Quick Answer: What are Cloud Storage Source Nodes?

[!NOTE] Cloud Storage Source Nodes (Google Drive and Dropbox) allow your workflows to bridge the gap between your personal/company storage and your automation pipelines. They can be used as Triggers (to watch a folder for new files) or as Inputs (to pull a specific document for processing).

Core Capabilities

1. Zero-Touch Folder Monitoring

Set a workflow to watch your /Invoices/Incoming folder on Google Drive. Every time you drop a new file there, the workflow triggers, performs AI Extraction, and moves the file to a /Processed folder.

2. High-Fidelity Remote Access

Unlike generic URL fetching, the Cloud Storage nodes handle authentication headers and large file streams automatically, ensuring that 50MB+ PDFs are transferred reliably to the workflow engine.

3. Integrated File Picker

When configuring these nodes in the Workflow Editor, you don't need to copy-paste IDs. Use the built-in Cloud Browser to visually select your folders and files.

Configuration Guide

Field	Description	Best Practice
Provider	Google Drive or Dropbox.	Use the one where your team collaborates.
Folder Path	The directory to watch or pull from.	Use specific subfolders to avoid accidental triggers.
Recursive	Whether to check subfolders.	Disable unless specifically needed for better performance.
Match Pattern	Filter files by name (e.g., `*.pdf`).	Essential for workflows that only handle specific types.

Best Practices

Scoped Permissions: For maximum security, use the "Specific Files Only" scope when authorizing Google Drive.
Polling Intervals: If using a Schedule Trigger with a Cloud Source, set your polling interval to 5 minutes or higher to avoid hitting cloud API rate limits.

[!TIP] Finished processing your files? Use the corresponding Cloud Storage Action Node to upload the results back to your cloud account.