export_file
Exports (converts) a Google-native file — Doc, Sheet, Slides, Drawing — to a regular format. mime_type picks the target: Docs → text/markdown, text/plain, text/html, application/pdf, application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document (.docx), application/rtf; Sheets → text/cs...
This record as markdown: /tools/a1-x-tech-mcp-google-drive/export-file.md
What export_file does on Mcp Google Drive
AI agents use export_file to create or update resources in Mcp Google Drive, usually the action step of a workflow, after the agent has gathered context. Every call changes real data in your Mcp Google Drive environment.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
file_id | string | Yes | The file id — the long id from the Drive URL (drive.google.com/file/d/<fileId> or docs.google.com/.../d/<fileId>/edit) or from search_files/get_file output. Fol |
mime_type | string | Yes | Target format, e.g. text/markdown, text/csv, application/pdf (see the description for what each Google type supports). |
overwrite | boolean | — | Replace save_path if it already exists (default false). |
save_path | string | — | Absolute local path to write the export to (required for binary or >100 KB output). |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
Why export_file is rated Medium
An AI agent can call export_file faster than any human can review: one bad instruction and it creates or modifies resources in Mcp Google Drive by the hundred, each call as confident as the last.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs export_file safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Mcp Google Drive, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For export_file, this is the rule to start with:
export_file stays usable, but capped: an agent stuck in a loop can't make hundreds of changes a minute. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect Mcp Google Drive, apply this rule, and every export_file call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about export_file
Exports (converts) a Google-native file — Doc, Sheet, Slides, Drawing — to a regular format. mime_type picks the target: Docs → text/markdown, text/plain, text/html, application/pdf, application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document (.docx), application/rtf; Sheets → text/csv (FIRST sheet only), application/pdf, application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet (.xlsx); Slides → application/pdf, text/plain, application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.presentationml.presentation (.pptx); Drawings → image/png, image/svg+xml, application/pdf. With save_path the result is written to disk; without it small textual exports (≤100 KB) come back inline as content. Export is capped at 10 MB by the API — use the file's exportLinks (get_file) for bigger documents. Binary (non-Google) files are not exportable — use download_file. It is categorised as a Write tool in the Mcp Google Drive MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.
export_file accepts 4 parameters: file_id, mime_type, overwrite, save_path. Required: file_id, mime_type. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.
Register the Mcp Google Drive MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for export_file: allow, deny, rate-limit, or require approval. Point your MCP client at the PolicyLayer proxy URL and the rule is enforced on every call, before it reaches Mcp Google Drive. Nothing to install.
export_file is a Write tool with medium risk. Write tools should be rate-limited to prevent accidental bulk modifications.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the export_file rule in your PolicyLayer policy. For example, setting max: 10 and window: 60 limits the tool to 10 calls per minute. Rate limits are tracked per agent session and reset automatically.
Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for export_file. The AI agent will receive a policy violation error and cannot call the tool. You can also include a reason field to explain why the tool is blocked.
export_file is provided by the Mcp Google Drive MCP server (@a1-x-tech/mcp-google-drive). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
More on Mcp Google Drive, and thousands of servers like it.
This server
Across the catalogue