Connecting to Google Drive

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Google Drive is a cloud-based file storage and collaboration platform that allows users to store, share, and co-edit documents in real time from any device. Integrating Google Drive with IBM watsonx Orchestrate enables seamless access to files and folders for automation, data exchange, and workflow orchestration.

To integrate Google Drive with IBM watsonx Orchestrate, you need to establish a secure connection that enables both systems to communicate seamlessly.

Note:

The Single sign-on (SSO) toggle is enabled only for supported OAuth 2.0 authentication types and applications. If the application does not support an SSO-enabled authentication type, the toggle remains disabled. For supported configurations, see Configuring single sign-on for applications.

Steps to connect

Use the following steps to connect Google Drive to watsonx Orchestrate:

From the main menu, go to Manage > Security.

Important:
In the on-premises environment, use the Manage > Connections navigation path to access connections.
Click the Connections tab and search for the corresponding app name or the Google Drive Connection ID.
Click edit next to the matching connection ID.
Select the authentication method your organization uses (OAuth 2.0 or Key Value Pair).
Enter the Google Drive‑specific fields based on the selected authentication method as described below.
Complete the Draft and Live setup steps.
Save and test the connection to confirm successful connection.

Authentication methods

Google Drive supports the following authentication types in watsonx Orchestrate:

OAuth 2.0 (Authorization Code): Recommended for production connections
Key Value Pair (KVP): Supported for API key–based and legacy scenarios

Note:

For agents created after September 2025, OAuth 2.0 is the only supported authentication for Google Drive.

Connection ID

Use the following Connection IDs when locating your Google Drive connection in the Connections settings page.


Authentication type	Connection ID
OAuth2 Authorization Code	`google_ibm_184bdbd3`
Key Value Pair	`google_key_value_ibm_184bdbd3` (deprecated)

OAuth 2.0 connection details

If your organization uses OAuth‑based authentication, set Authentication type to OAuth2 Authorization Code and enter the following fields:


Field	Description
Server URL	Base URL of the Google Drive server (for example, https://www.googleapis.com)
Token URL	Endpoint to exchange the authorization code for an access token (for example, https://oauth2.googleapis.com/token)
Scope	Defines what access is being requested
Authorization URL	URL where users are redirected to log in and authorize access (for example, https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/v2/auth)
Client ID	Unique ID for your application
Client Secret	A secret key used to authenticate your app with Google Drive

Note:

Before creating a Google Client ID and secret, ensure that you have:

Created or selected a Google Cloud project.
Enable the Google project with access to the specific Google service that your tool connects to (for example, Google Drive). In your project, open APIs & Services and click Enable APIs and Services to select the required API.

When configuring OAuth credentials, make sure to add the correct Authorized redirect URI. See Callback URL for more details.

You can obtain these values from the Google Cloud Console. Refer to the Google Authentication API documentation for more details.

Key Value Pair connection details

If your organization uses API keys or a legacy configuration, set Authentication type to Key Value Pair and add each of the following fields using Add new field:


Key	Description
`base_url`	The base URL for Google Drive API (for example, `https://www.googleapis.com`)
`token_url`	The URL used to obtain the OAuth token (for example, `https://oauth2.googleapis.com/token`)
`client_id`	Your Google Cloud project's client ID
`client_secret`	Your Google Cloud project's client secret
`bearer_token`	The access token used for API requests
`refresh_token`	The token used to refresh the bearer token when it expires

Note: When using Key Value Pair, only Team credentials are supported.

You can obtain these values from the Google Cloud Console. Refer to the Google Authentication API documentation for more details.

What to do next

Now that your app connection is live, you can start using it in watsonx Orchestrate.

Run an agent in Orchestrate Chat to complete tasks using natural language. See Using Orchestrate Chat for more details.
Use relevant agents and tools to perform app-specific actions. See Prebuilt agents and Prebuilt tools for more details.