Dropbox Automation via Rube MCP
Automate Dropbox operations including file upload/download, search, folder management, sharing links, batch operations, and metadata retrieval through Composio's Dropbox toolkit.
Toolkit docs: composio.dev/toolkits/dropbox
Prerequisites
- •Rube MCP must be connected (RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS available)
- •Active Dropbox connection via
RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONSwith toolkitdropbox - •Always call
RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLSfirst 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_TOOLSresponds - •Call
RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONSwith toolkitdropbox - •If connection is not ACTIVE, follow the returned auth link to complete Dropbox OAuth
- •Confirm connection status shows ACTIVE before running any workflows
Core Workflows
1. Search for Files and Folders
When to use: User wants to find files or folders by name, content, or type
Tool sequence:
- •
DROPBOX_SEARCH_FILE_OR_FOLDER- Search by query string with optional path scope and filters [Required] - •
DROPBOX_SEARCH_CONTINUE- Paginate through additional results using cursor [Required if has_more] - •
DROPBOX_GET_METADATA- Validate and get canonical path for a search result [Optional] - •
DROPBOX_READ_FILE- Read file content to verify it is the intended document [Optional]
Key parameters:
- •
query: Search string (case-insensitive, 1+ non-whitespace characters) - •
options.path: Scope search to a folder (e.g.,"/Documents"); empty string for root - •
options.file_categories: Filter by type ("image","document","pdf","folder", etc.) - •
options.file_extensions: Filter by extension (e.g.,["jpg", "png"]) - •
options.filename_only: Settrueto match filenames only (not content) - •
options.max_results: Results per page (default 100, max 1000)
Pitfalls:
- •Search returns
has_more: truewith acursorwhen more results exist; MUST continue to avoid silently missing matches - •Maximum 10,000 matches total across all pages of search + search_continue
- •
DROPBOX_GET_METADATAreturnedpath_displaymay differ in casing from user input; always use the returned canonical path - •File content from
DROPBOX_READ_FILEmay be returned as base64-encodedfile_content_bytes; decode before parsing
2. Upload and Download Files
When to use: User wants to upload files to Dropbox or download files from it
Tool sequence:
- •
DROPBOX_UPLOAD_FILE- Upload a file to a specified path [Required for upload] - •
DROPBOX_READ_FILE- Download/read a file from Dropbox [Required for download] - •
DROPBOX_DOWNLOAD_ZIP- Download an entire folder as a zip file [Optional] - •
DROPBOX_SAVE_URL- Save a file from a public URL directly to Dropbox [Optional] - •
DROPBOX_GET_SHARED_LINK_FILE- Download a file from a shared link URL [Optional] - •
DROPBOX_EXPORT_FILE- Export non-downloadable files like Dropbox Paper to markdown/HTML [Optional]
Key parameters:
- •
path: Dropbox path (must start with/, e.g.,"/Documents/report.pdf") - •
mode:"add"(default, fail on conflict) or"overwrite"for uploads - •
autorename:trueto auto-rename on conflict instead of failing - •
content: FileUploadable object withs3key,mimetype, andnamefor uploads - •
url: Public URL forDROPBOX_SAVE_URL - •
export_format:"markdown","html", or"plain_text"for Paper docs
Pitfalls:
- •
DROPBOX_SAVE_URLis asynchronous and may take up to 15 minutes for large files - •
DROPBOX_DOWNLOAD_ZIPfolder must be under 20 GB with no single file over 4 GB and fewer than 10,000 entries - •
DROPBOX_READ_FILEcontent may be base64-encoded; check response format - •Shared link downloads via
DROPBOX_GET_SHARED_LINK_FILEmay requirelink_passwordfor protected links
3. Share Files and Manage Links
When to use: User wants to create sharing links or manage existing shared links
Tool sequence:
- •
DROPBOX_GET_METADATA- Confirm file/folder exists and get canonical path [Prerequisite] - •
DROPBOX_LIST_SHARED_LINKS- Check for existing shared links to avoid duplicates [Prerequisite] - •
DROPBOX_CREATE_SHARED_LINK- Create a new shared link [Required] - •
DROPBOX_GET_SHARED_LINK_METADATA- Resolve a shared link URL to metadata [Optional] - •
DROPBOX_LIST_SHARED_FOLDERS- List all shared folders the user has access to [Optional]
Key parameters:
- •
path: File or folder path for link creation - •
settings.audience:"public","team", or"no_one" - •
settings.access:"viewer"or"editor" - •
settings.expires: ISO 8601 expiration date (e.g.,"2026-12-31T23:59:59Z") - •
settings.require_password/settings.link_password: Password protection - •
settings.allow_download: Boolean for download permission - •
direct_only: For `LIST_SHARED_LI