Recipe Bulk Download Folder

A straightforward recipe for pulling down entire Google Drive folders when you need local copies of everything. It lists all files in a target folder, then downloads each one using the appropriate method depending on file type. Regular files get downloaded directly, while Google Docs get exported as PDFs since you can't download the native format. The three-step process handles the common gotcha of mixed file types automatically. Useful for backing up project folders, grabbing client deliverables, or migrating content. Requires the gws-drive skill and assumes you already have Google Workspace CLI configured with proper permissions.

skills.sh installs: 31.4K
GitHub stars: 32.2K
last updated: Aug 21, 2026

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Install

$ npx -y skills add googleworkspace/cli --skill recipe-bulk-download-folder --agent claude-code

Installs into .claude/skills of the current project.

Files

Bulk Download Drive Folder

PREREQUISITE: Load the following skills to execute this recipe: gws-drive

List and download all files from a Google Drive folder.

Steps

List files in folder: gws drive files list --params '{"q": "'\''FOLDER_ID'\'' in parents"}' --format json
Download each file: gws drive files get --params '{"fileId": "FILE_ID", "alt": "media"}' -o filename.ext
Export Google Docs as PDF: gws drive files export --params '{"fileId": "FILE_ID", "mimeType": "application/pdf"}' -o document.pdf

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