one-drive-automation

OneDrive Automation via Rube MCP

Automate OneDrive operations including file upload/download, search, folder management, sharing links, permissions management, and drive browsing through Composio's OneDrive toolkit.

Prerequisites

Rube MCP must be connected (RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS available)

Active OneDrive connection via RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit one_drive

Always call RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS first to get current tool schemas

Setup

Get Rube MCP: Add https://rube.app/mcp as an MCP server in your client configuration. No API keys needed — just add the endpoint and it works.

Verify Rube MCP is available by confirming RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS responds

Call RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit one_drive

If connection is not ACTIVE, follow the returned auth link to complete Microsoft OAuth

Confirm connection status shows ACTIVE before running any workflows

Core Workflows

1. Search and Browse Files

When to use: User wants to find files or browse folder contents in OneDrive

Tool sequence:

ONE_DRIVE_GET_DRIVE - Verify drive access and get drive details [Prerequisite]

ONE_DRIVE_SEARCH_ITEMS - Keyword search across filenames, metadata, and content [Required]

ONE_DRIVE_ONEDRIVE_LIST_ITEMS - List all items in the root of a drive [Optional]

ONE_DRIVE_GET_ITEM - Get detailed metadata for a specific item, expand children [Optional]

ONE_DRIVE_ONEDRIVE_FIND_FILE - Find a specific file by exact name in a folder [Optional]

ONE_DRIVE_ONEDRIVE_FIND_FOLDER - Find a specific folder by name [Optional]

ONE_DRIVE_LIST_DRIVES - List all accessible drives [Optional]

Key parameters:

q: Search query (plain keywords only, NOT KQL syntax)

search_scope: "root" (folder hierarchy) or "drive" (includes shared items)

top: Max items per page (default 200)

skip_token: Pagination token from @odata.nextLink

select: Comma-separated fields to return (e.g., "id,name,webUrl,size")

orderby: Sort order (e.g., "name asc", "name desc")

item_id: Item ID for GET_ITEM

expand_relations: Array like ["children"] or ["thumbnails"] for GET_ITEM

user_id: "me" (default) or specific user ID/email

Pitfalls:

ONE_DRIVE_SEARCH_ITEMS does NOT support KQL operators (folder:, file:, filetype:, path:); these are treated as literal text

Wildcard characters (, ?) are NOT supported and are auto-removed; use file extension keywords instead (e.g., "pdf" not ".pdf")

ONE_DRIVE_ONEDRIVE_LIST_ITEMS returns only root-level contents; use recursive ONE_DRIVE_GET_ITEM with expand_relations: ["children"] for deeper levels

Large folders paginate; always follow skip_token / @odata.nextLink until exhausted

Some drive ID formats may return "ObjectHandle is Invalid" errors due to Microsoft Graph API limitations

2. Upload and Download Files

When to use: User wants to upload files to OneDrive or download files from it

Tool sequence:

ONE_DRIVE_ONEDRIVE_FIND_FOLDER - Locate the target folder [Prerequisite]

ONE_DRIVE_ONEDRIVE_UPLOAD_FILE - Upload a file to a specified folder [Required for upload]

ONE_DRIVE_DOWNLOAD_FILE - Download a file by item ID [Required for download]

ONE_DRIVE_GET_ITEM - Get file details before download [Optional]

Key parameters:

file: FileUploadable object with s3key, mimetype, and name for uploads

folder: Destination path (e.g., "/Documents/Reports") or folder ID for uploads

item_id: File's unique identifier for downloads

file_name: Desired filename with extension for downloads

drive_id: Specific drive ID (for SharePoint or OneDrive for Business)

user_id: "me" (default) or specific user identifier

Pitfalls:

Upload automatically renames on conflict (no overwrite option by default)

Large files are automatically handled via chunking

drive_id overrides user_id when both are provided

Item IDs vary by platform: OneDrive for Business uses 01... prefix, OneDrive Personal uses HASH!NUMBER format

Item IDs are case-sensitive; use exactly as returned from API

3. Share Files and Manage Permissions

When to use: User wants to share files/folders or manage who has access

Tool sequence:

ONE_DRIVE_ONEDRIVE_FIND_FILE or ONE_DRIVE_ONEDRIVE_FIND_FOLDER - Locate the item [Prerequisite]

ONE_DRIVE_GET_ITEM_PERMISSIONS - Check current permissions [Prerequisite]

ONE_DRIVE_INVITE_USER_TO_DRIVE_ITEM - Grant access to specific users [Required]

ONE_DRIVE_CREATE_LINK - Create a shareable link [Optional]

ONE_DRIVE_UPDATE_DRIVE_ITEM_METADATA - Update item metadata [Optional]

Key parameters:

item_id: The file or folder to share

recipients: Array of objects with email or object_id

roles: Array with "read" or "write"

send_invitation: true to send notification email, false for silent permission grant

require_sign_in: true to require authentication to access

message: Custom message for invitation (max 2000 characters)

expiration_date_time: ISO 8601 date for permission expiry

retain_inherited_permissions: true (default) to keep existing inherited permissions

Pitfalls:

Using wrong item_id with INVITE_USER_TO_DRIVE_ITEM changes permissions on unintended items; always verify first

Write or higher roles are impactful; get explicit user confirmation before granting

GET_ITEM_PERMISSIONS returns inherited and owner entries; do not assume response only reflects recent changes

permissions cannot be expanded via ONE_DRIVE_GET_ITEM; use the separate permissions endpoint

At least one of require_sign_in or send_invitation must be true

4. Manage Folders (Create, Move, Delete, Copy)

When to use: User wants to create, move, rename, delete, or copy files and folders

Tool sequence:

ONE_DRIVE_ONEDRIVE_FIND_FOLDER - Locate source and destination folders [Prerequisite]

ONE_DRIVE_ONEDRIVE_CREATE_FOLDER - Create a new folder [Required for create]

ONE_DRIVE_MOVE_ITEM - Move a file or folder to a new location [Required for move]

ONE_DRIVE_COPY_ITEM - Copy a file or folder (async operation) [Required for copy]

ONE_DRIVE_DELETE_ITEM - Move item to recycle bin [Required for delete]

ONE_DRIVE_UPDATE_DRIVE_ITEM_METADATA - Rename or update item properties [Optional]

Key parameters:

name: Folder name for creation or new name for rename/copy

parent_folder: Path (e.g., "/Documents/Reports") or folder ID for creation

itemId: Item to move

parentReference: Object with id (destination folder ID) for moves: {"id": "folder_id"}

item_id: Item to copy or delete

parent_reference: Object with id and optional driveId for copy destination

@microsoft.graph.conflictBehavior: "fail", "replace", or "rename" for copies

if_match: ETag for optimistic concurrency on deletes

Pitfalls:

ONE_DRIVE_MOVE_ITEM does NOT support cross-drive moves; use ONE_DRIVE_COPY_ITEM for cross-drive transfers

parentReference for moves requires folder ID (not folder name); resolve with ONEDRIVE_FIND_FOLDER first

ONE_DRIVE_COPY_ITEM is asynchronous; response provides a URL to monitor progress

ONE_DRIVE_DELETE_ITEM moves to recycle bin, not permanent deletion

Folder creation auto-renames on conflict (e.g., "New Folder" becomes "New Folder 1")

Provide either name or parent_reference (or both) for ONE_DRIVE_COPY_ITEM

5. Track Changes and Drive Information

When to use: User wants to monitor changes or get drive/quota information

Tool sequence:

ONE_DRIVE_GET_DRIVE - Get drive properties and metadata [Required]

ONE_DRIVE_GET_QUOTA - Check storage quota (total, used, remaining) [Optional]

ONE_DRIVE_LIST_SITE_DRIVE_ITEMS_DELTA - Track changes in SharePoint site drives [Optional]

ONE_DRIVE_GET_ITEM_VERSIONS - Get version history of a file [Optional]

Key parameters:

drive_id: Drive identifier (or "me" for personal drive)

site_id: SharePoint site identifier for delta tracking

token: Delta token ("latest" for current state, URL for next page, or timestamp)

item_id: File ID for version history

Pitfalls:

Delta queries are only available for SharePoint site drives via ONE_DRIVE_LIST_SITE_DRIVE_ITEMS_DELTA

Token "latest" returns current delta token without items (useful as starting point)

Deep or large drives can take several minutes to crawl; use batching and resume logic

Common Patterns

ID Resolution

User: Use "me" for authenticated user or specific user email/GUID

Item ID from find: Use ONE_DRIVE_ONEDRIVE_FIND_FILE or ONE_DRIVE_ONEDRIVE_FIND_FOLDER to get item IDs

Item ID from search: Extract from ONE_DRIVE_SEARCH_ITEMS results

Drive ID: Use ONE_DRIVE_LIST_DRIVES or ONE_DRIVE_GET_DRIVE to discover drives

Folder path to ID: Use ONE_DRIVE_ONEDRIVE_FIND_FOLDER with path, then extract ID from response

ID formats vary by platform:

OneDrive for Business/SharePoint: 01NKDM7HMOJTVYMDOSXFDK2QJDXCDI3WUK

OneDrive Personal: D4648F06C91D9D3D!54927

Pagination

OneDrive uses token-based pagination:

Follow @odata.nextLink or skip_token until no more pages

Set top for page size (varies by endpoint)

ONE_DRIVE_ONEDRIVE_LIST_ITEMS auto-handles pagination internally

Aggressive parallel requests can trigger HTTP 429; honor Retry-After headers

Path vs ID

Most OneDrive tools accept either paths or IDs:

Paths: Start with / (e.g., "/Documents/Reports")

IDs: Use unique item identifiers from API responses

Item paths for permissions: Use :/path/to/item:/ format

Known Pitfalls

ID Formats

Item IDs are case-sensitive and platform-specific

Never use web URLs, sharing links, or manually constructed identifiers as item IDs

Always use IDs exactly as returned from Microsoft Graph API

Rate Limits

Aggressive parallel ONE_DRIVE_GET_ITEM calls can trigger HTTP 429 Too Many Requests

Honor Retry-After headers and implement throttling

Deep drive crawls should use batching with delays

Search Limitations

No KQL support; use plain keywords only

No wildcard characters; use extension keywords (e.g., "pdf" not ".pdf")

No path-based filtering in search; use folder listing instead

q='' wildcard-only queries return HTTP 400 invalidRequest

Parameter Quirks

drive_id overrides user_id when both are provided

permissions cannot be expanded via GET_ITEM; use dedicated permissions endpoint

Move operations require folder IDs in parentReference, not folder names

Copy operations are asynchronous; response provides monitoring URL

Quick Reference