solved iCloud Preferences syncing unreliable

[rwmleach]

I'm getting this error, even though I haven't changed anything about my setup. I've already tried rebooting, resetting the sync location, restoring preferences from a backup in various locations (the one in the error message, Application Support, etc.).

 

My workflows, snippets, etc. are just gone!

 

"You have a sync location set, but the preferences package is missing from: 

 

~/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs/Alfred

 

This could be due to the Volume not yet being mounted, or the preferences being deleted.

 

If you continue, Alfred will use the default preferences location."

[dfay]

I get this periodically on a machine where my preferences are in an external drive with a bad cable that ejects occasionally….are the rest of your iCloud Drive files available when this happens?

[rwmleach]

Thanks for the reply, that led me to explore. iCloud was working overall but the Alfred folder seemed to be stuck with the cloud icon and wouldn't download. So you are right I think that's where the trouble may have originated.

 

But then it still wasn't explaining why my recent backups weren't working in a new directory. So I went back even further to a backup from months ago, dropped that in the new directory, and it's golden. Everything is back to normal!

 

So maybe the iCloud problem somehow messed up my preferences file and I just haven't restarted my computer in so long that I never closed out and opened the "new" preferences.

 

Either way it's working so I'm happy, thanks again.

 

 

[Vero]

@rwmleach What you've experienced is precisely why we advise against using iCloud for syncing Alfred's preferences. iCloud has continued to be unreliable over the past few years, sometimes syncing properly, other times syncing partially or not at all.

 

If you choose to use iCloud, first ensure that Optimised Storage is disabled, and make sure your data is backed up via Time Machine or other regular backup so that you have preferences to go back to if iCloud fails.

 

Cheers,
Vero

[foxytrot]

On 5/11/2021 at 2:14 AM, Vero said:

@rwmleach What you've experienced is precisely why we advise against using iCloud for syncing Alfred's preferences. iCloud has continued to be unreliable over the past few years, sometimes syncing properly, other times syncing partially or not at all.

 

If you choose to use iCloud, first ensure that Optimised Storage is disabled, and make sure your data is backed up via Time Machine or other regular backup so that you have preferences to go back to if iCloud fails.

 

Cheers,
Vero

What backup service or plan would you recommend?

 

I’ve been using iCloud since Alfred backup and sync became available and am encountering the same issues described here. 
 

Unfortunately, I don’t have the GB or TB to backup all the ‘everything’ that I have to my Mac. 
 

Could you recommend or suggest a reliable Online service or physical external HD?

 

Thank you!

 

🙂

 

[Vero]

@foxytrot Welcome to the forum!

 

Currently, we recommend Dropbox, but the key features you need if you'd like to use another service are:

• Files stored locally (not as a representation of an online-only file)
• Available instantly at startup

We're continuously evaluating alternatives, and re-assessing services as they change (e.g. iCloud has gotten somewhat more reliable over the past few years, but still requires Optimised Storage to be disabled). Some users have had success with other services I believe, so just make sure you keep a Time Machine backup of your preferences if you opt for something else. 

[Willian]

Hi,

I've been encountering this all the time. It had been really counter-productive.

I see other Apps in similar situation solves this by adding a check and download before actually launching Application itself, would that be possible with Alfred?

 

[vic12es]

C’mon folks, it 2023 and and Dropbox is unbearable Please, Please, Please give us a way to sync preferences between multiple Mac’s that support iCloud or an Alfred Cloud option similar to say Things3

 

Thanks in advance

[Vero]

@vic12es Welcome to the forum.  

 

The way Alfred uses preferences is very different to apps like Things (which is exclusively available via the Mac App Store and uses an entirely different synching mechanism) so these two don't compare.

 

Having said that, you can use iCloud and many users do. The key is to ensure Optimised Storage is disabled on your Macs, so that your preferences are always available to Alfred.

 

I would recommend also backing up your preferences to Time Machine, as iCloud still has hit-and-miss file conflict resolution. In other words, if you edit a setting on two Macs, iCloud sometimes struggles to work out how to handle these changes. If you have a backup, you can very quickly revert to a recent version of your preferences

 

We're also investigating various other syncing solutions, as we want to ensure it's as straightforward for everyone as possible!

[Willian]

I have not carefully spec into this but a quick search lead me to this: https://eclecticlight.co/cirrus-bailiff/ 

They somehow managed to DL files on iCloud . (not sure if they used private API)

 

I do think you could eventually achieve this on iCloud as I say there are many app does this, E.g. Obsidian file management, NSSurge configuration sync (similar situation to Alfred), even if they once could not.

 

Thanks!

[Vero]

@Willian Once again, it is possible to use iCloud. Ensure Optimised Storage is disabled, and setup a regular backup, and you'll likely have a totally smooth experience with iCloud. 

 

We recommend iCloud more tentatively because Apple can change things behind the scenes (as they have done many times over the years) which could change the behaviour of the sync mechanism at any point.

[Willian]

16 hours ago, Vero said:

@Willian Once again, it is possible to use iCloud. Ensure Optimised Storage is disabled, and setup a regular backup, and you'll likely have a totally smooth experience with iCloud. 

 

We recommend iCloud more tentatively because Apple can change things behind the scenes (as they have done many times over the years) which could change the behaviour of the sync mechanism at any point.

Sorry for not clearing my situation.

I have to use Optimized Storage due to the fact that I use multiple macs (5+) syncing with the same iCloud account, however about half of them aren't equipped with enough storage to store the entire iCloud library.

[Vero]

@Willian In a past beta version of iCloud, Apple had a "pin this folder" option so that only specific folders could be stored locally, but they removed this in the general release of the OS. As such, when using iCloud, all Apple offers is an all-or-nothing solution.

 

Dropbox or any other sync service that allows you to keep files stored locally and is available immediately at startup would allow you to sync your preferences, but sounds like iCloud won't be the right solution in your specific scenario.