SyncTray

Google Drive-style folder sync for any cloud
A native macOS menu bar app with three sync modes: two-way sync, one-way backup, and on-demand streaming.

SyncTray brings the convenience of Google Drive or Dropbox sync to any cloud storage supported by rclone - that's over 70 providers including:

• Cloud Storage: S3, Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, iCloud Drive
• Self-Hosted: Synology NAS, NextCloud, WebDAV, SFTP servers
• Object Storage: Backblaze B2, Wasabi, MinIO

Instead of running complex terminal commands, SyncTray gives you:

• A menu bar icon showing sync status at a glance
• Three sync modes to match your workflow
• Automatic scheduled syncing that runs in the background
• Real-time notifications when files change
• Multiple sync profiles for different folders/remotes

SyncTray offers three ways to connect your files to the cloud:

Perfect for files you actively edit on multiple devices. Uses rclone's bisync to keep both sides synchronized.

• Edit a file locally → syncs to cloud
• Edit on another device → syncs back down
• Conflicts are resolved automatically (newer wins, old version backed up)

Mirror files in one direction only. Choose your direction:

• Local → Remote: Backup your local files to the cloud
• Remote → Local: Mirror cloud files to your Mac

The destination always matches the source exactly.

Access cloud files without downloading them. Files appear in a folder on your Mac but are streamed on-demand when opened.

• No local storage used (beyond cache)
• Ideal for large media libraries or archives
• Configurable VFS cache with a retention window ("keep cached for N days")
• Right-click a folder in Finder → Available Offline to keep it downloaded for offline use

Note: Stream mode is kext-free by default — it uses rclone's built-in NFS mount, so no macFUSE is required (it works even on locked-down/MDM-managed Macs). A legacy macFUSE backend is still selectable per profile (details).

• Menu bar icon shows current state (idle, syncing, error, drive not mounted)
• Real-time progress during sync: bytes transferred, percentage, ETA
• Per-profile status indicators

During sync, see detailed transfer progress:

View sync output and logs directly in the app:

• Batched file change notifications (lists 1-3 files, summarizes 4+)
• Click notifications to open the sync directory
• Error notifications with actionable details

• Create unlimited sync profiles (Work, Personal, Archive, etc.)
• Each profile syncs on its own schedule
• Independent enable/disable per profile
• Per-profile status indicators in the menu

• View last 20 synced files in the menu dropdown
• See operation type: Copied, Updated, Deleted, Renamed
• Click any file to reveal it in Finder

• Configurable sync interval (5-60 minutes per profile)
• Uses native macOS launchd - syncs even when app is closed
• Lock file prevents overlapping syncs
• Smart external drive detection - pauses when unmounted

Configure an alternative remote that activates automatically when the primary is unreachable - perfect for NAS users who sync via SMB/WebDAV at home but need access from other networks.

• Automatic failover: Each sync checks if the primary remote is reachable (3-second timeout)
• Transparent switching: Menu bar shows which transport is active (wifi icon = primary, antenna icon = fallback)
• Bisync cache preservation: When the fallback uses the same directory structure, env var overrides swap the transport without invalidating rclone's bisync cache
• Flexible path mapping: Supports fallback remotes with different path structures (e.g., SMB share root vs SFTP filesystem path)

• Sync Now: Trigger immediate sync for all enabled profiles
• Open Directory: Jump to your local sync folder
• View Log: Open the sync log for troubleshooting

• macOS 13.0 or later
• rclone installed and configured with at least one remote

# Using Homebrew
brew install rclone

# Configure your first remote
rclone config

See rclone's documentation for detailed setup guides for each provider.

Stream (Mount) mode works out of the box — no extra setup. By default it uses rclone's built-in NFS mount (kext-free), so nothing beyond rclone itself is required, and it works on locked-down / MDM-managed Macs where kernel extensions are blocked.

If you prefer the classic FUSE mount, switch a profile's Mount Backend to macFUSE in the profile editor. That backend additionally requires macFUSE and the official rclone binary:

# 1. Install macFUSE, then restart and approve it in
#    System Settings → Privacy & Security.
brew install --cask macfuse

# 2. Homebrew's rclone can't mount — install the official binary.
brew uninstall rclone
curl -O https://downloads.rclone.org/rclone-current-osx-arm64.zip
unzip rclone-current-osx-arm64.zip
cd rclone-*-osx-arm64
sudo cp rclone /usr/local/bin/
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/rclone
rclone version

brew tap mthines/synctray
brew install --cask synctray

Download the latest .zip from Releases, extract, and drag SyncTray.app to /Applications.

Note: Since the app isn't notarized, you'll need to allow it once:

xattr -cr /Applications/SyncTray.app

git clone https://github.com/mthines/sync-tray.git
cd sync-tray
xcodebuild -scheme SyncTray -configuration Release build

The app icon appears in your menu bar. A yellow gear indicates setup is needed.

1. Click the menu bar icon → Settings
2. Click + to add a new profile

3. Select your cloud provider:

4. Configure:
   • Name: Give it a descriptive name (e.g., "Work Documents")
   • Remote: Select from your configured rclone remotes
   • Remote Path: Choose which folder on the remote to sync
   • Local Path: Pick the local folder to sync to
   • Sync Interval: How often to sync (default: 15 minutes)

Click Install to activate the profile. SyncTray will:

• Create the local directory if needed
• Establish the initial sync baseline
• Install a background scheduler (launchd agent)
• Start monitoring for changes

Your folder will now sync automatically on schedule. The menu bar shows sync status, and you'll get notifications when files change.

Mount mode is different from sync modes - it creates a virtual drive instead of syncing files:

1. Select Mount Mode: When creating a profile, choose "Stream (Mount)" as the sync mode
2. Configure Mount Settings:
   • Cache Mode: Choose how aggressively to cache (Full recommended)
   • Cache Size: Set maximum cache size (default: 10G)
   • Cache Directory: Where cached files are stored (default: ~/.cache/rclone/vfs)
3. Mount Point: The local path becomes your mount point (where files appear)
4. Install and Mount: Click Install, then Mount in the menu bar

Mount vs Sync:

• Mount: Files stream on-demand, mount runs continuously
• Sync: Files copied locally, sync runs periodically

Unmounting: Click the eject button in the menu bar for the profile, or disable the profile.

Each profile supports custom rclone flags. Common options:

• --exclude "*.tmp" - Exclude patterns
• --bwlimit 1M - Limit bandwidth
• --dry-run - Test without making changes

When syncing to an external drive:

1. Enable "External Drive" toggle in profile settings
2. SyncTray auto-detects the mount point
3. Syncs pause when the drive is unmounted
4. Resume automatically when reconnected

If sync gets out of sync or shows persistent errors:

1. Open Settings → Select the profile
2. Click Resync
3. This resets rclone's bisync cache and performs a fresh comparison

If your primary remote is only accessible on a local network (e.g., Synology NAS via SMB or WebDAV), you can configure a fallback that kicks in when you're away:

1. Open Settings → Select the profile
2. Scroll to Fallback Remote section
3. Toggle Enable Fallback Remote
4. Select the fallback remote from the dropdown (must already exist in rclone config)
5. If the fallback uses different paths (e.g., SFTP vs SMB), enable "Fallback uses a different path" and enter the correct path

Example: Synology NAS

Or with different path structures:

The sync script automatically tries the primary first. If unreachable within 3 seconds, it falls back transparently. The menu bar shows which transport was used (wifi = primary, antenna = fallback).

SyncTray uses rclone bisync with smart conflict handling:

• Newer file wins by default
• Conflicts create backup copies with -sync-conflict- suffix
• Check the log file for conflict details

SyncTray creates these files (per profile):

macOS blocks unsigned apps. Fix with:

Fix (run once in Terminal):

xattr -cr /Applications/SyncTray.app

1. Click View Log in the menu to see detailed error messages
2. Common issues:
   • Remote not accessible (check network/credentials)
   • Too many deletes detected — a safety limit that blocks accidental mass deletion (use Fix Sync Issues, or Force Sync if the deletion is intentional)
   • Conflicting changes detected (check log for details)

1. Verify the profile is installed (green checkmark in Settings)
2. Check if launchd agent is loaded:

   launchctl list | grep synctray

3. Try uninstalling and reinstalling the profile

• Only files actually transferred appear (unchanged files are skipped)
• Check that --use-json-log is being used (automatic with SyncTray)

Mount mode requires macFUSE to create virtual filesystems:

brew install --cask macfuse

After installation:

1. Reboot your Mac
2. Go to System Settings → Security & Privacy
3. Approve the macFUSE kernel extension
4. Try mounting again

If a mount fails to unmount cleanly:

# Force unmount
diskutil unmount force /path/to/mount/point

# Or restart SyncTray (auto-cleans stale mounts)

Try adjusting cache settings:

• Increase cache size (e.g., from 10G to 20G)
• Use "Full" cache mode for better read performance
• Check network speed to remote (mount streams over network)

git clone https://github.com/mthines/sync-tray.git
cd sync-tray
xcodebuild -scheme SyncTray -configuration Debug build

• SyncManager: Orchestrates sync operations and state
• ProfileStore: Persists profiles to UserDefaults
• LogWatcher: Real-time log monitoring via DispatchSource
• LogParser: Parses rclone JSON logs
• SyncSetupService: Generates scripts and launchd plists
• NotificationService: Smart batched notifications

Uses Conventional Commits:

./scripts/release.sh           # Auto-detect from commits
./scripts/release.sh --minor   # Force minor bump
./scripts/release.sh v1.2.3    # Exact version

Need help, want to share feedback, or have a feature idea? Join the SyncTray community on Discord: https://discord.gg/KBp8kb3EwP

You can also reach the same link from inside the app via Settings → Help & Feedback or the menu bar dropdown.

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

• rclone - The powerful sync engine
• macFUSE - Virtual filesystem support
• Apple's SwiftUI and MenuBarExtra APIs