A professional macOS GUI for rsync -- modern, open-source, and built for serious file synchronization. RsyncGUI wraps the full power of rsync behind a glassmorphic SwiftUI interface with real-time progress, AI-powered insights, macOS desktop widgets, automated scheduling via launchd, and a local API server for programmatic control.
A modern replacement for the discontinued RsyncOSX.
- Download
- Architecture
- Features
- Screenshots
- Getting Started
- Build from Source
- Nova API Server
- Security
- Project Structure
- Configuration Reference
- Troubleshooting
- Version History
- Roadmap
- Contributing
- License
Download the latest DMG installer from Releases, or build from source (see below).
Distributed via DMG -- not the Mac App Store. No sandbox restrictions. Full file system access for unrestricted rsync operation.
+------------------------------------------------------------------+
| RsyncGUI.app |
| |
| +---------------------------+ +-----------------------------+ |
| | SwiftUI Frontend | | Nova API Server | |
| | | | (port 37424) | |
| | ContentView | | | |
| | +-- JobListView | | GET /api/status | |
| | +-- JobDetailView | | GET /api/jobs | |
| | +-- JobEditorView | | GET /api/jobs/:id | |
| | +-- SyncProgressView | | POST /api/jobs/:id/run | |
| | +-- AIInsightsView | | POST /api/jobs/:id/dryrun | |
| | +-- JobHistoryTabView | | GET /api/history | |
| | +-- SettingsView | | GET /api/jobs/:id/history | |
| | | | | |
| +---------------------------+ +-----------------------------+ |
| | | |
| +---------------------------+ +-----------------------------+ |
| | Service Layer | | Data Models | |
| | | | | |
| | JobManager | | SyncJob | |
| | +-- CRUD operations | | +-- sources: [String] | |
| | +-- Job persistence | | +-- destinations: [Dest] | |
| | +-- Execution dispatch | | +-- options: RsyncOptions| |
| | | | +-- schedule: Config | |
| | RsyncExecutor | | +-- syncMode (fan-out, | |
| | +-- Process.arguments | | | fan-in, full-mesh) | |
| | +-- Real-time parsing | | +-- parallelism config | |
| | +-- Output cap (10 MB) | | +-- pre/post scripts | |
| | +-- iCloud exclusions | | | |
| | | | RsyncOptions (100+ flags) | |
| | AdvancedExecutionService | | ScheduleConfig | |
| | +-- Parallel execution | | ExecutionHistory | |
| | +-- Job dependencies | | DeltaReport | |
| | +-- Change detection | | ParallelismConfig | |
| | +-- Delta reporting | | | |
| | | +-----------------------------+ |
| | ScheduleManager | |
| | +-- launchd plists | +-----------------------------+ |
| | +-- load / unload | | External Integrations | |
| | | | | |
| | AIInsightsService | | macOS Keychain (SSH creds) | |
| | +-- Error diagnosis | | launchd (scheduling) | |
| | +-- Anomaly detection | | iCloud Drive (destination) | |
| | +-- Health scoring | | SSH (remote sync) | |
| | +-- NLP job creation | | WidgetKit (desktop widget) | |
| | | | NWListener (API server) | |
| | AIBackendManager | | | |
| | +-- Ollama / MLX | +-----------------------------+ |
| | +-- TinyLLM / TinyChat | |
| | +-- OpenAI / Cloud | |
| | +-- Auto-detect local | |
| | | |
| | WidgetDataSync | |
| | +-- App Group sharing | |
| | +-- WidgetKit refresh | |
| | | |
| | MenuBarManager | |
| | +-- Status bar icon | |
| | +-- Quick job access | |
| +---------------------------+ |
+------------------------------------------------------------------+
| | |
v v v
+----------------+ +------------------+ +--------------------+
| /usr/bin/ | | ~/Library/ | | RsyncGUI Widget |
| rsync | | LaunchAgents/ | | (WidgetKit ext.) |
| | | | | |
| /opt/homebrew/ | | com.jordankoch. | | Small / Medium / |
| bin/rsync | | rsyncgui.*.plist | | Large sizes |
| | | | | |
| /usr/local/ | | (auto-generated | | Health score, |
| bin/rsync | | scheduling) | | last sync status, |
+----------------+ +------------------+ | recent activity |
+--------------------+
Data flow:
User creates job JobManager persists
in JobEditorView ---> to ~/Library/Application Support/
| RsyncGUI/jobs.json
|
v
User clicks "Run" RsyncExecutor spawns
or schedule fires ---> /usr/bin/rsync via Process()
| with argument array (no shell)
|
v
Real-time stdout ---> SyncProgressView renders
parsing: speed, animated progress circle,
ETA, file count current file, transfer stats
|
v
Execution result ---> ExecutionHistoryManager logs
saved to history WidgetDataSync pushes to widget
|
v
AIInsightsService ---> Diagnoses errors, detects
analyzes history anomalies, scores health,
predicts storage needs
Over 100 rsync flags organized into intuitive categories: Basic, Transfer, Preserve, Filters, Comparison, Bandwidth, Output, SSH, Ownership, Backup, Logging, Network, I/O, and Checksum. Every option is accessible through a tabbed editor -- no terminal required.
Animated progress display built for large syncs (millions of files). Shows transfer speed, ETA, files transferred, bytes moved, and the current file being synced. Gradient effects and smooth animations provide clear visual feedback during long-running operations.
- Fan-out (1 to N): Replicate one source to multiple backup destinations
- Fan-in (N to 1): Consolidate multiple sources into a single destination
- Full Mesh (N to N): Sync every source to every destination
- Parallel execution: Run multiple syncs simultaneously with configurable concurrency
- Sequential execution: Run syncs one at a time with optional stop-on-error
Native macOS scheduling that runs even when the app is closed. Supports hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, and custom cron frequencies. Generates and manages launchd plists in ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ automatically.
SSH authentication with public key support. Credentials stored securely in macOS Keychain. Supports remote-to-local, local-to-remote syncs with connection testing. SSH key paths validated against traversal attacks.
Sync directly to iCloud Drive as a destination. One-click setup button selects the iCloud Drive root folder. Automatically excludes .icloud placeholder files that macOS creates for evicted content. Files sync to all your Apple devices through iCloud.
Ten intelligent analysis features powered by local or cloud AI backends:
- Smart Error Diagnosis -- Analyzes rsync errors with actionable fix commands
- Change Summary -- Human-readable summaries of what was synced
- Anomaly Detection -- Flags ransomware patterns, mass deletions, unusual activity
- Smart Scheduling -- Recommends optimal backup times based on history
- Storage Prediction -- Forecasts when destination drives will fill up
- Intelligent Exclusions -- Suggests files to skip (node_modules, DerivedData, etc.)
- Natural Language Job Creation -- Describe a job in plain English to create it
- Backup Health Score -- A through F grade with detailed metrics
- Recovery Assistant -- Search backup history to locate and recover files
- Sensitive File Detection -- Warns about credentials, SSH keys, API keys before syncing
Supports multiple AI backends: Ollama, MLX, TinyLLM, TinyChat, Open WebUI, OpenAI, Google Cloud, Azure, AWS, IBM Watson, or auto-detect local.
WidgetKit extension with three sizes (Small, Medium, Large) for Notification Center. Displays backup health score, last sync status, next scheduled sync, jobs with errors, and recent activity. Auto-refreshes every 15 minutes and after each sync. Tap to open the app.
Status bar icon provides quick access to recent jobs, new job creation, and show/hide of the main window without hunting through the Dock.
Run custom scripts before and after sync operations. Scripts receive context via environment variables (JOB_NAME, JOB_STATUS, FILES_TRANSFERRED). Inline shell commands are blocked -- only absolute paths to executable files are accepted.
Chain jobs so one must complete successfully before the next starts. Enable change detection to skip syncs when the source has not changed since the last run. Source checksums computed with CryptoKit.
After each sync, view a structured report of what changed: files added, modified, deleted, with byte-level transfer statistics.
Preview every change rsync would make before executing. See what will be transferred, deleted, or updated with zero risk.
Built-in HTTP API server for programmatic control. Binds to 127.0.0.1 only -- no external network exposure. See the Nova API Server section for endpoint details.
Glassmorphic dark interface with sidebar navigation, job list, and detail view.
Tabbed interface with organized categories: Basic, Transfer, Preserve, Filters, Advanced, and Schedule.
Animated gradient progress circle with real-time speed, ETA, file count, and current file display.
Backup health score, error diagnosis, anomaly alerts, and natural language job creation.
- Download the latest DMG from Releases
- Open the DMG and drag RsyncGUI.app to your Applications folder
- Launch RsyncGUI from Applications
- macOS may prompt for file system permissions on first run -- grant them for full rsync functionality
- Create a job: Click "+" in the sidebar. Name it, set the source path, set the destination path, and configure rsync options through the tabbed editor.
- Dry run first: Click "Dry Run" to preview what rsync will do. Review the output to confirm it matches your expectations.
- Execute: Click "Run Now" to start the sync. The progress window shows real-time transfer statistics.
- Schedule (optional): Open the Schedule tab in the job editor. Enable scheduling, pick a frequency and time, and save. RsyncGUI creates a launchd plist that runs even when the app is closed.
Daily documents backup:
Name: Daily Documents Backup
Source: ~/Documents
Destination: /Volumes/Backup/Documents
Options: Archive (-a), Delete (--delete), Progress (--progress)
Schedule: Daily at 2:00 AM
iCloud Drive sync:
Name: Photos to iCloud
Source: ~/Pictures/Photos
Destination: iCloud Drive (click the iCloud Drive button)
Options: Archive (-a), Progress (--progress)
Schedule: Daily at 11:00 PM
Remote server backup over SSH:
Name: Web Server Backup
Source: user@server.com:/var/www/html
Destination: ~/Backups/WebServer
Options: Archive (-a), Compress (-z), Partial (--partial)
SSH Key: ~/.ssh/id_rsa
Schedule: Hourly
Photo archive to NAS:
Name: Photo Library Sync
Source: ~/Pictures
Destination: /Volumes/NAS/Photos
Exclude: *.tmp, .DS_Store, Thumbs.db
Options: Archive (-a), Stats (--stats)
Schedule: Weekly (Sunday 3:00 AM)
- macOS 14.0+ (Sonoma or later)
- Xcode 15.0+
- Swift 5.9+
- Apple Silicon or Intel Mac
git clone https://github.com/kochj23/RsyncGUI.git
cd RsyncGUI
open RsyncGUI.xcodeprojBuild in Xcode with Cmd+B, or from the command line:
xcodebuild -project RsyncGUI.xcodeproj \
-scheme RsyncGUI \
-configuration Release \
buildThe app builds without sandbox entitlements (com.apple.security.app-sandbox = false) for unrestricted file system access.
RsyncGUI includes a built-in HTTP API server on port 37424 for integration with OpenClaw (Nova AI) and Claude Code. The server starts automatically on app launch and binds to 127.0.0.1 only -- no external network exposure.
| Method | Path | Description |
|---|---|---|
GET |
/api/status |
App status, version, job count, uptime |
GET |
/api/ping |
Health check |
GET |
/api/jobs |
List all sync jobs |
GET |
/api/jobs/:id |
Single job detail |
POST |
/api/jobs/:id/run |
Execute a job |
POST |
/api/jobs/:id/dryrun |
Dry-run a job |
GET |
/api/history |
Recent execution history (last 50) |
GET |
/api/jobs/:id/history |
Execution history for a specific job |
# Check app status
curl -s http://127.0.0.1:37424/api/status | python3 -m json.tool
# List all jobs
curl -s http://127.0.0.1:37424/api/jobs | python3 -m json.tool
# Trigger a sync
curl -X POST http://127.0.0.1:37424/api/jobs/<uuid>/run
# Dry-run a sync
curl -X POST http://127.0.0.1:37424/api/jobs/<uuid>/dryrunAuthentication: None required. The server is loopback-only and inaccessible from the network.
RsyncGUI has undergone a comprehensive security audit (v1.7.0) with 30 findings resolved across critical, high, medium, and low severities.
- No shell interpolation. Rsync commands use
Process.argumentsarray, preventing injection via paths or filenames. - Shell escaping. Scheduled commands use single-quote escaping for all arguments in launchd plists.
- Filter sanitization. Exclude/include/filter patterns reject control characters to prevent argument injection.
- Script validation. Pre/post scripts must be absolute paths to existing executables. Inline shell commands are rejected.
- Rsync binary resolution. The binary is resolved from a fixed list (
/usr/bin/rsync,/opt/homebrew/bin/rsync,/usr/local/bin/rsync) -- not from user-writable configuration.
- SSH credentials stored in macOS Keychain. No plaintext secrets written to disk.
- SSH key paths validated: must be absolute, must exist, no
..traversal sequences. - Remote hostname and username validated against
^[a-zA-Z0-9._-]+$before use.
- Launchd plists generated with
PropertyListSerialization(Apple's API), preventing XML injection. - No user-supplied values interpolated directly into XML strings.
- Widget data sync serialized with a dedicated
DispatchQueueto prevent race conditions. - Process handler cleanup reordered to prevent use-after-nil crashes.
- Rsync version detection runs asynchronously off the main thread.
- Job editor validates source/destination paths before save.
- Job import validates all fields (name, sources, destinations) for empty/whitespace values.
- Numeric fields clamped to prevent negative values.
- Output buffer capped at 10 MB per execution to prevent OOM on large verbose jobs.
- Sensitive file scanner warns about credentials, SSH keys, and API keys before syncing.
- No telemetry or analytics transmitted externally.
RsyncGUI/
+-- RsyncGUI.xcodeproj/
+-- RsyncGUI/
| +-- RsyncGUIApp.swift App entry point, window setup, API server start
| +-- NovaAPIServer.swift HTTP API server (NWListener, port 37424)
| +-- Info.plist Bundle configuration
| +-- RsyncGUI.entitlements Entitlements (no sandbox)
| +-- Design/
| | +-- ModernDesign.swift Glassmorphic theme, colors, glass card modifiers
| +-- Models/
| | +-- SyncJob.swift Job model: sources, destinations, options, schedule
| | +-- RsyncOptions.swift 100+ rsync flags with argument generation
| | +-- ScheduleConfig.swift Schedule model with launchd plist generation
| | +-- ExecutionHistory.swift Execution result and history management
| | +-- DeltaReport.swift Change delta reporting model
| | +-- ParallelismConfig.swift Parallel execution configuration
| | +-- ConnectionTest.swift SSH connection test model
| +-- Services/
| | +-- JobManager.swift Job CRUD, persistence, execution dispatch
| | +-- RsyncExecutor.swift Process execution, real-time progress parsing
| | +-- AdvancedExecutionService.swift Parallel sync, dependencies, change detection
| | +-- ScheduleManager.swift launchd plist generation and management
| | +-- AIInsightsService.swift 10 AI analysis features
| | +-- AIBackendManager.swift Multi-backend AI provider management
| | +-- AIBackendManager+Enhanced.swift Extended AI backend capabilities
| | +-- AIBackendStatusMenu.swift AI backend status UI
| | +-- WidgetDataSync.swift App Group data sharing with widget
| | +-- MenuBarManager.swift Status bar menu integration
| +-- Views/
| | +-- ContentView.swift Main container with NavigationSplitView
| | +-- JobListView.swift Sidebar job list
| | +-- JobDetailView.swift Job detail display with actions
| | +-- JobEditorView.swift Comprehensive tabbed job editor
| | +-- SyncProgressView.swift Animated real-time progress display
| | +-- AIInsightsView.swift AI insights dashboard
| | +-- JobHistoryTabView.swift Execution history browser
| | +-- ExecutionHistoryView.swift Detailed execution result view
| | +-- DeltaReportView.swift Change delta visualization
| | +-- SettingsView.swift App preferences
| | +-- TestProgressView.swift Progress testing utility
| +-- Resources/
| +-- Assets.xcassets/ App icon and image assets
+-- RsyncGUI Widget/
| +-- RsyncGUIWidget.swift WidgetKit extension (Small/Medium/Large)
| +-- SharedDataManager.swift Shared data access for widget
| +-- WidgetData.swift Widget data models
+-- Screenshots/
+-- .github/ CI/CD, issue templates, Dependabot
+-- LICENSE MIT License
Basic: Archive, Verbose, Compress, Delete, Dry Run, Progress, Stats
Transfer: Recursive, Update, Existing, Ignore Existing, Remove Source Files, Partial, In-place, various delete timing modes (before, during, delay, after)
Preserve: Permissions, Owner, Group, Times, Devices, Specials, Symlinks, Hard Links, ACLs, Extended Attributes, Executability
Filters: Exclude/Include patterns, Exclude-from/Include-from files, CVS exclusions, custom filter rules
Comparison: Ignore Time, Size Only, Checksum, Fuzzy matching
Bandwidth and Performance: Bandwidth limit (KB/s), I/O timeout, block size, whole-file mode
Output: Quiet, Itemize changes, custom output format, human-readable sizes
SSH and Remote: Remote shell path, remote rsync path, custom port
Ownership: chmod, owner, group, fake-super for non-root privilege preservation
Backup: Backup mode, backup directory, backup suffix
Network: Connection timeout, bind address, IPv4/IPv6 preference, socket options
Advanced I/O: No implied dirs, direct I/O, non-blocking I/O, output buffering
Checksum: Algorithm selection, file list checksums
Logging: Log file path, log format, info/debug verbosity flags
| Frequency | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Hourly | Runs at minute 0 of every hour |
| Daily | Runs at the specified time every day |
| Weekly | Runs on the specified day at the specified time |
| Monthly | Runs on the specified day of month at the specified time |
| Custom | User-defined cron expression |
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| Fan-out (1 to N) | One source replicated to multiple destinations |
| Fan-in (N to 1) | Multiple sources consolidated to one destination |
| Full Mesh (N to N) | Every source synced to every destination |
- Jobs:
~/Library/Application Support/RsyncGUI/jobs.json - Logs:
~/Library/Application Support/RsyncGUI/Logs/ - Schedules:
~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.jordankoch.rsyncgui.*.plist - Widget data: Shared via App Group (
group.com.jkoch.rsyncgui)
- Verify the schedule is enabled in the job editor's Schedule tab
- Confirm the job is enabled (green indicator in sidebar)
- Check Console.app for launchd errors
- Look for the plist in
~/Library/LaunchAgents/ - Run
launchctl list | grep rsyncguito confirm the job is loaded
- Test SSH manually:
ssh user@host - Verify the SSH key path is correct and the file exists
- Ensure key permissions are correct:
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_rsa - Check
~/.ssh/known_hostsfor the host entry - If the host key changed, remove the old entry:
ssh-keygen -R hostname
- RsyncGUI caps output at 10 MB per execution. Full output is available in Console.app.
- Verbose and Compress default to off. Enable only when needed.
- Parallel mode caps file lists at 50,000 entries to prevent RAM exhaustion.
- Directory change detection caps at 100,000 files with cooperative yielding.
- Disable compression (-z) -- it burns CPU on local/LAN transfers
- Enable whole-file mode (-W) for local syncs (skips delta algorithm)
- Reduce or remove bandwidth limits
- Increase block size for large files
- Check source/destination ownership:
ls -la /path/to/files - For owner/group preservation, you may need sudo
- Use
--fake-superfor non-root privilege preservation via extended attributes
- RsyncGUI automatically adds
--exclude=*.icloudfor iCloud destinations to skip evicted file placeholders - Ensure iCloud Drive is enabled in System Settings before selecting it as a destination
- The iCloud path is:
~/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs/
| Version | Date | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| v1.7.3 | March 2026 | SMB/USB destination picker fix, external path validation fix, log folder creation |
| v1.7.2 | March 2026 | Large job stability (10 MB output cap), iCloud .icloud exclusion, async script execution |
| v1.7.1 | March 2026 | Shell injection blocked in pre/post scripts, rsync binary hardcoded, SSH key/host validation |
| v1.7.0 | February 2026 | Security audit: 30 findings resolved (3 critical, 8 high). Command injection, XML injection, thread safety |
| v1.6.0 | February 2026 | macOS Desktop Widget (WidgetKit, 3 sizes), backup health visualization |
| v1.5.0 | February 2026 | AI Insights (10 features), multi-source/destination, parallel execution, pre/post scripts |
| v1.1.0 | January 2026 | iCloud Drive integration, one-click setup, path validation |
| v1.0.0 | January 2026 | Initial release. 100+ rsync options, launchd scheduling, SSH support, progress visualization |
- Execution history viewer
- Pre/post sync hook scripts
- Multi-job parallel execution
- AI-powered insights (10 features)
- macOS desktop widget
- Security hardening audit
- iCloud Drive integration
- Nova API server
- Job templates library
- Email notifications on sync completion/failure
- Bandwidth usage graphs
- Conflict resolution UI
- Menu bar app mode (run without Dock icon)
- iCloud job sync across Macs
Contributions are welcome. Please open an issue for bugs or feature requests, or submit a pull request.
- Fork the repository
- Create a feature branch (
git checkout -b feature/your-feature) - Make your changes and test thoroughly
- Submit a pull request
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Language | Swift 5.9 |
| UI Framework | SwiftUI |
| Minimum macOS | 14.0 (Sonoma) |
| Architecture | Native Apple Silicon + Intel (Universal) |
| Sandbox | Disabled (full file system access) |
| Distribution | DMG installer |
| Scheduling | launchd (native macOS) |
| API Server | NWListener (Network framework), port 37424, loopback only |
| AI Integration | NaturalLanguage framework + configurable LLM backends |
| Widget | WidgetKit extension (Small, Medium, Large) |
| Credential Storage | macOS Keychain (Security framework) |
| Persistence | JSON files in Application Support |
| Process Execution | Foundation Process with argument array (no shell) |
MIT License
Copyright (c) 2026 Jordan Koch
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
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Written by Jordan Koch
Disclaimer: This is a personal project created on my own time. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or representative of my employer.