Sync Modes

Every tracked entry has a sync mode that controls how devsync handles it during push and pull. There are three modes: normal, secret, and ignore.

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normal

The default mode. The file is copied to the repository exactly as-is, with no transformation applied.

devsync track ~/.gitconfig
devsync track ~/.zshrc
devsync track ~/.config/nvim

Good for:

• Editor configs (.vimrc, init.lua, VS Code settings)
• Shell configs (.zshrc, .bashrc, .bash_profile)
• Git config (.gitconfig)
• Tool configs (.tmux.conf, .wezterm.lua, starship.toml)
• Any file that contains no sensitive information

The mirrored file in the repository has the same name as the original.

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secret

The file is encrypted with age before being written to the repository. The stored artifact has a .devsync.secret extension.

devsync track ~/.ssh/config --mode secret
devsync track ~/.config/gh/hosts.yml --mode secret
devsync track ~/.aws/credentials --mode secret

Good for:

• SSH config and keys
• API tokens and credentials
• .env files with real secrets
• Anything that should not appear in plaintext in your git history

During pull, devsync decrypts the artifact with your age private key before writing it to disk.

Caution

Secret mode encrypts the file content, but the filename and path are still visible in the repository. Avoid using secret mode if the path itself is sensitive.

What it looks like in the repository

A file tracked as ~/.ssh/config with --mode secret is stored as:

~/.config/devsync/sync/default/.ssh/config.devsync.secret

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ignore

The entry is registered in manifest.json but skipped entirely during push and pull. No file is read, written, or transferred.

devsync track ~/.config/some-tool/cache --mode ignore
devsync track ~/.local/share/generated-config --mode ignore

Good for:

• Machine-specific configs that should be tracked but not synced (e.g., hostname-dependent settings)
• Generated or cached files that you want to note but not replicate
• Entries you want to temporarily disable without removing from the manifest

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Changing a Mode

To change the mode of a tracked entry, run devsync track again with the new --mode flag. The existing entry is replaced:

# Originally tracked as normal
devsync track ~/.ssh/config

# Upgrade to secret
devsync track ~/.ssh/config --mode secret

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Mode Summary

Mode	Stored in repo	Encrypted	Synced on push/pull
normal	Yes	No	Yes
secret	Yes (.devsync.secret)	Yes (age)	Yes
ignore	No	—	No