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All apps/rsync

rsync

rsync is an open source utility that provides fast incremental file transfer.

Runs as rsync|macOS, Linux|rsync.samba.org

Open form in Otty otty.toml

Sync rules

What travels, what stays, what never leaves

rsync in your home directory Every rule on this page, by file

· ~/.popt Sync

Only what the catalog names. A directory that syncs brings everything inside it except what is listed as excluded here.

apps/rsync/otty.tomlThe file this page is generated from

id = "rsync"

name = "rsync"

homepage = "https://rsync.samba.org"

description = "rsync is an open source utility that provides fast incremental file transfer."

executables = ["rsync"]

platforms = ["macos", "linux"]

since = "2.6.9"

version_from = { command = ["rsync", "--version"] }

[dotfiles]

# rsync(1) is the only place rsync names a per-user file, and it names ~/.popt:

# "If you want all your transfers to default to comparing nanoseconds, you can

# create a ~/.popt file and put these lines in it: rsync alias -a -a@-1", and

# again for a custom option, "putting this line in the file ~/.popt (the

# following defines the -Z option...)". rsync parses its command line with

# popt, which reads /etc/popt and $HOME/.popt; every line there is prefixed

# with the program it applies to, so the file is shared with other popt tools.

# ~/.rsync-filter is deliberately NOT here: -F expands to

# --filter='dir-merge /.rsync-filter', a per-directory file read from inside

# whatever tree is being transferred, not a default read from the home

# directory. rsyncd.conf is a daemon file under /etc.

paths = ["~/.popt"]

exclude = []

# popt aliases are command-line defaults. rsync's own authentication is a

# password prompt or the RSYNC_PASSWORD environment variable; nothing is

# written to disk.

secret = []

# Parsed once at startup, before the transfer begins.

side_effect = false

# No machine_lines: an alias is a shorthand the user defined and wants

# everywhere. A path baked into one would be, but inventing a prefix for that

# would mean guessing at the alias names.

[commands]

format = 1

features = ["variant_conditions"]

label = "Synchronize one source"

description = "One source to one destination. Directory contents: src/ copies children; directory itself: src copies the directory. SSH checks run only when requested. Daemon URLs, two remote ends, custom remote commands and passwords are outside this form."

quality = "curated"

base = "fig:rsync"

required_capabilities = ["rsync.ssh-protect-args"]

parser = { end_of_options = "--", interleave = "permute", long_equals = true, short_attached = true, short_bundles = true }

[[commands.source]]

id = "rsync-manpage"

kind = "curated"

url = "https://download.samba.org/pub/rsync/rsync.1"

revision = "2026-10-27"

evidence = "Archive, recursive, compress, verbose, exclude, delete, dry-run, itemize-changes, one local/SSH source and destination. -s protects remote arguments and requires both rsync versions at least 3.0.0."

[[commands.field]]

id = "archive"

label = "Archive / preserve attributes"

description = "Archive is a group of preservation options (-rlptgoD), not just recursion. It stays one --archive flag."

type = "boolean"

option = ["--archive", "-a"]

sources = ["rsync-manpage"]

[[commands.field]]

id = "recursive"

label = "Recurse into directories"

type = "boolean"

option = ["--recursive", "-r"]

sources = ["rsync-manpage"]

[[commands.field]]

id = "compress"

label = "Compress during transfer"

type = "boolean"

option = ["--compress", "-z"]

sources = ["rsync-manpage"]

[[commands.field]]

id = "verbose"

label = "Verbosity"

type = "count"

option = ["--verbose", "-v"]

sources = ["rsync-manpage"]

[[commands.field]]

id = "exclude"

label = "Exclude patterns (ordered)"

description = "Literal patterns passed to rsync in this order; Otty never expands globs."

type = "string"

option = ["--exclude"]

multiple = true

sources = ["rsync-manpage"]

[[commands.field]]

id = "delete"

label = "Delete extra destination files"

description = "Deletes destination entries not present in the source. Review a dry run first."

type = "boolean"

option = ["--delete"]

effect = "delete"

sources = ["rsync-manpage"]

[[commands.field]]

id = "dry_run"

label = "Dry run / preview only"

type = "boolean"

option = ["--dry-run", "-n"]

sources = ["rsync-manpage"]

[[commands.field]]

id = "itemize_changes"

label = "Itemize changes"

type = "boolean"

option = ["--itemize-changes", "-i"]

sources = ["rsync-manpage"]

[[commands.field]]

id = "protect_args"

label = "Protect SSH arguments"

description = "Always includes -s for SSH endpoints; both rsync installations must support it."

fixed = ["-s"]

enabled_when = { any = [{ field = "source", op = "variant_is", value = "ssh" }, { field = "destination", op = "variant_is", value = "ssh" }] }

sources = ["rsync-manpage"]

[[commands.field]]

id = "source"

label = "Source"

description = "src/ transfers its contents; src transfers the directory itself. Keep the trailing slash exactly as intended."

position = 0

min = 1

sources = ["rsync-manpage"]

[[commands.field.variant]]

id = "ssh"

label = "SSH"

format = "{host}:{path}"

parts = [

{ id = "host", type = "string", provider = "builtin:ssh.hosts", validation = { min_length = 1, forbid_chars = "/:@ \t\r\n" } },

{ id = "path", type = "string", validation = { min_length = 1 } },

]

[[commands.field.variant]]

id = "local"

label = "Local"

format = "{value}"

parts = [{ id = "value", type = "path", path = { kind = "any", role = "input", must_exist = true, trailing_slash = "meaningful", transforms = ["dot_slash_if_dash", "dot_slash_if_colon"] } }]

[[commands.field]]

id = "destination"

label = "Destination"

position = 1

min = 0

sources = ["rsync-manpage"]

[[commands.field.variant]]

id = "ssh"

label = "SSH"

format = "{host}:{path}"

parts = [

{ id = "host", type = "string", provider = "builtin:ssh.hosts", validation = { min_length = 1, forbid_chars = "/:@ \t\r\n" } },

{ id = "path", type = "string", validation = { min_length = 1 } },

]

[[commands.field.variant]]

id = "local"

label = "Local"

format = "{value}"

parts = [{ id = "value", type = "path", path = { kind = "any", role = "output", must_exist = false, transforms = ["dot_slash_if_dash", "dot_slash_if_colon"] } }]

[[commands.constraint]]

kind = "at_most_one"

fields = ["source", "destination"]

when = { all = [{ field = "source", op = "variant_is", value = "ssh" }, { field = "destination", op = "variant_is", value = "ssh" }] }

message = "Only one endpoint may use SSH."

[[commands.constraint]]

kind = "at_most_one"

fields = ["source", "destination"]

when = { all = [{ task = "push-ssh" }, { not = { field = "destination", op = "variant_is", value = "ssh" } }] }

message = "The Push to SSH task requires an SSH destination."

[[commands.task]]

id = "preview"

label = "Preview synchronization"

set = { archive = [true], dry_run = [true], itemize_changes = [true] }

lock = ["dry_run"]

fields = ["source", "destination", "archive", "delete", "exclude", "verbose"]

required = ["source", "destination"]

[[commands.task]]

id = "local-backup"

label = "Local backup"

set = { archive = [true] }

lock = ["archive"]

fields = ["source", "destination", "delete", "dry_run", "exclude", "verbose"]

required = ["source", "destination"]

[[commands.task]]

id = "push-ssh"

label = "Push to SSH"

description = "Choose the SSH variant for the destination, then explicitly check both rsync installations before inserting."

set = { archive = [true], compress = [true] }

lock = ["compress"]

fields = ["source", "destination", "archive", "delete", "dry_run", "exclude"]

required = ["source", "destination"]

[[commands.group]]

id = "basic"

label = "Transfer"

fields = ["source", "destination", "archive", "recursive", "compress", "dry_run"]

[[commands.group]]

id = "advanced"

label = "Advanced"

fields = ["verbose", "exclude", "delete", "itemize_changes", "protect_args"]

Use it with your dotfile manager

Same data, in the shape your tool already reads

Opens Otty and adds this tool to what it syncs

Opens otty://sync/add/rsync. Otty ships with this catalog, so the link only has to name the tool — nothing is downloaded.

Every one of these is generated from the same rules as this page.