---
name: dropbox-35cb5009508a
description: Upload, download, and manage files in Dropbox with automatic OAuth token refresh.
homepage: https://www.dropbox.com/developers
metadata: {"clawdbot":{"emoji":"📦","requires":{"env":["DROPBOX_APP_KEY","DROPBOX_APP_SECRET"]}}}
---

# Dropbox

Upload, download, list, and search files in Dropbox. Supports automatic token refresh.

## Initial Setup (One-Time)

### 1. Create a Dropbox App

1. Go to https://www.dropbox.com/developers/apps
2. Click "Create app"
3. Choose "Scoped access"
4. Choose "Full Dropbox" (or "App folder" for limited access)
5. Name your app
6. Note the **App key** and **App secret**

### 2. Set Permissions

In the app settings under "Permissions", enable:
- `files.metadata.read`
- `files.metadata.write`
- `files.content.read`
- `files.content.write`
- `account_info.read`

Click "Submit" to save.

### 3. Run OAuth Flow

Generate the authorization URL:

```python
import urllib.parse

APP_KEY = "your_app_key"

params = {
    "client_id": APP_KEY,
    "response_type": "code",
    "token_access_type": "offline"  # This gets you a refresh token!
}

auth_url = "https://www.dropbox.com/oauth2/authorize?" + urllib.parse.urlencode(params)
print(auth_url)
```

Give the URL to the user. They will:
1. Open it in a browser
2. Authorize the app
3. Receive an **authorization code**

### 4. Exchange Code for Tokens

```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.dropboxapi.com/oauth2/token" \
  -d "code=AUTHORIZATION_CODE" \
  -d "grant_type=authorization_code" \
  -d "client_id=APP_KEY" \
  -d "client_secret=APP_SECRET"
```

Response includes:
- `access_token` — Short-lived (~4 hours)
- `refresh_token` — Long-lived (never expires unless revoked)

### 5. Save Credentials

Create `~/.config/atlas/dropbox.env`:

```bash
DROPBOX_APP_KEY=your_app_key
DROPBOX_APP_SECRET=your_app_secret
DROPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN=sl.u.xxx...
DROPBOX_REFRESH_TOKEN=xxx...
```

## Usage

```bash
# Account info
dropbox.py account

# List folder
dropbox.py ls "/path/to/folder"

# Search files
dropbox.py search "query"

# Download file
dropbox.py download "/path/to/file.pdf"

# Upload file
dropbox.py upload local_file.pdf "/Dropbox/path/remote_file.pdf"
```

## Token Refresh

The script automatically handles token refresh:

1. On 401 Unauthorized, it uses the refresh token to get a new access token
2. Updates `dropbox.env` with the new access token
3. Retries the original request

Manual refresh (if needed):

```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.dropboxapi.com/oauth2/token" \
  -d "grant_type=refresh_token" \
  -d "refresh_token=REFRESH_TOKEN" \
  -d "client_id=APP_KEY" \
  -d "client_secret=APP_SECRET"
```

## Token Lifecycle

| Token | Lifetime | Storage |
|-------|----------|---------|
| Access Token | ~4 hours | Updated automatically |
| Refresh Token | Never expires* | Keep secure, don't share |

*Refresh tokens only expire if explicitly revoked or app access is removed.

## Troubleshooting

**401 Unauthorized on refresh:**
- App may have been disconnected — re-run OAuth flow from step 3

**403 Forbidden:**
- Check app permissions in Dropbox console

**Path errors:**
- Dropbox paths start with `/` and are case-insensitive
- Use forward slashes even on Windows

## API Reference

- OAuth Guide: https://developers.dropbox.com/oauth-guide
- API Explorer: https://dropbox.github.io/dropbox-api-v2-explorer/
- HTTP Endpoints: https://www.dropbox.com/developers/documentation/http/documentation


---
Source attribution: kbarbel640-del
Original project: https://github.com/kbarbel640-del/skills/blob/e7e336ac628c3e3bd771aff1aaa469c93778f94a/skills/thekie/dropbox-lite/SKILL.md
License: MIT
License information: https://opensource.org/license/mit
Original upstream instructions; downloaded from Mega AI Hub.

## Upstream license notice

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2026 clawdbot

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.



# Mega AI Hub resource metadata

Creator / publisher: kbarbel640-del
Original project: https://github.com/kbarbel640-del/skills/blob/e7e336ac628c3e3bd771aff1aaa469c93778f94a/skills/thekie/dropbox-lite/SKILL.md
Attribution basis: Source repository record

Fields of work: Development & Engineering
Roles: Backend Developer, Data Engineer, DevOps / SRE
Specialties: API
Tools: Dropbox
Country applicability: Country not specified
Classification basis: Source catalog labels
Instruction SHA-256: ed3e3e043fdf94b2fd8244a2d39badf671aab2738abb0c9e20e648053962c57c