[BUG] Google Drive connector — create_file with parentId fails "User cannot add children" (re-triage of #57211/#58057)

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
• [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
• [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

Re-triage request

Issues #57211 and #58057 document this exact bug but were closed as "invalid /
not related to Claude Code" and left without an owning team. This is a real,
reproducing, connector-side bug affecting the claude.ai / Cowork Google Drive
connector (not the Claude Code CLI). Opening a fresh issue so it re-enters triage.

What's wrong

The official Google Drive connector reads fine but fails on writes into folders:

• create_file WITHOUT a parentId → SUCCEEDS (file lands in My Drive root)
• create_file WITH any explicit parentId → FAILS with:

"User cannot add children to the specified folder" / canAddChildren: false

• Creating new folders also fails.

This happens even though the target folder is in MY DRIVE and I am its OWNER,
verified directly in the Drive web UI. Revoking OAuth at
myaccount.google.com/permissions and reconnecting did NOT fix it.

Likely cause (per #58057)

The connector appears to hold the drive.file + drive.readonly scopes rather
than the full read-write drive scope. drive.file only permits writing to
app-created objects, which exactly explains why root writes succeed but writes
into pre-existing user-owned folders fail. Reporters note a regression starting
around the May 7, 2026 platform incident.

Steps to reproduce

1. Ask Claude to create a file with NO parentId → succeeds, lands in Drive root.
2. Ask Claude to create a file WITH an explicit parentId of a folder you own →

fails: "User cannot add children to the specified folder".

1. Repeat with a brand-new folder → same error.

Impact

This is a hard blocker, not an edge case. I maintain projects with HUNDREDS of
files that must be organized into an existing folder structure. Manual moving at
that scale is not feasible, so the connector is effectively unusable for
document-heavy work.

Requested fix

Either (a) grant the connector the full read-write drive scope, or (b) ship the
missing move_file / update_file tools (feature request #497), so files can be
created and organized inside user-owned folders.

What Should Happen?

create_file should succeed for a folder the authenticated Google identity owns, placing the file inside that folder — the behavior that worked before May 7, 2026.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

1. Ask Claude to create a file with NO parentId → succeeds, lands in My Drive root.
2. Ask Claude to create a file WITH an explicit parentId of a folder you own → fails: "User cannot add children to the specified folder".
3. Repeat with a brand-new folder → same error.

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

N/A — claude.ai Google Drive connector, not Claude Code CLI

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

Real-world impact: I maintain a document project with hundreds of files that must be organized into an existing Drive folder structure. Manual moving at that scale is not feasible, so the connector is currently unusable for this workflow.