By Ira Bodnar, Ryze AI · Updated
Quick answer
To connect Perplexity to Google Drive through Ryze AI, connect Google Drive in a Ryze AI workspace, pick your files in the Ryze AI chat, then in Perplexity open Plugins, choose Add custom, Add MCP connector, Remote, and enter https://connector.get-ryze.ai/mcp with OAuth, Streamable HTTP and Public network access. Perplexity also has a built-in Google Drive connector, covered below, for searching files rather than editing them.
- In Ryze AI open Integrations, find Google Drive under Files and click Connect, then sign in with Google
- Pick the Sheets and Docs to share with + (Add to message), Attach files, Upload from Drive in the Ryze AI chat
- In Perplexity open Plugins, Add custom, Add MCP connector, Remote, and enter the name and URL
- Set Authentication to OAuth, tick the acknowledgement, click Add, then select the connector card to sign in to Ryze AI
Before you start
- A Perplexity plan that allows custom connectors. Perplexity's March 2026 changelog says Pro, Max and Enterprise subscribers can add a custom remote connector by MCP server URL. In an Enterprise organization, members can add one for their own account only if an administrator turns on Allow members to add custom connectors (off by default). Only administrators can add organization-wide connectors.
- 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, and Agency is $279 per month. Annual billing takes 30% off the first year. Connecting the connector is free; the Drive tools need an active plan or trial.
- Trust in the server. Perplexity's help center says to use only connectors from sources you trust, because Perplexity cannot verify third-party servers. Check who runs a server before you add it.
How to connect Perplexity to Google Drive
Setup has two parts: Google Drive is connected and its files are picked inside Ryze AI, then Perplexity is pointed at the Ryze AI connector. These steps follow Perplexity's help center for your own account. Ryze AI sign-in was not tested inside Perplexity while this page was written, so use the troubleshooting list below if a step differs on your screen.
Connect Google Drive in Ryze AI
Sign in to Ryze AI (or create an account), open Integrations, find the Google Drive card under Files and click Connect. Sign in with Google and approve access. You can also start from the chat: click + (Add to message), then Attach files, then Upload from Drive, and Ryze AI starts the connection if Drive is not connected yet.
Pick the files Perplexity may use
In the Ryze AI chat, click + (Add to message), then Attach files, then Upload from Drive, and choose the Sheets, Docs or text files you want to work with. Files you do not pick stay invisible to the tools, including when you call them from Perplexity.
Open Plugins in Perplexity
Open Plugins in the sidebar. If Plugins is not shown, open Customize, then Connectors.
Add a remote MCP connector
Select Add custom, then Add MCP connector, and choose Remote. Enter the name Ryze AI and the MCP server URL https://connector.get-ryze.ai/mcp.
Set the advanced options
Under Advanced set Authentication to OAuth, Transport to Streamable HTTP and Network access to Public. Ryze AI supports dynamic client registration, so you enter no client ID or secret. Do not pick API Key: the form has no field for custom headers.
Add the connector and sign in
Select the acknowledgement checkbox, then select Add. Select the connector card on the Plugins page to start the Ryze AI sign-in, choose the workspace that holds your Google Drive connection and enable the connector. Then open a new thread.
Sources: Perplexity help: adding custom remote connectors, Perplexity changelog, March 13, 2026. The Ryze AI Google Drive guide covers the Google sign-in and the file picker on the Ryze AI side.
Enterprise organization setup
An Enterprise administrator can add the connector for the whole organization instead of each member adding it:
- Open Organization settings, then Connectors, and select Custom connector.
- Enter the name and URL, set the advanced options as above, select the acknowledgement checkbox and select Add.
- New organization connectors start turned off. Turn the connector on in Organization settings, then Connectors.
- Choose whether to authenticate once for the organization or require each member to sign in. Drive connects one Google account per workspace, so per-member sign-in keeps each person on their own Ryze AI workspace.
Perplexity's help center also describes a Cloudflare Access network option and AWS PrivateLink for Enterprise. The Ryze AI connector is a public URL, so Public is the setting to use.
Local MCP and other surfaces
Perplexity's built-in Google Drive connector
Separate from this guide, Perplexity has its own Google Drive connector on the Plugins page: open the Google Drive connector on Discover, select Connect, sign in to Google and click Allow. Perplexity's help center lists it for Pro, Max, Enterprise Pro and Enterprise Max, and it searches your Drive and syncs files to Projects. It is a search feature. Use it for finding answers in your files, and add the Ryze AI connector when you want Sheet and Doc edits.
Local MCP servers and the Mac app
Perplexity's help center says local MCP servers work only in the Mac app. The Ryze AI connector is a remote server, so it uses the Plugins flow above and needs no local helper. A remote connector connected anywhere is connected for the account everywhere, including inside plugins.
Drive access and scopes
Perplexity reaches Drive through two separate sign-ins, and each has its own reach. Google decides what the Google account may do; the file picker in Ryze AI decides which files the Ryze AI tools can see.
- Google account
- Chosen when you click Connect on the Ryze AI Google Drive card. Drive connects one Google account per workspace; to use another account, disconnect and connect again.
- Files you pick
- Ryze AI works only with files you pick in the Google Drive picker and files it created. It does not browse your Drive on its own, and a file you never picked is invisible to the tools, including from Perplexity.
- Perplexity connector settings
- Remote connectors in Perplexity take OAuth, API Key or None. Choose OAuth for Ryze AI. In an Enterprise organization an administrator controls who may add connectors and whether sign-in is shared or per member.
Ryze AI asks Google for the drive.file scope. Google's Drive API documentation describes drive.file as per-file access: files an app creates or modifies, and files the user opens or shares with the app through a picker. Perplexity's own Drive connector asks for different access: its Google consent screen offers to see and download all your Drive files, see information about them, and see, edit, create and delete only the specific files you use with the app.
Sources: Google Drive API scopes guide.
Removing access
To remove access, disconnect Google Drive on its card in Ryze AI, or remove the Ryze AI connector in Perplexity under Plugins. Google also lists third-party access on your Google Account permissions page, where you can revoke it.
What Perplexity can do in Google Drive
The Ryze AI connector gives Perplexity 7 Google Drive tools, split into 3 that read and 4 that write. There is no delete tool. Calls reach only files you picked or files Ryze AI created.
| 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. |
Perplexity's connector help page does not say how it confirms write actions, so do not assume a confirmation step. In the Ryze AI chat the Tool approvals setting starts on Skip all approvals, and you can switch it to Approve write & delete or Manual approve. Doc writes are plain text only, with no headings, links or formatting. Name the exact file in each request that changes something.
First 3 prompts to run
The prompts below describe what each one asks for. Answers come from your own files, so this page shows no sample output.
1. Read a keyword list from a Sheet
Using the Ryze AI connector, read the keyword list in the Sheet I picked and show it as a table with one row per keyword.
Tools used: google_drive__listFiles, google_drive__getSheetValues
What comes back: The cell values from the Sheet range or tab, taken from a file you picked in Ryze AI.
2. Write a report into a Doc
Using the Ryze AI connector, write a one-page summary of this thread into the Doc I picked, appended at the end.
Tools used: google_drive__writeDoc
What comes back: Plain text added to the end of the Doc. Headings, links and formatting are not supported by the tool.
3. Add rows to a Sheet table
Using the Ryze AI connector, append these 5 rows to the table in the Sheet I picked and confirm the range they landed in.
Tools used: google_drive__appendSheetValues
What comes back: New rows placed after the last row of the table in that Sheet.
Start with read prompts. Once you trust the setup, ask for edits and name the exact Sheet or Doc, since writes can replace a range or a whole document.
Ryze AI vs Perplexity's own Drive connector and Google's Drive MCP server
Three routes put Drive in front of Perplexity. Perplexity ships its own Drive connector, Google has a Drive MCP server in its developer preview, and Ryze AI offers a connector for Sheets and Docs.
| Option | Setup | What it does with Drive | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perplexity Google Drive connector | Plugins, open Google Drive on Discover, Connect, sign in to Google, Allow | Searches your Drive and syncs files or folders to Projects. Reads Google Docs, Sheets and Slides, Office files, PDF, CSV, MD, JSON and TXT | Listed for Pro, Max, Enterprise Pro and Enterprise Max. No images, audio or video. Project imports are copies made at import time. Perplexity says it does not modify your Drive file content |
| Ryze AI connector | Google sign-in and file picker inside Ryze AI, then https://connector.get-ryze.ai/mcp as a remote connector in Perplexity with OAuth | 7 tools: list and read picked files, read Sheet ranges, update or append Sheet values, create files, write Docs | Only picked or Ryze AI created files. Doc writes are plain text. No delete tool. Tools need a Ryze AI plan or trial |
| Google Drive MCP server (drivemcp.googleapis.com) | Endpoint https://drivemcp.googleapis.com/mcp/v1 with OAuth 2.0, enabled in a Google Cloud project; Google lists Streamable HTTP for other hosts | 8 tools: search_files, read_file_content, download_file_content, get_file_metadata, get_file_permissions, list_recent_files, create_file, copy_file | Part of the Google Workspace Developer Preview Program. Needs your own OAuth client. Whether Perplexity accepts it is not verified here |
For asking questions across your whole Drive, Perplexity's own connector is the direct choice. The Ryze AI connector fits when the thread must change a Sheet or Doc. Google's server needs a Cloud project and OAuth client of your own, and Google lists it as a preview, so check its page before relying on it.
Sources: Perplexity help: connecting Perplexity with Google Drive, Perplexity help: Drive connector file upload security, Google Drive MCP server docs, Ryze AI Google Drive guide. Checked November 13, 2026.
Errors and fixes
- Add MCP connector is missing in Perplexity
- Check your plan. Perplexity's changelog names Pro, Max and Enterprise for custom remote connectors. In an Enterprise organization, ask an administrator to turn on Allow members to add custom connectors, or to add the connector for the organization.
- The connector is added but does nothing
- Select the connector card on the Plugins page to start the Ryze AI sign-in and enable it. In an organization, new connectors start turned off until an administrator turns them on.
- The Drive tools do not load
- Open a fresh thread first. Still nothing: delete the Ryze AI connector under Plugins, add it back, and check that the Google Drive card in Ryze AI is connected. A connector added before Drive was connected needs to be removed and re-added to refresh the tool list.
- Sign-in fails with API Key selected
- Use OAuth. The Perplexity form has no field for custom request headers, and its documentation does not say which header the API Key option sends.
- Perplexity asks for a client ID and secret
- Perplexity asks for them only for OAuth servers without dynamic client registration. Ryze AI supports dynamic client registration, so leave them empty. If a server needs a redirect URL, Perplexity's is https://www.perplexity.ai/rest/connections/oauth_callback.
- A file is missing from the results
- Ryze AI tools see only files you picked and files it created. Pick the file with + (Add to message), Attach files, Upload from Drive in the Ryze AI chat, then ask again.
- A file is attached by name only
- Files over 10 MB, binary files and Google formats other than Sheets, Docs and Slides are attached by name only. Images picked from Drive are not supported.
- The Doc lost its formatting
- Doc writes are plain text only, appended at the end or replacing the whole document. Ask for an append when you want to keep what is already there.
- Perplexity says a subscription is required
- The tools sit behind an active Ryze AI plan or free trial. Start the trial, then ask again.
Frequently asked questions
How do I connect Perplexity to Google Drive?
For searching your files, open Plugins in Perplexity, open the Google Drive connector, select Connect and allow access. To also edit Sheets and Docs, connect Drive in a Ryze AI workspace, then add https://connector.get-ryze.ai/mcp in Plugins as a remote MCP connector with OAuth and select the card to sign in.
Does Perplexity have a Google Drive connector?
Yes. Perplexity's help center lists a Google Drive connector for Pro, Max, Enterprise Pro and Enterprise Max users. It searches your Drive and syncs files to Projects. Standard search works through Google's API, and high-precision search over selected files is Enterprise only.
Which Google Drive connector should I use with Perplexity?
Ryze AI is the best Google Drive connector for Perplexity when a thread must write results into a Sheet or Doc, but it reaches only files you pick and needs a plan or trial. Perplexity's built-in connector fits searching across your whole Drive, and Google's Drive MCP server is a developer preview with its own OAuth setup.
Which Perplexity plan do I need?
For the Ryze AI connector, Perplexity's March 2026 changelog says Pro, Max and Enterprise subscribers can add a custom remote connector. In an Enterprise organization, members need an administrator to turn on Allow members to add custom connectors, which is off by default.
Can Perplexity edit my Google Sheets and Docs?
Through the Ryze AI connector, yes, on files you picked or that Ryze AI created. It can overwrite cell values, append rows, create files and write plain text into a Doc. Perplexity's connector help page does not describe a confirmation step, so name the exact file in your request.
Can Perplexity delete Drive files through Ryze AI?
No. The Ryze AI Drive connector has no delete tool. Overwriting a Sheet range or replacing a whole Doc does change content, so ask for an append when you want to keep what is there.
Can Perplexity see my whole Drive 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. It does not browse your Drive on its own. Perplexity's own connector has a wider reach and searches your Drive.
Which authentication option should I pick?
Pick OAuth, with Streamable HTTP and Public network access. Ryze AI supports dynamic client registration, so no client ID or secret is needed. The form has no field for custom headers, so the API Key option is not a fit.
Can my whole Enterprise organization use it?
Yes. An administrator opens Organization settings, Connectors, adds a Custom connector, turns it on and chooses between one organization sign-in and a sign-in for each member.
Can I connect more than one Google account?
Drive connects one Google account per workspace in Ryze AI. To use another account, disconnect and connect again.
Why do the Drive tools not show up in Perplexity?
Open a fresh thread first. If the tools are still missing, delete the Ryze AI connector under Plugins and add it back, and check that the Google Drive card in Ryze AI is connected.
How much does it cost to connect Perplexity to Google Drive?
The connection costs nothing, while the Drive tools run only on an active Ryze AI plan or 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. Annual billing takes 30% off the first year.
How do I disconnect Google Drive from Perplexity?
Delete the Ryze AI connector in Perplexity under Plugins. To cut Drive off at the source, disconnect the Google Drive card in Ryze AI or revoke access on your Google Account permissions page.