Claude Cowork file access issue with Google Drive streaming mode and the fix

The problem with Google Drive streaming and Claude Cowork

Users setting up cloud-first storage workflows with Google Drive as their primary file system on macOS may encounter issues when enabling Claude Cowork's file system access. When pointing Cowork at Google Drive folders where files are streamed (not stored locally), files fail to open or Cowork cannot see them.

The root cause: Google Drive for Desktop's streaming mode shows files in Finder as placeholders, but the actual bytes don't exist on disk until opened. Claude Cowork requires real files on disk to function properly.

The solution

Here's the specific fix from the source:

• Keep streaming as your global default in Google Drive for Desktop
• Right-click specific folders you want Cowork to access in Finder and choose "Make available offline" (this mirrors them locally)
• Grant Cowork access only to those mirrored folders
• Use standard file formats (.md, .docx, .txt, .xlsx) rather than native Google Docs (which appear as .gdoc browser shortcuts in Finder)

Important distinction

There's a key difference between Claude's tools: Claude chat's Google Drive connector works directly with native Google Docs and Sheets, while Cowork's file system access is a completely different mechanism that only sees real files on disk.

The original poster mentions having written a full breakdown with a comparison table and recommended setup pattern on their developer blog, though they don't share the link directly due to subreddit rules.