​
Overview

Pre-built tooling

Pre-built integrations

Access requirements

Setup guide

Useful links

API gotchas

​
Pre-built tooling

​
Pre-built integrations

Not seeing the integration you need? Build your own independently.

​
Access requirements

Pre-RequisitesStatusComment
Paid dev accountNot requiredBasic Google Cloud account is sufficient
Paid test accountNot required
Partnership❓
App review❓
Security audit❓
Need help getting started? Get help in the community.

​
Pre-built Google Drive Integration Overview

Nango’s pre-built Google Drive integration allows you to sync specific files and folders that your users select. The integration uses the following components:

  1. OAuth Flow: Handle authentication using Nango’s SDK
  2. Google Drive Picker: Let users select files and folders to sync
  3. Document Sync: Sync metadata for selected files and folders
  4. Document Fetching: Download individual file contents as needed

​
Complete Implementation Guide

1

1. Initial Setup

Prerequisites Before getting started, ensure you have:

  • A Google Cloud project with Drive API enabled
  • Google Drive Picker API enabled
  • Required credentials:
    • Google App ID
    • OAuth Client ID
    • Picker API Key
2

2. Configure OAuth & Drive Picker

Set the following scope in your Nango configuration:

    https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive.file

In your frontend, run the OAuth flow with nango.auth and show the Google drive picker to your user.

    const ingest = async () => {
        let filesIds: string[] = [];

        const cid = generateCid(); // generate a unique id for the connection

        try {
        const nangoAuth = await nango.auth('google-drive', cid);
        if (nangoAuth.connectionId) {
            filesIds = await openGooglePicker();
            if(filesIds.length === 0) {
                return;
            }
        }
        } catch (error) {
            // deal with error
        }
    }

    const openGooglePicker = async (): Promise<string[]> => {
        return new Promise<string[]>((resolve, reject) => {
            openPicker({
                appId: <GOOGLE_APP_ID>, // essential for keeping same file id between nango and your app
                clientId: <GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID>,
                developerKey: <GOOGLE_PICKER_API_KEY>,
                viewId: 'DOCS',
                showUploadView: true,
                showUploadFolders: true,
                supportDrives: true,
                multiselect: true,
                setIncludeFolders: true,
                setSelectFolderEnabled: true,
                callbackFunction: (data) => {
                    if (data.action === 'cancel') {
                        handleCancel();
                        resolve([]);
                        return;
                    }
                    else if (data.action == 'picked') {
                        const fileIds = data.docs.map((doc) => doc.id);
                        resolve(fileIds);
                    }
                }
            });
        });
    };

Note: Replace the placeholders with your actual credentials:

  • <GOOGLE_APP_ID>: Your Google Cloud project number
  • <GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID> is the client id of your Google OAuth app
  • <GOOGLE_PICKER_API_KEY>: Your Drive Picker API key
3

3. Update Connection Metadata

After users select files/folders, update the connection metadata using the Nango SDK:

    // Using Nango SDK
    await nango.updateMetadata(
        'google-drive',
        connectionId,
        {
            'folders': ['folder-id-1', 'folder-id-2'],
            'files': ['file-id-1', 'file-id-2']
        }
    );
4

4. Trigger Document Sync

Re-trigger the sync in the dashboard, or with the API to fetch metadata for selected files:

// Using Nango SDK
await nango.triggerSync('google-drive', connectionId, 'documents');
5

5. Fetch Individual Files

To download specific files, use the appropriate action based on file type:

// Using Nango SDK
// For regular files (PDFs, images, etc.)
await nango.triggerAction('google-drive', connectionId, 'fetch-document', {
    id: fileId
});

// For Google Docs
await nango.triggerAction('google-docs', connectionId, 'fetch-document', {
    id: fileId
});

// For Google Sheets
await nango.triggerAction('google-sheets', connectionId, 'fetch-document', {
    id: fileId
});

​
File Type Support

The integration supports different file types through specific actions:

  • Regular files (PDFs, images, etc.): Use google-drive provider with fetch-document action
  • Google Docs: Use google-docs provider with fetch-document action
  • Google Sheets: Use google-sheets provider with fetch-document action

Note: The same OAuth credentials work across all these providers.

​
Common Issues and Solutions

  1. Empty Records: If /documents returns empty records, ensure you’ve:

    • Successfully completed the OAuth flow
    • Updated the connection metadata with file/folder IDs
    • Triggered the sync after updating metadata

  2. Access Token:

    • Always get the access token from Nango’s connection endpoint
    • Use the token to initialize the Google Picker
    • Handle token refresh automatically through Nango

  3. Action Timeouts: If fetch-document actions timeout:

    • Verify you’re using the correct provider for the file type
    • Check the file permissions in Google Drive
    • Ensure the file size does not exceed 10MB

​
API Gotchas

  • Most Google Drive scopes are “restricted scopes” requiring Google’s security review before production use.
  • The drive.file scope is an exception and doesn’t require review, but only allows access to files explicitly selected via the Picker.
  • Files must be selected via the Google Drive Picker to be accessible through the integration.
  • Different file types (Docs, Sheets) require different provider configurations but can share the same OAuth credentials.
  • Use the access token from Nango’s connection for Google Picker.
  • Store file IDs in the connection metadata after selection.

Need help? Join our community for support.

Contribute improvements to the setup guide by editing this page
Contribute useful links by editing this page
Suggest editsRaise issue