file-sync-config

To prevent file sync conflicts, perform a mandatory pre-flight inventory to identify unsafe paths and enforce ignore patterns before enabling two-way synchronization. This stops the blind replication of host-specific files like build artifacts and local state databases.

Cross-platform sync setups should exclude vendored directories, Python environments like .venv, build artifacts, compiled binaries, nested git repositories, and database files to prevent host drift and synchronization conflicts.

You should exclude the git working tree from synchronization and propagate updates via git pull. Using a decision tree to evaluate this prevents working-tree drift and avoids conflicts caused by direct file replication across hosts.

Generate a .stignore template by configuring reusable Syncthing ignore patterns tailored to protect git working trees and .venv directories. This creates a ready-to-use configuration file for common sync workflows.

Yes, this conflict prevention approach works with rclone bisync, Dropbox shared folders, iCloud, and rsync setups. It applies cross-platform safety exclusions to ensure repositories, runtimes, and build outputs are not blindly replicated.

Syncing .venv directories causes host drift because Python environments contain host-specific compiled binaries and local state. Blindly replicating these directories across machines in two-way synchronization creates unsafe paths and triggers state conflicts.