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How it works
Google Drive connects through a service account. That’s a Google account made for software instead of a person. You create it in your own Google Cloud project, and it comes with an email address and a key file. You share a folder with that email address, the same way you’d share it with a colleague. You give Typewise the key, and Typewise uses it to read the folder.
This page covers steps 1 to 3. For step 4, see
Google Drive files.
Before you start
You need:- Google Cloud access: a Google account that can open the Google Cloud console and create a project. In a company Google Workspace, your IT admin can do this part.
- Drive access: permission to share the folder you want to import.
- Typewise access: permission to open Integrations.
Connect
1
Open a Google Cloud project
Go to the Google Cloud console. Select
a project in the project picker at the top, or
create a new one, for
example “Typewise”.A new, empty project is fine. It only holds the service account.
2
Enable the Google Drive API
Open the
Google Drive API page,
check that your project is selected at the top, and click Enable.
3
Create a service account
Open
Service Accounts
(IAM & Admin → Service Accounts) and click Create service
account.Enter a name, for example 
typewise-drive, and click Create and close.
The two optional steps aren’t needed, because the service account needs no
roles. If you clicked Create and continue instead, skip them and click
Done..iam.gserviceaccount.com, for example
typewise-drive@your-project.iam.gserviceaccount.com. You see it below the
name while you create the account, and in the list of service accounts
afterwards. Copy this address. You need it to share the folder.4
Download the key
In the list of service accounts, click the email address of the one you
created. Open the Keys tab and click Add key → Create new key.
.json file. That file is the key.Treat the key like a password. Whoever has it can read every folder shared
with the service account. Don’t send it by email or chat.
5
Share your folder with the service account
In Google Drive, right-click the folder you
want to import and select Share. Paste the service account’s email
address, set the role to Viewer, clear Notify people, and click
Share.The service account can now read this folder and its subfolders. It can’t
read anything else in your Drive.A folder in a shared drive is shared the same way. If your organization
doesn’t allow that, you can add the service account as a member of the
shared drive with the Viewer role. A member can read the whole shared
drive, not only one folder.
6
Install Google Drive in Typewise
In Typewise, go to
Integrations, find Google
Drive, and click Install.Open the 
.json file you downloaded in a text editor, such as Notepad or
TextEdit. Copy the whole content, from the first { to the last }, and
paste it into Service account key (JSON). Then click Install.Typewise tests the key during the first import, not when you click
Install. If something is wrong with the key, the knowledge source
shows Failed with the reason.
Next steps
Add the folder as a knowledge source
Link the folder, pick an import frequency, and check the first import.
Use it in a Specialist
Tell the AI Agent when to look up answers in your Drive files.
Frequently asked questions
What can Typewise see in my Drive?
Only the folders and files you share with the service account, including their subfolders. If you add the service account as a member of a shared drive, it can read that whole shared drive. Access is read-only, so Typewise can’t change your files. Typewise stores the key encrypted.Key creation is disabled
If Google says that service account key creation is disabled, your Google Cloud organization blocks keys with theiam.disableServiceAccountKeyCreation policy.
Google turns this policy on by default for organizations created on or after May
3, 2024.
Ask a colleague with the Organization Policy Administrator role to turn the
policy off for your project under
Organization Policies
(IAM & Admin → Organization Policies). Then create the key again.
Drive blocks sharing with the service account
The service account’s email address is outside your company’s domain. If your Google Workspace only allows sharing inside the organization, Drive refuses to add it. Ask your Google Workspace admin to allow sharing outside the organization for the folder’s owner. They can change this in the Drive sharing settings of the Google Admin console.How do I replace the key?
- In Google Cloud, create a new JSON key for the same service account.
- In Typewise, go to Integrations, open the menu on Google Drive, and select Reconnect. Paste the new key and click Reconnect.
- In Google Cloud, delete the old key.