Files and documents

Guile and Google Drive

Docs, slides, PDF, Word and text files, read-only.

What Guile reads from Google Drive

Guile reads the text of your Google Docs and Slides, and of PDF, Word, plain-text, Markdown and RTF files. Google's screen asks only to see and download files, so Guile cannot change anything in your Drive.

How to connect Google Drive

  1. In Guile, open Apps > Add an app and choose Connect on Google Drive.
  2. In the Pipedream window (the service Guile uses to connect apps), choose your Google account.
  3. Google's screen names Pipedream and asks only to see and download your Drive files. Choose Continue.
  4. Back in Guile, learning starts on every supported file and checks again each night.
  5. To read one folder instead, open Manage > Choose sources, untick Include all supported content, including new sources, paste the folder's ID (the letters and numbers after folders/ in the folder's web address) under Folder ID (direct files only), and choose Save sources. Its subfolders are not read.

If something doesn't work

  • Google says the app is blocked by your organization: your Google Workspace admin opens the Admin console, goes to Security > Access and data control > API controls > Manage App Access, finds the app (listed as Pipedream) and sets it to Trusted. Then connect again.
  • A file is missing: Guile skips spreadsheets, images, video, scanned PDFs, Office files other than Word, and anything over 2 MB, and reads only files the connected account can open.
  • You picked the wrong Google account: choose Disconnect on Google Drive in Guile, then connect again with the right one. To review what an account has granted, open your Google Account's linked apps page.

Still stuck? Write to hello@goguile.com.