Keep knowledge up to date from Google Drive

Google Drive linking keeps selected business documents in your knowledge library up to date. You edit the original in Google Drive; omotto processes a saved version for use as knowledge.

How it works

Connecting an account does not share your entire Drive. You choose individual files in Google’s file chooser. Pasting a Drive link is not a substitute for that selection. The connection adds knowledge, not actions for creating or editing files during customer conversations. Choose only information suitable for the people who will receive answers from it.

This is different from mirroring Lists into a Google spreadsheet. Linking a spreadsheet as knowledge reads its contents; it does not turn its rows into an editable List or set up a two-way connection. A spreadsheet already used for List mirroring cannot also be linked as knowledge. Choose a different file.

Where to find it

Manage linked documents in Handbook → What [assistant name] knows → Documents. For the account connection, open Settings → Integrations → Google Drive → Connection; Connected account shows the account email. Drive files share that Documents list, not a separate Drive-only library. Google Drive adds knowledge, not a separate bot capability or policy setting.

Set it up

Required for Drive-backed knowledge: connect the Google account and select the files the bot may use. A selected file must finish processing before its contents are ready to use.

Optional: link more files, change how a document is reached, or check an answer in a rehearsal. Connect only the files you need; connecting Drive does not mean sharing every file or also linking a Lists sheet.

Before you start

Your plan must include Google Drive syncing and have space for more linked files.
You need permission to manage integrations and add or update knowledge. In the Handbook, editing also requires permission to edit the Handbook. Ask the owner to check your permissions if controls are missing.
Use the Google account that can access the intended source files. The connected account is shared by the workspace, not a separate connection for each staff member.
Files must be readable and in a supported format. A scan with no selectable text is not the same as a readable document.

Connect your Google account

Start in the Handbook’s Documents area named above:

Open Add a document, the + menu.
Choose Connect Google Drive.
In Google’s sign-in flow, choose the intended account.
Review and approve the access Google requests.
Return to omotto. If the file chooser does not open, open Add a document again and choose Link from Google Drive.

Google uses file-by-file access for this connection. See Google’s explanation of selecting files to share with an app.

Before linking files or starting Google sign-in from Documents, choose Add to for general knowledge or the intended skill. That choice is retained on your return. Disabled skills cannot receive new links.

Choose files and wait for the first processing

In Documents, open Add a document.
Choose Link from Google Drive.
Select the files in Google’s chooser. Select no more than 20 files at once.
Finish the selection in Google’s chooser.
Return to the document list and check each file’s status.

The first processing fetches the file, checks it for security problems and prepares readable knowledge. Linking is not proof that processing has finished. Processing means it is not ready yet; Ready means processing has completed. Action required means you should read the explanation beside the document.

A rejected selection does not partly add its files. Fix the problem and select again. For example, one oversized file, an unsupported source, a name that conflicts with an existing document, or too many new links can reject the whole selection. Selecting an already linked, still-authorized file does not create another copy. Selecting a file that needs renewed access is a recovery action instead.

Supported source formats and size limits

Source in Drive	Support and limits
Native Google Docs	Supported. Google’s export limit is 10 MB of exported content.
Native Google Sheets	Supported. The same Google export limit applies.
Uploaded PDF or Word `.docx`	Supported, up to 25 MB per source file. The file must contain readable content.
Uploaded Excel `.xlsx`, CSV or TSV	Supported, up to 25 MB per source file.
Plain text `.txt` or Markdown `.md`	Supported, up to 25 MB per source file.
Older Excel `.xls`, Google Slides and other types	Not supported by this knowledge-linking flow. Convert to a supported format or choose another file.

A file can still be too large or complex to process even if its stored size fits these limits. Split it into smaller documents when the screen asks you to reduce the source. See Google’s export limit.

The 20-file selection limit is separate from your plan’s total linked-file allowance. There is no single allowance that applies to every workspace. Unlink or delete files you no longer need, or review your plan and storage usage.

Optional: check the behavior you chose

In Documents, check that each linked file shows Ready. Processing means wait, and Action required means read the explanation beside it.
Check Last synced on the document row. It shows when a saved version last synced successfully, and is empty before the first success.
Read the What’s in this document? description and correct it if it is wrong.
Ask the bot a question the document answers in a rehearsal and compare the answer with the document.

Settings

The document controls described here are in the Handbook. Core Knowledge uses a different editor for descriptions, as explained below.

Find a linked document and edit the right thing

Use Search documents to find a file by its name or description. Under Show, All is the unfiltered starting choice. Needs action narrows the list to documents needing attention, including missing descriptions. General shows shared general knowledge; any named skill filter shows that skill’s documents. The search text and selected filter work together, so clear the search and choose All if a file seems missing.

Control or value	What it does	Starting behaviour
What’s in this document?	A short description of what the document covers. Click the description to edit it.	omotto attempts to draft a description during first processing; review it.
More	Opens How the assistant reaches this document and the current way it is served.	Details are folded away until opened.
Last synced	Shows when a saved version was last successfully synced.	No successful-sync time exists before the first success. It is not a promise that every later edit has arrived.
Document’s … menu → Open in Drive	Opens the original in Google so you can inspect or edit it with your Google permissions.	Available when an original-file link exists.
Copy link	Copies the original Drive link.	Does not change the file’s sharing permissions.
Sync now	Requests a check without waiting for the next automatic check.	Available only when permissions, plan, connection and source state allow it.
Unlink from Drive	Stops this file’s syncing and keeps its usable saved copy in omotto.	Available only after a successful first sync and while source access remains authorized.
Delete document	Removes the document from omotto after confirmation.	Subject to permission and any File rules that refer to it.

The description is editable in omotto; the linked body is not. Write a useful description such as “Returns: deadlines, item condition and refund method”, rather than just “Policies”. In the Handbook, description edits save automatically. A description you write is not overwritten by a later Drive refresh. It labels the content; it is not the place for behaviour instructions. Use Handbook guidance for those.

To change the actual contents, choose Open in Drive, edit the original and let it sync. You do not need to unlink each time you edit Google content.

If a row names a Skill, the document belongs to that skill rather than general knowledge. Move to general knowledge, when offered, removes that restriction. If Send this when… is offered, it starts a separate File rule; linking knowledge alone does not set a rule for sending the file.

How the assistant reaches this document

Open More under the document. Auto (recommended) is the initial choice. Changes save automatically.

Option	What it means	When to use it
Auto (recommended)	Chooses reading on demand or indexed search based on document size. It does not automatically choose Inline.	The default when you do not need a particular method.
Inline	Keeps a short document directly in the bot’s working context, rather than waiting to open it.	A short, always-relevant page. This option is unavailable when the existing document is too large.
Readable	Makes the document available to read when relevant.	Documents intended to be opened on demand.
Searchable	Prepares the document for finding relevant passages by meaning.	Long documents or a collection of documents.

Saving a choice is not the same as applying it to the current saved version. A Drive mode change requests fresh processing. Currently served as shows the method in use. The old method remains in use until a refresh succeeds, provided the existing source is still authorized.

If syncing is paused, disconnected, waiting for capacity or failing, the choice can save while its effect waits. Recover the source or connection first. If the source has grown too large for Inline, select Readable or Searchable and retry when Sync now is available. See knowledge retrieval options for the wider context.

What to configure next

Choose only the options that fit what you want this feature to do.

Choose How the assistant reaches this document under More for large files.
Review descriptions so each document says what it covers.
Add other knowledge such as web sources or knowledge import, and write Handbook guidance.
Practice in a rehearsal before going live.

What happens when…

Automatic checks versus Sync now

omotto checks eligible linked files automatically, normally about every 10 minutes. Changes are not live as you type in Google. Processing delays and connection problems can make an update take longer; this is not a guaranteed ten-minute delivery time.

For a change you want to check sooner:

Finish editing the source in Google.
Return to its row in Documents.
Open the … menu.
Choose Sync now, if enabled.
Check the result and Last synced, rather than assuming the click completed the refresh.

Repeated clicks close together may be combined into one request. A failed new version does not replace the last successfully prepared version. A still-authorized earlier version can remain in use while you fix the refresh problem.

Paused syncing is not withdrawn access

Situation	What happens to knowledge	What to do
Sync is paused, the connection is disconnected, or a temporary refresh fails	An existing successfully prepared, still-authorized version can remain available. It is not being kept current.	Restore the connection or resolve the sync problem.
File access is withdrawn, or the source is in Google’s trash	Once this state is recorded, the linked content is not available for bot knowledge.	Restore legitimate access or restore the file, then select it again.
The account changed and omotto asks you to pick the file again	The source is unavailable as knowledge until renewed selection and successful validation.	Use Link from Google Drive to select that same file with the intended account.
Access is being validated after selection	Selection alone has not restored knowledge availability.	Wait for successful processing; resolve any new action message.

Do not disconnect Drive as a way to remove sensitive knowledge: an authorized saved version may remain. Delete the document from omotto if it should no longer be used. A withdrawn or unverified source cannot be made usable simply by unlinking it and keeping a copy.

When an affected row offers Pick this file again in its … menu, use it to reopen the chooser for that specific file. It renews selection; it does not bypass Google’s access checks. Download, when offered with your permission, downloads the clean saved copy in omotto, not the current original in Google.

Reconnect or pick a file again safely

Open the connection screen named above and check Connected account.
If it is wrong or the connection needs attention, use Disconnect and confirm, then Connect Google Drive.
Complete Google’s sign-in flow with the intended account.
Return to Documents and read the affected rows.
For any row requiring renewed access, choose Link from Google Drive and select the original file again.
Wait for successful validation and sync before relying on the knowledge again.

Reconnecting with the same account can resume paused syncing. Switching to another account requires choosing affected files again. Reconnection does not automatically restore withdrawn file access; the new account must actually be able to open the original file.

The Google connection can also be used by Lists with spreadsheet mirroring. Before disconnecting, read any sheet-cleanup warning. If customer data deleted from omotto still remains in a spreadsheet, the confirmation requires you to accept completing the outstanding sheet-cleanup tasks yourself. omotto stops retrying those handed-over tasks, even if you reconnect later.

Disconnect versus Remove integration

Disconnect is a workspace-wide pause of the Google connection, not just one document. The confirmation Disconnect Google Drive pauses syncing while keeping existing authorized knowledge versions. Cancel leaves the connection unchanged.

After disconnection, Remove integration is available to members who can manage integrations:

Choose Remove integration on the connection screen.
Read the confirmation and any cleanup responsibilities.
Choose Remove, or Cancel to keep the disconnected integration.

For Drive knowledge, removal keeps successfully synced, still-authorized documents as ordinary copies without a Drive link. Other linked documents, including withdrawn or unvalidated ones, are removed. It does not delete the original Google files. If a document that must be removed is still used by a File rule, removal can be refused until you resolve the reference. This is not the same as deleting every document in the knowledge library. You can add the connection again later through Add integration, but kept copies no longer follow Google automatically.

Unlink and keep a copy, or delete it?

Stop following Google, but keep the knowledge

Find the document in Documents.
Open its … menu.
Choose Unlink from Drive.
Confirm Unlink and keep a copy to edit here.

Future Google edits no longer update that copy. The original Google file is not deleted. A preserved text or Markdown copy may be editable in omotto; preserved PDFs, Word files and spreadsheets are not turned into text editors. See editing knowledge documents.

Unlinking is unavailable before the first successful sync or when access is withdrawn, needs renewed selection or is still being validated. Recover access first if you want to preserve a usable copy.

Remove the knowledge from omotto

Open the document’s … menu.
Choose Delete document.
Read and confirm the deletion.

This stops use of that omotto document and cannot be undone. It does not delete the original from Google Drive. If the document is also used in File rules, remove those references first; the confirmation identifies the rules that block deletion.

Troubleshooting

Connection not configured or Connect disabled: this is not a file-permission setting you can repair in Google. Check your plan and permissions, then contact omotto support if the connection says it is not configured.
Google sign-in expired or cancelled: start Connect Google Drive again from omotto. If Google refuses account access, ask the person managing that Google account to check it.
Could not open Google Drive: retry once. If it persists, contact support with the screen message and the action you attempted. Do not send passwords or sign-in codes.
Selection would exceed the linked-file limit: choose fewer new files, unlink unused ones, or review your plan. Re-picking an existing link is not a new link.
A document has the same name: rename the source or resolve the existing duplicate before selecting again. Try one file at a time if a batch only shows a general linking error.
The spreadsheet is already used for List mirroring: it cannot also be linked as knowledge. Choose a different file, even if its format is supported. This restriction can appear as a general linking error.
Too large for Inline: choose Readable or Searchable under More. The new method takes effect only after successful refresh.
Source too large: shorten or split the Google source, then refresh. A small stored file can still expand into too much content.
Unsupported type, unreadable, empty or scanned file: convert or replace the source with supported, readable content. For a scan, use a version with selectable text.
Security scan failed: replace the unsafe source with a clean file before retrying. A rejected version is not published.
Google prevents downloading or exporting: ask the source owner to review the file’s restrictions. Being able to view a file does not necessarily permit omotto to fetch its contents. After correction, use Sync now when offered. Google explains download restrictions here.
Waiting for storage: free storage or review your plan’s storage allowance. An earlier still-authorized version can remain available.
Waiting for processing capacity: allow processing to retry later; if it persists, contact support. Disconnecting and reconnecting is not a way to reset that capacity.
Temporary refresh error: omotto retries automatically. If it continues, check the connection and contact support.

After a source correction, a changed file version can be checked automatically. For the same corrected version, Sync now can retry processing when offered. Do not keep retrying an unchanged unsafe or unreadable file.

Before going live, test the knowledge in a rehearsal and check any unexpected answer against the document’s current status and last successful sync.