CloudLockFixer (CLF-WDAS)

🇩🇪 Deutsche Version: README.de.md

CloudLockFixer with Delayed Action Service is a Windows tray tool that reliably performs file/folder operations (rename / move / delete) inside cloud-sync folders — even while the Windows Cloud Files filter (cldflt) is blocking them. You queue an action and it is carried out "eventually," automatically — fire & forget.

Why?

cldflt.sys (installed by OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud — anything using the Cloud Files API) intercepts rename() at the driver level and returns "Access denied"/EXDEV while it is active. The Microsoft-recommended workaround is to replace rename() with copy()+delete() — which is exactly what this tool does, plus delayed retries and optional pausing of the sync client.

Features

• Queue file/folder operations and let them run fire & forget
• copy+delete fallback that bypasses the cldflt lock automatically
• Chains of 1–4 steps with safe ordering — destructive steps run only after the preceding step succeeds (no data loss)
• Multiple input paths: CLI (for LLMs/scripts), human-readable queue.txt, tray dialog, and an Explorer right-click context menu
• Auto-retry on a configurable interval (default 2 h) and on demand
• Optional sync-client pause/restart during an operation (OneDrive provider)
• Optional preventive watcher that pauses/resumes the sync client based on folder activity
• Autostart with Windows; single-instance tray app

Installation

Requirements

• Windows (the cldflt filter is Windows-specific)
• Python 3.10+
• PySide6 (>= 6.7)

Steps

1. Clone the repository
2. pip install -r requirements.txt
3. Start the tray app: double-click START.bat, or PYTHONPATH=src python -m cloudlockfixer

Usage

Tray app

Starts with Windows when autostart is enabled. Tray menu: Add task…, Run now (also with OneDrive pause), Interval (30-min steps, default 2 h), Start with Windows, Open queue/log.

CLI (for LLMs/scripts)

clf add --rename "C:\...\OldFolder" "NewName"
clf add --move   "C:\local\x"        "C:\onedrive\x"
clf add --delete "C:\onedrive\old"
clf add --chain  'move "C:\local\x" "C:\onedrive\x" && delete "C:\onedrive\old"'
clf list
clf run-now [--pause]

(dev invocation: PYTHONPATH=src python -m cloudlockfixer.cli ...)

queue.txt (human/LLM)

A file at %LOCALAPPDATA%\CloudLockFixer\queue.txt, one line per task (rename / move / delete, chaining with &&). Consumed lines are automatically commented out with #>.

How it works

• Chains (1–4 steps): step N runs only after step N-1 succeeds. A destructive delete runs only after its preceding step succeeded → no data loss.
• copy+delete primitive: an in-place attempt is made first; on a lock it automatically falls back to copy → verify → delete. Idempotent (safe to retry).
• Worker: runs on start + every 2 h (configurable) + on demand. If a task is stuck repeatedly, the responsible sync client is paused for that run and restarted afterwards.

Status / Roadmap

• P1 (done): Core (copy+delete, chains, retry) · CLI · queue.txt · Tray · Autostart · OneDrive provider.
• P2 (done): Explorer right-click context menu (HKCU cascade, opt-in via tray toggle).
• P3 (done): Preventive watcher (observes the change rate of configured folders → pauses/resumes the sync client; bounded, stat-only, does not hydrate online-only placeholders; opt-in).
• Tests: pytest, 17 passing (core + P2/P3 + regressions).
• Open/future: more provider adapters (Dropbox / Google Drive / iCloud); optional suppression of sync-client relaunch during long operations.

Windows-only; the core is platform-neutral for later ports. Design notes: docs/DESIGN.md.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.

This project depends on PySide6 (Qt for Python), licensed under the LGPL v3. PySide6 is used as an unmodified third-party dependency.