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https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing-macos

Official frugal and native macOS Syncthing application bundle
https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing-macos

apple backup cloud-sync file-sharing file-sync frugal mac macos macosx objective-c osx p2p peer-to-peer simple swift sync sync-files synchronization syncthing

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Official frugal and native macOS Syncthing application bundle

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README 

        
# Syncthing for macOS



[![Syncthing forum](https://img.shields.io/badge/syncthing-%20forum-blue.svg)](https://forum.syncthing.net/t/syncthing-for-macos)

[![Downloads](https://img.shields.io/github/downloads/syncthing/syncthing-macos/total.svg)](https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing-macos/releases) [![Latest release](https://img.shields.io/github/release/syncthing/syncthing-macos.svg)](https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing-macos/releases/latest) [![license](https://img.shields.io/github/license/mashape/apistatus.svg?maxAge=2592000)](LICENSE)



# Introduction



`syncthing-macos` project is a [frugal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frugality) [native](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_(computing)) macOS [Syncthing](https://syncthing.net) tray application bundle. It bundles its own Syncthing instance and wraps Syncthing background process, making it behave more like a native macOS application and less like a command-line utility with a web browser interface.



Features include:



 * Open the [Syncthing WebGUI](https://docs.syncthing.net/intro/gui.html) from the tray in your system preferred browser.

 * Optionally starts on login, so you don't need to set up Syncthing as a service.

 * Tray icon syncthing status indicator.

 * Retina ready icons for the Application bundle and status tray.

 * Automatic updates (using [Sparkle](https://sparkle-project.org) pushed from github releases).

 * Open shared folders in Finder.

 * Logfile written to `~/Library/Application Support/Syncthing/syncthing.log`, use Finder -> Go -> Go to Folder to open it.



# Screenshot



screenshot.png



# Installation



**NOTICE**: This is the official Syncthing macOS application bundle. Please make sure you have no other [syncthing instances](https://docs.syncthing.net/users/autostart.html#macos)

            or [wrappers running](https://docs.syncthing.net/users/contrib.html#mac-os) or else this application will not work!



Currently, OS X 10.13 or higher is necessary. **syncthing-macos** is packaged as a disk image as an application bundled with the [syncthing](https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing/releases) binary.



To install [just download the dmg](https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing-macos/releases/latest), mount it and drag and drop the application to install. The only necessary configuration is to set the API key and URL when provisioning a remote syncthing instance, the local instance is auto-configured. The `syncthing-macos` application bundle disables the auto-updater of `syncthing` as it has its own update mechanism using [Sparkle](https://sparkle-project.org/).



The latest version is available at [Github Releases](https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing-macos/releases/latest), or it can also be installed using [homebrew](https://github.com/Homebrew/homebrew-cask) [`brew install --cask syncthing`](https://formulae.brew.sh/cask/syncthing)



# Why



All cross-platform approaches are not able to use all the native facilities Apple macOS provides. Including auto-updates,

 vector icon set (retina-ready) and creating an application bundle. GUIs are designed with XCode and everything

 is coded in a mix of Objective-C and Swift which is "the native approach".



# Goal



The goal of this project is to keep the native macOS Syncthing tray lean but usable. No graphs, no advanced configuration

 windows. It just provides a very simple wrapper, so users are not aware syncthing ships as a commandline application. It strives to have a usability of good-by-default and should always follow the [Apple Human Interface Guidelines](https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/macos) to feel as much as a native application as possible.



# Known bugs



See the [issue tracker (bug tag filtered)]([https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing-macos/issues](https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing-macos/issues?q=is%3Aissue+is%3Aopen+label%3Abug)) for the current status.



# Contributions



[Contributions](CONTRIBUTING.md) and [issue reports](https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing-macos/issues) are welcome.



# License



[MIT](LICENSE)



# FAQ: Frequently asked questions



## macOS version support



* From release v1.27.7 macOS 11 or probably higher is required (see issue [#218](https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing-macos/issues/218))

* Last v1.27.6-1 release is compatible with macOS 10.13 (see issue [#217](https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing-macos/issues/217))

* From release v1.20.0-1 macOS 10.13 or higher is required

* Until release v1.19.2-1 macOS 10.12 is required (see issue [#177](https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing-macos/issues/177))

* From release v1.14.0-1 macOS 10.12 is required

* Until release [v1.13.1-1](https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing-macos/releases/tag/v1.13.1-1) macOS 10.11 or higher is supported (see issue [#148](https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing-macos/issues/148) why)



Auto-update [must be manually disabled](https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing-macos?tab=readme-ov-file#disable-automatic-update-checker) for unsupported OS versions.



## Preferences



`syncthing-macos` is designed to run its own syncthing instance and automatically detect the API key.

The preferences window is used to point to a local running instance, a remote instance is not supported.

It is possible to run your own instance and point to it for advanced/development purposes.

You should only change the settings if you know what you are doing.



Setting extra syncthing commandline parameters is a hidden feature. You need to write these using

the application defaults configuration. The only current limitation the parameters cannot contain spaces!.

In the example below the audit log is enabled:



```

defaults write com.github.xor-gate.syncthing-macosx Arguments '--audit --auditfile=/Users/JohnDoe/staudit.log'

```



## Default IP address change



When the default IP address is changed from 127.0.0.1 to a routable one like e.g 192.168.1.102 the tray application

preferences need to be set also. Or else the API cannot be accessed and will stay 'Offline'. If you broke the

configuration you can manually edit the file under the `~/Library/Application Support/Syncthing/config.xml` using

Finder with Go -> Go to folder. And restart the syncthing service from the tray.



## Resolve xattr sync from macOS Ventura 13.0 to < 13.0 devices (problem with `com.apple.provenance` metadata)



When using the xattr synchronisation feature it fails when syncing from macOS 13.0 to macOS < 13.0.

When using this feature one must stop Syncthing and manually edit the configuration XML file located

at `/Users//Library/Application Support/Syncthing/config.xml`. Or the location when running an

Syncthing daemon instance not managed the application bundle). Manually editing the configuration file

is necessary because the web UI doesn't support xattr filter management just yet (release v1.22.1-1).



Per shared folder the `xattrFilter` must be configured as follows:



```



  

    ...

    

    

  



```



NOTE: see the `com.apple.provenance` `xattrFilter` `entry`.



See also [#185](https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing-macos/issues/185) and the

[forum post](https://forum.syncthing.net/t/com-apple-provenance/19262) for more information.



## Uninstallation



On Mac OS X you drop the application from the Application folder to your Trash. 

But there are some user specific files are kept elsewhere, which are located under 

`$HOME/Library/Application Support/Syncthing`. The files in this folder are the configuration,

encryption/profile files and the database cache. For more information see

[docs.syncthing.net/users/config.html](https://docs.syncthing.net/users/config.html#description).



## Disable automatic update checker



By default the Syncthing macOS application checks automatically for updates. To disable (or re-enable) the 

auto update check one must set the Sparkle updater parameter from the commandline:



```

defaults write com.github.xor-gate.syncthing-macosx SUEnableAutomaticChecks 0

```



This setting is un-adviced and therefor only available from the commandline. When your system is not 

supported anymore and don't want to get notified of unsupported updates disabling then is recommended.



# Prerequisites for building/using everything in this repository



Before compiling git submodules needs to be present:



```

git submodule update --init

```



- Xcode, for the Objective-C/Swift compiler

- Python 3, for the update-release.py script

  - Needs [semver](https://pypi.org/project/semver/) from pip

- Cocoapods for updating Objective-C/Swift 3th party dependencies

- Golang, only needed for Sparkle Github releases to Appcast XML tool



# Using XCode



The new `syncthing.xcworkspace` must be used when coding in XCode.



# Compiling from Terminal



Build with XCode or run:



```

make debug

```



It will automaticly download syncthing universal binary and add it to the Application Bundle.



For release builds signing the application build and creating an distributable DMG:



```

make release-dmg

```



The script will select the first available Developer ID and sign the app with it. To specify the signing identity, use `SYNCTHING_APP_CODE_SIGN_IDENTITY` environment variable:



```

SYNCTHING_APP_CODE_SIGN_IDENTITY="Mac Developer: [email protected] (XB59MXU8EC)" make release-dmg

```



# Design and useful information



## Settings



The Syncthing settings use the NSDefaults facility. From the commandline all settings can be shown with:



```

jerry@Jerrys-iMac ~ % defaults read com.github.xor-gate.syncthing-macosx

{

    ApiKey = rR7YrEDLKhNETJZKgySmnYPZvebY9qgk;

    Executable = "/Applications/Syncthing.app/Contents/Resources/syncthing/syncthing";

    SUEnableAutomaticChecks = 1;

    SUHasLaunchedBefore = 1;

    SULastCheckTime = "2021-01-08 12:05:53 +0000";

    SUSendProfileInfo = 0;

    StartAtLogin = 1;

    URI = "http://127.0.0.1:8384";

}

```



### Override Syncthing Daeomon `Executable` property (power-users only)



If you want to use the nice GUI but have your own executable located outside the `Syncthing.app` bundle,

then the `Executable` configuration parameter can be manually overwritten with the `defaults` commandline 

tool using builtin Terminal or iTerm2. The last arguments should be changed to the syncthing daemon golang

application.



```

defaults write com.github.xor-gate.syncthing-macosx Executable /Users/jerry/develop/Syncthing/exe/syncthing

```



To restore it back to the bundle path just use delete of the property. It will automatically reset it back.



```

defaults delete com.github.xor-gate.syncthing-macosx Executable

```



## Dependency management



[CocoaPods](https://cocoapods.org/) is used for dependency management. It can be installed

with [Homebrew](https://brew.sh/) package manager. For more information about CocoaPods read

the [CocoaPods Guides](https://guides.cocoapods.org/).



## Versioning scheme



It uses the shipped syncthing executable version appended with a `-` number.

So for Syncthing `0.14.28` with first build/package it is versioned as `0.14.28-1`.

Currently there is no need for having a separate version for `syncthing-macos`. As it also

keeps the wrapper tightly coupled with the syncthing releases.



## Compilation and packaging process



* Xcode builds all sources

* Syncthing resource is fetched with `syncthing/Scripts/syncthing-resource.sh`

* Fancy DMG disk image is generated with `syncthing/Scripts/create-dmg.sh`

  * The version part of the DMG name is fetched from `syncthing/Info.plist, key CFBundleShortVersionString`

* Both the app bundle and the DMG are signed with the first available Developer

  ID certificate, if found (or the one specified through `SYNCTHING_APP_CODE_SIGN_IDENTITY` environment variable)



`syncthing/syncthing-macos` will only ship

[stable releases and no release candidates](https://forum.syncthing.net/t/introducing-stable-releases-and-release-candidates/9167)

of the Syncthing Service (daemon).



## Apple Application Notarize



After the dmg is created it must be send to Apple to be notarized. It can be checked with `spctl`

if the app is correctly verified by Apple for distribution:



```

spctl -a -t exec -vvv /Volumes/Syncthing/Syncthing.app

/Volumes/Syncthing/Syncthing.app: accepted

source=Notarized Developer ID

origin=Developer ID Application: Jakob Borg (LQE5SYM783)

```



When it is not correctly notarized the following output is seen (note the source):



```

spctl -a -t exec -vvv /Volumes/Syncthing/Syncthing.app

/Volumes/Syncthing/Syncthing.app: accepted

source=Developer ID

origin=Developer ID Application: Jakob Borg (LQE5SYM783)

```



See also the Apple Developer documentation at 



## Release management



Activate the Python virtual environment with `semver` module installed. E.g `source venv/bin/activate`.



To update the bundled syncthing the `make release-update` must be run from the main folder which does

basicly these steps automatically:

* Update `syncthing/Scripts/syncthing-resource.sh`, `SYNCTHING_VERSION`

* Update `syncthing/Info.plist`

  * `CFBundleShortVersionString`: User readable string (e.g `1.27.10-1`)

  * `CFBundleVersion`: Incrementing version counter (e.g `102701001` for `1.27.10-1`)



* When the git branch develop or release pushed to github the Github actions CI server automatically builds debug and release

* Manually download the release `.dmg` from [github.com actions](https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing-macos/actions/workflows/build-syncthing-macos.yml) which is correctly signed and notarized

* Manually [create a new Github release](https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing-macos/releases/new) with tag `v..-`

* Run deployment of Sparkle updater [appcast.xml](https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing-macos/actions/workflows/generate-appcast.yml). Which turns [github releases JSON into a Sparkle appcast.xml file](https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing-macos/tree/develop/cmd/ghreleases2appcast). (See also [Sparkle documentation](https://sparkle-project.org/documentation/)) to push to users.