gdrive_read_file
Read contents of a file from Google Drive
LABSCO SUMMARY
A tracking sheet becomes writable from the conversation, one cell at a time.
Three of the four tools read and the fourth writes a single cell by range and value, which keeps an agent's edits small enough to check rather than letting it replace a sheet wholesale. Everything begins at gdrive_search, since the read and write tools address files by ID — a session that cannot find the file cannot do anything else with it.
What it is
A four-tool server over Google Drive and Google Sheets: search and read for files, range reads and single-cell writes for spreadsheets.
What you get
- Drive search with a query and paging, returning the fileId the other tools take
- The contents of a file read by fileId
- Spreadsheet data read by ranges, with options for how ranges and formatting come back
- One spreadsheet cell updated in place, addressed by range and given a value
Requirements
CLIENT_ID, CLIENT_SECRET and GDRIVE_CREDS_DIR — a Google client credential pair and a directory the server keeps its credentials in — plus a Drive account holding the files you mean to reach.
Setup effort
One command plus credentials — npx -y @isaacphi/mcp-gdrive, then supply credentials
USE CASES
01
Answering a question from a sheet nobody opened
Find the spreadsheet by name, then read the ranges that matter with control over how the values and formatting come back.
02
Writing a result back into a tracking sheet
Locate the sheet, then set one cell by range and value. Single-cell writes keep an agent's edits small enough to review in the same message that made them.
03
Reading a document referred to by name in a conversation
Search finds the file and returns its ID; the read tool returns its contents, so a document mentioned in passing can be quoted accurately instead of remembered.
4 tools
Counted once with only startup setup. Other versions, modes or optional credentials may expose a different list.
gdrive_search
Search for files in Google Drive
gsheets_read
Read data from a Google Spreadsheet with flexible options for ranges and formatting
gsheets_update_cell
Update a cell value in a Google Spreadsheet
BEFORE YOU INSTALL
What to know first
Tools you get
4 tools when we connected. Three tools only read; gsheets_update_cell writes to a real spreadsheet. Drive access is read-only, so nothing can upload, rename or delete a Drive file.
Requires
- npx on PATH
- CLIENT_ID in your environment
- CLIENT_SECRET in your environment
Where it runs
The documented client runs the server on your machine.
CONTEXT COST
Light Standing cost
Rated by the size of the 4 tool definitions that ride along on every turn, not by how many there are
INSTALLATION
Connect your client
Server setup
TERMINAL
npx -y @isaacphi/mcp-gdriveMCP Clients
Any MCP client
ANY MCP CLIENT · JSON
{
"mcpServers": {
"gdrive": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@isaacphi/mcp-gdrive"
],
"env": {
"CLIENT_ID": "<YOUR_CLIENT_ID>",
"CLIENT_SECRET": "<YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET>",
"GDRIVE_CREDS_DIR": "<YOUR_GDRIVE_CREDS_DIR>"
}
}
}
}
