Dubler

Directory synchronization tool.

Note: The name "dubler" comes from Polish, where it means "a person replacing an actor in film or theater" (stunt double / stand-in). Just as a dubler stands in for an actor, this tool creates backup copies that can stand in for your original files — if something happens to the original, the backup is ready to take its place.

Features

• Checksum-based comparison: Files are compared using SHA256 hashes
• Multiple destinations: Sync to multiple directories at once
• Idempotent: Running multiple times is safe - only copies missing or changed files
• Failure tracking: Tracks failed files and allows re-running
• Dry run mode: Preview changes before copying
• JSON configuration: Store sync settings in a config file
• Zero dependencies: Uses Python standard library only

Installation

No installation required! You can run dubler directly with uvx:

uvx dubler --help

If you prefer to install:

# From PyPI
pip install dubler
# or with uv
uv pip install dubler

# From source
uv install

Usage

Command Line

# Basic sync
uvx dubler --source /path/to/source --dest /path/to/dest1 --dest /path/to/dest2

# Dry run (preview without copying)
uvx dubler -s /path/to/source -d /path/to/dest --dry-run

# Verbose output
uvx dubler -s /path/to/source -d /path/to/dest -v

# Show failed files from previous runs
uvx dubler --failed

# Clear failed files from state
uvx dubler --clear-failed

Configuration File

Create a JSON config file (default: ~/.config/dubler/config.json):

{
  "source": "/path/to/source",
  "destinations": [
    "/path/to/dest1",
    "/path/to/dest2"
  ],
  "dry_run": false,
  "verbose": false
}

Then run without arguments:

uvx dubler

Or specify a custom config file:

uvx dubler --config /path/to/config.json

How It Works

1. Scans the source directory recursively
2. For each destination:
   • Compares files using SHA256 checksums
   • Copies files that don't exist or have different checksums
   • Tracks any failures in ~/.local/state/dubler/state.json
3. Displays summary of copied, skipped, and failed files

State

The application stores data in standard XDG Base Directory locations:

• ~/.config/dubler/config.json: Configuration file (optional)
• ~/.local/state/dubler/state.json: Failed files from previous runs

Examples

# Sync photos to multiple backup drives
uvx dubler -s ~/Pictures -d /Volumes/Backup1/Photos -d /Volumes/Backup2/Photos

# Preview what would be synced
uvx dubler -s ~/Documents -d ~/Backup/Documents --dry-run -v

# After a failed run, see what failed
uvx dubler --failed

# Fix the issue and run again (idempotent)
uvx dubler -s ~/Documents -d ~/Backup/Documents

Releasing

The project uses automatic versioning based on git tags via setuptools_scm.

Creating a Release

Use the release helper script:

# Bump patch version (bug fixes)
uv run python scripts/release.py patch

# Bump minor version (new features)
uv run python scripts/release.py minor

# Bump major version (breaking changes)
uv run python scripts/release.py major

# Or specify exact version
uv run python scripts/release.py patch --version 1.2.3

This will:

1. Create and push a git tag (e.g., v1.0.0)
2. Trigger the GitHub Actions release workflow
3. Automatically create a published release with:
   • Release notes from commits
   • Installation instructions
   • Full changelog link
4. Publish to PyPI

Manual Release (Alternative)

# Create and push tag manually
git tag v1.0.0
git push origin v1.0.0

Version Format

Tags must follow semantic versioning: vX.Y.Z

• X = Major version (breaking changes)
• Y = Minor version (new features, backwards compatible)
• Z = Patch version (bug fixes, backwards compatible)

Conventional Commits

This project uses conventional commit messages. See AGENTS.md for guidelines.