I’m working with the Google Drive API in Python and running into a strange issue. My authentication works fine and I can connect to the service, but when I try to fetch files from my drive, I always get an empty list back.
from googleapiclient.discovery import build
def check_drive_contents(drive_handler):
# Establish connection to Google Drive API
# drive_handler is my custom wrapper that provides authenticated service
api_service = drive_handler.get_service('drive', drive_handler.auth_creds, 'v3')
assert api_service is not None # This works fine
# Try to fetch folders from root directory
response = api_service.files().list(
q="'root' in parents and mimeType='application/vnd.google-apps.folder'",
spaces='drive',
fields='nextPageToken, files(id, name)'
).execute()
file_list = response.get('files', [])
if not file_list:
raise AssertionError(f'Drive appears empty. API response: {response}')
else:
assert file_list[0]['id'] is not None
The error I keep getting is AssertionError: Drive appears empty. API response: {'files': []}. I’ve also tried searching for specific folders that I know exist in my root directory, but those queries also return nothing.
I’m authenticating with my own account and using the scope https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive.file. The files I’m looking for aren’t shared with anyone else. Any ideas why the API might be returning empty results even though my drive definitely has files and folders?
Check for pageToken issues too. The API sometimes returns empty on the first call but still has pagination. Add pageSize=100 to your query params - it’ll help expose what’s going wrong.
Everyone’s right about the scope issue, but here’s another gotcha that burned me during a migration last year. Google changed their OAuth consent screen requirements, and old consent configs can silently fall back to more restrictive permissions - even when you think you’re requesting full drive scope. My production app worked fine for months, then suddenly started returning empty results. Check your Google Cloud Console OAuth consent screen config. Make sure your requested scopes are actually listed and approved there. The API won’t error out if there’s a mismatch - it just quietly restricts access. Also double-check that your client credentials file matches the project where you set up the consent screen.
Yeah, you nailed the scope issue. Honestly, Google API authentication is such a headache that I just automate these integrations now instead of writing custom code.
I’ve hit this wall so many times - scope problems, then token caching, then refresh tokens, rate limits, error handling. It’s an endless debugging cycle with API quirks.
Now I handle Google Drive integrations through Latenode. It deals with all the OAuth mess behind the scenes - you connect your Google account once and you’re done. No more fighting with scopes or token management.
Last month I built a file monitoring system that watches specific Drive folders and auto-processes new files. Instead of 200+ lines of Python with error handling, it took 10 minutes to set up the workflow.
Authentication just works, and you can easily add logic to filter files, move them around, or connect other services without touching any API code.
found the problem - ur using the wrong scope! drive.file only gives access to files ur app created or files the user explicitly opens. switch to https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive or drive.readonly to see all drive files.
This is a classic scope issue that trips up tons of developers. The drive.file scope is super restrictive - it only lets your app see files it created or ones the user picked through a file picker. Since you’re trying to query existing folders in your root that your app didn’t create, they’re invisible to your API calls. I hit this exact problem building a backup tool last year. You need to update your OAuth scope to https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive.readonly for read access, or the full https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive if you need write permissions too. After changing the scope, revoke and re-authorize your app credentials - the existing tokens won’t have the expanded permissions.
You’re attempting to synchronize documents using the Google Drive API, and even after updating to the broader drive scope, you’re still receiving empty results from your API calls. This is occurring despite having the correct scope and seemingly valid authentication.
Understanding the “Why” (The Root Cause):
The issue isn’t necessarily about the scope itself, but rather the persistence of outdated cached credentials. Even after changing your OAuth scope to https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive (or https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive.readonly for read-only access), your application might still be using cached credentials from the previous, more restrictive scope (drive.file). These cached tokens lack the necessary permissions to access the files you’re trying to retrieve, leading to the empty results. Additionally, some enterprise Google Workspace accounts enforce stricter policies that can cause this problem even with the correct scope.
Step-by-Step Guide:
Clear your token cache: The most critical step is to completely remove any existing stored credentials or tokens that your application is using. The exact location of these files depends on your authentication library and setup. Common locations include a token.json file or files in a .credentials directory. Completely delete these files. The specific location and filename will depend on your authentication library (e.g., google-auth-oauthlib in Python).
Re-authorize your application: After deleting the cached credentials, run your application again. This will force a fresh authentication flow, prompting you to re-authorize your application with the updated scope. This ensures that your application obtains a new token with the necessary permissions.
Verify your Google Cloud Console OAuth Consent Screen Configuration: Double-check that your Google Cloud Console project’s OAuth consent screen accurately reflects the requested scopes. Ensure that https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive (or https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive.readonly) is correctly listed and approved. A mismatch between your code’s requested scope and the consent screen configuration can lead to limited access.
Confirm Client Credentials: Verify that the client credentials file (e.g., a JSON key file for service accounts or a client secrets file) you are using aligns with the Google Cloud project where you configured the OAuth consent screen. Inconsistencies here can lead to authentication failures.
Check for Enterprise Restrictions (If Applicable): If you are using a Google Workspace account associated with an organization, your admin might have implemented additional restrictions on API access. If so, contact your IT or Workspace administrator to ensure that your application has the necessary permissions to access the required Google Drive data.
Common Pitfalls & What to Check Next:
Incorrect File Deletion: Double-check that you’ve completely deleted your old token files. Any remnants could interfere with the new authorization. Look for hidden files as well (e.g. using a command like find ~ -name "token.json" in Linux/macOS).
Rate Limiting: If you’re making a large number of requests to the Google Drive API, you may run into rate limits. Implement delays between your API calls using time.sleep() to prevent this.
API Key Configuration: Verify that the Drive API is correctly enabled in your Google Cloud Console project.
Still running into issues? Share your (sanitized) config files, the exact command you ran, and any other relevant details. The community is here to help!
Understanding the “Why” (The Root Cause):
Step-by-Step Guide:
Common Pitfalls & What to Check Next:
Still running into issues? Share your (sanitized) config files, the exact command you ran, and any other relevant details. The community is here to help!