Ranked roundup · Google Drive
Best MCP Server for Google Drive
Google now runs an official MCP server for Google Drive, and that changes the shape of this list. The Drive MCP server at drivemcp.googleapis.com shipped through the Google Workspace Developer Preview Program: Google-hosted, OAuth-scoped, and deliberately small — search, read, create, copy, metadata, permissions. It is still a preview, and wiring it up means a Google Cloud project, your own OAuth client, and preview enrollment, so the community servers are not redundant. taylorwilsdon's google_workspace_mcp (3,098 stars, pushed within the last week) covers Drive plus the rest of Workspace from one self-hosted server; piotr-agier's google-drive-mcp goes deeper on Drive itself. The reference gdrive server most older tutorials still point at was archived in May 2025 and has not moved since. Rankings here come from verifiable criteria only — official status, push recency, adoption, auth model, documented coverage — checked against the GitHub API and vendor docs on the date above. No paid placement, no invented benchmark scores.
Facts checked September 1, 2026 · ranked on verifiable criteria · placement is never for sale
Founder, Automation Squad ·
The ranking
- Official · Google
Teams that want vendor-maintained infrastructure and the narrowest OAuth footprint, and can tolerate preview status
Eight documented tools: search_files, read_file_content, download_file_content, create_file, copy_file, get_file_metadata, get_file_permissions, list_recent_files. Actions respect the signed-in user's existing Drive permissions.
Remote, Google-hosted at https://drivemcp.googleapis.com/mcp/v1; connect over streamable HTTP — nothing to run yourself · OAuth 2.0 with drive.readonly + drive.file scopes; you create your own OAuth client ID/secret in a Google Cloud project
- Developer Preview, not GA — requires enrollment in the Google Workspace Developer Preview Program
- Setup needs a Google Cloud project, the Drive API and Drive MCP API enabled, and your own OAuth client — not a one-click toggle
- No delete/trash or sharing-write tools in the documented list; write reach is limited by the drive.file scope
- Per Google's docs, using it in Claude requires a paid plan (Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise)
- Community
Anyone who wants Drive plus the rest of Google Workspace from one actively maintained server
16 Drive tools (search, read, create, share, Office-format import) plus Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Tasks, and Chat — the most feature-complete community Workspace server
Self-hosted: uvx one-liner, Docker image, or centrally hosted for a whole org; stdio and HTTP transports · OAuth 2.0 with your own Google Cloud client; also OAuth 2.1 PKCE for multi-user remote deployments, service accounts with domain-wide delegation, or bring-your-own auth server · MIT · 3,098★
- Community project — not affiliated with or supported by Google
- You still create and safeguard your own Google Cloud OAuth client
- Covers all of Workspace, so the scope surface is broad — enable only the tool tiers you need
- Community
Power users who need deep Drive-specific control: shared drives, permission management, revision history
116 tools across Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Calendar — file management, shared drives, permissions, revisions, and rich in-document editing
Self-hosted, local or hosted deployment; supports multiple Google accounts with per-tool account selection · Local OAuth flow with your own Google Cloud client; multi-account support built in · MIT · 210★
- Community project with a small contributor base — modest adoption (~210 stars) means less battle-testing
- 116 tools can swamp smaller-context MCP clients; register a subset rather than everything
- Same Google Cloud OAuth client setup burden as every self-hosted option
- Community
No-code and agent builders who want Drive connected in minutes without touching the Google Cloud console
76 Google Drive tools and 7 triggers per Composio's toolkit page: folders, uploads, sharing, comments, search, and event triggers for automations
Fully managed cloud endpoint — no Google Cloud project, no server to run, works with Claude, Cursor, and ChatGPT · Managed OAuth with automatic token refresh and rotation; a central dashboard to scope and revoke access — Composio brokers and stores the tokens
- A third party sits between your agent and your files — Composio holds your Google OAuth tokens
- Free tier to start, but production usage moves onto paid platform pricing
- Proprietary hosted service — you cannot self-host the managed offering
Nobody today — listed because older tutorials still point to it
Read-only: file search and file read/export. No write, share, or delete tools.
Local stdio via Node/npx · OAuth with your own Google Cloud client; credentials cached in a local file · MIT · 295★
- Repo archived in May 2025 ("Reference MCP servers that are no longer maintained") — no updates, no security fixes
- Read-only by design; cannot create or modify files
- Superseded by every maintained option above — do not start new projects on it
Google Drive MCP servers compared
| Server | Maintained by | Runs | Auth | License |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Drive MCP server (official) | Remote, Google-hosted at https://drivemcp.googleapis.com/mcp/v1; connect over streamable HTTP — nothing to run yourself | OAuth 2.0 with drive.readonly + drive.file scopes; you create your own OAuth client ID/secret in a Google Cloud project | — | |
| google_workspace_mcp (taylorwilsdon) | Community | Self-hosted: uvx one-liner, Docker image, or centrally hosted for a whole org; stdio and HTTP transports | OAuth 2.0 with your own Google Cloud client; also OAuth 2.1 PKCE for multi-user remote deployments, service accounts with domain-wide delegation, or bring-your-own auth server | MIT |
| google-drive-mcp (piotr-agier) | Community | Self-hosted, local or hosted deployment; supports multiple Google accounts with per-tool account selection | Local OAuth flow with your own Google Cloud client; multi-account support built in | MIT |
| Composio Google Drive MCP (managed) | Community | Fully managed cloud endpoint — no Google Cloud project, no server to run, works with Claude, Cursor, and ChatGPT | Managed OAuth with automatic token refresh and rotation; a central dashboard to scope and revoke access — Composio brokers and stores the tokens | — |
| Reference gdrive server (modelcontextprotocol, archived) | Community | Local stdio via Node/npx | OAuth with your own Google Cloud client; credentials cached in a local file | MIT |
How to choose
Pick Google's official Drive MCP server if you want vendor-run infrastructure and least-privilege scopes, and can live with developer-preview status plus a Google Cloud setup session. Pick google_workspace_mcp if you want Drive alongside Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and Calendar from one actively maintained self-hosted server — it is the most adopted community option by a wide margin. Pick piotr-agier/google-drive-mcp if you need deep Drive-specific control: shared drives, permissions, revisions. Pick Composio if you would rather never open the Google Cloud console — managed OAuth in minutes, at the cost of a third party holding your tokens. Skip the archived reference server entirely.
How this ranking works
Every server here is real and was checked against its repository or vendor documentation on the date above — stars and licenses come from the GitHub API, not from memory. Order reflects verifiable criteria only: official support, maintenance recency, adoption, auth model, and documented capability coverage. We do not run paid placements, and we list every caveat we find, including the unflattering ones.
Common questions
- Is there an official Google Drive MCP server?
- Yes. Google hosts one at drivemcp.googleapis.com/mcp/v1, shipped through the Google Workspace Developer Preview Program — real and Google-maintained, but still a preview rather than generally available. Anthropic's older reference gdrive server is a different thing and was archived in May 2025.
- What does setup and auth actually involve?
- Every option except Composio requires a Google Cloud project, enabling the Drive API, and creating your own OAuth client — budget 15–60 minutes the first time. The official server uses the narrower drive.readonly and drive.file scopes; community servers typically request broader Drive or Workspace scopes. Composio replaces all of that with managed OAuth, in exchange for holding your tokens.
- Can these servers write and delete files, or just read?
- It varies. The official preview server can search, read, create, and copy but documents no delete or trash tool, and its writes are bounded by the drive.file scope; google_workspace_mcp and piotr-agier's server add sharing, uploads, and permission management. Check the tool list before assuming a capability exists.
- Should I still use the original reference gdrive server from the MCP tutorials?
- No. The repo was archived on GitHub in May 2025 and receives no maintenance or security fixes, and it was read-only even when current. Use the official Google server or an actively maintained community server instead.
MCP servers we build
Automation Squad publishes its own open-source MCP servers and agent skills, documented with the same rules this ranking uses.