Monitor only a single directory from config

[rossbuggins]

I've got just a single folder (/ubuntu) in my onedrive route that i want to sync. If i configure /ubuntu/ in the skip list (sorry, mean sync_list), it only syncs that, but it also monitors . (along with monitoring ./ubuntu)

If i use the --single-directory it does indeed only monitor ./ubuntu

How can i configure this in my configuration file? There is no config file option for restricting whats actually monitored, only skipped?

With how im currently seeing is that the resync still looks at all files, and skips them, but it seems like it should just be able to monitor the single directory?

(in future it will be just a couple of top level folders I want to monitor and sync, with very few files in them).

If there is a way to do this (so I don't get hours of resync) that would be great if you could point me to the docs for it please.

Cheers, Ross

[abraunegg]

@rossbuggins

Lets start with some basics - what application version are you using?

Next - a few things with what your saying dont gel:

• there is no skip list
• when using 'sync_list' only the items specified in that file will be synced and monitored locally. The application, when setting this option up will scan everything and discard items .. but this then ensures you are only syncing what the 'sync_list' specifies.

Please read the documentation on Client Side Filtering

[rossbuggins]

onedrive v2.5.9-1+np1+1.1
curl 8.17.0 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu) 
Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS

thanks for the quick response 👍 yes, sync_list is what I meant to refer to. So from https://github.com/abraunegg/onedrive/blob/master/docs/usage.md#using-client-side-filtering-rules-to-determine-what-should-be-synced-with-microsoft-onedrive my understanding is that if i just have a single line in sync_list of:

/ubuntu/

then only that folder should be sync'd - everything else by default is excluded.

Which is what I'm seeing - they are all skipped, but the monitoring still iterated over them all, eg:

when i run onedrive --verbose --monitor

i see logs like:

Initialising filesystem inotify monitoring ...

Monitoring directory: .
Monitoring directory: ./ubuntu
Performing initial synchronisation to ensure consistent local state ...
Attempting to contact the Microsoft OneDrive Service
Successfully reached the Microsoft OneDrive Service
Starting a sync with Microsoft OneDrive
Fetching /delta response from the OneDrive API for Drive ID: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Processing API Response Bundle: 1 - Quantity of 'changes|items' in this bundle to process: 200
Skipping path - excluded by sync_list config: ./Apps
Skipping path - excluded by sync_list config: ./Apps/Designer
Skipping path - excluded by sync_list config: ./Pictures

where it is monitoring . and ./Ubuntu, and correctly skipping all the folders apart from /ubuntu/

but if i run onedrive --verbose --monitor --single-directory ubuntu

i see

Initialising filesystem inotify monitoring ...
Monitoring directory: ./ubuntu
Performing initial synchronisation to ensure consistent local state ...
Attempting to contact the Microsoft OneDrive Service
Successfully reached the Microsoft OneDrive Service
Starting a sync with Microsoft OneDrive

config is

display_manager_integration = "true"
notify_file_actions = "true"
use_recycle_bin = "true"
sync_root_files = "false"

Just trying to think why bother monitoring . as only a single directory is specified in sync_list? Played around trying !. !/ etc in sync_list but seemed to always do monitor . unless use the command line for single directory.

Kudos for a cracking tool 👍👍👍

[abraunegg]

Which is what I'm seeing - they are all skipped, but the monitoring still iterated over them all, eg:
....

Initialising filesystem inotify monitoring ...

Monitoring directory: .
Monitoring directory: ./ubuntu
Performing initial synchronisation to ensure consistent local state ...

This is all 100% normal .. this is setting up the local inotify monitoring for local changes

Fetching /delta response from the OneDrive API for Drive ID: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Processing API Response Bundle: 1 - Quantity of 'changes|items' in this bundle to process: 200
Skipping path - excluded by sync_list config: ./Apps
Skipping path - excluded by sync_list config: ./Apps/Designer
Skipping path - excluded by sync_list config: ./Pictures

Again .. this is 100% normal. The Microsoft Graph API has zero concept of Client Side Filtering - so the API sends all elements online, and they are filtered locally for inclusion or exclusion.

but if i run onedrive --verbose --monitor --single-directory ubuntu

When you use --single-directory the client manually builds the online state from that specific folder path. When the client does this it uses a 100% different mechanism to the /delta API call thus this is why you see the differences and why -single-directory is much more laser focused with what online changes are presented and processed.

The Monitoring directory: . is required otherwise the parental / child relationship of elements locally is not going to happen. This is not something for you to be concerned or worry about.