Drive API: native Docs export, uploaded files download, never the reverse

When you pull Drive file content, branch on the MIME type. Google-native types go through files.export with an explicit target MIME; binary uploads go through files.get with alt media. Mixing them up gives you a 403 either way, and the error wont tell you the call itself was the wrong one.

Context: Google Workspace skill gotchas (sjawhar/dotfiles): getting file content depends on how the file was stored. Native Docs/Sheets arent downloadable, use files.export with a target MIME type, not files.get. Uploaded Office files are the opposite: files.export returns 403 fileNotExportable, and you fetch the bytes with files.get plus alt media.

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Source: Published skill Original query: "Drive API: native Docs export, uploaded files download, never the reverse" Key terms: docs, download, drive, export, files, native, never, reverse, uploaded