Syncthing won't create a folder marker for a new folder.

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1

I have a folder shared between my desktop and my phone. I want to add it to my laptop, however, when I try to do that I get an error. “… folder marker missing …”

I open the folder on the desktop that has it and check the box under sharing to share it with my laptop.

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Then on my laptop I get the “New folder” message and click add. It gives me a default folder path, but that’s not where I want it. So I give it the path for an existing empty folder to use and click save.

Now obviously this folder doesn’t have the folder marker. It’s new. I don’t want to manually create the identifier folder because there’s a risk that Syncthing will thing the latest copy of this folder is just empty. Why would it not just see this new folder, create the identifier, and start syncing? Is syncthing deliberately trying to stop my from syncing the same folder across 3 devices because of some limitation with the software?

Is this the wrong way to add a new folder that is already shared between other devices?

2

That is indeed precisely what should happen. I’m not sure why it wouldn’t for you.

3

Can you post full screenshots of the Web GUI from both sides? On Android, you can access the Web GUI from the left slide-out menu.

4

One remark about the topic title. A folder ID in Syncthing parlor is the string of random letters that identifies a shared folder and links them together across devices. What you’re talking about is the “folder marker”, an empty directory created by Syncthing to detect whether the folder’s storage is actually available and stop when it isn’t.

Do you have any software running that might try to clean up empty folders, thus removing the folder marker Syncthing creates?

How did you “change the folder path”? Right when accepting the share request? Or some other advanced method like editing the config file?

5

I think I found the issue. The “new folder” wasn’t brand new. In a failed attempt to sync it previously, I was left with a hidden folder that I couldn’t see and didn’t realize was there. image

I got them to sync by setting up the folder on the Gorgonzola laptop to have an identical identifier. In doing that, it left me with this “.stfolder.removed-20231006-144654” folder. In hindsight, I should have just deleted the folder from the laptop and made it again, or shown hidden folders and deleted the old .stfolder

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