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Preserve older trips — auto-archive before Tesla overwrites RecentClips #34

@mphacker

Description

@mphacker

Tesla storage management — preserve older trips from auto-deletion

Problem

Tesla firmware automatically manages the TeslaCam USB drive storage:

  • RecentClips: Rolling buffer — Tesla deletes the oldest clips when storage fills up to make room for new recordings. This is automatic and happens while driving.
  • SavedClips: Preserved until manually deleted (created when user taps the dashcam icon or honks).
  • SentryClips: Preserved until manually deleted (created by Sentry Mode events).

This means older trips in RecentClips will be lost without any warning as the drive fills up.

Proposed Solutions

1. Auto-archive before Tesla overwrites (proactive)

  • On mode switch to Present (before giving drive back to Tesla), scan for new clips that haven't been archived
  • Copy new clips to a designated archive location (local NAS, external drive, or cloud)
  • Mark archived clips so they're not re-copied

2. Storage threshold warning

  • Monitor TeslaCam drive free space
  • Show warning in UI when free space drops below threshold (e.g., 10%)
  • "Tesla will start deleting old RecentClips soon — archive important footage now"

3. Auto-save important clips

  • When indexer detects events (hard brake, FSD disengage, sentry), automatically copy those clips to SavedClips or an archive folder
  • Protects event footage from being overwritten

4. Periodic sync to local storage

  • When on home WiFi, sync new clips to a local NAS/server via rsync/SMB
  • Runs during edit mode or via quick_edit

Related

See also #(cloud storage issue) for cloud-based archiving
Ref #25

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