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About Dropbox

Dropbox is a cloud file storage and collaboration platform. Connecting Dropbox to Serval enables workflows that can read and manage files and folders, create shared links, and look up account information on behalf of the authorizing user or team.

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What the Dropbox integration enables

CapabilityDescription
File ManagementList folders, read and write file metadata, move, copy, and delete files
Account InformationLook up the current account or other Dropbox users
SharingCreate shared links, list existing shared links, and revoke them
SearchSearch files and folders across a Dropbox account
Anything defined in the Dropbox HTTP API that uses one of the scopes granted during connection can be accessed through Serval.

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Prerequisites

  • A Dropbox account (Basic/free is sufficient for testing; paid team plans are only required if you need team-admin scopes).
  • A Dropbox app that you own, registered in the Dropbox App Console.
Serval uses the “bring your own app” model for Dropbox. Each team that connects Dropbox creates and manages their own Dropbox app, which means you control the app’s scopes, audit logs, and rate-limit budget.

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Dropbox Configuration

Before connecting to Serval, you need to create and configure a Dropbox app.
1

Create a Dropbox app

  1. Go to the Dropbox App Console and click Create app.
  2. Choose Scoped access.
  3. Choose the access type:
    • Full Dropbox for access across the whole Dropbox account.
    • App folder if you want Serval to only operate inside a single folder under Apps/<your-app-name>.
  4. Give the app a name (for example, Serval Integration) and click Create app.
2

Enable the required permissions

On the Permissions tab of your new app, enable every scope Serval requests:
  • account_info.read
  • files.metadata.read
  • files.metadata.write
  • files.content.read
  • files.content.write
  • sharing.read
  • sharing.write
Scroll to the bottom of the Permissions tab and click Submit after toggling scopes. Dropbox silently ignores scope changes until you submit them. If a scope is not enabled when Serval requests it, the OAuth flow fails with an invalid_scope error.
3

Add Serval's redirect URI

When you begin the connection in Serval, the Connect Dropbox modal displays a Redirect URI with a Copy button. Copy that URI and add it to your Dropbox app:
  1. Open the Settings tab of your Dropbox app.
  2. Under OAuth 2 → Redirect URIs, paste the URI from Serval and click Add.
The redirect URI is environment-specific (it includes your Serval environment’s host), so always copy the exact value from the Serval modal rather than constructing it by hand.
4

Copy your credentials

From the Settings tab, copy the App key and App secret. You will paste both into Serval in the next section.

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Connect Dropbox to Serval

1

Open the Dropbox integration

In Serval, navigate to Apps → Available → Dropbox and click Connect.
2

Enter your credentials

In the Connect Dropbox dialog:
  1. If you haven’t already, copy the Redirect URI and add it to your Dropbox app’s Settings tab.
  2. Paste your App key into the Serval modal.
  3. Paste your App secret into the Serval modal.
  4. Click Connect to Dropbox.
3

Authorize in Dropbox

You will be redirected to Dropbox’s authorization page.
  1. Review the requested permissions.
  2. Click Allow to authorize the connection.
  3. You will be redirected back to Serval with the integration connected.

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Updating scopes

If you enable additional scopes on your Dropbox app after you’ve already connected Serval, the existing integration keeps using the scopes it was originally granted. To pick up new scopes:
  1. Enable the new scope(s) on the Dropbox app’s Permissions tab and click Submit.
  2. In Serval, open the connected Dropbox integration and click Reconnect.
  3. Dropbox will show the consent screen again with the expanded scope list; approve it to refresh the grant.
Reconnecting preserves the integration’s ID, so any workflows already wired to it keep working with the newly expanded permissions.

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External Resources