Google Drive

File management built for how small businesses actually organize documents.

Uses the gws CLI for all Drive operations. See the google-workspace skill for setup.

Triggers

• "find a file"
• "upload to drive"
• "share this document"
• "organize files"
• "list my drive files"
• Any request involving file storage, sharing, or organization

Prerequisites

• gws CLI installed and authenticated with Drive scope
• Run gws auth login -s drive if not already done

Core Commands

gws drive +upload                    # Upload a file with metadata
gws drive files list                 # List files
gws drive files get                  # Get file metadata
gws drive files create               # Create a file/folder
gws drive files export               # Export Google Docs/Sheets to PDF, etc.

Common Operations

List recent files

# Last 10 files, newest first
gws drive files list --params '{"pageSize": 10, "orderBy": "modifiedTime desc"}' --format table

# Search by name
gws drive files list --params '{"q": "name contains '\''invoice'\''", "pageSize": 20}'

Upload a file

# Upload with automatic MIME type detection
gws drive +upload

# Upload to a specific folder
gws drive files create \
  --params '{"uploadType": "multipart"}' \
  --json '{"name": "Q1-Report.pdf", "parents": ["FOLDER_ID"]}' \
  --upload ./Q1-Report.pdf

Download / Export

# Download a file
gws drive files get --params '{"fileId": "FILE_ID", "alt": "media"}' -o ./downloaded-file.pdf

# Export a Google Doc as PDF
gws drive files export --params '{"fileId": "FILE_ID", "mimeType": "application/pdf"}' -o ./document.pdf

# Export a Google Sheet as CSV
gws drive files export --params '{"fileId": "FILE_ID", "mimeType": "text/csv"}' -o ./data.csv

Create a folder

gws drive files create --json '{
  "name": "2026 Invoices",
  "mimeType": "application/vnd.google-apps.folder",
  "parents": ["PARENT_FOLDER_ID"]
}'

Share a file

# Share with a specific person (editor access)
gws drive permissions create --params '{"fileId": "FILE_ID"}' --json '{
  "role": "writer",
  "type": "user",
  "emailAddress": "person@example.com"
}'

# Share with view-only access
gws drive permissions create --params '{"fileId": "FILE_ID"}' --json '{
  "role": "reader",
  "type": "user",
  "emailAddress": "person@example.com"
}'

# Share via link (anyone with the link can view)
gws drive permissions create --params '{"fileId": "FILE_ID"}' --json '{
  "role": "reader",
  "type": "anyone"
}'

Search with Drive query syntax

# Find PDFs
gws drive files list --params '{"q": "mimeType=\"application/pdf\""}'

# Find files in a specific folder
gws drive files list --params '{"q": "'\''FOLDER_ID'\'' in parents"}'

# Find files modified in last 7 days
gws drive files list --params '{"q": "modifiedTime > '\''2026-01-08T00:00:00'\''", "orderBy": "modifiedTime desc"}'

# Find shared files
gws drive files list --params '{"q": "sharedWithMe = true", "pageSize": 10}'

# Find large files (for storage cleanup)
gws drive files list --params '{"q": "quotaBytesUsed > 10000000", "orderBy": "quotaBytesUsed desc", "pageSize": 20, "fields": "files(name,size,quotaBytesUsed,modifiedTime)"}'

SMB File Organization

Recommended folder structure

My Drive/
├── Business Operations/
│   ├── SOPs/                    # Standard operating procedures
│   ├── Checklists/              # Opening/closing, inventory, etc.
│   └── Policies/                # Employee handbook, safety, etc.
├── Finance/
│   ├── Invoices/
│   │   ├── 2026/
│   │   │   ├── January/
│   │   │   └── February/
│   │   └── 2024/
│   ├── Receipts/
│   ├── Tax Documents/
│   └── Reports/
├── Customers/
│   ├── Contracts/
│   ├── Correspondence/
│   └── Orders/
├── Vendors/
│   ├── Agreements/
│   ├── Price Lists/
│   └── Invoices Received/
├── Marketing/
│   ├── Photos/
│   ├── Ad Creatives/
│   └── Campaigns/
└── Team/
    ├── Meeting Notes/
    ├── Schedules/
    └── Training Materials/

Create this structure automatically

# Create top-level folders
for folder in "Business Operations" "Finance" "Customers" "Vendors" "Marketing" "Team"; do
  gws drive files create --json "{\"name\": \"$folder\", \"mimeType\": \"application/vnd.google-apps.folder\"}"
done

Integration with Other Skills

• gmail — Save email attachments to Drive
• google-sheets — Drive is where sheets live
• google-docs — Drive is where docs live
• google-chat — Share Drive files in Chat spaces
• morning-briefing — Reference important docs in daily briefing

Tips

• Use --format json and pipe to jq for extracting specific fields
• Always use --dry-run before delete operations
• Use --page-all for complete file listings (auto-paginates)
• Google Drive search syntax is powerful — use q parameter for precise queries
• Export Google-native files (Docs, Sheets) before downloading — they have no binary content

Related Skills

• google-workspace — Required setup (install and auth)
• google-sheets — Spreadsheet operations
• google-docs — Document operations
• gmail — Email attachment management

Your Drive is your filing cabinet. Keep it organized and your agent can find anything.