Googlephotos Automation

Google Photos Automation via Rube MCP

Upload photos, manage albums, search media items, and batch-organize content in Google Photos using Rube MCP (Claude Skill).

Toolkit docs: claude-skills.ai/toolkits/googlephotos

Prerequisites

• Rube MCP must be connected (RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS available)
• Active connection via RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit googlephotos
• Always call RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS first to get current tool schemas

Setup

Get Rube MCP: Add https://rube.app/mcp as an MCP server in your client configuration. No API keys needed — just add the endpoint and it works.

1. Verify Rube MCP is available by confirming RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS responds
2. Call RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit googlephotos
3. If connection is not ACTIVE, follow the returned auth link to complete setup
4. Confirm connection status shows ACTIVE before running any workflows

Core Workflows

1. List Albums

Use GOOGLEPHOTOS_LIST_ALBUMS to retrieve all albums visible in the user's Albums tab.

Tool: GOOGLEPHOTOS_LIST_ALBUMS
Parameters:
  - pageSize: Number of albums per page
  - pageToken: Pagination token
  - excludeNonAppCreatedData: Only show albums created by this app

2. Create a New Album

Use GOOGLEPHOTOS_CREATE_ALBUM to create a new album in Google Photos.

Tool: GOOGLEPHOTOS_CREATE_ALBUM
Parameters:
  - title (required): Album title

3. Upload Media

Use GOOGLEPHOTOS_UPLOAD_MEDIA to upload an image or video file to Google Photos.

Tool: GOOGLEPHOTOS_UPLOAD_MEDIA
Parameters:
  - file_to_upload: Local file path to upload
  - url: URL of file to upload (alternative to file_to_upload)
  - file_name: Name for the uploaded file
  - description: Description/caption for the media item

4. Batch Upload and Create Media Items

Use GOOGLEPHOTOS_BATCH_CREATE_MEDIA_ITEMS to upload multiple files and create media items in one operation.

Tool: GOOGLEPHOTOS_BATCH_CREATE_MEDIA_ITEMS
Parameters:
  - files: Local file paths to upload
  - urls: URLs of files to upload
  - media_files: Mixed input (files and URLs)
  - albumId: Album to add items to
  - albumPosition: Position within the album

5. Search Media Items

Use GOOGLEPHOTOS_SEARCH_MEDIA_ITEMS to search the user's photo library with filters.

Tool: GOOGLEPHOTOS_SEARCH_MEDIA_ITEMS
Parameters:
  - albumId: Filter by album
  - filters: Search filters (date ranges, content categories, media types)
  - orderBy: Sort order
  - pageSize: Results per page
  - pageToken: Pagination token

6. Add Items to an Album

Use GOOGLEPHOTOS_BATCH_ADD_MEDIA_ITEMS to add existing media items to an album.

Tool: GOOGLEPHOTOS_BATCH_ADD_MEDIA_ITEMS
Parameters:
  - albumId (required): Target album ID
  - mediaItemIds (required): Array of media item IDs to add

Common Patterns

• Create album then upload: Use GOOGLEPHOTOS_CREATE_ALBUM to create an album, then GOOGLEPHOTOS_BATCH_CREATE_MEDIA_ITEMS with the album ID to upload and organize photos in one step.
• List then organize: Use GOOGLEPHOTOS_SEARCH_MEDIA_ITEMS or GOOGLEPHOTOS_LIST_MEDIA_ITEMS to find media item IDs, then GOOGLEPHOTOS_BATCH_ADD_MEDIA_ITEMS to add them to albums.
• Update album metadata: Use GOOGLEPHOTOS_UPDATE_ALBUM to change an album's title or cover photo.
• Get album details: Use GOOGLEPHOTOS_GET_ALBUM with an album ID to retrieve full album information.
• Add enrichments: Use GOOGLEPHOTOS_ADD_ENRICHMENT to add text overlays, locations, or map enrichments to album positions.
• Upload from URLs: Use the url parameter in GOOGLEPHOTOS_UPLOAD_MEDIA or urls in GOOGLEPHOTOS_BATCH_CREATE_MEDIA_ITEMS to upload images directly from web URLs.

Known Pitfalls

• GOOGLEPHOTOS_LIST_MEDIA_ITEMS is deprecated -- prefer GOOGLEPHOTOS_SEARCH_MEDIA_ITEMS for listing and filtering media.
• GOOGLEPHOTOS_UPLOAD_MEDIA supports images up to 200MB and videos up to a larger limit. Exceeding these will fail.
• Album IDs must be obtained from GOOGLEPHOTOS_LIST_ALBUMS or GOOGLEPHOTOS_CREATE_ALBUM responses -- they are opaque strings.
• GOOGLEPHOTOS_BATCH_ADD_MEDIA_ITEMS can only add items to albums created by the app or albums the user owns.
• The filters parameter in GOOGLEPHOTOS_SEARCH_MEDIA_ITEMS uses a specific Google Photos API filter structure -- consult the schema for date range and content category formats.
• Media items created via the API may not immediately appear in the Google Photos web UI due to processing delays.

Quick Reference

Part of the Claude Skills Hub