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Overview

The Google Drive connection allows Qontext to ingest documents, presentations, tables, and text files from a connected Google Drive into your context repository.
Only files and folders that the connected Google account can access will be ingested into your context repository.
Supported file types: Unsupported:
Use a dedicated integration user in your Google Workspace to ensure a stable and uninterrupted connection.
Create a service account such as qontext@yourcompany.com and grant it access to the files and folders you want Qontext to ingest. This prevents sync interruptions if employee accounts change or are deactivated.
The integration user will:
  • Authenticate the connection between Qontext and Google Drive.
  • Access required resources with read and download permissions.

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Setting up the connection

You can connect Google Drive from your Qontext workspace, authorize access in Google, then choose what to sync and how often. The steps below walk you through the full flow.
You can also manage all your credentials, including Google Drive, from the Sources page.
1

Open Sources in your workspace

In the Qontext app, open your workspace and go to the Sources tab, then click + Connect data source.Sources tab in a Qontext workspace
2

Select Google Drive as the data source

Choose Google Drive from the list of available data sources. This starts the Google Drive connection flow.Select Google Drive from the list of integrations
3

Choose Google account and grant scopes

You can reuse existing Google Drive credentials (if you’ve already connected this account to Qontext) or create a new connection.Google account selection screenIf you create a new connection, select the Google account that has access to the files you want to ingest, and approve the requested OAuth scopes.Google sign-inGoogle account access
4

Configure what to sync (filters)

Select the folders and files you want Qontext to ingest into your context repository. You can add folders or individual files.Google Drive filtersClick the + next to a folder to add it; open the folder to add subfolders or individual files and select them the same way. Files over 10MB or in an unsupported format cannot be selected. Any such files inside a selected folder are excluded from sync automatically.Google Drive foldersSelected items appear at the top. Click All file types next to a folder to limit which file types are synced from that folder. Use the checkmark next to an item to remove it from the selection.Google Drive file types
5

Set sync frequency

Choose how often Qontext should refresh data from Google Drive (e.g. daily, weekly, monthly). More frequent syncs keep the context repository up to date but use more resources.Sync frequency settings
6

Review and create connection

Review your choices (account, filters, frequency), then confirm to create the connection. Qontext will start the initial sync shortly after.Review summary and create connection

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Use your own OAuth client

By default, Qontext connects to Google Drive through its own Google OAuth client. If your organization needs the connection to go through a Google Cloud project you control, you can use your own OAuth client instead. Your Google Workspace admins then manage the consent screen and can revoke access from your own Google Cloud project.
Using your own OAuth client is off by default. To turn it on for your workspace, reach out at support@qontext.ai.
Adding your own OAuth client requires the Owner or Admin role in your Qontext workspace (see Member settings), and access to a Google Cloud project where you can create OAuth clients.
1

Copy the Redirect URI from Qontext

In the Qontext app, open your workspace and go to the Sources tab, then click + Connect data source. Select Google Drive, create a new connection, then expand Advanced and open Custom OAuth client. Copy the Redirect URI shown there. It is https://app.qontext.ai/oauth/callback/google_drive. If the form shows a different value, use that one instead. You will add it to your OAuth client in Google Cloud.Custom OAuth client section with the Redirect URI, Client ID, and Client secret fields
2

Enable the Google Drive API

In the Google Cloud console, select the project you want to use or create a new one. Go to APIs & Services > Library, search for Google Drive API, and click Enable.Google Drive API page in the Google Cloud console with the Enable button
3

Configure the consent screen and add the scope

Go to Google Auth Platform and complete the Branding and Audience settings: the app name, the support email, and the user type. Choose Internal if everyone who connects belongs to your Google Workspace organization, otherwise External.Then open Data access, click Add or remove scopes, select https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive.readonly, click Update, and save your changes. This declares the scope your app can request. If the scope isn’t listed, paste it under Manually add scopes and click Add to table.Google Auth Platform Data access panel with the drive.readonly scope selected
An External app left in Testing status only works for the test users you list, and Google expires its authorizations after 7 days. Publish the app to In production under Audience for a connection that stays active.
4

Create the OAuth client

In Google Auth Platform, open Clients, click Create client, and choose Web application as the application type. Enter a name, for example Qontext.Under Authorized redirect URIs, click Add URI and enter the Redirect URI from Qontext, https://app.qontext.ai/oauth/callback/google_drive. Click Create.Create OAuth client ID form with the Authorized redirect URIs field filled in
Google can take from a few minutes to a few hours to apply changes to an OAuth client.
5

Copy the Client ID and Client secret

Google shows the Client ID and Client secret after you create the client. Copy both.
Treat the Client secret like a password. Qontext stores it encrypted and never shows it again after you save it.
6

Add the client to Qontext

Back in the Custom OAuth client section of the connect form, paste the Client ID and Client secret, then continue. Sign in with the Google account that has access to the files you want to sync. Google then asks that account to approve the requested scope. From here, the setup continues as described in Setting up the connection.
Qontext uses the scope https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive.readonly (read-only access to your Drive files). If it isn’t granted, the connection is not created. See Google Drive OAuth scopes.

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Troubleshooting a custom OAuth client

If the connection fails, Qontext shows a message with the error. Find it in the table below. If the error persists, contact support@qontext.ai.

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Managing permissions

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Google Drive OAuth scopes

When connecting, you will be asked to grant scopes that allow Qontext to read and download files. Example scope descriptions you may see:
These are required for Qontext to read data from Google Drive and ingest it into your context repository.

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Google Drive permissions

  • Use a single person or service account to manage Drive permissions for Qontext. This avoids accidental permission changes that break syncs.
  • If you don’t see a file in Qontext’s Drive tree, verify download permissions using the file’s File info -> Details and ensure Viewers and commenters can see the option to download, print, and copy is enabled.

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Sync latency

Qontext preprocesses Drive content before ingesting it into the context repository. The initial synchronization time depends on the volume and type of files. Workspaces with many files may take up to 12 hours to fully index.
Subsequent syncs process incremental changes and typically complete much faster than the initial sync.

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FAQ

Qontext supports native Google Docs, Google Slides, and Google Sheets, along with docx, pptx, xlsx, pdf, rtf, txt, csv, md, odt, odp, ods, and html files. Files larger than 10MB, in an unsupported format, or without extractable text are skipped.
Yes. You can create multiple Google Drive connections at any time in the Sources tab in your Qontext workspace.
Manual refresh for Google Drive connections is available via the Sources tab. Navigate to the respective Google Drive connection and open the Syncs tab. In the Sync settings, select Sync latest data to pull recent changes, or Resync all data to rebuild the source from scratch.Resync
If you disconnect the Drive connection, no new files will be ingested. Content already ingested from Drive will remain in your context repository. For data removal requests, contact support@qontext.ai.
Yes. If your organization wants the connection to go through a Google Cloud project you control, expand Advanced when you add a new connection and use Custom OAuth client. The setup is described in Use your own OAuth client. Qontext still requests the same read-only Drive scope. This option is off by default. Reach out at support@qontext.ai to turn it on.
Yes. All data is encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest. Qontext only accesses files you explicitly authorize via Google OAuth scopes.
By default, Qontext only ingests files the connected Google account can access. Additionally, you can add filters to every connection as described in the setup flow.