> /home/jd
ES / EN

Syncthing Mobile Sync Setup: Peer-to-Peer Vault

Low-latency peer-to-peer synchronization between the primary workstation and mobile devices.

đź“Ś Purpose

đź”™ Main context: This guide is part of the architecture documented in the Infrastructure MOC.

Create a low-latency peer-to-peer (P2P) synchronization link between the primary workstation and mobile devices. This is the live layer of the 3-2-2 infrastructure: notes created on the desktop can appear quickly on the tablet, and vice versa, without waiting for Dropbox’s cloud synchronization cycle.

Key strategy: Synchronize only what the mobile devices need. Rather than copying the full 5 GB Dropbox directory to Android, Syncthing shares only the Obsidian vault, which is approximately 50 MB. This keeps the mobile environment lightweight and reduces battery and storage usage.

🛠️ Step-by-Step Configuration (Hackintosh ↔ Android)

Phase 1: Device Pairing

The devices must recognize each other before they can exchange encrypted data.

  1. On the source machine (Hackintosh): Open the Syncthing web interface and select ⚙️ Actions > Show ID to display the device QR code.
  2. On the destination device (Android tablet with Syncthing-Fork): Open the Devices tab, select +, and scan the QR code shown on the monitor. Assign a recognizable name, such as Main-Hackintosh.
  3. Approval: Accept the incoming request on the Hackintosh by selecting Add Device, then save the configuration.

Phase 2: Folder Sharing and Asymmetric Versioning

Define which folder will be synchronized and where version history should be kept in case a file is accidentally deleted from a touch device.

  1. On the Hackintosh, select + Add Folder.
  2. General tab: Set a clear label, such as Boveda-Obsidian, and enter the exact local path, for example ~/Dropbox/Obsidian/my-vault.
  3. Sharing tab: Select the destination device, such as Tablet-SM-P613.
  4. File Versioning tab:
    • Hackintosh: Enable Simple File Versioning and retain 5 versions. This creates the hidden .stversions safety directory on the primary machine.
    • Tablet: Keep No File Versioning to avoid accumulating historical copies in Android storage.

Phase 3: Destination on Android

  1. Open the shared-folder request received on Android.
  2. Select the gear icon next to Directory.
  3. Use Android’s directory picker to create and select a clean destination, such as Documents/Vault.
  4. Accept the folder. The initial synchronization begins immediately.

🚨 Troubleshooting: Synchronization Stuck at 99%

Symptom: The source interface reports a very small file—for example, seven bytes—stuck at 99%, and the overall status never reaches Up to Date.

Diagnosis: The list of failed items revealed a filename compatibility problem between macOS and the Android destination filesystem. macOS permits double quotes (") in filenames, while the destination rejects characters such as ", :, *, ?, <, >, and |.

Example of a conflicting filename:

  • 03_Investigacion_"Autopsia_de_un_Sistema".md

Resolution: Rename the source note and replace unsupported characters with single quotes (') or underscores (_). Syncthing then propagates the rename, and the folder can return to an Up to Date state.

Future extension: the same P2P model can connect a phone and automate the transfer of selected photos or other important documents to the primary workstation.

Enlarged view