> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.autommate.com/userguide/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.autommate.com/userguide/integrations-and-api/libraries/utility/mate-drive.md).

# Mate Drive

## Introduction

The Mate Drive feature in Autom Mate is a dedicated utility designed to provide a secure and structured environment for storing and managing files that are essential to your workflows. It functions similarly to organizing folders on your computer, enabling users to categorize, access, and maintain files in a centralized location.

By acting as a unified repository, Mate Drive simplifies file management, minimizes redundancy, and ensures that critical files remain consistently available during workflow execution. This allows users to focus on building and running Automations without the operational overhead of handling file storage individually.

{% embed url="<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MeDCdSYVU03RhbLzUvbXK3Tn460wnesQ/view?usp=sharing>" %}

## What is Mate Drive?

The Mate Drive serves as a virtual storage space within Autom Mate, allowing users to upload, store, and manage files used in their automation processes. It provides a seamless way to handle files without relying on external storage solutions.

#### Key Features

* **Add Files**: Upload files to the Mate Drive from your computer.
* **File Copying**: Copy files within the Mate Drive for reuse in different workflows.
* **Store Outputs**: Save task outputs directly to the Mate Drive for future reference.
* **File Download**: Download stored files to your computer for offline use.
* **File Editing**: Edit, rename, or delete files within the Mate Drive as needed.

{% hint style="warning" %}

#### Operational Considerations

Monitor the storage allocation in your workspace before storing large files. Check the available alerts and quotas for your installed release with your administrator.

If saving a file fails because storage is full, check the affected action and restore sufficient capacity before retrying. Review the execution log to identify which operations completed.

*For day-to-day operations, see Manage files in Mate Drive. Contact <support@autommate.com> to confirm the limits and alerting options for your release and deployment.*
{% endhint %}

## How To Use Features

### Adding Files

<figure><img src="https://3857940684-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FJcSHU5jP5GABQrGmWvW2%2Fuploads%2FgFbEAeLcjRUgGsRQAzCn%2Fmatedrive-csv-upload.jpg?alt=media" alt="Current Mate Drive resources for the test Hyperflow Dev version, with the synthetic docs-departments.csv file uploaded. This demonstrates resource upload; it does not validate the Save to MateDrive or Delete action."><figcaption><p>Current Mate Drive resources for the test Hyperflow Dev version, with the synthetic docs-departments.csv file uploaded. This demonstrates resource upload; it does not validate the Save to MateDrive or Delete action.</p></figcaption></figure>

Use the current Add New and Upload File controls described below, and keep the selected Hyperflow version with the copied resource path. The action reference later on this page covers separate file operations; resource upload is not evidence that those actions executed.

**Description:** Add files to the Mate Drive for use in your workflows.

**Steps:**

1. Open Mate Drive for the intended Hyperflow Dev version. Use Add New when you need a separate folder.
2. Open that folder and choose Upload File. Select the file from your computer.
3. Confirm the resulting filename in the list and use Copy Path for the folder when configuring the consuming action.

{% hint style="danger" %}

#### Upload Limitation

The earlier reference listed a 50 MB limit for direct local uploads. This historical value is not a confirmed Dublin 6.0.0 limit; check the limit for your installed release before planning large uploads.
{% endhint %}

### File Copying

**Description:** Copy files stored in the Mate Drive for reuse in different workflows.

**Usage:**

* Copy the desired file as "**root**" to access it in any part of your workflow.

### Storing Outputs

**Description:** Save task outputs directly to the Mate Drive for future reference.

**Usage:**

* After completing a task, store its output in the Mate Drive.
* Access the latest versions of files whenever needed.

#### File Download

**Description:** Download files stored in the Mate Drive to your computer.

**Usage:**

* Select the file you want to download.
* Download the file to your local system for offline access.

### File Editing and Management

**Description:** Edit, rename, or delete files within the Mate Drive.

**Usage:**

* Click on the file to view options for editing, renaming, or deleting.
* Maintain file organization and manage files efficiently.

{% embed url="<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VFumJ9KQm0pgLZLCbJZVZle_n9-G1o-j/view?usp=sharing>" %}

## How To Use Actions

### **Delete from Mate Drive**

**Description and Purpose:** This action is designed to delete files from the Mate Drive. It is useful when files recorded in the Mate Drive during the running of Autom need to be deleted as part of a process. This action can handle the deletion operation efficiently.

Additionally, users can utilize this action to delete any file from the Mate Drive as per their requirements.

**Usage:** To use this action, the user must configure two essential parts:

1. **Folder Path:** The user needs to specify the folder path within the Mate Drive where the file to be deleted is located. This can be done by clicking on the Mate Drive icon on the right side and selecting the appropriate folder.
2. **Filename with Extension:** After defining the folder path, the user must specify the file name along with its extension (e.g., example.txt). Once Autom is run, the specified file in the Mate Drive will be deleted.

**Inputs:**

* **Folder Path:** Specify the folder path in the Mate Drive by selecting it via the Mate Drive icon.
* **Filename with Extension:** Enter the complete filename, including the extension, of the file to be deleted (e.g., example.txt).

**Action Output:** The successful deletion of the specified file from the Mate Drive.

### **Save to MateDrive**

#### **Description and Purpose**

The **Save to MateDrive** action allows Autom Mate users to store files in MateDrive, Autom Mate’s internal file storage system. This action supports two types of content inputs — a **base64-encoded string** or a **local file path** — making it suitable for both **cloud** and **on-premise** installations.

By defining the folder, filename, file content, and overwrite behavior, users can persist dynamic documents, transformed files, or AI-generated content during workflow execution. The saved file’s path is returned for further use in downstream actions.

***

#### **Usage Instructions**

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**Choose Target Folder in Mate Drive**

**Folder Path**: Define where the file will be stored.\
Example: `mate:/documents`

{% hint style="info" %}
Use folders (e.g., `mate:/logs/` or `mate:/output/`) to keep files organized and prevent clutter in the root directory.
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Provide File Name**

**Filename with Extension**: Enter the desired name and format of the file to be saved.\
Example: `summary.txt`, `report.pdf`

{% hint style="danger" %}
If the filename already exists in the selected folder and "overwrite" is disabled, the action will fail. Use dynamic naming (e.g., with timestamps) to avoid collisions.
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Provide File Content**

Choose **one** of the following content inputs:

**🔹 Base64 Content (Cloud or Hybrid Installations)**

**File PathBase64**: Use a base64-encoded string (e.g., `##base64[Base64]##`). This is typically generated using the `ENCODE` action in the same flow.

**🔹 Direct File Path (On-Prem Installations Only)**

**File Path**: Enter a file path from the on-prem server's file system (e.g., `C:/autom/reports/file.xlsx`).

{% hint style="danger" %}
Using local file paths is only supported in **on-premise deployments**. Cloud-hosted environments do not have access to local file systems and will return an error if a direct path is provided.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="info" %}
Ensure the file path is correct and accessible by the Autom Mate agent running on the server. Use absolute paths for reliability.
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Set Overwrite Behavior**

**Overwrite existing file if the same name exists**:\
Enable this if you want to overwrite any existing file with the same name in the selected folder.

{% hint style="info" %}
Enable this option if you're saving regularly updated reports or logs under the same filename.
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Capture the Output Path**

**New File Path**: Select a `string` variable (e.g., `NewFilePath`) to store the full path of the newly saved file.\
This path can be reused in later steps such as messaging, downloading, or emailing.

{% hint style="info" %}
Use this path in a `MESSAGE`, `EMAIL`, or `DOWNLOAD FILE` action to inform users or link them directly to the file.
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

***

#### **Inputs**

| Field                               | Description                                                         |
| ----------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Folder Path**                     | The destination directory in MateDrive (e.g., `mate:/`)             |
| **Filename with Extension**         | Name of the file, including the extension (e.g., `log.txt`)         |
| **File PathBase64** / **File Path** | Either base64 string (cloud) or on-prem file path (on-premise only) |
| **Overwrite existing file**         | Boolean setting to enable file replacement if it already exists     |

***

#### **Outputs**

| Field                        | Description                                                                       |
| ---------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **New File Path** (`string`) | Contains the full path to the saved file in MateDrive (e.g., `mate:/summary.txt`) |

***

#### **Example Output**

{% code collapsedlinecount="10" %}

```json
"mate:/summary.txt"
```

{% endcode %}

This value is stored in the selected variable (e.g., `NewFilePath`) and can be used in subsequent actions such as notifications, download, or file linking.

{% hint style="danger" %}

#### Upload Limitations

The values below are retained from the earlier action reference. They are historical values, not a confirmed Dublin 6.0.0 storage contract:

* The earlier reference listed a 250 MB maximum for the Save to Mate Drive action.
* The earlier reference listed a 50 MB maximum for direct local uploads.
* Confirm the accepted file size and available storage for your installed release before relying on these historical values.
* For large files, review the storage limits and error returned by the action before deciding whether to compress or split the content.
  {% endhint %}

***

## Additional Tips

### [**Use Cases**](/userguide/start-here/use-cases.md)

### [FAQ](/userguide/operate-and-troubleshoot/common-tasks-and-questions.md)

### Connect the file action to a versioned resource

Use docs-departments.csv from the Mate Drive tutorial as a small concrete resource. Keep the file’s actual path and Hyperflow version together.

1\. Upload the synthetic file into the test Hyperflow’s editable resource area. Read back its real filename, including any duplicate-name suffix.

2\. In CSV → Read, use the actual mate:/ file path. The current example selects comma(,), Read Only, Exclude header from data and Read file as UTF-8, then maps csv Source to a Data Table variable.

3\. Run the same selected version and inspect the returned data. In the captured CSV exercise, Read completed but Data Table Length returned 3 for a header plus two business-data records with Exclude header from data both selected and cleared. Engineering is tracking this behavior in the checked release. Check the first row and mapping before processing business records. See the CSV guide for the tested settings and result.

4\. For a release, check which resources the intended released version references. Do not assume that editing a Dev resource updates an existing Active version.

[Manage files in Mate Drive](/userguide/build-automations/manage-files-in-mate-drive.md)

[CSV](/userguide/integrations-and-api/libraries/transform/csv.md)