Agent Skills: Dropbox API

Dropbox API

Manage files and folders in Dropbox using the HTTP API v2.

Official docs: https://www.dropbox.com/developers/documentation/http/documentation

When to Use

• List files and folders
• Upload and download files
• Search for files by name or content
• Create and delete folders
• Move, copy, and rename files
• Get file metadata and sharing links

Core APIs

Get Current Account

curl -s -X POST "https://api.dropboxapi.com/2/users/get_current_account" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv DROPBOX_TOKEN)" | jq '{account_id, name: .name.display_name, email}'

Docs: https://www.dropbox.com/developers/documentation/http/documentation#users-get_current_account

List Folder

List files and folders at a given path. Use "" for root.

Write to /tmp/dropbox_request.json:

{
  "path": "",
  "recursive": false,
  "limit": 50
}

curl -s -X POST "https://api.dropboxapi.com/2/files/list_folder" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv DROPBOX_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/dropbox_request.json | jq '.entries[] | {name, path_display, ".tag", size, server_modified}'

Docs: https://www.dropbox.com/developers/documentation/http/documentation#files-list_folder

List Folder (subfolder)

Replace <folder-path> with the actual path (e.g., /Documents):

Write to /tmp/dropbox_request.json:

{
  "path": "<folder-path>",
  "recursive": false,
  "limit": 50
}

curl -s -X POST "https://api.dropboxapi.com/2/files/list_folder" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv DROPBOX_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/dropbox_request.json | jq '.entries[] | {name, ".tag", size}'

Get File Metadata

Replace <file-path> with the actual file path (e.g., /Documents/report.pdf):

Write to /tmp/dropbox_request.json:

{
  "path": "<file-path>"
}

curl -s -X POST "https://api.dropboxapi.com/2/files/get_metadata" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv DROPBOX_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/dropbox_request.json | jq '{name, path_display, ".tag", size, server_modified, id}'

Search Files

Write to /tmp/dropbox_request.json:

{
  "query": "report",
  "options": {
    "max_results": 20,
    "file_status": "active"
  }
}

curl -s -X POST "https://api.dropboxapi.com/2/files/search_v2" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv DROPBOX_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/dropbox_request.json | jq '.matches[] | {name: .metadata.metadata.name, path: .metadata.metadata.path_display}'

Docs: https://www.dropbox.com/developers/documentation/http/documentation#files-search_v2

Create Folder

Write to /tmp/dropbox_request.json:

{
  "path": "/New Folder",
  "autorename": false
}

curl -s -X POST "https://api.dropboxapi.com/2/files/create_folder_v2" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv DROPBOX_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/dropbox_request.json | jq '.metadata | {name, path_display, id}'

Delete File or Folder

Replace <path> with the actual path:

Write to /tmp/dropbox_request.json:

{
  "path": "<path>"
}

curl -s -X POST "https://api.dropboxapi.com/2/files/delete_v2" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv DROPBOX_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/dropbox_request.json | jq '.metadata | {name, path_display, ".tag"}'

Move File or Folder

Write to /tmp/dropbox_request.json:

{
  "from_path": "/old-location/file.txt",
  "to_path": "/new-location/file.txt",
  "autorename": false
}

curl -s -X POST "https://api.dropboxapi.com/2/files/move_v2" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv DROPBOX_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/dropbox_request.json | jq '.metadata | {name, path_display}'

Copy File or Folder

Write to /tmp/dropbox_request.json:

{
  "from_path": "/source/file.txt",
  "to_path": "/destination/file.txt",
  "autorename": false
}

curl -s -X POST "https://api.dropboxapi.com/2/files/copy_v2" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv DROPBOX_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/dropbox_request.json | jq '.metadata | {name, path_display}'

Upload File (small, up to 150MB)

Upload a local file. Replace <dropbox-path> with the target path and <local-file> with the local file path:

curl -s -X POST "https://content.dropboxapi.com/2/files/upload" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv DROPBOX_TOKEN)" --header "Dropbox-API-Arg: {\"path\": \"<dropbox-path>\", \"mode\": \"add\", \"autorename\": true}" --header "Content-Type: application/octet-stream" --data-binary @<local-file> | jq '{name, path_display, size, id}'

Docs: https://www.dropbox.com/developers/documentation/http/documentation#files-upload

Download File

Replace <file-path> with the actual file path:

curl -s -X POST "https://content.dropboxapi.com/2/files/download" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv DROPBOX_TOKEN)" --header "Dropbox-API-Arg: {\"path\": \"<file-path>\"}" -o /tmp/downloaded_file

Create Shared Link

Replace <file-path> with the actual file path:

Write to /tmp/dropbox_request.json:

{
  "path": "<file-path>",
  "settings": {
    "requested_visibility": "public"
  }
}

curl -s -X POST "https://api.dropboxapi.com/2/sharing/create_shared_link_with_settings" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv DROPBOX_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/dropbox_request.json | jq '{url, path_lower, link_permissions}'

Get Space Usage

curl -s -X POST "https://api.dropboxapi.com/2/users/get_space_usage" --header "Authorization: Bearer $(printenv DROPBOX_TOKEN)" | jq '{used, allocated: .allocation.allocated}'

Guidelines

1. Paths: Always start with / for absolute paths; use "" for root in list_folder
2. API endpoints: Use api.dropboxapi.com for metadata operations, content.dropboxapi.com for file content (upload/download)
3. Upload limit: The simple upload endpoint supports files up to 150MB; use upload sessions for larger files
4. Rate limits: Dropbox applies per-app and per-user rate limits; back off on 429 responses
5. Case sensitivity: Dropbox paths are case-insensitive but case-preserving