---
title: Dropbox
description: Import your Dropbox files into the SurfSense knowledge base
---

The Dropbox connector lets you pick files from Dropbox and index them into your knowledge base. It lives in the Documents sidebar's **Import** menu, not the connector catalog.

<Callout type="info">
This setup is only needed on **self-hosted** deployments. On SurfSense Cloud, just use **Import → Dropbox**.
</Callout>

## Step 1: Create a Dropbox App

1. Navigate to [dropbox.com/developers/apps](https://www.dropbox.com/developers/apps) and sign in
2. Click **"Create app"** and fill in:

| Field | Value |
|-------|-------|
| **Choose an API** | **"Scoped access"** |
| **Choose the type of access** | **"Full Dropbox"** |
| **Name your app** | `SurfSense` (or any unique name) |

3. Click **"Create app"**

## Step 2: Configure the Redirect URI

1. On your app's **Settings** page, scroll to the **OAuth 2** section
2. Under **Redirect URIs**, add:

```
http://localhost:3929/api/v1/auth/dropbox/connector/callback
```

<Callout type="info">
`http://localhost:3929` is the default public URL of a Docker install. If you run SurfSense [manually](/docs/manual-installation), use your backend URL (`http://localhost:8000`); in production, use your public domain.
</Callout>

## Step 3: Configure Permissions

1. Go to the **Permissions** tab of your app
2. Enable all of the following scopes and click **"Submit"**:

| Permission | Description |
|------------|-------------|
| `files.metadata.read` | View information about files and folders |
| `files.content.read` | View and download file content |
| `files.content.write` | Create, modify, and delete files |
| `account_info.read` | View basic account information |

<Callout type="warn">
All four permissions are required. The connector will not authenticate successfully if any are missing.
</Callout>

## Step 4: Add the Credentials to SurfSense

On the **Settings** page, copy the **App key** and **App secret** (click "Show" to reveal), and add them to your `.env` file:

```bash
DROPBOX_APP_KEY=your_dropbox_app_key
DROPBOX_APP_SECRET=your_dropbox_app_secret
```

Restart SurfSense, open **Documents → Import → Dropbox**, and authorize:

```bash
docker compose up -d
```

<Callout type="warn">
Never share your app secret publicly or include it in code repositories.
</Callout>