentials:

# Create directory structure
mkdir -p ~/Library/CloudStorage/Box-Box/mcp-auth/google-drive-mcp/tokens

# Create credentials.json (replace with your actual credentials from Google Cloud Console)
cat > ~/Library/CloudStorage/Box-Box/mcp-auth/google-drive-mcp/credentials.json <<'EOF'
{
  "client_id": "YOUR_CLIENT_ID.apps.googleusercontent.com",
  "client_secret": "YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET"
}
EOF

Important: The credentials.json file contains the OAuth Client ID and Secret from your Google Cloud project. These are the same credentials used across all your machines.

Installation

First Machine Setup

1. Clone the repository:

cd ~/src
git clone https://github.com/feamster/google-drive-mcp.git
cd google-drive-mcp

2. Install the package:

python3 -m pip install -e .

3. Verify Box credentials exist:

ls -la ~/Library/CloudStorage/Box-Box/mcp-auth/google-drive-mcp/
# Should show: credentials.json and tokens/ directory

4. Run authentication:

python3 -m google_drive_mcp.auth

This will:

• Open a browser for Google authorization

• Ask you to sign in and grant permissions

• Save the refresh token to Box at ~/Library/CloudStorage/Box-Box/mcp-auth/google-drive-mcp/tokens/token.json

5. Configure Claude Code:

Add to ~/.claude/.mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-drive": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "google_drive_mcp.server"],
      "cwd": "/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/src/google-drive-mcp"
    }
  }
}

Note: If you manage .mcp.json via a dotfiles repo, add this configuration there instead.

6. Restart Claude Code

New Machine Setup

When setting up on a new machine (assuming Box is already synced):

1. Clone the repository:

cd ~/src
git clone https://github.com/feamster/google-drive-mcp.git
cd google-drive-mcp

2. Install the package:

python3 -m pip install -e .

3. Verify Box is synced with credentials:

ls -la ~/Library/CloudStorage/Box-Box/mcp-auth/google-drive-mcp/
# Should show: credentials.json and tokens/token.json

If the token exists in Box, you're done! The server will use it automatically.

If the token is missing (first-time Box sync), run authentication:

python3 -m google_drive_mcp.auth

4. Configure Claude Code (if not using dotfiles):

Add to ~/.claude/.mcp.json (adjust username):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-drive": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "google_drive_mcp.server"],
      "cwd": "/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/src/google-drive-mcp"
    }
  }
}

5. Restart Claude Code

Testing

Test the server before using it with Claude Code:

cd ~/src/google-drive-mcp
python3 test_server.py

This will:

• Initialize the DocsClient

• List your recent Google Docs and Sheets

• Read content from your first document

• Verify all capabilities are working

Expected output:

Testing Google Drive MCP Server
==================================================

1. Initializing DocsClient...
   ✓ Client initialized successfully

2. Listing recent Google Docs...
   ✓ Found 5 documents
   ...

All tests passed! ✓

Available Tools (18 total)

Drive Tools (5)

• list_files(query?, maxResults?, orderBy?) - List files with optional filtering and sorting

• list_documents(maxResults?) - List Google Docs documents

• list_spreadsheets(maxResults?) - List Google Sheets spreadsheets

• search_files(searchTerm, maxResults?) - Search for files by name or content

• get_file_metadata(fileId) - Get metadata for a specific file

Document Tools (9)

• get_document(documentId) - Get full document structure and content

• get_document_text(documentId) - Get plain text content from a document

• create_document(title) - Create a new Google Docs document

• insert_text(documentId, text, index?) - Insert text at a specific index

• append_text(documentId, text) - Append text to the end of a document

• replace_all_text(documentId, findText, replaceText, matchCase?) - Replace all occurrences of text

• delete_content_range(documentId, startIndex, endIndex) - Delete content in a specific range

• format_text(documentId, startIndex, endIndex, bold?, italic?, underline?, fontSize?, fontFamily?) - Apply formatting to a text range

• batch_update_document(documentId, requests) - Execute batch updates (advanced - requires knowledge of Docs API)

Spreadsheet Tools (4)

• get_spreadsheet(spreadsheetId) - Get spreadsheet metadata and structure

• get_sheet_values(spreadsheetId, range) - Get values from a spreadsheet range (A1 notation)

• update_sheet_values(spreadsheetId, range, values) - Update values in a spreadsheet range

• create_spreadsheet(title) - Create a new Google Sheets spreadsheet

Usage Examples

List Recent Documents

Claude: "List my 10 most recent Google Docs"

Read a Document

Claude: "Read the content of document ID 1Bdjo1UJSoxUMyr__zaaNU8Dgmlkmtoq3tRCdGcQLM0k"

Edit a Document

Claude: "In document 1Bdjo1UJSoxUMyr__zaaNU8Dgmlkmtoq3tRCdGcQLM0k, replace all instances of 'old text' with 'new text'"

Format Text

Claude: "Make the first paragraph of document XYZ bold and increase font size to 14pt"

Create a New Document

Claude: "Create a new Google Doc titled 'Meeting Notes' and add an agenda with 3 bullet points"

Work with Spreadsheets

Claude: "Read cells A1:D10 from spreadsheet 1IkXxxTBw7onokE0ZEH4RAVrFZBQQOtOEb2F9U6xZ_DE"
Claude: "Update cell A1 in that spreadsheet to say 'Total Revenue'"

Development

Project Structure

google-drive-mcp/
├── google_drive_mcp/
│   ├── __init__.py       # Package initialization
│   ├── auth.py           # OAuth2 authentication with Box integration
│   ├── docs_client.py    # Google API client (Drive, Docs, Sheets)
│   └── server.py         # MCP server implementation
├── test_server.py        # Testing script
├── setup.py              # Package setup
├── requirements.txt      # Python dependencies
├── .gitignore           # Git ignore rules
└── README.md            # This file

Adding New Features

The client (docs_client.py) can be extended with additional Google API methods. The server (server.py) exposes these as MCP tools.

Steps to add a new tool:

1. Add method to DocsClient class in google_drive_mcp/docs_client.py:

def my_new_feature(self, document_id: str, param: str) -> Dict[str, Any]:
    """Description of what this does."""
    # Implementation using Google API
    ...

2. Add tool definition to TOOLS list in google_drive_mcp/server.py:

Tool(
    name="my_new_feature",
    description="Brief description for Claude",
    inputSchema={
        "type": "object",
        "properties": {
            "documentId": {"type": "string", "description": "Document ID"},
            "param": {"type": "string", "description": "Parameter description"}
        },
        "required": ["documentId", "param"]
    }
)

3. Add handler in call_tool() function in google_drive_mcp/server.py:

elif name == "my_new_feature":
    result = docs.my_new_feature(
        document_id=arguments["documentId"],
        param=arguments["param"]
    )
    return [TextContent(type="text", text=json.dumps(result, indent=2))]

4. Test and commit:

python3 test_server.py  # Verify it works
git add .
git commit -m "Add my_new_feature capability"
git push

Planned Features

Features to add (based on comparison with other MCP servers):

Priority 1:

• Comments system (list, create, reply, resolve, delete)

• Image insertion (from URLs or files)

• Tables and page breaks

• Advanced text formatting (colors, links, alignment, spacing)

• File management (move, copy, rename, delete, folders)

Priority 2:

• Markdown conversion and round-trip

• Sheets formatting (cell colors, alignment, freeze panes, dropdowns)

• Template support

• Multi-tab document support

Troubleshooting

Authentication Issues

Problem: "No valid credentials found"

Solution:

1. Verify Box is synced: ls ~/Library/CloudStorage/Box-Box/mcp-auth/google-drive-mcp/

2. Check credentials.json exists and is valid JSON

3. Ensure your email is listed as a Test User in OAuth consent screen

4. Verify all required APIs are enabled in Google Cloud Console

5. Re-run authentication: python3 -m google_drive_mcp.auth

Token Not Found

# Verify Box is synced
ls ~/Library/CloudStorage/Box-Box/mcp-auth/google-drive-mcp/tokens/

# Check token contents (should have refresh_token)
cat ~/Library/CloudStorage/Box-Box/mcp-auth/google-drive-mcp/tokens/token.json

# Re-authenticate if needed
python3 -m google_drive_mcp.auth

MCP Server Not Loading

1. Check Claude Code logs for errors

2. Verify the cwd path in .mcp.json matches your username:

   whoami  # Check your username
   cat ~/.claude/.mcp.json | grep google-drive

3. Test the server manually:

   cd ~/src/google-drive-mcp
   python3 -m google_drive_mcp.server
   # Should start without errors (use Ctrl+C to exit)

4. Verify package is installed:

   python3 -c "import google_drive_mcp; print(google_drive_mcp.__version__)"
   # Should print: 0.1.0

Box Sync Issues

Problem: Credentials or tokens not syncing

Solution:

1. Verify Box is running and synced

2. Check Box preferences for selective sync settings

3. Manually verify file exists on Box.com web interface

4. Force sync by touching the file: touch ~/Library/CloudStorage/Box-Box/mcp-auth/google-drive-mcp/tokens/token.json

Dotfiles Repo Integration

If you manage your Claude Code configuration via a dotfiles repo:

1. Add .mcp.json to your dotfiles repo

2. Symlink it: ln -s ~/dotfiles/.claude/.mcp.json ~/.claude/.mcp.json

3. Commit and push the configuration

4. On new machines, your dotfiles setup script should handle the symlink

Resources

• Google Docs API Reference

• Google Drive API Reference

• Google Sheets API Reference

• Claude Code MCP Documentation

• Google Cloud Console

• MCP Protocol Specification

License

MIT

Support

For issues or questions:

1. Check the Troubleshooting section above

2. Review Google API documentation

3. Test with test_server.py to isolate the problem

4. Check Claude Code logs for detailed error messages