Command-line interface for Google Drive operations.
Installation
npm install -g @mariozechner/gdcli
Setup
Google Cloud Console (one-time)
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Create a new project (or select existing)
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Set app name in OAuth branding
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Add test users (all Gmail addresses you want to use)
Click "Create Client"
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Application type: "Desktop app"
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Download the JSON file
Configure gdcli
First check if already configured:
gdcli accounts list
If no accounts, guide the user through setup:
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Ask if they have a Google Cloud project with Drive API enabled
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If not, walk them through the Google Cloud Console steps above
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Have them download the OAuth credentials JSON
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Run:
gdcli accounts credentials ~/path/to/credentials.json -
Run:
gdcli accounts add <email>(use--manualfor browserless OAuth)
Usage
Run gdcli --help for full command reference.
Common operations:
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gdcli <email> ls [folderId]- List files/folders -
gdcli <email> ls --query "<query>"- List with Drive query filter -
gdcli <email> search "<text>"- Full-text content search -
gdcli <email> download <fileId> [destPath]- Download a file -
gdcli <email> upload <localPath> [--folder <folderId>]- Upload a file -
gdcli <email> mkdir <name>- Create a folder -
gdcli <email> share <fileId> --anyone- Share publicly
Search
Two different commands:
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search "<text>"- Searches inside file contents (fullText) -
ls --query "<query>"- Filters by metadata (name, type, date, etc.)
Use ls --query for filename searches!
Query Syntax (for ls --query)
Format: field operator value. Combine with and/or, group with ().
Operators: =, !=, contains, <, >, <=, >=
Examples:
# By filename
ls --query "name = 'report.pdf'" # exact match
ls --query "name contains 'IMG'" # prefix match
# By type
ls --query "mimeType = 'application/pdf'"
ls --query "mimeType contains 'image/'"
ls --query "mimeType = 'application/vnd.google-apps.folder'" # folders
# By date
ls --query "modifiedTime > '2024-01-01'"
# By owner/sharing
ls --query "'me' in owners"
ls --query "sharedWithMe"
# Exclude trash
ls --query "trashed = false"
# Combined
ls --query "name contains 'report' and mimeType = 'application/pdf'"
Ref: https://developers.google.com/drive/api/guides/ref-search-terms
Data Storage
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~/.gdcli/credentials.json- OAuth client credentials -
~/.gdcli/accounts.json- Account tokens -
~/.gdcli/downloads/- Default download location