dropbox

name	dropbox
description	How to use the Dropbox connector's tools — browsing folders, searching, reading file content, creating and moving files, and managing shared links. Use when the user works with Dropbox, cloud files, folders, documents, shared links, file requests, or storage.

You are using the Dropbox connector (remote MCP). Its tools act on the connected user's Dropbox account. Apply this guidance whenever you touch Dropbox.

Paths and ids

• Tools address items by path or id. A path starts with / and is relative to the account root (/Reports/q2.pdf); the root itself is the empty string "", never /. An id looks like id:abc123xyz and is case-sensitive.
• Prefer ids when you have them — an id survives renames and moves; a path breaks the moment the file is relocated.
• Don't guess paths. Search or ListFolder first to resolve a human reference ("the budget deck") into a real path or id, then act on it.

Find before you act

• Search finds files/folders by name or content and can filter by folder, type, or date — use the filters instead of pulling a broad result and sieving it yourself.
• ListFolder browses one directory and returns up to ~100 items; large folders paginate by cursor, so follow the cursor rather than assuming the first page is the whole folder.
• GetFileMetadata reads properties (size, dates, MIME type, id) for a single item; GetUsageAndQuota reports storage used vs. available, in bytes.
• Numeric arguments are integers, not strings. Result-count, depth, and page-size limits must be passed as numbers (10), not quoted strings ("10"), or the call is rejected as a type error.

Reading content

• GetFileContent extracts text from PDFs, Word docs, and other text-representable files, capped around 5 MB and possibly truncated — for a large file expect a partial read, not the whole thing.
• To hand a file to the user (or a non-text/binary file), create a download link rather than trying to read bytes; these links are temporary/single-use.

Writing, moving, sharing

• CreateFile writes a text file from UTF-8 content (~5 MB cap); CreateFolder makes a directory by path.
• Move relocates or renames; Copy duplicates. For a large item these may run as a background job — you get a job handle and must poll CheckJobStatus until it completes rather than assuming instant success. Note: case-only renames aren't supported.
• CreateSharedLink generates a link (and can invite a bounded set of viewers, ~25, by email); ListSharedLinks / GetSharedLinkMetadata inspect existing links, including audience and expiration. Confirm the intended audience before sharing — a link can expose a file beyond the user's expectation.

Versions and recovery

• ListFileRevisions shows a file's history; RestoreFileRevision rolls a file back to an earlier version, and RestoreFolder rewinds a whole folder.
• Delete moves items to Deleted files (trash), not permanent removal — recoverable for a window that depends on the user's plan. ListRestoreEvents surfaces recent edits/deletions if you need to find what changed.
• File requests (ListFileRequests / GetFileRequest / CreateFileRequest) let others upload into a folder via a request URL with an optional deadline.

Care

• Delete, Move, Restore, and shared-link creation are user-visible and affect shared collaborators. Confirm the exact target (path or id) before any of these; never bulk-delete or bulk-move without explicit, narrow scope.
• A shared link persists until revoked — treat creating one as exposing the file.
• If an item isn't found, it may be outside the scopes the connector was granted rather than missing — say so instead of inventing a path.