Google Drive and your Google Cloud project

Using your own Client ID is the recommended way to connect Google Drive to KIO Rclone. It avoids rclone's shared public quota and makes your API limit depend on your project.

This guide is for a personal client used with your own account and remotes. It is not a recipe for publishing an OAuth application to other users.

TIP

rclone also maintains an official guide to creating your own Drive Client ID. Use it if Google changes a console label; the concepts and values are the same.

Before you start

You need a Google account, access to Google Cloud Console, KIO Rclone installed, and rclone working in your session. You do not need a web server, custom callback URL, or service account. Create an OAuth client of type Desktop app.

1. Create a project and enable Drive API

1. Open Create project.
2. Name it, for example KIO Rclone personal, and select it.
3. Open the API library and click Enable for Google Drive API.

2. Configure Google Auth Platform

Open Google Auth Platform and complete Branding, Audience, and Data Access. Add an app name, support email, and developer contact.

For a personal Gmail account choose External and add your own address as a test user. Choose Internal only when every user belongs to your managed Google Workspace organization. If requested, declare this Drive scope:

https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive

Do not add Gmail, Calendar, or other scopes: KIO Rclone does not need them.

3. Create OAuth credentials

1. Open Google Auth Platform → Clients.
2. Click Create client, choose Desktop app, and give it a name.
3. Copy the Client ID and Client secret, or download the credentials JSON.

Never commit the JSON or rclone.conf, and never paste credentials or tokens into tickets or chats.

4. Connect it to KIO Rclone

Run kio-rclone-config, select your Google Drive remote, choose Google OAuth…, and paste the Client ID and secret. Accept the dialog and complete the browser flow opened by rclone. Then return to Dolphin and open rclone:/.

If offered Import existing local OAuth override, it migrates credentials; rclone still stores and refreshes the token.

5. Verify safely

rclone lsd 'Google Drive:'
rclone config redacted

Then open rclone:/Google%20Drive/ and test a disposable folder.

Testing mode and seven-day tokens

External apps in Testing are limited to their test users. For Drive scopes, authorization and refresh tokens for test users expire after seven days. If you are asked to log in weekly, check the project's publishing state.

For a strictly personal Client ID, rclone documents publishing an app without verification and accepting Google's unverified-app warning. Do this only for your own accounts; public or multi-user apps must follow Google's current verification requirements.

Common errors

Error	Likely cause	Action
access_denied	Account is not a test user or a policy blocks the app.	Add the account or contact the Workspace administrator.
org_internal	An Internal client is used outside its organization.	Use an organization account or an External client.
invalid_client	Credentials are wrong or from another project.	Copy them again and reconnect the remote.
RATE_LIMIT_EXCEEDED	Shared Client ID or project quota.	Use your Client ID and check Cloud Console quota.

Google Workspace and managed accounts

In a company or school, the Client ID can be valid and still fail:

• Internal only permits users in the corresponding organization.
• An administrator may block external OAuth apps.
• API policy may restrict the Drive scope.
• Google Admin may need to approve the Client ID.

Share the Client ID and exact requested scope with the administrator; do not share tokens or your Client secret.

Minimum security

• Create a project exclusively for this use.
• Never commit the credentials JSON.
• Do not share the Client secret, refresh token, or unredacted rclone.conf.
• Use rclone config redacted when asking for help.
• If the computer is compromised, revoke access from your Google account and authorize the remote again.

See Getting started or Troubleshooting when you are done.