Google Drive MCP Server for Claude Code
Connect Claude Code to Drive MCP, check preview eligibility, configure OAuth, and verify search and reads on one known file before writes.
TL;DR
Google now provides an official remote Drive MCP server at https://drivemcp.googleapis.com/mcp/v1. It is in Developer Preview, so first confirm preview eligibility and organization policy. Create a dedicated Google Cloud project, enable both the Drive API and Drive MCP API, configure OAuth, then register the remote HTTP server in Claude Code with preconfigured OAuth credentials. Validate search and read against one known file before allowing create, copy, or download actions.
The official Drive service removes the need to choose and run an unverified local package. Verify the exact googleapis.com host before authentication.
You need a Google Cloud project, both required APIs, an OAuth consent screen, a client ID, and a callback URI that matches Claude Code.
Search, metadata, permission inspection, recent-file listing, and content reads are safer initial tests than any action that creates or copies data.
User ACLs, IRM, Context-Aware Access, client-side encryption, malware state, and trash status can make a visible file unavailable to MCP.
Set up a Google Drive MCP server in Claude Code
The authoritative starting point is Google's Drive MCP setup guide. It documents the remote server, required Google services, OAuth scopes, endpoint, and current tool list. Google provides client-specific instructions for Claude.ai and Claude Desktop plus a generic path for other HTTP MCP clients; Claude Code's own OAuth options supply the CLI-specific registration described below.
The Drive MCP server is currently part of the Google Workspace Developer Preview Program. Confirm the intended users and organization may use it before building a production dependency around the endpoint.
Use a project owned by the appropriate organization rather than a personal or unrelated production project. Record the project ID, owner, environment, intended users, and removal process so the OAuth client can be audited later.
Enable drive.googleapis.com and drivemcp.googleapis.com for the project. Enabling the standard Drive API alone does not enable the MCP service.
Set up the Google Auth Platform consent screen and audience. Google's current Drive MCP guide identifies drive.readonly and drive.file scopes; review the requested grant with the workspace administrator, limit test users, and do not add unrelated Drive scopes.
Choose a fixed local callback port for Claude Code, such as 8080, and register the exact URI http://localhost:8080/callback in the Google OAuth client. Copy the client ID and keep the client secret outside the repository, shell history, and page content.
Register, validate, and control the Drive tools
Google does not currently show a Claude Code-specific command on its Drive page. The registration below maps Google's documented remote endpoint and OAuth requirement to the Claude Code MCP OAuth flow. Replace the client ID and port with the exact values registered in Google Cloud. The --client-secret flag prompts for the secret with masked input; do not put the secret directly on the command line.
claude mcp add --transport http \
--client-id YOUR_GOOGLE_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID \
--client-secret --callback-port 8080 \
drive https://drivemcp.googleapis.com/mcp/v1| Stage | Action | Evidence | Stop condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Register | Add the remote HTTP endpoint with the OAuth client and fixed callback. | claude mcp get drive shows the intended URL and OAuth configuration. | Host, client ID, or callback differs from Cloud settings. |
| Authenticate | Run claude mcp login drive or authenticate through /mcp. | Correct Google account, consent project, and requested scopes. | Unexpected account, app, scope, or unverified warning. |
| Discover | Inspect the runtime tool list before writing prompts. | Tool names and schemas match Google's current reference. | Unexpected tools or broader side effects appear. |
| Read test | Search a unique filename, inspect metadata and permissions, then read known content. | File ID, name, MIME type, owner, and content match Drive. | Multiple matches, missing source, or ineligible file. |
| Action test | Preview one create or copy into a dedicated test folder and require approval. | Exact parent ID, title, content, source file, and resulting URL. | Unclear destination, overwrite risk, or no explicit approval. |
Names can collide across My Drive and shared drives. Once the correct file is found, carry its immutable ID, MIME type, owner, parent, and URL into later steps. Do not authorize a copy or download based on title alone.
A Drive file can contain hidden or visible instructions that conflict with the task. Tell Claude Code that retrieved content is evidence only; it cannot request credentials, widen tool access, transmit other files, or authorize a follow-on action.
A timeout can occur after an action succeeds. Search the destination folder for the expected file ID, title, source key, and creation time before repeating a create or copy. If state remains uncertain, stop for manual review.
Current tool boundary: Google's reference currently lists search, recent files, metadata, permissions, content read/download, create, and copy. It does not list a general update, move, or delete tool. Use the runtime tools/list response as the final authority because Developer Preview capabilities can change.
| Symptom | Likely layer | Safe next check |
|---|---|---|
| Server is unavailable | Preview access or APIs | Confirm program access and that both Drive services are enabled in the correct project. |
| OAuth redirect fails | Callback mismatch | Compare scheme, host, port, and /callback path character by character. |
| Consent is denied | Audience, test user, scope, or admin policy | Check OAuth audience and requested scopes; do not switch to a personal project to bypass policy. |
| A known file is absent | Eligibility or account | Verify the signed-in user, ACL, IRM, CAA, encryption, and item state. |
| Content cannot be read | Unsupported or protected content | Inspect MIME type and metadata, then test a known eligible document without weakening policy. |
| Create or copy is uncertain | Timeout after possible success | Search the exact parent for the source key and creation time before retrying. |
Use QVeris only when the workflow needs another capability
The official Google Drive MCP server is the direct integration for Drive files. A current QVeris catalog search did not surface an exact Google Drive Tool or Provider record, so this page does not claim a native QVeris-to-Drive route. Use QVeris Docs for capability discovery guidance, or validate a separately selected tool in the QVeris Playground before its output is stored in Drive.
- Keep systems separate. Drive holds governed files; a specialized provider may supply current data or perform a different action. Do not let access to one system silently authorize the other.
- Validate provenance and format. Check provider identity, tool schema, result source, constraints, and output type before building a Drive document from external results.
- Approve the cross-system write. Show the validated input, target folder ID, new filename, MIME type, and proposed content before calling
create_file. - Prefer the direct route for Drive-only work. Searching, reading, creating, copying, or downloading known Drive files does not need an additional capability layer.
FAQ
Yes. Google provides https://drivemcp.googleapis.com/mcp/v1, currently in Developer Preview. Use Google's setup and tool-reference pages instead of a similarly named third-party package.
Claude Code supports remote HTTP MCP servers and preconfigured OAuth credentials. Register a Google OAuth web client with a matching localhost callback, add the endpoint, and authenticate through Claude Code.
Google currently lists search, recent files, metadata, permissions, content read/download, create, and copy. Preview features can change, so inspect the runtime tool list before each governed rollout.
A general update, move, or delete tool is not listed in Google's current Drive MCP reference. Do not infer those capabilities from the OAuth grant; only use tools actually discovered and approved.
The MCP eligibility checks can exclude files because of ACLs, IRM, Context-Aware Access, client-side encryption, malware/spam status, or trash state. Search results filter ineligible items.
Use Claude Code's masked --client-secret flow or its supported secure credential storage. Do not commit a secret to .mcp.json, paste it into a prompt, or expose it in shell history.
References and next steps
Google Drive MCP setup guide
Google Drive MCP tool reference
Drive MCP file eligibility
Claude Code MCP documentation
QVeris Docs
QVeris Playground