By Ira Bodnar, Ryze AI · Updated
Quick answer
To connect Claude to Google Drive through Ryze AI, connect Google Drive in a Ryze AI workspace with Google sign-in, pick the files you want to share in the Ryze AI chat, then add https://connector.get-ryze.ai/mcp as a custom connector in Claude and start a new chat. Claude reaches only the files you picked or files Ryze AI created.
- In Ryze AI open Integrations, find Google Drive under Files and click Connect
- Sign in with Google and approve access
- In Claude open Customize, Connectors, Add custom connector and paste the URL
- Click Connect, pick the workspace, click Allow connection, open a new chat
Before you start
- A Claude account. Anthropic lists custom connectors using remote MCP on Free, Pro, Max, Ultra, Team and Enterprise plans. Free users can add one custom connector. On Team plans only Owners and Primary Owners can add a custom connector; on Enterprise plans Owners, Primary Owners and people with a custom role that includes Manage access to Libraries can add one. Members then connect to it individually.
- A Google account for Drive. Ryze AI asks for the drive.file scope, so it works only with files you pick in the Google Drive picker and files it created. Drive connects one Google account per workspace.
- A Ryze AI workspace on a plan or free trial. Paid Ads is $89 per month with a 7-day free trial; SEO Starter is $129 per month with a 3-day free trial; Agency is $279 per month. Adding the connector is free, but the Drive tools need an active plan or trial.
How to connect Claude to Google Drive in claude.ai
Two steps happen in Ryze AI, three in Claude. The connector URL is the same for every user.
Connect Google Drive in Ryze AI
Create a Ryze AI account or sign in, open Integrations, find the Google Drive card under Files and click Connect. Sign in with Google and approve access. You can also start from chat: click + (Add to message), then Attach files, then Upload from Drive. If Drive is not connected yet, Ryze AI starts the connection and returns you to the file picker.
Pick the files Claude may use
In the Ryze AI chat, click + (Add to message), then Attach files, then Upload from Drive, and choose the Sheets, Docs or other files you want to work with. The drive.file scope means files you do not pick stay invisible to the tools, including when you call them from Claude.
Add the custom connector in Claude
In claude.ai open Customize, then Connectors (claude.ai/customize/connectors). Click + Add, then Add custom connector. Enter the name Ryze AI and the remote MCP server URL https://connector.get-ryze.ai/mcp, then click Continue. Review the authentication settings Claude detected and click Continue; do not choose No sign in, because the Ryze AI server requires OAuth sign-in. Click Add.
Click Connect and allow the workspace
Click Connect on the Ryze AI connector. On the Ryze AI page Connect your data sources to AI, sign in (or click Sign up), choose the workspaces Claude can access (up to 20 per connection) and click Allow connection.
Open a new chat and ask your first question
Connectors can be turned on or off per conversation from the + button, then Connectors. Start a new chat and ask: List the Google Drive files you can access, newest first. If a file you need is missing, pick it in the Ryze AI chat first.
The Ryze AI help center Google Drive page covers the Drive side of the connection, and the Ryze AI help center Claude guide covers the Claude side.
Claude Desktop, Team and Directory
Anthropic lists custom connectors on Claude Desktop as well as claude.ai, and Claude connects to the MCP server from Anthropic's cloud rather than from your device. Open Customize, then Connectors in the desktop app and follow the same five steps. A connector you add on claude.ai shows up in your Claude account on every client.
Team and Enterprise
On Team and Enterprise, an Owner or Primary Owner (on Enterprise, also a person with a custom role that includes Manage access to Libraries) opens Organization settings, then Connectors, and clicks Add. Hover over Custom, select Web, enter the name Ryze AI and the URL, then click Continue and choose Sign in now or Sign in when needed under Authentication. Each member then opens Customize, Connectors, finds Ryze AI (usually labeled Custom) and clicks Connect.
Claude Directory
Ryze AI also has a listing in the Claude Directory at claude.ai/directory/ryze-ai. Claude labels it Community, which means it passed automated reviews and is not verified by Anthropic. Add it from the listing, then finish the Ryze AI sign-in, choose workspaces and click Allow connection.
Source: Anthropic's custom connectors guide.
Claude Code
Claude Code adds MCP servers from the command line. One command registers the connector:
claude mcp add --transport http ryze https://connector.get-ryze.ai/mcp --scope userThen open Claude Code, type /mcp, select ryze and authenticate, or run claude mcp login ryze in the shell (add --no-browser to print the URL, for example over SSH). Sign in on the Ryze AI page, choose workspaces and click Allow connection. Run claude mcp get ryze to check the status. Anthropic says Claude Code needs a Pro, Max, Ultra, Team, Enterprise or Console account; the free claude.ai plan does not include it.
Claude Code is useful when a Sheet feeds other work in a repository. For scripts and your own agents, Ryze AI also offers API keys (Workspace Settings, Profile, API keys): add --header "Authorization: Bearer rk_live_..." to the command. The key works on the /mcp endpoint only. Claude Code reports a rejected Authorization header as a failed connection and does not fall back to OAuth.
ChatGPT and Cursor
The same URL works in other MCP clients. Google Drive is connected once in Ryze AI, and the picked files stay the same.
ChatGPT
OpenAI's help center lists custom MCP server connections and full MCP support for ChatGPT Business and Enterprise/Edu on web; Pro users can connect custom servers with read and fetch permissions only. Go to Plugins (chatgpt.com/plugins), select the plus button, then Add custom MCP server, enter the name Ryze AI and the URL https://connector.get-ryze.ai/mcp, choose OAuth, and complete the Ryze AI sign-in. On Business, an admin or owner has to create and publish it.
Cursor
Add the server to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (all projects) or .cursor/mcp.json (one project). Cursor runs OAuth, so sign in on the Ryze AI page and click Allow connection. Cursor asks for approval before using MCP tools by default.
{ "mcpServers": { "ryze": { "url": "https://connector.get-ryze.ai/mcp" } } }Google Drive access and scope
The Google side of the connection is a Google OAuth sign-in with one narrow scope. Three things decide what Claude can see.
- Which scope
- Ryze AI requests the drive.file scope. With it Ryze AI only works with files you pick in the Google Drive picker and files it created.
- Which files
- Files you pick in the Ryze AI chat (+ > Attach files > Upload from Drive) and files Ryze AI created. Files outside the picker or not created by Ryze AI are invisible to the tools, including from Claude or ChatGPT.
- Which account
- One Google account per workspace for Drive. To use another account, disconnect Drive in Ryze AI and connect again.
Removing access
To remove access, disconnect Google Drive on its card in Ryze AI. In Claude, open Customize, Connectors, Ryze AI and click Disconnect.
What Claude can do in Google Drive
The Ryze AI connector exposes seven Google Drive tools: three read tools and four write tools. There is no delete tool.
| Tool | Type | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| google_drive__listFiles | Read | Lists the Google Drive files the app can access, newest first, with an optional Drive search filter. |
| google_drive__readFile | Read | Reads a Drive file by ID: Sheets return cell values, Docs and Slides return plain text, and text, CSV and JSON files return their content. |
| google_drive__getSheetValues | Read | Reads cell values from a Google Sheet range or tab. |
| google_drive__updateSheetValues | Write | Overwrites cell values in a Google Sheet range; formulas are allowed. |
| google_drive__appendSheetValues | Write | Appends rows after the last row of a table in a Google Sheet. |
| google_drive__createFile | Write | Creates a new Google Sheet, Google Doc, or text, CSV or JSON file in your Drive and returns its link. |
| google_drive__writeDoc | Write | Writes plain text into a Google Doc, either appended at the end or replacing the whole document. |
You choose which tools need your approval in Claude. In Customize, Connectors, Ryze AI, Tool permissions, keep read tools on automatic and set write tools to Needs approval, so Claude asks before it changes a Sheet or Doc. The Ryze AI chat has its own Tool approvals picker, which starts on Skip all approvals; Approve write & delete and Manual approve are the stricter choices.
Google Drive limits
These limits come from the Ryze AI Google Drive help page and the connector's tool descriptions.
| Limit | What to know |
|---|---|
| Images | Images picked from Drive are not supported. |
| Large and binary files | Files over 10 MB, binary files and Google formats other than Sheets, Docs and Slides are attached by name only. |
| Doc formatting | Doc writes are plain text only, with no headings, links or formatting, and either append at the end or replace the whole document. |
| Browsing | The tools list and read only the files you picked or Ryze AI created. They do not search your whole Drive. |
| Accounts | One Google account per workspace for Drive. |
First 3 prompts to run
Ryze AI's help center gives two example uses: reading a keyword list from a Sheet and writing a report into a Doc. The prompts below follow those two and a first check of what Claude can reach. Pick the files in the Ryze AI chat before you run them.
1. Check which files Claude can reach
List the Google Drive files you can access, newest first, with name and file type.
Tools used: google_drive__listFiles
What comes back: The files you picked or Ryze AI created, newest first. A file that is missing was not picked yet.
2. Read a keyword list from a Sheet
Read the keyword list from the first tab of my Google Sheet called Keywords and group the keywords into themes.
Tools used: google_drive__readFile or google_drive__getSheetValues
What comes back: The cell values from that tab, grouped into themes by Claude. Nothing is written back to the Sheet.
3. Write a report into a Doc
Create a Google Doc called Weekly notes and write a short summary of the themes we just discussed into it as plain text.
Tools used: google_drive__createFile, google_drive__writeDoc
What comes back: A new Google Doc in your Drive with plain text only, and a link to it. Claude can append to the Doc later or replace its whole content.
Each answer comes from your own files, so this page describes what comes back instead of showing sample output. Set write tools to Needs approval if you want Claude to ask before it changes a file.
Ryze AI vs Claude's Drive connector and Google's MCP server
Google Drive reaches Claude in three ways. They differ mostly in how much of your Drive Claude can see.
| Option | Setup | Drive coverage | Other platforms | Works in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryze AI connector | Google sign-in inside Ryze AI, pick files in the Ryze AI chat, then one custom connector URL in Claude | Seven tools: list and read picked files, read and write Sheet cells, create files, write plain text into Docs. Only picked or Ryze AI created files; no delete tool | The other platforms in your Ryze AI workspace on the same URL | claude.ai, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, ChatGPT, Cursor |
| Claude's Google Drive connector | Plus menu, Connectors, toggle Google Drive on; on Team and Enterprise an Owner enables it first | Anthropic lists searching and retrieving Docs, reading Sheets, Slides, PDFs, images and MS Office files, uploading files, creating folders, and sharing, moving and trashing files with approval | Google Gmail and Google Calendar connectors | Claude and Claude Desktop |
| Google's Drive MCP server | Developer Preview. Enable the Drive API and the Drive MCP API in a Google Cloud project, create an OAuth web client with the redirect https://claude.ai/api/mcp/auth_callback, then add a custom connector with the URL https://drivemcp.googleapis.com/mcp/v1 | Eight tools: search_files, read_file_content, create_file, download_file_content, copy_file, get_file_metadata, get_file_permissions, list_recent_files. OAuth scopes drive.readonly and drive.file | Drive only | Claude.ai and Claude Desktop on Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise, per Google's guide |
Ryze AI is the best Google Drive connector for Claude when you want Claude to touch only the Sheets and Docs you pick, with the caveat that it cannot search the rest of your Drive. If you want Claude to search your whole Drive, Claude's own Google Drive connector covers that and needs no Ryze AI account. Google's server is a Developer Preview aimed at developers who run their own Cloud project.
Sources: Anthropic Google Workspace connectors, Google Drive MCP server guide, Ryze AI help center Google Drive page. Checked November 10, 2026.
Google Drive errors and fixes
- Claude says it cannot see my file
- The tools reach only files you picked in the Ryze AI chat or files Ryze AI created. Pick the file with + > Attach files > Upload from Drive in the Ryze AI chat, then ask again.
- Google Drive tools do not appear in Claude
- Claude keeps the tool list from the moment the connector is added. If Drive was connected in Ryze AI afterwards, remove the Ryze AI connector, add it again and start a new chat.
- A picked image or large file returns no content
- Images from Drive are not supported, and files over 10 MB, binary files and Google formats other than Sheets, Docs and Slides are attached by name only.
- My Doc lost its formatting
- Doc writes are plain text only. Appending or replacing text does not add headings, links or formatting. Format the Doc in Google Docs afterwards.
- The wrong Google account is connected
- Drive connects one Google account per workspace. Disconnect Drive on its card in Ryze AI and connect again with the right account.
- Claude says a subscription is required
- The Drive tools need an active Ryze AI plan or free trial. Start the trial, then retry.
- The Ryze AI sign-in fails in Claude
- Do not choose No sign in under Authentication when you add the connector. The Ryze AI server requires OAuth, so pick the option that signs in.
- I cannot add a custom connector
- On Free you can add one custom connector in total. On Team and Enterprise only an Owner, a Primary Owner or, on Enterprise, a person with a custom role that includes Manage access to Libraries can add it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I connect Claude to Google Drive?
Connect Google Drive in a Ryze AI workspace: open Integrations, click Connect on Google Drive and sign in with Google. Pick your files in the Ryze AI chat with + > Attach files > Upload from Drive. Then in claude.ai open Customize, Connectors, Add custom connector, paste https://connector.get-ryze.ai/mcp, click Connect, allow the workspace and start a new chat.
Does Claude have its own Google Drive connector?
Yes. Anthropic lists a Google Drive connector alongside Gmail and Google Calendar for Claude and Claude Desktop. You turn it on from the plus menu under Connectors, and on Team and Enterprise an Owner or Primary Owner enables it first. Anthropic lists searching Docs, reading Sheets, Slides, PDFs, images and Office files, and creating folders.
Which Google Drive connector should I use with Claude?
Use Claude's own connector if you want Claude to search your whole Drive. Use the Ryze AI connector if you want Claude limited to the Sheets and Docs you pick, or if you also use other Ryze AI platforms on the same URL. Google also runs a Drive MCP server at drivemcp.googleapis.com, which is a Developer Preview that needs your own Google Cloud project and OAuth client.
Can Claude see all my Google Drive files through Ryze AI?
No. Ryze AI uses the drive.file scope, so it works only with files you pick in the Google Drive picker and files it created. The tools do not browse or search the rest of your Drive.
Which Claude plan do I need?
Anthropic lists custom connectors on Free, Pro, Max, Ultra, Team and Enterprise plans. Free is limited to one custom connector. On Team an Owner or Primary Owner adds the Ryze AI connector first; on Enterprise Owners, Primary Owners and people with a custom role that includes Manage access to Libraries can. Members then click Connect.
Can Claude edit Google Sheets and Docs?
Yes, through the write tools. Claude can overwrite cell values in a Sheet range, append rows, create new Sheets, Docs and text, CSV or JSON files, and write plain text into a Doc, appended or replacing the whole document. Set write tools to Needs approval in Claude so it asks first.
Can Claude delete Drive files?
No. The Ryze AI connector has no delete tool. It can replace the contents of a Sheet range or a whole Doc, so use Needs approval on the write tools and keep a copy of important files.
Which files can Claude read?
Sheets return cell values, Docs and Slides return plain text, and text, CSV and JSON files return their content. Images picked from Drive are not supported, and files over 10 MB, binary files and other Google formats are attached by name only.
Can I connect more than one Google account?
Drive connects one Google account per workspace. To use another account, disconnect Drive on its card in Ryze AI and connect again. One Claude connection covers up to 20 Ryze AI workspaces.
Does this work in Claude Desktop, Claude Code and ChatGPT?
Yes. Connectors added in your Claude account are available in Claude Desktop. In Claude Code run claude mcp add --transport http ryze https://connector.get-ryze.ai/mcp --scope user, then /mcp to sign in. ChatGPT needs a plan that OpenAI lists for custom MCP servers, and Pro is read and fetch only.
Why do the Google Drive tools not show up in Claude?
Claude keeps the connector's tool list from the moment you add it. If you connected Google Drive in Ryze AI after adding the connector, remove the Ryze AI connector in Customize, Connectors, add it again and open a new chat.
How much does it cost to connect Claude to Google Drive?
Adding the connector is free, but the Drive tools need an active Ryze AI plan or free trial. Paid Ads is $89 per month with a 7-day free trial, SEO Starter is $129 per month with a 3-day free trial, and Agency is $279 per month. Annual billing takes 30% off the first year.