Google Drive setup

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Connecting Google Drive requires one authorization step. Completing setup allows the following functionality.

• Read and write tools. Glean and Glean agents can search Drive, read and download files, and create files, docs, and sheets. Every tool runs with a user's Google authorization and Drive permissions.
• Permission-aware search. Turn on data indexing and Glean builds a search index of your Drive content. Glean mirrors Drive access controls through domain-wide delegation and enforces them at query time. Each user sees only the files they can open in Drive.

1. Connect and authorizetoday — current step
2. Use read and write toolstoday — current step
3. Indexing runs in the backgroundtoday — happens automatically
4. Permission-aware search switches ontomorrow — happens automatically

Feature availability after setup

Read and write tools are available upon connecting. Search switches on once you begin indexing and the first crawl completes.

Capability	When it becomes available	Whose permissions apply
Read and write tools	Immediately after you connect	Each user's own Google permissions, through their own Google authorization
Permission-aware search	Once you begin indexing and the first crawl completes	Drive access controls, mirrored through domain-wide delegation and enforced at query time

Indexing is optional at setup. You can begin it right away or skip it and start later from the connector page.

Connector setup

Prerequisites

Confirm the following before you begin.

Requirement	Why it is needed
A Glean admin who can add and configure connectors	Adds the Google Drive connector and authorizes it in the Admin console
A Google Super Admin, or a user with the required custom admin role	Authorizes the MCP connection and, for indexing, sets up domain-wide delegation

Step 1. Connect

In the Glean Admin console, go to Connectors and add the Google Drive connector. This step authorizes Google Drive's tools.

1. Enter a Name for the connector. This is the name your organization members see.

2. Under Select an authorization method, pick one option.

   • Central (recommended). Use Glean's managed OAuth app, which needs no configuration.
   • Custom. Use your own Google OAuth app. You provide a Client ID and Client secret.

   See Google tools setup for the full instructions.

3. Select Continue. You return to Glean to set up indexing.

Step 2. Set up indexing

To add permission-aware search, set up data indexing.

• Directory admin email. Enter a Google Super Admin, or a user with a custom admin role that has the required privileges. Glean impersonates this identity through domain-wide delegation.
• Domain-wide delegation and scopes. Add Glean's client ID and the required OAuth scopes in the Google Admin console.
• Additional domains. Retrieve domains from your Google Workspace account, or enter them manually.
• Google Group mappings. Upload a CSV that maps target audience IDs to Google Groups.
• Drive labels. Leave this on to crawl Drive labels for filters and facets, or turn it off.

Step 3. Review access and begin indexing

Review who can use the connector and any data access rules, then finish setup.

• User access. Make the connector available to all users, or to a test group only.
• Data access. Set inclusion, exclusion, and additional rules for what Glean indexes.
• Select Begin indexing to start the crawl, or Skip for now to defer it and start later from the connector page.

Manage tools

Connecting Google Drive makes its tools available. You can see all available tools on the Tools tab of your connector and edit permissions through Advanced settings.

Tool settings you can change afterwards

• Which tools are on. Keep read tools enabled and leave write tools off until you are ready for agents to act in Drive. See Enabling or disabling individual tools.
• Where they appear. Across Glean Assistant, Agents, and the Glean MCP server. See Enabling tools for Chat and Agents.
• Who can use them. Scope each tool to specific users or groups. See Tool visibility scoping and role-based access to tools.
• How write tools run. Control whether a tool runs without user confirmation. See Run tools without user confirmation and Allowing in-line execution of write tools.

For the full guide, see Tools overview.

Per-user authorization

Setup authorizes Glean to Google Drive at the connector level. From there, two identities decide what each person sees.

Capability	Runs as	What it enforces
Indexed search	The Glean service account, through domain-wide delegation	Drive access controls, mirrored into the index and enforced at query time
Read and write tools	Each user's own Google account	That user's own Drive permissions, checked by Google on every call

Each teammate authorizes their own Google account over OAuth the first time they use a tool. Indexed search needs no action from end users once the crawl completes.

After setup

• Broaden coverage by adding Google Workspace domains.
• Refine what is indexed with inclusion, exclusion, and restriction rules, and Drive labels.
• Check progress any time from the Google Drive connector page in the Admin console.

See also

• Choose your Google Drive setup shows which setup is yours and how tools and indexed search fit into each.
• Google Drive overview covers objects, crawling, permissions, and limitations.
• Connect Google Drive with Glean is the previous connector setup reference.