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Dropbox Server

Overview

The Dropbox server provides essential file management capabilities for your Dropbox account. Built by Dropbox, this server enables AI assistants to search files, upload content, and access your cloud storage directly.

Getting Started

1

Connect to Dropbox

Add the Dropbox server to your Civic environment through the server directory.
2

Authenticate with Dropbox

Connect your Dropbox account using OAuth to access your files and folders.
3

Test Connection

Start with a simple search command to verify access and explore your files.

What You Can Do

File Search

Search for files across your entire Dropbox or within specific folders

File Upload

Upload new files directly to your Dropbox with base64 encoded content

Folder Navigation

Search within specific folder paths for targeted file discovery

Content Management

Organize and access your cloud storage through AI assistant interactions

Use Cases

  • File Discovery: Find documents, spreadsheets, and presentations across your Dropbox
  • Content Search: Search file names and metadata to locate specific resources
  • Organization: Navigate folder structures and understand file organization
  • Quick Access: Retrieve files without manually browsing through folders
  • Document Upload: Create and upload new files directly from AI conversations
  • Content Backup: Store generated content, reports, and data files
  • Collaborative Storage: Upload files for team access and sharing
  • Automated Archiving: Store conversation outputs and generated materials
  • Data File Access: Find and analyze CSV files, databases, and datasets
  • Report Storage: Access existing reports and analysis documents
  • Reference Material: Locate research papers, documentation, and resources
  • Version Control: Find different versions of documents and compare changes
  • Asset Discovery: Find project files, images, and resources
  • Documentation Access: Locate project documentation and specifications
  • File Sharing Preparation: Search for files that need to be shared or distributed
  • Archive Management: Access historical project files and documentation

Available Tools (13)

List files in a folder with optional path parameter (default: root)
Upload a file with path and base64 encoded content
Download a file to local disk and return the file path. Files are saved to the “downloads” directory
Safely delete a file or folder with recycle bin support, confirmation, and audit logging
Legacy delete operation (deprecated, use safe_delete_item instead)
Create a new folder at the specified path
Copy a file or folder to a new location
Move or rename a file or folder
Get metadata for a file or folder
Advanced search for files and folders with filtering capabilities including file extensions, categories, date ranges, content matching, and sorting options
Get information about the connected Dropbox account
Get the content of a file from Dropbox

Configuration Requirements

Authentication Setup

The Dropbox server uses OAuth2 authentication with specific file access scopes:
Required Permissions:
  • files.metadata.read: Read file and folder metadata (for search operations)
  • files.content.read: Read file content (for comprehensive access)
  • files.content.write: Write and upload files (for upload operations)
Tool-Specific Scopes:
  • search and search_file_db: files.metadata.read
  • upload_file: files.content.read + files.content.write
  • Dropbox Account: Personal or business Dropbox account
  • Storage Space: Sufficient storage for upload operations
  • API Access: Dropbox API access enabled (typically available for all accounts)

Best Practices

File Search Strategies

  1. Start Broad: Use general terms first, then narrow down with specific keywords
  2. Use Extensions: Include file extensions (.pdf, .xlsx, .png) to filter by type
  3. Folder-Specific: Use search_file_db when you know the approximate location
  4. Pagination: Use max_results parameter to control search result volume

File Upload Guidelines

  1. Path Planning: Use clear, descriptive folder structures (e.g., “/projects/2024/reports/”)
  2. File Naming: Use descriptive names with dates or version numbers
  3. Encoding Verification: Ensure proper base64 encoding before upload
  4. Size Considerations: Be aware of file size limits and account storage capacity

Organization & Management

  1. Consistent Naming: Use consistent file naming conventions for better searchability
  2. Folder Structure: Maintain organized folder hierarchies for efficient searching
  3. Regular Cleanup: Periodically search for and organize files to maintain structure
  4. Backup Strategy: Use uploads to create backups of important generated content

Integration Workflows

  1. Document Generation: Generate content and immediately upload to Dropbox for storage
  2. Research Workflows: Search for existing files before creating new documents
  3. Collaboration: Upload files to shared folders for team access
  4. Archive Management: Use search to maintain and organize historical files
Always verify file paths and ensure you have appropriate permissions before uploading files. Incorrect paths may create unintended folder structures.
Pro Tip: Combine search operations with upload operations - search for existing files first to avoid duplicates, then upload new versions with updated names.

Guardrails

In addition to the 14 universal guardrails, this server has 55 server-specific guardrails across 9 operations.
GuardrailOperationTimingDescription
Copy Item - Allowed Source Folders Onlycopy_itemRequestRestricts copying items from whitelisted source directories only
Copy Item - Allowed Destination Folders Onlycopy_itemRequestRestricts copying items to whitelisted destination directories only
Create Folder - Allowed Parent Paths Onlycreate_folderRequestRestricts folder creation to whitelisted parent directories
Block Deprecated Delete Item Operationdelete_itemRequestBlocks the deprecated delete_item operation (use safe_delete_item instead)
Download File - Allowed Folders Onlydownload_fileResponseBlocks downloading files from non-allowed directories
Download File - Block Malicious Formatsdownload_fileResponseBlocks downloading files with potentially malicious extensions
Download File - Email Domain Filterdownload_fileResponseBlocks downloading files from paths with non-approved email domains
Get File Content - Allowed Folders Onlyget_file_contentResponseBlocks access to file content from non-allowed directories
Get File Content - Block Malicious Formatsget_file_contentResponseBlocks access to files with potentially malicious extensions
Get File Content - Email Domain Filterget_file_contentResponseBlocks access to file content from paths with non-approved email domains
Get File Metadata - Allowed Folders Onlyget_file_metadataResponseBlocks access to file metadata from non-allowed directories
Get File Metadata - Email Domain Filterget_file_metadataResponseBlocks access to file metadata from paths with non-approved email domains
List Files - Allowed Folders Onlylist_filesResponseRedacts files/folders from non-allowed directories in list results
List Files - Block Malicious Formatslist_filesResponseRedacts files with potentially malicious extensions
List Files - Email Domain Filterlist_filesResponseRedacts files from paths containing non-approved email domains
Move Item - Allowed Source Folders Onlymove_itemRequestRestricts moving items from whitelisted source directories only
Move Item - Allowed Destination Folders Onlymove_itemRequestRestricts moving items to whitelisted destination directories only
Safe Delete Item - Allowed Folders Onlysafe_delete_itemRequestRestricts deletions to whitelisted directories only
Block Regex Search PatternssearchRequestPrevents searches containing regex patterns or wildcards
Block Sensitive Search TermssearchRequestPrevents searching for passwords, keys, credentials and other sensitive terms
Filter Large FilessearchResponseHides files above a certain size threshold
Filter Sensitive ExtensionssearchResponseRedacts files with sensitive extensions like .key, .pem, .env
Filter Sensitive FolderssearchResponseFilters out files from specific sensitive folders in search results
Redact Sensitive PathssearchResponseRedacts file paths containing sensitive patterns
Search Path RestrictionssearchRequestLimits search to specific folder paths or prefixes
Block Sensitive File Patternssearch_file_dbRequestPrevents searches for sensitive file patterns
Block System Folder Searchsearch_file_dbRequestPrevents searches in system or hidden folders
Filter Shared Filessearch_file_dbResponseFilters out shared or collaborative files from results
Filter Unauthorized Folderssearch_file_dbResponseFilters results from unauthorized folders
Maximum Results Limitsearch_file_dbRequestLimits maximum results to prevent data exfiltration
Minimum Query Specificitysearch_file_dbRequestRequires minimum query length to prevent broad searches
Redact File Previewssearch_file_dbResponseRedacts file preview content from search results
Search DB Path Restrictionssearch_file_dbRequestRestricts folder search to allowed directories
Search File DB - Allowed Folders Onlysearch_file_dbResponseRedacts search results from non-allowed directories
Search File DB - Block Malicious Formatssearch_file_dbResponseRedacts search results with potentially malicious file extensions
Search File DB - Email Domain Filtersearch_file_dbResponseRedacts search results from paths with non-approved email domains
Allowed File Typesupload_fileRequestRestricts uploads to specific file types only
Block Root Directory Uploadupload_fileRequestPrevents uploading files directly to the root directory
Block Sensitive Upload Extensionsupload_fileRequestPrevents uploads with sensitive file extensions
File Naming Conventionupload_fileRequestEnforces specific file naming patterns for uploads
Prevent File Overwriteupload_fileRequestBlocks uploads that would overwrite existing files
Upload File - Allowed Folders Onlyupload_fileRequestRestricts file uploads to whitelisted directories only
Upload File - Block Malicious Formatsupload_fileRequestBlocks uploading files with potentially malicious extensions
Upload Path Restrictionsupload_fileRequestRestricts file uploads to specific allowed directories
Upload Size Limitupload_fileRequestLimits the size of uploaded files
Configure guardrails via the Civic UI or ask the Configurator Agent: “Add guardrails to my Dropbox server.”