Can't configure Google Drive client ID

Help and Support
1

I was following the rclone guide on creating a client_id for Google Drive (Google drive) and made it to point 9:

  1. Go to "Audience" and then click "PUBLISH APP" button and confirm.

However, in my case, this button is greyed out, and it asks to go back to the Branding page.

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All starred fields in the Branding page are filled as a result of following the guide (App name, User support email, and Developer contact information). However, the tooltip which appears over the "Publish app" button shown above suggests that now "homepage URL" and "privacy policy URL" might also be mandatory. Very recent discussions on Google Developer forums seem to suggest the same: link.

I understand that changes in Google products are not rclone's responsibility (outside from the rclone guide for GDrive being potentially outdated because of said changes), but perhaps someone had recent experience with setting it up and knows how to handle it? Is now keeping it in "Testing" and refreshing every week the only option? I don't happen to have a domain that I own, and that requirement would be absurd for personal use of rclone.

2

@ncw

@LeoW

I confirm behavior. Same here. I was able to register previously a ClientID but publishing, starting two (one?) days ago, following guidance, is not a possibility any more, at least for a just a recently created google account - might be that is relevant as could be just a cool off period.

If that change sticks, and it is not a cool off of period, it looks as a killer event for rclone for G. Drive use; AFAIK, as tokes for non-published ClientID tokens have a 7day validity, meaning that in order to avoid re-registration that ClientID has to be used in those 7days ...

3

I will try creating a new client id this weekend on not a new account but one that doesn't currently have one.

4

Just in case, my account is many years old, but I've never had OAuth Client IDs on it.

5

its not a cool off period, google just made app homepage + privacy policy url required to publish, even for a personal one user app. thats why the button is greyed out until branding is filled in.

testing mode still works but the refresh token dies after 7 days so you end up reauthing constantly, annoying as hell.

cheapest way around it if you dont wanna buy a domain is a github pages page with a dummy privacy policy and point homepage + privacy policy at it. thats enough for google to let you publish. otherwise stay in testing and eat the weekly reauth.

6

Thanks @nite_route

Have some questions/doubts. Would you/anyone know/believe/estimate if ...

  • how/if Google does further checks to just checking that a policy URL works?
  • that privacy disclosure solution would be working for some time?
  • Google will react introducing stronger requirements for publishing?
  • it would work if rclone.org would have a privacy policy page so that those ClientIDs would share it? Whaever is the case, the client is unmodified rclone 100%, so privacy policy would match real. Note, I am NOT meaning the website privacy policy Privacy Policy
  • a policy posted in a permanent pastebin such here https://nullpaste.org/ would suffice and be ok?

@ncw Perhaps could you check with google in your open ticket about the approach for a common rclone client policy page?

7

Examples of @nite_route provided hint

Seems rclone as keyword is going to go up in the ranks of github ...