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Google Drive ACTION

Search Files

Search for files and folders in Google Drive using the Drive query language. This is the primary tool for finding files, folders, spreadsheets, forms, and any other Drive item. Returns an object with files (each with its ID, name, and MIME type), count, nextPageToken, isComplete, and incompleteSearch.

Query syntax — pass a Drive search query string. Examples:

  • Find by name: name contains 'Budget'
  • Exact name match: name = 'Q4 Report'
  • Folders only: mimeType = 'application/vnd.google-apps.folder'
  • Google Docs: mimeType = 'application/vnd.google-apps.document'
  • Spreadsheets: mimeType = 'application/vnd.google-apps.spreadsheet'
  • Files in a folder: 'FOLDER_ID' in parents
  • Not trashed: trashed = false
  • Modified after date: modifiedTime > '2024-01-01T00:00:00'
  • Combine with AND: name contains 'Report' and mimeType = 'application/vnd.google-apps.document'
  • Owner filter: 'user@example.com' in owners

When the user says 'my files', use Get User Details first to get the owner email. To scope to a shared drive, pass the driveId from List Shared Drives.

Pagination — each call returns at most maxResults files (default 100). If isComplete is false, more matches exist: call again with pageToken set to the returned nextPageToken and the same query, driveId, and includeItemsFromAllDrives to get the next batch. When isComplete is true, nextPageToken is null and there are no more pages. If incompleteSearch is true, Drive did not search every drive, so matches may be missing and paging will not recover them — narrow the search with driveId. Prefer narrowing the query over paging through many batches. See the documentation

  • Action
  • Read only
  • OAuth
  • SDK
  • MCP

IMPLEMENTATION

Call this tool

Connect a user's Google Drive account once, then configure and run Search Files from your backend or agent.

import { PipedreamClient } from "@pipedream/sdk"

const pd = new PipedreamClient({
  projectId: process.env.PIPEDREAM_PROJECT_ID!,
  clientId: process.env.PIPEDREAM_CLIENT_ID!,
  clientSecret: process.env.PIPEDREAM_CLIENT_SECRET!,
  projectEnvironment: "production",
})

const result = await pd.actions.run({
  id: "google_drive-search-files",
  externalUserId: "{external_user_id}", // any stable ID for this user in your system
  configuredProps: {
    google_drive: { authProvisionId: "apn_xxxxxxx" },
    query: "Query",
    driveId: "Drive ID",
  },
})

console.log(result)

SCHEMA

Inputs

Pipedream supplies the connected account. Your application provides the operation-specific values below. Dynamic inputs are resolved against that user's account.

Search Files inputs
Property Type Description
query Query string
A Drive search query string. See the tool description for syntax examples. Conditions combine with and, e.g. name contains 'keyword' and mimeType = 'application/pdf' and 'FOLDER_ID' in parents and trashed = false. Use Find Folder to get a FOLDER_ID for the in parents filter, and Get User Details to get an owner email for the in owners filter.
Required
driveId Drive ID string
Optional. Scope the search to a specific shared drive, e.g. 0AIxaGWpaZzyZUk9PVA. Use List Shared Drives to find available drive IDs. Omit to search across all drives (My Drive and shared drives). Example: 0AExampleDriveId.
Optional
includeItemsFromAllDrives Include Items From All Drives boolean
If true, search the files the user has access to plus the shared drives the user is a member of; if false, search only the user's own files (files owned by or shared with the user), excluding shared drive contents. Ignored when driveId is set. Defaults to true. Example: true.
Optional
maxResults Max Results integer
The maximum number of files to return in this call. Defaults to 100. If more matches exist, the response has isComplete: false and a nextPageToken to pass as pageToken on the next call. Example: 25.
Optional
pageToken Page Token string
Optional. The nextPageToken from a previous Search Files response, to continue where it stopped. Use the same query, driveId, and includeItemsFromAllDrives as that call. Omit to start from the first result. Example: ~!!~AI9FV7Q....
Optional

REFERENCE

Tool details

Behavior hints are published with the component in the Pipedream registry and surface as MCP tool annotations, so an agent can reason about a tool before it calls it.

Registry key
google_drive-search-files
Version
1.0.3
App
Google Drive
Authentication
OAuth
Read-only
Yes
Destructive
No
Open world
Yes