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I have resolved the issue. For anyone who might encounter a similar problem in the future, you will need to instruct Alfred to reload the workflow. Unfortunately, this information is not documented anywhere; I discovered the method name by examining the python alfred-workflow library. Here is the snippet: ObjC.import("stdlib"); function run(argv) { let query = argv[0]; let app = Application("com.runningwithcrayons.Alfred"); let bundleid = $.getenv("alfred_workflow_bundleid"); app.setConfiguration('variable', { toValue: query, inWorkflow: bundleid, exportable: false }); app.reloadWorkflow(bundleid); }

Hello and thank you for your answer. Unfortunately I can't find the flaw. Too bad, it's not that dramatic ! Best regards bruno

Hi @kwei, I have encountered a similar problem. Have you discovered a solution for this issue, or did you choose to manage the configuration in files instead?

That would add a bit of complexity and I worry might lead to foot guns. macOS launchd agents don’t run if your computer is turned off, so I’d hate for someone to not have a backup at a crucial time because the last one happened to be at an unlucky time and then the one they have is two weeks old or more. That’s why a time can be configured. The versioning is a secondary concern, the focus of the workflow is the backup. You could instead reduce the number of backed up versions. If by any reason you need an older version at some point, the last 30 days of them should be available to recover.

Can an interval be added for the number of days? I prefer to back up weekly or every x number of days and nights every day since my preference file is 400MB each on both my Macs, and I am backing up to iCloud.

I am guessing this file can be modified to make it weekly or every X number of days but I do not know how to do so. com.alfredapp.vitor.backuppreferences.plist

There was a brief happy moment right before Sonoma 14.4 when iCloud became surprisingly reliable, then they broke it again. For now I added Alfred preferences copying into my hourly cron script, which I use for situations like these.

Andrew, I'm not sure you remember, but starting with Alfred 5, I had issues syncing my two machines to iCloud Drive, so I continued syncing to back up my preferences, but I used different folders for each Mac. That solved the problem I had with my Preferences not syncing across Macs. I turned off iCloud syncing for both my Macs and moved the preferences to local, and now I no longer have the issue with high CPUs moving objects in Alfred's preferences! I installed the Alfred Preferences Backup Workflow as an alternative. Is it possible to add an option to customize the backup frequency? I prefer a weekly schedule instead of a daily one. My preferences are 400 MB and don't change much; if there is an issue, all my preferences may be corrupted. I prefer to have backups for 2 months instead of 8 days.

Hello Vero, I use iCloud and "Optimize Mac Storage" was/is turned off (see screenshot). The path to the preferences file is "/Users/stephan/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs/Apps/Alfred/Alfred.alfredpreferences". In Alfred's prefs.json, there were TWO identical syncfolders entries to that folder (see below). { "current" : "\/Users\/stephan\/Library\/Mobile Documents\/com~apple~CloudDocs\/Apps\/Alfred\/Alfred.alfredpreferences", "syncfolders" : { "4" : "~\/Library\/Mobile Documents\/com~apple~CloudDocs\/Apps\/Alfred", "5" : "~\/Library\/Mobile Documents\/com~apple~CloudDocs\/Apps\/Alfred" } } I then followed the steps here to disable syncing, with the idea to disable syncing, get rid of the additional workflows and enable syncing again. That seems to have worked. So, after a bit of work, it seems to be resolved. Thanks for the hint with the syncing. That somehow seemed to be the culprit.

Am i missing something? I type cp and hit enter. Nothing appears. Alfred 5.5, macOS Version 14.4.1 (23E224) [2:22:24.177 PM] Color Picker[Keyword] Processing complete [2:22:24.183 PM] Color Picker[Keyword] Passing output '' to Script Filter [2:22:24.195 PM] Color Picker[Script Filter] Queuing argument '(null)' If i run :cp [2:25:47.841 PM] Color Picker[Keyword] Passing output '' to Automation Task [2:25:47.843 PM] ERROR: Color Picker[Automation Task] Task Argument Error: Expecting single or multiple inputs. Warnings: ( "Passed in file '/Users/user/Library/Caches/com.runningwithcrayons.Alfred/Workflow Data/com.zeitlings.colorpicker' does not exist, discarding"

Hi, vitor. Would it be difficult to sort the results by modified date? Also, would it be possible to produce the same results with a Keyword with space (without the return key) instead of hotkey?

@hogru Welcome to the forum. Could you please let me know which sync service you're using for your preferences? You can check in Alfred's Advanced tab if you don't recall, as you'll see the path to your synced preferences. You'll need to ensure that the sync service is set to keep your Alfred preferences offline, as Alfred needs constant access to the preferences, so you may see this kind of behaviour if this isn't the case: https://www.alfredapp.com/help/advanced/sync/#always-offline Once you've set your preferences as being saved offline, you should be able to delete the superfluous workflows. Let me know how you get on Cheers, Vero

Hello, I updated the 1Password workflow from the Alfred Gallery. It installed a second workflow in the Workflows list (and the 1Password integration did not work, mostly error messages that the 1Password CLI is not installed, but it was/is). I tried to delete the second workflow entry, but it comes back. As of now, I have even three of them (see screenshot). One is version 2023.6, two of them are 2023.12 (corresponds to the workflows' icon). Currently, the 1Password workflow seems to work (but which one?). How can I delete the superfluous workflows? I tried to delete them (by clicking the "minus" button; they disappear first, but, as I said, they "come back"), re-start Alfred, re-start 1Password (app). Alfred version: 5.5 [2257] 1Password version: 8.10.30 macOS version: 14.4.1 (Sonoma)

Still the same problem here in 2024. The post in below says the problem is due to word boundaries, controlled by OS X's metadata server, which presumably would affect the Spotlight search as well. However, searching in Spotlight yields a better result. Search for the same term in Spotlight could find the target file, while Alfred cannot.

It's also worth noting that in your screenshot, fileproviderd and fseventsd are also super high CPU usage. Are your preferences stored locally or on e.g. iCloud / Google Drive? If not, move them local and see if this is the cause.

@mikedvzo As this issue is unique to you, I'll need as much info as possible to try and ascertain what you have on both Macs which could be causing this issue. The first place to start is with a Sample Process in Activity Monitor while the Preferences is at 100%. This could help point towards the root of the issue. If you could reply to Vero's email with that, and with a Diagnostics from Alfred Preference's help tab.

And so incredibly simple. A contender for the shortest code: /bin/cat "${@}".

I posted this once before back in March but that bug is closed so I am opening a new one. I have observed the same exact behavior on my personal Mac mini. That means it has nothing to do with Falcon Crowstrike. Also, I use two separate preferences files. I am no longer able to edit workflows as every time I move an object in a workflow the CPU goes over 100% for over 5 seconds. I either need to come up with a solution or roll back to Alfred 5.0 as this makes changes to workflows impossible. My Mac mini is a very generic Mac. I can duplicate the behavior on both Macs on demand by just moving a workflow obejct Both Macs run 14.4.1 and 5.5 [2257]

I love the File Contents automation task. It is so incredibly useful.

Excellent! Long time ago I had set up 'sn' as Snippet Keyword, but never used it. Alfred has so much more… >Using Cmd + S will open the snippet, ready to edit, in the Snippets preferences. For me this is CMD + ENTER. thank you. / with best regards, Omar KN, Stockholm, Sweden

Hello, I noticed the TickTick process to get authenticated has slightly changed so I have updated the instructions on the Github. Please reach out here or on Github if you have any issues.

@Vero Thanks.

It’s important to reiterate that Alfred’s Preferences are essentially a folder bundle of files. Alfred needs those files to be available at all times, and if a sync service is doing something funky to them or purging them, there’s only so much that can be done. iCloud Drive in particular has historically been unreliable (and Sonoma 14.4 in particular brought new bugs) which is why Alfred warns about it when setting it as the sync location. When disabling Optimise Mac Storage, make sure you wait before trying again, because it can take a while to download what you have online. You should also reboot your Mac, because the iCloud daemon can be unreliable. Also note you can backup your preferences with a workflow which allows you to keep you settings local while also periodically saving them to cloud storage.

I’ll ask that we please not bring more separate discussions into this thread, which is supposed to be about one Simple Idea that Stephen is kindly sharing with the community. Words of appreciation and requests for clarifications are certainly welcome, but (especially) since this post is part of a larger collection I’d rather we don’t derail it further. I’ve posted a reply on the other post.

There is not, by design¹. Think about that interface: you’d be typing something in Alfred and then the whole interface would change from under you to something different, and then you wouldn’t be able to continue typing to something else or go back² or else you would be able to do that but not filter in the view and have the interface going back and forth. The new views are separate paradigms, and to allow their full potential there can’t be ambiguity. That said, while showing all files would have major performance implications, listing a specific file type is more doable. All you need is a Run Script Action before the Grid View set to /usr/bin/swift as the Language with this code (quick adaptation from another workflow): import Foundation // Change this to what you want to search let query = "kMDItemContentType == com.adobe.pdf" // LEAVE UNTOUCHED FROM HERE // Prepare query let searchQuery = MDQueryCreate(kCFAllocatorDefault, query as CFString, nil, nil) MDQuerySetSearchScope(searchQuery, [("~" as NSString).expandingTildeInPath] as CFArray, 0) // Run query MDQueryExecute(searchQuery, CFOptionFlags(kMDQuerySynchronous.rawValue)) let resultCount = MDQueryGetResultCount(searchQuery) // No results guard resultCount > 0 else { print( """ {\"items\":[{\"title\":\"No Results\", \"subtitle\":\"No paths found matching query\", \"valid\":false}]} """ ) exit(EXIT_SUCCESS) } // Prepare items struct ScriptFilterItem: Codable { let uid: String let title: String let subtitle: String let type: String let icon: FileIcon let arg: String struct FileIcon: Codable { let path: String } } let sfItems: [ScriptFilterItem] = (0..<resultCount).compactMap { resultIndex in let rawPointer = MDQueryGetResultAtIndex(searchQuery, resultIndex) let resultItem = Unmanaged<MDItem>.fromOpaque(rawPointer!).takeUnretainedValue() guard let resultPath = MDItemCopyAttribute(resultItem, kMDItemPath) as? String else { return nil } return ScriptFilterItem( uid: resultPath, title: URL(fileURLWithPath: resultPath).lastPathComponent, subtitle: (resultPath as NSString).abbreviatingWithTildeInPath, type: "file", icon: ScriptFilterItem.FileIcon(path: resultPath), arg: resultPath ) } // Output JSON let jsonData = try JSONEncoder().encode(["items": sfItems]) print(String(data: jsonData, encoding: .utf8)!) All you need to do is change the text between quotes at the query line near the top. Currently it’s set for PDFs; PNGs would be public.png. Other file types are left as an exercise to the reader, but here’s a list. ¹ Technically you can, by using something like a Hotkey, but I don’t think that’s what you mean. You could also fudge it with an External Trigger, which I do not recommend at all. ² Because how would Alfred know if you were refining the input in the new view or changing to another one.