DriveSync

Two-way sync your Obsidian vault with Google Drive. DriveSync syncs your vault, including .obsidian, except for a small set of vault-technical files such as .obsidian/workspace.json, .obsidian/workspace-mobile.json, and .obsidian/graph.json.

Why use DriveSync

DriveSync is for vaults that need Google Drive sync without real-time syncing. It uses your own Google Cloud project and Google account, so you can keep your vault in storage you already control.

Features

This is not real-time sync. Sync happens in four scenarios:

• On startup — when you open Obsidian, the plugin performs a full reconciliation between local and remote files.
• On file change — when you edit a note, changes are uploaded to Drive after a debounce period (2s by default).
• On remote polling — while auto-sync is enabled, the plugin periodically checks Google Drive for incremental changes and downloads remote updates.
• Manual — perform Sync now from the command palette, ribbon icon, or status view at any time.

Conflict resolution: newest version wins, and the older version is saved as (conflicted).md.

Use your own GCP account: A personal GCP account with your own tokens is enough to keep your Obsidian vault in sync.

Set up DriveSync

[!warning]+ Back up your vault Before setting up DriveSync, create a backup of your vault. During the first sync, DriveSync downloads remote files and may overwrite local files when the same file exists both locally and in Google Drive.

1. Create a Google Cloud project

1. Open Google Cloud Console
2. Create a new project (or select an existing one)
3. Select APIs & Services → Library
4. Search for Google Drive API and enable it

2. Create OAuth credentials

1. Select APIs & Services → OAuth consent screen

   • Select External (unless you're in a Google Workspace organization)
   • Fill in the app name, user support email, and developer contact email
   • Add the scope https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive
   • Under Test users, add your Google account email and select Save
   • You don't need to publish the app — keep it in Testing mode

2. Select APIs & Services → Credentials → Create credentials → OAuth client ID

   • Application type: Desktop application
   • Name: anything (e.g. "Obsidian DriveSync")
   • If Google Cloud asks for an authorized redirect URI, use http://127.0.0.1:8520

3. Copy the Client ID and Client secret

3. Configure the plugin

1. Open Settings → Community plugins → DriveSync.
2. Paste your Client ID and Client secret
3. Enter the top-level Google Drive folder to use for this vault
4. Leave the redirect port at 8520 (or change it if you used a different one in step 2)
5. Open the command palette with Ctrl+P (Windows/Linux) or Command+P (macOS), then perform Connect Google Drive
6. Your browser opens. Sign in with your Google account and authorize the app
7. The initial sync will run automatically

DriveSync requests full Google Drive access because it must discover, download, update, move, and delete files that already exist inside the synchronized folder. Google limits the narrower drive.file scope to files created by the plugin or explicitly selected through Google Picker.

Commands

Settings

Develop DriveSync

npm install
npm run dev       # watch mode
npm run build     # production build
npm run lint      # run ESLint

Release DriveSync

1. Bump the version: npm version patch (or minor / major)
2. Run npm run version to sync manifest.json and versions.json
3. Create a GitHub release with main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css
4. The release tag must match the version in manifest.json exactly (no v prefix)