removePermission
Remove a permission from a file (by permissionId or emailAddress)
This record as markdown: /tools/ark7-google-drive-mcp/removepermission.md
What removePermission does on Google Drive
AI agents call removePermission to permanently remove resources in Google Drive, typically in cleanup and lifecycle workflows. It does its job in a single call, and there is no undo.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
fileId | string | Yes | Google Drive file ID |
account | string | — | Alias of the Google account to target. Optional — defaults to the session/global default account, or the sole authenticated account. Run manage_accounts list to |
emailAddress | string | — | User email (alternative to permissionId) |
permissionId | string | — | Permission ID |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
Why removePermission is rated Critical
Removing a permission is a destructive, irreversible action that revokes a user's or group's access to a file. This cannot be undone automatically; re-granting access requires knowing the original permission details. Misuse by an AI agent could lock out legitimate users or collaborators from important files, making the blast radius high.
From the tool's definition "Remove a permission from a file (by permissionId or emailAddress)" — explicitly removes access control entries irreversibly
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs removePermission safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Google Drive, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For removePermission, this is the rule to start with:
removePermission is removed from the agent's tool list entirely, so the agent never calls it. The rest of the server keeps working.
The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect Google Drive, apply this rule, and every removePermission call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about removePermission
Remove a permission from a file (by permissionId or emailAddress). It is categorised as a Destructive tool in the Google Drive MCP Server, which means it can permanently delete or destroy data. Block by default and require explicit approval.
removePermission accepts 4 parameters: fileId, account, emailAddress, permissionId. Required: fileId. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.
Register the Google Drive MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for removePermission: 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 Google Drive. Nothing to install.
removePermission is a Destructive tool with critical risk. Critical-risk tools should be blocked by default and only enabled with explicit human approval.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the removePermission 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 removePermission. 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.
removePermission is provided by the Google Drive MCP server (@ark7/google-drive-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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