dropfix

Tip

Dropbox Directory Ignore Tools

dropfix helps you configure Dropbox to ignore specific development directories (.venv, .conda, node_modules) that don't need to be synced across machines.

Note

This package isn't published yet, but will soon be installable with: uv tool install dropfix after which you can simply run dropfix from anywhere.

Quick Start

All Operating Systems

Run the Python script directly (works on Windows, macOS, and Linux):

# Check which directories are ignored (auto-detects Dropbox path)
uv run dropfix/dropfix-check.py

# Basic usage (auto-detects Dropbox path)
python dropfix/dropfix.py

# Dry run mode (shows what would happen without making changes)
python dropfix/dropfix.py --dry-run

# Specify custom Dropbox path
python dropfix/dropfix.py --path /path/to/your/Dropbox

# Ignore specific directories
python dropfix/dropfix.py --dirs .venv .cache node_modules

Check which directories are being ignored:

# Check which directories are ignored (auto-detects Dropbox path)
python dropfix/dropfix-check.py

# Show only ignored directories
python dropfix/dropfix-check.py --show ignored

# Show only not-ignored directories
python dropfix/dropfix-check.py --show not-ignored

Platform-Specific Shell Scripts

Alternatively, you can use the platform-specific scripts in the scripts/ directory:

• Windows: Run scripts/dropfix-win.ps1 in PowerShell
• Linux: Run scripts/dropfix-nix.sh in Bash
• macOS: Run scripts/dropfix-mac.sh in Terminal

Python Module Usage

If you install the package or run from the repo:

# Using Python module syntax
python -m dropfix.dropfix
python -m dropfix.dropfix-check

Why These Tools?

• Save Space: Avoid syncing large development directories
• Improve Performance: Reduce Dropbox sync operations
• Cross-Platform Compatible: Works across different operating systems

Cross-Platform Safety

These scripts set the same com.dropbox.ignored attribute (with value 1) that Dropbox recognizes across all platforms:

• Windows uses NTFS alternate data streams
• macOS uses extended attributes
• Linux uses file attributes

You can safely use Windows machines, macOS, and Linux with the same Dropbox account without conflicts.

Advanced Configuration

For additional ways to configure Dropbox ignore patterns, including:

• Using .dropboxignore (Business accounts)
• Setting sync exclusion lists
• Manual command-line operations

See the Advanced Dropbox Ignore Tools.

After Running Scripts

Remember to restart Dropbox for the changes to take effect.

Note About Paths

The scripts in the scripts/ directory include hardcoded paths (C:\Users\shane\Dropbox for Windows and $HOME/Dropbox for macOS/Linux) for convenience. Before running, you may need to:

1. Open the script in a text editor
2. Change the $dropboxPath variable to match your Dropbox location
3. Save the file

The scripts were originally created for personal use, so these paths were hardcoded to bypass additional configuration questions.