Dropbox Integration

Connect your Dropbox account to browse and sync files into your vector store. Files are downloaded, their text is extracted, and the content is chunked for semantic search and RAG applications.

Overview

The Dropbox connector allows you to:

• Browse your Dropbox folder hierarchy
• Search across all files and folders
• Sync file content into your vector store for semantic search
• Automatically detect changed files via content hashing

Connecting Dropbox

1. Navigate to Sources in Vector Data Loader
2. Click Add Source
3. Select Dropbox from the Cloud Storage section
4. Review the requested permissions and click Connect
5. Authorize the application in the Dropbox consent screen
6. You'll be redirected back to the Sources page with Dropbox connected

Required Permissions

Permission	Purpose
View file and folder metadata	Browse your folder structure
Read file content	Download files for vector processing

Browsing Files

After connecting, click Browse on your Dropbox source to explore your files:

• Navigate folders by clicking on them
• Use the breadcrumb trail to navigate back to parent folders
• Select files using the checkboxes
• Click Sync Selected to import the selected files

Supported File Types

Type	Extensions	Processing
Text files	.txt, .md, .csv, .json, .xml, .html	Direct text extraction
Documents	.pdf, .docx	PDF parsing / Word conversion
Code files	.js, .ts, .py, .rb, .java, .go, .rs	Direct text extraction
Configuration	.yaml, .yml, .toml, .ini, .cfg	Direct text extraction
Dropbox Paper	.paper, .pdoc	Auto-exported as Markdown
Google Docs (in Dropbox)	Various	Auto-exported when not directly downloadable
Other text files	Any	Attempted as text; binary files are skipped

Dropbox Paper Documents

Dropbox Paper documents (.paper and .pdoc) are automatically exported as Markdown during sync. The original Paper formatting (tables, checkboxes, embeds) is preserved where possible. Google Docs stored in Dropbox are also auto-exported using the same mechanism.

Searching Files

The Dropbox connector includes built-in search in the browse dialog:

1. Enter a search term in the search bar at the top of the browser
2. Press Enter or click the Search button to execute the search
3. Results include files and folders matching your query
4. Search covers file and folder names across your entire Dropbox
5. Click the X button or Clear to dismiss the search and return to folder browsing

Search across everything

Unlike folder browsing, search returns matching files from all folders in your Dropbox. This is useful when you know the file name but not its location.

File Type Indicators

The browse UI displays visual indicators to help you identify file types before syncing:

• Color-coded icons — Each file type has a distinct icon color (e.g., purple for Paper documents, red for PDFs, blue for Word documents, green for spreadsheets, emerald for code files)
• File type badge — A small badge below the filename shows the file category (e.g., "Paper", "PDF", "Code")
• File size — Human-readable file size displayed next to the type badge (e.g., "2.4 MB")

These indicators make it easy to scan large folders and identify the documents you want to sync.

Content Structure

Each synced file produces document chunks with:

• Title: The file name
• Content: Extracted text, split into chunks for vector embedding
• Metadata: File path, size, last modified date, content hash

Change Detection

Dropbox provides a content_hash for every file. During re-sync:

• Files with unchanged content hash are skipped (saves credits)
• Only modified files are re-processed
• This makes re-syncs fast and cost-effective

Credit Cost

Operation	Credits
Sync file (new or changed)	20 (standard) or 40 (enhanced)
Re-sync unchanged file	5

Folder Monitoring

Dropbox supports automatic folder monitoring via the ⚡ Monitor button on the source card.

How it Works

Folder monitoring uses cron-based polling to detect new files in the monitored path. When new files are found, they are queued as pending documents and automatically synced to your vector store — no manual action required.

Setting Up

1. Navigate to Sources from the sidebar
2. Click ⚡ Monitor on your Dropbox source card
3. Browse and select a folder using the folder tree
4. Click Start Monitoring

Folder Path as Identifier

Dropbox monitoring uses the folder path (e.g., /Documents or /Team Reports) as the configuration identifier, rather than an opaque folder ID. This means the path is displayed clearly in the monitor list.

See Setting Up a Folder Monitor for full instructions.

Troubleshooting

Token expired or "Unauthorized" error

Your OAuth token may have expired. Click Reconnect on the Dropbox source card to re-authorize through Dropbox.

Can't see files

• Verify you have access to the files in your Dropbox account
• The connector only shows files and folders your Dropbox account can access
• Check that your Dropbox account is active

Files not syncing

• Ensure the file type is supported (see Supported File Types above)
• Large files may take longer to process
• Check that you have sufficient credits for the sync operation

"Dropbox API error" messages

• Confirm your Dropbox account is accessible
• Try disconnecting and reconnecting the source
• If the error persists, the Dropbox API may be temporarily unavailable

Security Considerations

• The connector requests read-only permissions
• OAuth tokens are encrypted before storage in the database
• The app never creates, modifies, or deletes your Dropbox files
• Token refresh is handled automatically when tokens expire