Error during Uploading to Google Drive via RClone from Github Actions

[dakxh]

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Failed to create file system for "mygdrive:StreamArchives/": drive: failed when making oauth client: failed to create oauth client: invalid character 'a' looking for beginning of object key string.

I am looking into automating the archival of various video streams by capturing them in real-time and uploading to Google Drive as the last step. I have rclone linking my Action runner to my Google Drive. But the aforementioned error keeps occurring.

I have tried attaching my own Client ID & Secret and also rclone's default Client ID & Secret. Yet this issue persists and upload to Google Drive fails before it even begins.

[SIMARSINGHRAYAT]

This OAuth error usually occurs because rclone is having trouble creating the OAuth client for Google Drive authentication. Here are some troubleshooting steps:

Try these solutions:

1. Verify your credentials format - Make sure your RCLONE_CONFIG_MYGDRIVE_CLIENT_ID and RCLONE_CONFIG_MYGDRIVE_CLIENT_SECRET env vars are set correctly without any extra whitespace.

2. Use rclone's default credentials - Sometimes the custom Client ID/Secret has issues. Try removing them and using rclone's built-in OAuth flow by removing those environment variables.

3. Generate new OAuth credentials - If using your own credentials, go to Google Cloud Console, create a new OAuth 2.0 Client ID (Desktop type), and ensure the redirect URI is http://localhost:53682/.

4. Use rclone authorize command locally first - Before deploying to GitHub Actions, test with:

   rclone authorize "drive" --client-id YOUR_ID --client-secret YOUR_SECRET
   

5. Check your rclone config - The error mentions mygdrive:StreamArchives/. Make sure your rclone config remote name matches what you're using in the Actions workflow.

6. Add rclone verbose logging - Add -v flag to see detailed error logs that might reveal the exact issue.

If the problem persists, share your rclone config structure (without sensitive data) and we can debug further!

[dakxh]

[mygdrive]
type = drive
client_id = 62#####################
client_secret = GO###############
scope = drive
token = {"access_token":"ya###########","token_type":"Bearer","refresh_token":"1//0######","expiry":"2026-03-01T10:41:28.6819386+05:30","expires_in":3599}
team_drive =

this is the exact content structure of my rclone config as well as content and structure of the Github Secret I stored on my repository with the name "RCLONE_CONF".

[srivellaicallputhatar]

1. _****_

[srivellaicallputhatar]

File transfer google Gift

[Farhxn-15]

Hey, I ran into this exact error before while using rclone with GitHub Actions, and it usually points to the OAuth credentials not being parsed as valid JSON.

That invalid character looking for beginning of object key string message typically appears when the service account or client JSON is malformed, truncated, or incorrectly injected into the workflow.

A few things worth checking:

First, make sure your client_secret.json or service account JSON is valid. Open it locally and confirm it starts with { and has no extra characters, quotes, or formatting issues.

If you are storing the JSON in GitHub Secrets, do not paste it raw with line breaks. Instead:

• Base64 encode the JSON file
• store the encoded string in Secrets
• decode it inside the workflow before using it

Example:

• name: Decode credentials
  run: echo "${{ secrets.GDRIVE_CREDENTIALS }}" | base64 -d > credentials.json

Then point rclone to that file.

Also verify:

• No extra spaces or quotes around the secret value
• The secret is not truncated
• The JSON was copied completely
• Environment variables are expanded correctly

Another common cause is trying to pass JSON inline as a string. rclone expects a valid file, not a partially escaped string.

Since the error happens during OAuth client creation, fixing the JSON formatting usually resolves it immediately.