docs: describe local-first changes and sync issues for users

The user guide said only writes were queued. Since 3.0.0 creating,
renaming and deleting through the mount return at once too, and changes
Drive refuses become sync issues. Add a section on changes waiting for
Proton Drive: retry, export, discard, and the two cases that land under
another name or place instead of failing.

Troubleshooting covers changes that have not reached other devices yet,
`pdfs sync issues` and the local_first fallback, and names the real
error for symlinks and hard links (EPERM, not EOPNOTSUPP). CONFIGURATION
lists MemoryHigh and the test variables; CLI notes that `sync export`
takes a folder.
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@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ commands are for scripts and for cases where the mount is not available.
| `pdfs sync limit [--up RATE] [--down RATE]` | Cap bandwidth, for example `500K` or `2M` per second. `0` removes a cap. Without options, prints the current caps. |
| `pdfs sync queue` | List changes that have not reached Proton Drive yet. |
| `pdfs sync issues` | List queued changes Proton Drive refused or that keep failing, and what to do. |
| `pdfs sync export ID DEST` | Save a copy of a queued upload's content. The upload stays queued. |
| `pdfs sync export ID DEST` | Save a copy of a queued upload's content. `DEST` may be a folder; an existing file is never overwritten. The upload stays queued. |
| `pdfs sync discard ID [--yes]` | Drop a queued change and undo it here: a new file or folder goes, anything else goes back to what Proton Drive has. Content not exported first is lost. |
| `pdfs sync retry [ID]` | Retry one queued operation, or every failed one. |
| `pdfs sync restore [--device UID] [--yes]` | Re-attach this computer's backed-up folders to local folders and download them. `--device` restores another computer's folders. See [RECOVERY.md](RECOVERY.md). |
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@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ Inside `content/`:
> not reached Proton Drive and exists nowhere else.
Everything in these directories except the keyring is **decrypted**. See
[ARCHITECTURE.md §8](ARCHITECTURE.md#8-threat-model-what-this-client-writes-to-disk-in-plaintext).
[ARCHITECTURE.md §10](ARCHITECTURE.md#10-threat-model-what-this-client-writes-to-disk-in-plaintext).
## `config.json`
@@ -190,13 +190,16 @@ Command-line flags win over the file: `--gtk`, `--dmenu`, `--fzf` and `--menu`.
| `PDFS_LOCALEDIR` | app, tray, prompt | Load translations from another directory (development) |
| `PDFS_STAND_IN_WIDGETS` | app | `1` uses the libadwaita 1.5 fallback widgets on newer systems (development) |
The acceptance suite has its own `PDFS_ACCEPTANCE_*` variables, listed in [TESTING.md](TESTING.md).
The tests have their own variables (`PDFS_ACCEPTANCE_*`, `PDFS_SIM_*`, `PDFS_MIGRATE_DB`),
listed in [TESTING.md](TESTING.md).
## The systemd service
`proton-drive.service` is a user unit. It restarts the service whenever it exits, restarts it when
it stops answering for two minutes (`WatchdogSec=120`), and caps its memory at 6 GiB. To change
the unit without editing the packaged file, use a drop-in:
`proton-drive.service` is a user unit started with your graphical session
(`WantedBy=graphical-session.target`). It restarts the service whenever it exits, restarts it
when it stops answering for two minutes (`WatchdogSec=120`), throttles it above 2 GiB of memory
(`MemoryHigh`) and stops it at 6 GiB (`MemoryMax`). To change the unit without editing the
packaged file, use a drop-in:
```bash
systemctl --user edit proton-drive.service
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@@ -113,29 +113,41 @@ pdfs refresh Documents
**"Permission denied" when writing** — the item is in a share where you are a viewer, or under
`Shared with me/`, which is read-only as a folder. Check your role with `pdfs shared-with-me`.
**A program says "Operation not supported"** — Proton Drive cannot store symbolic links, hard
links, device files or FIFOs. The error is intentional. Use a synced folder for
projects that need them, or exclude those paths.
**`ln` or another program fails with "Operation not permitted"** — Proton Drive cannot store
symbolic links, hard links, device files or FIFOs, so creating one fails at once. The error is
intentional. Use a synced folder for projects that need them, or exclude those paths.
## Uploads and sync
**Something is stuck uploading** — list the queue and retry:
**A change shows here but not on other devices** — changes are recorded on this computer first
and sent from a queue. List what is still waiting, and what needs attention:
```bash
pdfs sync queue
pdfs sync issues
```
The app shows the same on **Sync → Overview**. A change waits while the service is offline or
sync is paused (`pdfs status`), and backs off after a failure. To retry at once:
```bash
pdfs sync retry # every failed operation
pdfs sync retry 42 # one operation
```
The app shows the same list on **Sync → Overview**. An operation that keeps failing shows its
error there. A change Proton Drive will not take can be dropped instead, which undoes it here;
save a file's content first if you want to keep it:
A change Proton Drive refuses (storage full, access taken away, folder gone) is listed by
`pdfs sync issues` with what to do. It stays queued until you fix the cause or drop it. Dropping
it undoes it here; save a file's content first if you want to keep it:
```bash
pdfs sync export 42 ~/Desktop/
pdfs sync discard 42
```
If you suspect the local-first behaviour of 3.0.0 itself, `"local_first": false` in `config.json`
makes the Proton Drive folder wait for Proton Drive again while online (see
[CONFIGURATION.md](CONFIGURATION.md#local_first)), and please report the problem.
**A file in a synced folder does not upload** — check that:
- it is not matched by `.pdfsignore` or `ignore_patterns`;
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@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ How Proton Drive for Linux works and how to use it day to day. For installation
- [My files](#my-files)
- [Keeping files on this computer](#keeping-files-on-this-computer)
- [Syncing local folders](#syncing-local-folders)
- [Changes waiting for Proton Drive](#changes-waiting-for-proton-drive)
- [Conflicts](#conflicts)
- [Pausing and limiting sync](#pausing-and-limiting-sync)
- [Photos](#photos)
@@ -33,7 +34,7 @@ the service to do things over a local socket:
Your Drive, your file names and your photos are end-to-end encrypted by Proton. On this computer,
the service must decrypt what it shows you, and it keeps a decrypted cache and index on disk. Use
full-disk or home-directory encryption. [ARCHITECTURE.md §8](ARCHITECTURE.md#8-threat-model-what-this-client-writes-to-disk-in-plaintext)
full-disk or home-directory encryption. [ARCHITECTURE.md §10](ARCHITECTURE.md#10-threat-model-what-this-client-writes-to-disk-in-plaintext)
lists exactly what is stored.
The app uses these words consistently, and so does this guide:
@@ -54,9 +55,11 @@ downloads only when a program reads it:
- **Reads fetch only what is needed.** A video player that seeks, or a tool that reads a file
header, downloads only those parts. Media streams while it plays.
- **Writes are safe offline.** When a program closes a file it wrote, the service stores the new
content on disk and queues the upload. The queue survives network loss, restarts and crashes.
`pdfs sync queue` lists what has not reached Proton Drive yet.
- **Changes work at local speed.** Creating, renaming, moving and deleting files and folders
returns at once, online or offline. When a program closes a file it wrote, the new content is
stored on disk. Every change is queued and sent to Proton Drive in the background; the changes
to one file are sent in the order you made them. The queue survives network loss, restarts and
crashes. See [Changes waiting for Proton Drive](#changes-waiting-for-proton-drive).
- **Recently read content is cached** on disk up to the cache size limit (5 GiB by default) and
evicted oldest first.
- **Items shared with you** appear under `Shared with me/` inside the Proton Drive folder. Shares
@@ -143,6 +146,36 @@ places, and both apply:
Rules are re-read on every pass. Ignoring never deletes anything: a file that becomes ignored is
simply no longer tracked, and its copy on Proton Drive stays.
## Changes waiting for Proton Drive
A change you made in the Proton Drive folder exists only on this computer until it reaches
Proton Drive. `pdfs status`, the tray and **Sync → Overview** count what is still waiting, and
`pdfs sync queue` lists it.
Sometimes Proton Drive refuses a change: the storage is full, a share was taken away, the folder
is gone, the folder holds too many items, or Drive does not accept a name. The change then needs
your attention. It shows at once in **Sync → Overview**, in the tray, and in `pdfs sync issues`,
with what it means and what you can do. A file or folder with such a change carries a warning
badge in **Files**; hover it to see why.
Nothing is deleted. The change stays queued and is retried. You can:
- **Retry** it now, from the same list or with `pdfs sync retry`, for example after freeing space.
- **Export** a file's content to keep your version (`pdfs sync export <id> <file>`).
- **Discard** the change (`pdfs sync discard <id>`). It is undone here and never sent: a new file
or folder goes away, anything else goes back to what Proton Drive has. Export first if you want
to keep the content.
Two cases are not refused, and the activity log records both:
- A new file or folder whose name is already taken on Proton Drive by something this computer had
not seen yet lands under a `(sync-conflict …)` name, as described below.
- A new file whose folder was deleted on another device meanwhile lands at the top of My files,
so its content is not lost.
Before you shut down a computer for good, check that nothing is waiting: see
[RECOVERY.md](RECOVERY.md#lost-with-the-machine).
## Conflicts
When the same file changed on this computer and somewhere else since the last sync, neither side
@@ -166,11 +199,6 @@ The version you do not keep goes to the Trash, so a wrong choice can be undone.
reading files keeps working. `pdfs sync resume` continues.
- **Limit bandwidth** under **Preferences → General → Network**, or with
`pdfs sync limit --up 2M --down 10M`. `0` removes a limit.
- **Retry** a failed upload from **Sync → Overview**, or with `pdfs sync retry`.
- **Discard** a change Proton Drive refused from the same list, or with `pdfs sync discard`: it is
undone here and never sent. Export a file first to keep your version.
- A file or folder with a change Proton Drive refused carries a warning badge in **Files**; hover
it to see why.
## Photos