Google Drive

Access the Google Drive API with managed OAuth authentication. List, search, create, and manage files and folders.

Quick Start

CLI:

maton google-drive file list -Q "name contains 'budget'"

maton api "/google-drive/drive/v3/files?q=name+contains+'budget'"

Python:

python <<'EOF'
import urllib.request, os, json, urllib.parse
params = urllib.parse.urlencode({'q': "name contains 'budget'"})
req = urllib.request.Request(f'https://api.maton.ai/google-drive/drive/v3/files?{params}')
req.add_header('Authorization', f'Bearer {os.environ["MATON_API_KEY"]}')
print(json.dumps(json.load(urllib.request.urlopen(req)), indent=2))
EOF

Base URL

https://api.maton.ai/google-drive/{native-api-path}

Maton proxies requests to www.googleapis.com and automatically injects your OAuth token.

Installation

NPM:

npm install -g @maton-ai/cli

Homebrew:

brew install maton-ai/cli/maton

Authentication

CLI:

maton login                          # Opens browser for API key
maton login --interactive            # Skip browser, paste API key directly
maton whoami                         # Show current auth state

Manual:

1. Sign in or create an account at maton.ai
2. Go to maton.ai/settings
3. Copy your API key
4. Set your API key as MATON_API_KEY:

export MATON_API_KEY="YOUR_API_KEY"

Connection Management

Manage your Google OAuth connections at https://api.maton.ai.

List Connections

CLI:

maton connection list google-drive --status ACTIVE

maton api -X GET /connections -f app=google-drive -f status=ACTIVE

Python:

python <<'EOF'
import urllib.request, os, json
req = urllib.request.Request('https://api.maton.ai/connections?app=google-drive&status=ACTIVE')
req.add_header('Authorization', f'Bearer {os.environ["MATON_API_KEY"]}')
print(json.dumps(json.load(urllib.request.urlopen(req)), indent=2))
EOF

Create Connection

CLI:

maton connection create google-drive

maton api /connections -f app=google-drive

Python:

python <<'EOF'
import urllib.request, os, json
data = json.dumps({'app': 'google-drive'}).encode()
req = urllib.request.Request('https://api.maton.ai/connections', data=data, method='POST')
req.add_header('Authorization', f'Bearer {os.environ["MATON_API_KEY"]}')
req.add_header('Content-Type', 'application/json')
print(json.dumps(json.load(urllib.request.urlopen(req)), indent=2))
EOF

Get Connection

CLI:

maton connection view {connection_id}

maton api /connections/{connection_id}

Python:

python <<'EOF'
import urllib.request, os, json
req = urllib.request.Request('https://api.maton.ai/connections/{connection_id}')
req.add_header('Authorization', f'Bearer {os.environ["MATON_API_KEY"]}')
print(json.dumps(json.load(urllib.request.urlopen(req)), indent=2))
EOF

Response:

{
  "connection": {
    "connection_id": "{connection_id}",
    "status": "ACTIVE",
    "creation_time": "2025-12-08T07:20:53.488460Z",
    "last_updated_time": "2026-01-31T20:03:32.593153Z",
    "url": "https://connect.maton.ai/?session_token=...",
    "app": "google-drive",
    "metadata": {}
  }
}

Open the returned url in a browser to complete OAuth authorization.

Delete Connection

CLI:

maton connection delete {connection_id}

maton api -X DELETE /connections/{connection_id}

Python:

python <<'EOF'
import urllib.request, os, json
req = urllib.request.Request('https://api.maton.ai/connections/{connection_id}', method='DELETE')
req.add_header('Authorization', f'Bearer {os.environ["MATON_API_KEY"]}')
print(json.dumps(json.load(urllib.request.urlopen(req)), indent=2))
EOF

Specifying Connection

If you have multiple Google Drive connections, specify which one to use:

CLI:

maton google-drive file list --connection {connection_id}

maton api /google-drive/drive/v3/files --connection {connection_id}

Python:

python <<'EOF'
import urllib.request, os, json
req = urllib.request.Request('https://api.maton.ai/google-drive/drive/v3/files?pageSize=10')
req.add_header('Authorization', f'Bearer {os.environ["MATON_API_KEY"]}')
req.add_header('Maton-Connection', '{connection_id}')
print(json.dumps(json.load(urllib.request.urlopen(req)), indent=2))
EOF

If you have multiple connections, always specify the connection to ensure requests go to the intended account.

Security & Permissions

• Access is scoped to files, folders, permissions, and sharing within the connected Google Drive account.
• All write operations require explicit user approval. Before executing any create, update, or delete call, confirm the target resource and intended effect with the user.

API Reference

List Files

GET /google-drive/drive/v3/files?pageSize=10

With query:

GET /google-drive/drive/v3/files?q=name%20contains%20'report'&pageSize=10

Only folders:

GET /google-drive/drive/v3/files?q=mimeType='application/vnd.google-apps.folder'

Files in specific folder:

GET /google-drive/drive/v3/files?q='FOLDER_ID'+in+parents

With fields:

GET /google-drive/drive/v3/files?fields=files(id,name,mimeType,createdTime,modifiedTime,size)

Example:

maton google-drive file list -Q "name contains 'budget'"

Get File Metadata

GET /google-drive/drive/v3/files/{fileId}?fields=id,name,mimeType,size,createdTime

Example:

maton google-drive file view FILE_ID --fields 'id,name,mimeType,size,createdTime'

Download File Content

GET /google-drive/drive/v3/files/{fileId}?alt=media

Example:

maton google-drive file download FILE_ID --output ./report.pdf

Export Google Docs

GET /google-drive/drive/v3/files/{fileId}/export?mimeType=application/pdf

Example:

maton google-drive file export FILE_ID --mime-type application/pdf --output ./doc.pdf

Create File (metadata only)

POST /google-drive/drive/v3/files
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "New Document",
  "mimeType": "application/vnd.google-apps.document"
}

Example:

maton google-drive file create --name 'New Document' --mime-type application/vnd.google-apps.document

Create Folder

POST /google-drive/drive/v3/files
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "New Folder",
  "mimeType": "application/vnd.google-apps.folder"
}

Example:

maton google-drive file create --name 'New Folder' --mime-type application/vnd.google-apps.folder

Update File Metadata

PATCH /google-drive/drive/v3/files/{fileId}
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "Renamed File"
}

Example:

maton google-drive file update FILE_ID --name 'Renamed File'

Move File to Folder

PATCH /google-drive/drive/v3/files/{fileId}?addParents=NEW_FOLDER_ID&removeParents=OLD_FOLDER_ID

Example:

maton google-drive file update FILE_ID --add-parents NEW_FOLDER_ID --remove-parents OLD_FOLDER_ID

Delete File

DELETE /google-drive/drive/v3/files/{fileId}

Example:

maton google-drive file delete FILE_ID

Copy File

POST /google-drive/drive/v3/files/{fileId}/copy
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "Copy of File"
}

Example:

maton google-drive file copy FILE_ID --name 'Copy of File'

File Uploads

Google Drive supports three upload types depending on file size and whether you need to include metadata:

• Simple upload (uploadType=media) — small files (≤5 MB) with no metadata.
• Multipart upload (uploadType=multipart) — small files (≤5 MB) sent together with metadata in a single request.
• Resumable upload (uploadType=resumable) — large files (>5 MB), or any upload where network interruption is likely. Resumable uploads also work fine for small files at the cost of one extra HTTP round trip, so they're a safe default for most applications.

maton google-drive file upload picks the upload type for you based on the file size and flags:

If you call the API directly, you choose the uploadType query parameter yourself per the sections below.

Simple Upload (Media)

For files up to 5MB when you don't need to set metadata.

POST /google-drive/upload/drive/v3/files?uploadType=media
Content-Type: text/plain

<file content>

CLI:

maton google-drive file upload ./hello.txt --no-metadata

Python:

import urllib.request, os

file_content = b'Hello, this is file content!'

url = 'https://api.maton.ai/google-drive/upload/drive/v3/files?uploadType=media'
req = urllib.request.Request(url, data=file_content, method='POST')
req.add_header('Authorization', f'Bearer {os.environ["MATON_API_KEY"]}')
req.add_header('Content-Type', 'text/plain')
response = urllib.request.urlopen(req)

Multipart Upload

For files up to 5MB when you need to include metadata (name, description, etc.).

POST /google-drive/upload/drive/v3/files?uploadType=multipart
Content-Type: multipart/related; boundary=boundary

--boundary
Content-Type: application/json; charset=UTF-8

{"name": "myfile.txt", "description": "My file"}
--boundary
Content-Type: text/plain

<file content>
--boundary--

CLI:

maton google-drive file upload ./myfile.txt

Python:

import urllib.request, os, json

boundary = '----Boundary'
metadata = json.dumps({'name': 'myfile.txt', 'description': 'My file'})
file_content = 'File content here'

body = f'''--{boundary}\r
Content-Type: application/json; charset=UTF-8\r
\r
{metadata}\r
--{boundary}\r
Content-Type: text/plain\r
\r
{file_content}\r
--{boundary}--'''.encode()

url = 'https://api.maton.ai/google-drive/upload/drive/v3/files?uploadType=multipart'
req = urllib.request.Request(url, data=body, method='POST')
req.add_header('Authorization', f'Bearer {os.environ["MATON_API_KEY"]}')
req.add_header('Content-Type', f'multipart/related; boundary={boundary}')
response = urllib.request.urlopen(req)

Resumable Upload (Large Files)

For large files (recommended for files > 5MB). This approach:

1. Initiates a session - Gets an upload URI
2. Uploads in chunks - Sends file in pieces
3. Supports resume - Can continue from where it left off if interrupted

Step 1: Initiate Upload Session

POST /google-drive/upload/drive/v3/files?uploadType=resumable
Content-Type: application/json; charset=UTF-8
X-Upload-Content-Type: application/octet-stream
X-Upload-Content-Length: <file_size>

{"name": "large_file.bin"}

Response includes Location header with the upload URI.

Step 2: Upload Content

PUT <upload_uri>
Content-Length: <file_size>
Content-Type: application/octet-stream

<file content>

CLI:

maton google-drive file upload ./large_file.bin

Python:

import urllib.request, os, json

file_path = '/path/to/large_file.bin'
file_size = os.path.getsize(file_path)

# Step 1: Initiate resumable upload session
url = 'https://api.maton.ai/google-drive/upload/drive/v3/files?uploadType=resumable'
metadata = json.dumps({'name': 'large_file.bin'}).encode()

req = urllib.request.Request(url, data=metadata, method='POST')
req.add_header('Authorization', f'Bearer {os.environ["MATON_API_KEY"]}')
req.add_header('Content-Type', 'application/json; charset=UTF-8')
req.add_header('X-Upload-Content-Type', 'application/octet-stream')
req.add_header('X-Upload-Content-Length', str(file_size))

response = urllib.request.urlopen(req)
upload_uri = response.headers['Location']

# Step 2: Upload file in chunks (e.g., 5MB chunks)
chunk_size = 5 * 1024 * 1024
with open(file_path, 'rb') as f:
    offset = 0
    while offset < file_size:
        chunk = f.read(chunk_size)
        end = offset + len(chunk) - 1

        req = urllib.request.Request(upload_uri, data=chunk, method='PUT')
        req.add_header('Content-Length', str(len(chunk)))
        req.add_header('Content-Range', f'bytes {offset}-{end}/{file_size}')

        response = urllib.request.urlopen(req)
        offset += len(chunk)

result = json.load(response)
print(f"Uploaded: {result['id']}")

Resuming Interrupted Uploads:

If an upload is interrupted, re-run maton google-drive file upload, which resumes from the last persisted offset automatically.

If calling the API directly, query the upload URI to get current status:

req = urllib.request.Request(upload_uri, method='PUT')
req.add_header('Content-Length', '0')
req.add_header('Content-Range', 'bytes */*')
response = urllib.request.urlopen(req)
# Check Range header in response to get current offset

Update File Content

To update an existing file's content:

PATCH /google-drive/upload/drive/v3/files/{fileId}?uploadType=media
Content-Type: text/plain

<new file content>

CLI:

maton google-drive file update YOUR_FILE_ID --file ./updated.txt

Python:

import urllib.request, os

file_id = 'YOUR_FILE_ID'
new_content = b'Updated file content!'

url = f'https://api.maton.ai/google-drive/upload/drive/v3/files/{file_id}?uploadType=media'
req = urllib.request.Request(url, data=new_content, method='PATCH')
req.add_header('Authorization', f'Bearer {os.environ["MATON_API_KEY"]}')
req.add_header('Content-Type', 'text/plain')
response = urllib.request.urlopen(req)

Upload to Specific Folder

Include the folder ID in the metadata:

metadata = json.dumps({
    'name': 'myfile.txt',
    'parents': ['FOLDER_ID']
})

Example:

maton google-drive file upload ./myfile.txt --parent FOLDER_ID

Share File

POST /google-drive/drive/v3/files/{fileId}/permissions
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "role": "reader",
  "type": "user",
  "emailAddress": "user@example.com"
}

Example:

maton google-drive permission create -f FILE_ID --type user --role reader --email-address user@example.com

Query Operators

Use in the q parameter:

• name = 'exact name'
• name contains 'partial'
• mimeType = 'application/pdf'
• 'folderId' in parents
• trashed = false
• modifiedTime > '2024-01-01T00:00:00'

Combine with and:

name contains 'report' and mimeType = 'application/pdf'

Common MIME Types

• application/vnd.google-apps.document - Google Docs
• application/vnd.google-apps.spreadsheet - Google Sheets
• application/vnd.google-apps.presentation - Google Slides
• application/vnd.google-apps.folder - Folder
• application/pdf - PDF

Pagination

Google Drive uses token-based pagination. The CLI automatically paginates with '--paginate'.

Example:

maton google-drive file list --paginate

Code Examples

CLI

# List files matching a query
maton google-drive file list -Q "name contains 'budget'"

# Filter with jq
maton google-drive file list --json --jq '.files[] | {name: .name, id: .id}'

# Extract specific fields
maton google-drive drive list --json --jq '.drives[].name'

JavaScript

const response = await fetch(
  'https://api.maton.ai/google-drive/drive/v3/files?pageSize=10',
  {
    headers: {
      'Authorization': `Bearer ${process.env.MATON_API_KEY}`
    }
  }
);

Python

import os
import requests

response = requests.get(
    'https://api.maton.ai/google-drive/drive/v3/files',
    headers={'Authorization': f'Bearer {os.environ["MATON_API_KEY"]}'},
    params={'pageSize': 10}
)

Notes

• Use fields parameter to limit response data
• Pagination uses pageToken from previous response's nextPageToken
• Export is for Google Workspace files only
• Upload Types: Use uploadType=media for simple uploads (up to 5MB), uploadType=multipart for uploads with metadata (up to 5MB), uploadType=resumable for large files (recommended for > 5MB)
• Upload Endpoint: File uploads use /upload/drive/v3/files (note the /upload prefix)
• Resumable Uploads: For large files, use resumable uploads with chunked transfer (256KB minimum chunk size, 5MB recommended)
• Max File Size: Google Drive supports files up to 5TB
• IMPORTANT: When using curl commands, use curl -g when URLs contain brackets (fields[], sort[], records[]) to disable glob parsing
• IMPORTANT: When piping curl output to jq or other commands, environment variables like $MATON_API_KEY may not expand correctly in some shell environments. You may get "Invalid API key" errors when piping.

Error Handling

Troubleshooting: API Key Issues

CLI:

1. Check your auth state:

maton whoami

1. Verify the API key is valid by listing connections:

maton connection list

Manual:

1. Check that the MATON_API_KEY environment variable is set:

echo $MATON_API_KEY

1. Verify the API key is valid by listing connections:

python <<'EOF'
import urllib.request, os, json
req = urllib.request.Request('https://api.maton.ai/connections')
req.add_header('Authorization', f'Bearer {os.environ["MATON_API_KEY"]}')
print(json.dumps(json.load(urllib.request.urlopen(req)), indent=2))
EOF

Troubleshooting: Invalid App Name

1. Ensure your URL path starts with google-drive. For example:

• Correct: https://api.maton.ai/google-drive/drive/v3/files
• Incorrect: https://api.maton.ai/drive/v3/files

Resources

• Drive API Overview
• List Files
• Get File
• Create File
• Update File
• Delete File
• Export File
• Upload Files
• Resumable Uploads
• Search Query Syntax
• Maton CLI Manual
• Maton Community
• Maton Support