GDrive Vault Sync — Obsidian Plugin

Sync one or more Google Drive folders directly into your Obsidian vault. Built for people who use Google Drive as a source of truth and want their files available inside Obsidian without manual copying.

---

Features

• Multiple sync sources — configure as many Google Drive folders as you need, each mapping to a different folder in your vault
• Smart sync — only updates files when the Google Drive version is newer, never overwrites your vault notes unnecessarily
• Auto-sync — set an interval and let it run in the background
• Sync individually — trigger a sync for one source without touching the others
• Binary file support — syncs images, PDFs, and other non-text files alongside markdown
• One-click sync — ribbon button syncs all enabled sources instantly

---

Requirements

• Google Drive for Desktop installed and running in Mirror files mode
  • Download: drive.google.com/drive/download
  • In preferences, set syncing to Mirror files (not Stream)
• Obsidian desktop app (plugin is desktop-only)

---

Installation

From Obsidian Community Plugins (Recommended)

1. Open Obsidian → Settings → Community Plugins
2. Search for GDrive Vault Sync
3. Install and enable

Manual Installation

1. Download main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css from the latest release
2. Create a folder at [your vault]/.obsidian/plugins/gdrive-vault-sync/
3. Drop the three files into that folder
4. Enable the plugin in Obsidian → Settings → Community Plugins

---

Setup

Step 1: Find Your Google Drive Local Path

1. Open Finder — Google Drive appears in the sidebar after installing Google Drive for Desktop
2. Navigate to the folder you want to sync
3. Right-click → Get Info → copy the path under Where:

It typically looks like:

/Users/yourname/Library/CloudStorage/GoogleDrive-you@gmail.com/My Drive/FolderName

Step 2: Configure the Plugin

1. Go to Settings → GDrive Vault Sync
2. For each sync source:
   • Set the Google Drive Source Path (from Step 1)
   • Set the Target Folder — the folder inside your vault where files will appear
   • Toggle the source on
3. Enable Auto Sync and set your preferred interval
4. Hit Sync All Now to pull everything in immediately

---

Example Use Cases

• Sync a Sermons folder from Google Drive into a Church/Sermon Notes/ folder in your vault
• Sync meeting notes generated by a Google Apps Script into a Meeting Notes/ folder
• Mirror any shared Google Drive folder into your personal knowledge base

---

How It Works

GDrive Vault Sync reads from the locally mirrored copy of your Google Drive folder (created by Google Drive for Desktop in Mirror mode). It compares file modification times and only syncs files that are newer in Google Drive than in your vault. New files are created, updated files are overwritten, and files that exist only in your vault are left untouched.

Sync is one-way: Google Drive → Obsidian vault. It does not write back to Google Drive.

---

Settings

Setting	Description
Auto Sync	Automatically sync all enabled sources on an interval
Sync Interval	How often to auto-sync (minimum 5 minutes)
Source Path	Local path to the mirrored Google Drive folder
Target Folder	Folder inside your vault to sync files into
Enabled toggle	Enable or disable individual sync sources

---

Troubleshooting

"Source path not found" error

• Make sure Google Drive for Desktop is installed and running
• Confirm you set it to Mirror files mode (not Stream)
• Double-check the path in Finder → Get Info

Files not updating

• The plugin only updates files when the Google Drive version is newer. If the vault file was modified after the last sync, it won't be overwritten.
• Try hitting Sync All Now manually

Google Drive shows blank / still syncing

• Wait for the initial Google Drive mirror to complete — this can take several minutes on first setup
• Check the Google Drive menu bar icon for sync status

---

Support

If this plugin saves you time, consider buying me a coffee:

☕ buymeacoffee.com/kalebgarrison

---

License

MIT License — free to use, modify, and distribute.