barkleesanders rclone File Transfer Skill
Setup Check (Always Run First)
Before any rclone operation, verify installation and configuration:
# Check if rclone is installed
command -v rclone >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo "rclone installed: $(rclone version | head -1)" || echo "NOT INSTALLED"
# List configured remotes
rclone listremotes 2>/dev/null || echo "NO REMOTES CONFIGURED"
If rclone is NOT installed
Guide the user to install:
# macOS
brew install rclone
# Linux (script install)
curl https://rclone.org/install.sh | sudo bash
# Or via package manager
sudo apt install rclone # Debian/Ubuntu
sudo dnf install rclone # Fedora
If NO remotes are configured
Walk the user through interactive configuration:
rclone config
Common provider setup quick reference:
| Provider | Type | Key Settings |
|---|---|---|
| AWS S3 | s3 |
access_key_id, secret_access_key, region |
| Cloudflare R2 | s3 |
access_key_id, secret_access_key, endpoint (account_id.r2.cloudflarestorage.com) |
| Backblaze B2 | b2 |
account (keyID), key (applicationKey) |
| DigitalOcean Spaces | s3 |
access_key_id, secret_access_key, endpoint (region.digitaloceanspaces.com) |
| Google Drive | drive |
OAuth flow (opens browser) |
| Dropbox | dropbox |
OAuth flow (opens browser) |
Example: Configure Cloudflare R2
rclone config create r2 s3 \
provider=Cloudflare \
access_key_id=YOUR_ACCESS_KEY \
secret_access_key=YOUR_SECRET_KEY \
endpoint=ACCOUNT_ID.r2.cloudflarestorage.com \
acl=private
Example: Configure AWS S3
rclone config create aws s3 \
provider=AWS \
access_key_id=YOUR_ACCESS_KEY \
secret_access_key=YOUR_SECRET_KEY \
region=us-east-1
Common Operations
Upload single file
rclone copy /path/to/file.mp4 remote:bucket/path/ --progress
Upload directory
rclone copy /path/to/folder remote:bucket/folder/ --progress
Sync directory (mirror, deletes removed files)
rclone sync /local/path remote:bucket/path/ --progress
List remote contents
rclone ls remote:bucket/
rclone lsd remote:bucket/ # directories only
Check what would be transferred (dry run)
rclone copy /path remote:bucket/ --dry-run
Useful Flags
| Flag | Purpose |
|---|---|
--progress |
Show transfer progress |
--dry-run |
Preview without transferring |
-v |
Verbose output |
--transfers=N |
Parallel transfers (default 4) |
--bwlimit=RATE |
Bandwidth limit (e.g., 10M) |
--checksum |
Compare by checksum, not size/time |
--exclude="*.tmp" |
Exclude patterns |
--include="*.mp4" |
Include only matching |
--min-size=SIZE |
Skip files smaller than SIZE |
--max-size=SIZE |
Skip files larger than SIZE |
Large File Uploads
For videos and large files, use chunked uploads:
# S3 multipart upload (automatic for >200MB)
rclone copy large_video.mp4 remote:bucket/ --s3-chunk-size=64M --progress
# Resume interrupted transfers
rclone copy /path remote:bucket/ --progress --retries=5
Verify Upload
# Check file exists and matches
rclone check /local/file remote:bucket/file
# Get file info
rclone lsl remote:bucket/path/to/file
Troubleshooting
# Test connection
rclone lsd remote:
# Debug connection issues
rclone lsd remote: -vv
# Check config
rclone config show remote
Ground-truth gate (MANDATORY)
Before this skill asserts a stakes-bearing fact or takes any outward/irreversible action, apply the global standard — verify against a primary source fetched now, never a cached/remembered value. Full standard: ~/.claude/skills/shared/ground-truth-standard.md.
Verify live before you act or assert (this skill):
- Verify source + destination paths against live listings before any sync/move/delete; never make PII-bearing data public; confirm destructive ops.
Then: dry-run where possible, show the user exactly what will be sent/filed/asserted, get explicit chat approval for any outward action (per CLAUDE.md), capture the confirmation, and write any verified fact back into its source doc. State uncertainty as uncertainty; never assert plausible-but-unverified as fact.