# Send Finished Videos for Clipping via Drive

> Share one Google Drive folder and finished exports get picked up for clipping at least daily, or hand files to the API or an AI agent. The safe setup.

HTML version: https://everpop.app/blog/send-finished-videos-for-clipping-google-drive

Published: 2026-07-12
Updated: 2026-10-01
By Everpop

**Share one Google Drive folder with your clipping tool once, and the finished exports your editor drops into it get picked up for clipping without re-uploading. Everpop, an AI clipping tool, picks them up at least daily, not the moment one lands, and you can unshare the folder anytime. Scripts and AI agents can deliver files through the API instead.**

Most handoffs between an editor and a clipping tool are clumsy: export, re-upload the same file somewhere else, wait, repeat next week. The file already lives in Drive. The cleaner path is to let the tool read one folder you choose, through Google's official interface.

## How do I get finished videos from my editor into a clipping tool?

Match the route to the rhythm: an upload for a one-off, a shared folder for an ongoing editor, the API when software does the delivering. Everpop [works from files](https://everpop.app/ai-clipping-for-agencies) delivered all three ways, in MP4, MOV, WEBM, MKV or M4V, up to 32 GB a file on Pro and Scale (8 GB on Starter, 4 GB on Free).

Example: an editor who delivers every Friday saves each finished export into a folder named "Finals for clipping". They never touch the clipping tool, never re-upload and never need a login to it. They do what they already do: export to a folder.

| Situation | Route | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| One video, one time | Upload in the studio | Fastest for a single file |
| Weekly editor handoff | Shared Drive folder | The editor drops exports; nobody re-uploads |
| A script or agent produces the file | REST API or MCP (Pro or Scale) | Software delivers the bytes directly |

## Why share a Google Drive folder instead of re-uploading each file?

Because the file is already in Drive, and Google gives apps an official way to read it. Google's documentation for the [Google Drive API](https://developers.google.com/workspace/drive/api/guides/about-sdk) lists "Download files from Drive and upload files to Drive" and "Search for files and folders stored in Drive" among what apps can do. That is the sanctioned integration path, not a browser plugin scraping your screen or a password you hand over.

Re-uploading means a person remembering, every time. Sharing once removes the remembering. Everpop copies each new video file from that one folder into its own storage to clip it and never sees the rest of your Drive ([privacy policy, section 5a](https://everpop.app/privacy)); what you skip is the manual upload, not the copy.

## How do I set up the shared Finals folder step by step?

Five steps, done once: create one folder for finished exports, share it with your editor in the Editor role, share it read-only with Everpop and link it in your account, then tell your editor what goes in.

1. In Google Drive, create one folder for finished exports. Keep works in progress out of it.
2. Click Share. Per Google's [folder-sharing help](https://support.google.com/drive/answer/7166529), you "Enter the email address or Google Group you want to share with", then choose a role: Viewer, Commenter or Editor.
3. Give your editor the Editor role. [Google notes](https://support.google.com/drive/answer/7166529) that Editors can "open, edit, delete, or move any files within the folder. People can also add files to the folder." That last part lets them drop new exports in.
4. Share the same folder with Everpop, which gets read-only access, and link it in your Everpop account, so new files can be read through the Drive API.
5. Tell your editor the one rule: finished exports go in this folder, and nothing else does.

## How fast does Everpop pick up a new file from Drive?

At least daily, not instantly. Everpop checks the linked folder for new files at least once a day, so a new export is not clipped the moment it lands; on an active plan, clipping then starts on its own and the drafts wait for review.

Example: an editor who exports the evening before a release is cutting it close. Exporting a few days ahead leaves room for the pickup, the review and any re-render. When timing is tight, upload the file directly in the studio rather than waiting for the pickup.

## Is auto-import from Google Drive safe for my channel?

It keeps the two risky parts apart: the source is your own finished export, and publishing is a separate step. Everpop never downloads from YouTube, and pasted YouTube links are refused by design ([Everpop for agencies](https://everpop.app/ai-clipping-for-agencies)), which sidesteps the question of pulling media you do not own.

Ingestion is not publishing. By default nothing posts until you confirm it. Auto-post, on Pro and Scale, is off until you switch it on; once on, it publishes to YouTube, Instagram and Facebook without a per-clip confirmation, and TikTok still receives a ready-to-post draft in your inbox. The [channel-safe clipping guide](/blog/channel-safe-clipping) covers the ownership stance in more depth.

## What if I want to stop the auto-import later?

Unshare the folder. Google's [stop-sharing help](https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2494893) has you open Share, find the person, and select "Remove access." Do that for Everpop and the tool can no longer read the folder; videos already imported stay in your Everpop library until you delete them ([privacy policy, section 5a](https://everpop.app/privacy)). You own the folder and the files, and you decide when access ends.

The clips leave just as freely: finished clips export as FCPXML, EDL and SRT for your editor to finish elsewhere, so nothing is trapped inside one tool.

## Can a script or AI agent deliver the files instead?

Yes, on Pro or Scale. Everpop's REST API and MCP server let a script or an AI agent upload a finished file and start clipping, with the account holder's explicit confirmation before anything publishes ([Everpop for AI agents](https://everpop.app/agents)). The loop, in order:

1. `request_upload` (REST: `POST /api/v1/videos/upload`) returns an upload URL.
2. PUT the exact file bytes to that URL, up to 5 GB in one PUT; larger files, up to 32 GB on Pro and Scale, go through the browser uploader.
3. `finalize_upload` (REST: `POST /api/v1/videos/complete`) with the user's confirmation that they hold the rights. On an active plan, clipping starts on its own.
4. Find the job the upload started (`list_videos` shows each video's latest job), or call `clip_video` when clipping did not start on its own; then `get_job` until it leaves PENDING or PROCESSING, and `publish_clip` with exact destination ids and the user's explicit confirmation.
5. `list_receipts` for 48-hour and 7-day numbers on eligible YouTube Shorts.

Auth is OAuth 2.1 with PKCE for MCP clients, or a per-user API key sent as `Authorization: Bearer epk_…`, created on the API page of the studio and never put in a URL. Free and Starter accounts can connect but get HTTP 402. An agent can read every call in [skill.md](https://everpop.app/skill.md) and the spec at [openapi.json](https://everpop.app/openapi.json). In Claude, Anthropic's help centre describes adding a custom connector by its ["remote MCP server URL"](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/11175166-getting-started-with-custom-connectors-using-remote-mcp); Everpop's is `https://everpop.app/api/mcp/mcp`.

Example: an agency's delivery script finishes a client export and sends it through `request_upload` and `finalize_upload` instead of copying it to Drive. If your chat app cannot attach files, drop the file in the linked Drive folder and let the agent continue from `list_videos`.

## What should you check before you share?

Check six things before you share: what the folder holds, who has which role, how much of your Drive is shared, release timing, auto-post, and the way out.

- The folder holds finished exports, no drafts.
- Your editor has the Editor role.
- The finals folder is shared, not your whole Drive.
- Release plans allow for a pickup that runs at least daily, not instantly.
- Auto-post stays off until you have reviewed a few rounds of clips.
- You know where "Remove access" is for when a project ends.

## Where does each fact in this guide come from?

Each claim in this guide maps to the page it comes from:

| Claim | Source |
| --- | --- |
| Inputs are an upload, a linked Drive folder or the API; never downloads from YouTube; YouTube links refused | https://everpop.app/ai-clipping-for-agencies |
| Formats MP4, MOV, WEBM, MKV, M4V; files up to 32 GB on Pro and Scale (8 GB on Starter, 4 GB on Free); FCPXML, EDL and SRT export | https://everpop.app/podcast-to-shorts, https://everpop.app/pricing |
| Read-only access to one shared folder; new video files copied into Everpop's storage to clip; the rest of the Drive never seen; imported videos stay until deleted | https://everpop.app/privacy |
| Auto-post covers YouTube, Instagram and Facebook | https://everpop.app/pricing |
| Drive API: download files, search for files and folders | https://developers.google.com/workspace/drive/api/guides/about-sdk |
| Sharing a folder, roles, Editor permissions | https://support.google.com/drive/answer/7166529 |
| "Remove access" to stop sharing | https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2494893 |
| Review-first by default; auto-post off until switched on, then no per-clip confirmation; TikTok as inbox draft | https://everpop.app/ai-clipping-for-agencies |
| Agent loop, tool names, up to 5 GB in one PUT with larger files up to 32 GB (Pro and Scale) through the browser uploader, OAuth 2.1 and PKCE or API key, 402 on Free and Starter, explicit confirmation to publish | https://everpop.app/agents |
| REST endpoints for upload and finalize; `list_videos` shows each video's latest job | https://everpop.app/skill.md |
| Custom connectors take a remote MCP server URL | https://support.claude.com/en/articles/11175166-getting-started-with-custom-connectors-using-remote-mcp |

## Frequently asked questions

### Does my editor need an account in the clipping tool?

No. Your editor needs access to the shared Google Drive folder and nothing more. They export finished videos into it as usual, and Everpop reads new files through the Google Drive API. They never log in to Everpop or re-upload anything.

### How quickly does Everpop pick up a new file from the Drive folder?

At least daily, not instantly. Everpop checks the linked folder for new files at least once a day, and on an active plan clipping then starts on its own. When timing is tight, upload the file directly in the studio rather than waiting for the pickup.

### Can I share just one folder instead of my whole Drive?

Yes. You share a single folder. Google's folder-sharing help lets you add specific people to one folder and choose their role, so the rest of your Drive stays private. Keep works in progress in separate folders you do not share.

### Does a file landing in the folder post anything automatically?

No, not by default. Ingestion and publishing are separate: a new file starts the clipping work, and nothing posts until you confirm it. Auto-post on Pro and Scale is off until you switch it on; once on, it publishes to YouTube, Instagram and Facebook without a per-clip confirmation, and TikTok gets a draft.

### Can an AI agent send videos to Everpop instead of Drive?

Yes, on Pro or Scale. An agent calls request_upload, PUTs the file, then finalize_upload with your confirmation that you hold the rights, through the MCP server at https://everpop.app/api/mcp/mcp or the REST API. Publishing still needs exact destination ids and your explicit confirmation. Free and Starter accounts get HTTP 402.

### How do I stop the auto-import when a project ends?

Unshare the folder. Google's help describes removing a person with the Remove access option. Once access is removed, Everpop can no longer read the folder and pickups stop. You keep the folder and all its files, and videos already imported stay in your Everpop library until you delete them.

More articles: https://everpop.app/blog