💡 New script: drive-activity-digest (Drive change monitoring with the newly GA Events API)

[github-actions[bot]]

Summary

A Google Apps Script that generates daily or weekly summaries of Google Drive activity — files created, modified, shared, or deleted — across configured folders or shared drives. Leverages the newly GA Drive Events API (May 2026) for real-time change detection, or the simpler Drive Activity API for polling-based monitoring. Outputs a structured digest via email and/or Sheets, giving users visibility into Drive activity that Google's per-file activity panel cannot provide at the folder level.

Market Signal

Google Drive Events API became generally available on May 18, 2026 — a clear platform signal that Google wants event-driven Drive automation. Google Cloud Next 2026 highlighted Drive event subscriptions as a key developer capability, alongside 50+ MCP servers for Workspace. No open-source GAS tool uses the Drive Events API yet, creating a first-mover opportunity. Enterprise admin tools like CloudKnox and gPanel's Rules Engine exist but target IT administrators, not personal users or small teams managing shared folders.

User Signal

The suite already has drive-related ideas (#505 drive-sharing-audit, #472 drive-cleanup-auditor, #470 drive-file-organizer) but none focused on activity monitoring and change summarization. Users managing shared folders, team drives, or collaborative document workspaces need oversight of "what changed this week" — for project tracking, compliance awareness, or personal organization. The gmail-to-drive-by-labels script already interacts with Drive for file storage, establishing Drive API usage patterns.

Technical Opportunity

Drive API is already used by gmail-to-drive-by-labels for file storage. Two implementation paths are available: (1) the Drive Activity API provides recent activity via simple polling — no infrastructure beyond Apps Script; (2) the Advanced Google Workspace Events service in Apps Script enables Pub/Sub subscriptions for real-time Drive events, requiring a Google Cloud project. The MVP can use path 1 (polling) for accessibility, with path 2 documented as an advanced option. Email and Sheets output follows established suite patterns.

Assessment

Dimension	Score	Rationale
Feasibility	high	Drive Activity API polling requires no extra infrastructure; Drive API patterns already established
Impact	med	Valuable for shared-folder managers and project leads; niche but underserved audience
Urgency	high	Drive Events API just went GA; first open-source GAS tool to use it captures developer mindshare

Adversarial Review

Strongest objection: The Drive Events API requires a Google Cloud project with Pub/Sub, which adds infrastructure complexity beyond what the suite's "zero-code, browser-deploy" philosophy supports.

Rebuttal: Two implementation paths exist: (1) the simpler Drive Activity API (no Pub/Sub required) polls for recent changes on a time trigger — this fits the suite's existing pattern perfectly; (2) the full Events API + Pub/Sub path for power users who want real-time triggers. The MVP should use the polling approach to stay accessible, with the event-driven path documented as an advanced option. The deploy page can handle the configuration either way.

Suggested Next Step

Create src/drive-activity-digest/ with TDD implementation. MVP scope: Use Drive Activity API (polling) to gather last 7 days of activity for configured folders, generate an email summary grouped by day and action type (created/modified/shared/deleted). Include file names, actors, and timestamps. Phase 2: Add Sheets output for trend tracking, Drive Events API integration for real-time monitoring, and configurable notification thresholds (e.g., alert only when >10 changes detected).

[github-actions[bot]]

Weekly Update

What Changed

Major platform development: The Google Workspace Events API's Drive subscriptions reached general availability on May 18, 2026 (previously in developer preview since July 2025). This transforms the feasibility of this idea from "requires preview API access" to "production-ready platform capability."

Key new capabilities since last review:

• Drive event subscriptions are now GA — monitor file additions, moves, edits, and trashing via Pub/Sub
• Drive MCP server launched with copy_file support, validating the event-driven Drive automation pattern
• New quota tiering model for Drive API (1 TB daily egress limit) — worth considering for high-volume monitoring

Source: AppsScriptPulse Q2 2026 Developer Roundup

Updated Assessment

Dimension	Previous	Current	Delta
Feasibility	med	high	↑ Events API is now GA with stable subscription model
Impact	high	high	→ Unchanged — Drive monitoring remains high-value
Urgency	med	high	↑ API is GA, no more preview access barriers. First-mover window for FOSS implementation.

Recommendation

Advance — The GA status of Drive Events API removes the primary feasibility risk. This idea is now implementation-ready. Consider whether the polling-based approach (simpler, zero GCP setup) or the Events API approach (real-time, requires Pub/Sub) is the right MVP path. See also the new companion idea Discussion #581 (drive-event-reactor) which proposes reactive automation on top of the same API.