4WP Drive connects Drive and GitHub folder workflows to WordPress: writers drop documents in incoming/ , editors review them on the admin Incoming screen, and approved content becomes draft posts or updates existing posts and pages —without copy-paste. Analytics stores import history (folder alias,
PricingFree downloadThe WordPress.org download is free. Pro versions, add-ons or external services may cost extra.
CompatibilityRequires WordPress 6.4 and PHP 7.4.
SourceWordPress plugins · Nov 6, 2026
01 / Source details
Aboutthistool.
4WP Drive connects Drive and GitHub folder workflows to WordPress: writers drop documents in incoming/ , editors review them on the admin Incoming screen, and approved content becomes draft posts or updates existing posts and pages —without copy-paste. Analytics stores import history (folder alias, site slug, incoming → published) for drafts and published posts.
A plugin by 4wp.dev .
Learn more, workflow details, and comparisons on the plugin page at 4wp.dev/plugin/4wp-drive/ .
Perfect for
Editorial teams that draft in Google Docs but publish in WordPress
Agencies with a shared Drive or GitHub incoming/ folder and a review step before publish
Content pipelines that need structured front-matter (title, slug, categories, SEO fields) parsed from the doc header
Sites that want API credentials stored encrypted and OAuth handled server-side
How it works
01Install and activate 4WP Drive .
02Connect a storage source in Settings → Storage sources : Google Drive (OAuth) and/or GitHub (PAT + owner/repo).
03Drive: set the root folder ID ; the plugin uses incoming/ and published/ subfolders. GitHub: set the repo and incoming path (default incoming/ ).
04Drop a package into incoming/ (Google Doc, Markdown, or Word on Drive; Markdown on GitHub) or run Sync .
05Open Incoming — pick a source tab (Google Drive or GitHub live; OneDrive and Dropbox on the roadmap), sync, select a document, then preview and Create new draft , Update existing post , or Reject.
06On import, files move to published/ . Open Analytics to see history (drafts and published).
Key features
Google Drive OAuth — connect an admin Google account; tokens stored encrypted
Folder sync — scan incoming/ for Google Docs, Markdown, Word, and images (Drive) or Markdown packages (GitHub)
GitHub — live Markdown source: PAT, owner/repo, move to published/failed after import
Editorial Incoming — status bar, source tabs, lazy folder tree, document queue + side workspace for preview and import
Package images — preview jpg/png in Incoming; drag from the tree or click to pin, pick left/center/right, drop/click a paragraph ( [image:file.png left] )
Analytics — import history for drafts and published posts (source, post, folder alias, site slug, incoming → published)
Document template — front-matter lines before a separator ( --- or ===== ) map to post fields; body becomes post content (headings, lists, bold preserved)
Patterns — Core Block always; Integrations Plugins catalog ( 4WP FAQ , 4WP SEO Helper TechArticle) with install/activate links; Custom Blocks later
Body → block templates — FAQ accordion via 4WP FAQ ; TechArticle Goal / Context / Steps / Common mistakes via 4WP SEO Helper ; Core Image (default on) replaces [image:filename.jpeg] with core/image from the package folder
Configurable field map — title, slug, categories, tags, author, dates, SEO meta (when supported)
Featured image — import image from the same Drive subfolder
Update existing content — search and pick a post or page, then replace its content from the Drive document
Polylang multilingual import — pick content language in Incoming when the site has multiple languages; assign language on create; filter update targets by language (WPML planned)
REST API + WP-CLI wp forwp-drive sync for manual sync
Roadmap sources — OneDrive and Dropbox
Privacy
OAuth tokens and Google API credentials are stored in your WordPress database (encrypted). Document content is fetched from Google Drive only when an administrator runs sync or import. No visitor-facing tracking.
4WP is our project brand; the letters “WP” appear only as part of that brand name, not as a reference to WordPress. This plugin is not affiliated with, endorsed, or sponsored by WordPress.
Source code: github.com/4wpdev/4wp-drive
Plugin overview and FAQ: 4wp.dev/plugin/4wp-drive/
Development
Human-readable PHP source is in the public GitHub repository above. The plugin ZIP includes src/ (PSR-4 autoload via src/Autoload.php when vendor/ is absent). No npm build step — admin scripts ship as plain JS in assets/ .
Run tests: composer install && composer test && composer run lint
External services
This plugin connects to Google services when an administrator configures OAuth and syncs or imports documents.
Google OAuth 2.0
Used to authorize access to the connected Google account’s Drive files.
When an administrator clicks Connect Google Drive , the browser is redirected to Google to sign in and grant access. WordPress stores refresh and access tokens encrypted in the site database. Client ID and Client Secret are stored encrypted (or may be defined in wp-config.php ).
Google terms: https://policies.google.com/terms Google privacy: https://policies.google.com/privacy
Google Drive API
Used to list folders, download Google Docs (export as HTML/DOCX), and move files after import.
API hostname: https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3/ (and related export endpoints)
Requests are made server-side only when an administrator runs sync, preview, or import. Document metadata and file content are processed on your server to create WordPress posts.
Google Drive API terms follow Google Cloud / Google API Services terms linked from the Google Cloud Console.
GitHub REST API
Used when an administrator saves a personal access token and syncs or imports from a GitHub repository.
API hostname: https://api.github.com/
Typical calls: repository metadata, Contents API (list, read, create, delete) to move files after import or restore
Requests are made server-side only. 4WP Drive uses the configured owner/repository. A classic token with repo scope can access other repositories the GitHub account can reach; a fine-grained token can be limited to one repository (Contents: Read and write).
Storage sources — source registry (Google Drive and GitHub live; OneDrive, Dropbox planned).Google Drive — OAuth credentials, Connect, and folder mapping.Document template — map front-matter labels to post fields and taxonomies.Drive folders — WordPress settings alongside the matching incoming / published / failed folders in Drive.Incoming — synced articles from incoming/ with Preview, Import as Draft, and Reject.Document template — example header format next to a Google Doc with front-matter.Inbox preview — parsed metadata and featured image before import.Imported draft — post editor with content, featured image, categories, and Yoast SEO fields.Published post — front-end article after import from Drive.
02 / Source details
Gettingstarted.
01Upload the plugin to /wp-content/plugins/4wp-drive/ or install from the Plugins screen.
02Activate 4WP Drive .
03Open 4WP Drive → Storage sources (or Documentation for the setup guide).
04Paste Client ID and Client Secret from Google Cloud Console → Save credentials .
05Click Connect Google Drive , then enter your Drive root folder ID and save subfolders.
06Use Incoming to preview and import documents.
Optional: define FORWP_DRIVE_GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID , FORWP_DRIVE_GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET , or FORWP_DRIVE_OAUTH_REDIRECT_URI in wp-config.php .
03 / Source details
Frequently asked questions.
What does “Export errors” on Incoming mean?
During Sync , Drive downloads each article as HTML (Google Docs export, Word conversion, or Markdown download). Export errors is how many of those downloads failed on the last sync — not a WordPress import failure. Click the chip to see file names and Google’s message (quota, permissions, unsupported type, or a broken Doc). The package can still sit in the queue; yellow labels mark it. Fix the file in Drive and Sync again.
Do I need a Google Cloud project?
Yes. Create OAuth 2.0 credentials (Web application), enable the Google Drive API, and register the redirect URI shown in the plugin Documentation tab.
What document format is supported?
Google Docs in incoming/ (single doc or subfolder with doc + image). Front-matter uses Label: value lines before a separator paragraph ( --- or a row of = characters). The rest is post body.
Are API keys exposed to visitors?
No. OAuth and Drive requests run on the server. Only administrators with manage_options can connect Drive and import.
Can I lock credentials in wp-config.php?
Yes. Use FORWP_DRIVE_GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID and FORWP_DRIVE_GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET constants.
Does it work on local dev (.local / 127.0.0.1)?
Yes. Use the OAuth redirect (local) field when Google rejects your site hostname; register the same loopback URI in Google Cloud Console.
Can I update an existing post or page instead of creating a draft?
Yes. In Incoming → Preview , choose Update existing post , search or pick a target, and confirm. The document content is imported into that post. Use Import as Draft when you want a new post instead.
What changes when I update an existing post?
The plugin updates title , content , mapped categories/tags , SEO meta (when configured), and featured image (when the Drive folder includes an image). Optional front-matter date updates post_date when present. The post slug and status (published, draft, etc.) stay as they were unless your site or other plugins change them.
Which posts can I select to update?
Only posts of the configured import post type (for example Posts or Pages under Document template ). Targets must be posts you can edit ( edit_post ). Published, draft, pending, private, and scheduled posts are supported. The picker can suggest a match by document slug or title before you search.
Is update mode safe? Will it overwrite without asking?
You must select a target and confirm before import. If the slug or title in the document matches an existing post, the plugin may suggest that post first—you still choose explicitly. Always preview the document before updating production content.
Does update mode work with pages and custom post types?
It works with whichever post type you set as the import type in Document template . Switch the import type to Page (or another public type with editor support) to update pages instead of posts. The target must match that same type.
Does 4WP Drive work with multilingual sites?
Polylang (1.2.0): When more than one language is configured, open Incoming → Preview & import and select Content language before import (no default). New drafts receive that language; Update existing post lists and validates targets in the selected language only. Language is not read from Drive folder names.
WPML: Shown as Planned under Settings → Multilingual integration ; not used for import in this release.
Single-language sites (no Polylang) behave as before — no language picker in Incoming.
Does GitHub import use a folder named incoming/?
Yes in this release. Set Incoming path in GitHub settings (default incoming ). Each article is a subfolder with a .md file plus images. After import the same tree is moved to published/ .
Does the GitHub token access every repository?
4WP Drive only reads and writes the owner/repo you configured. A classic PAT with repo can still access other repositories on that GitHub account. Use a fine-grained token limited to this repository (Contents: Read and write) if you want a narrow token.
Where is import history?
4WP Drive → Analytics. Each import stores source, date, post, folder alias, site slug, and incoming/published paths. Restore to incoming moves the published package back; then Sync Incoming. History starts after upgrading to 1.5.0 (older imports are not backfilled). You do not need to reactivate the plugin.
Where do I see which multilingual plugin is active?
4WP Drive → Settings → Storage sources — scroll to Multilingual integration . Cards show Polylang (live), WPML (planned), and single-language fallback, with status badges (Active, Inactive, Not installed, Planned).
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