How do I install the Syncthing skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add tomevault-io/syncthing in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Syncthing safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Independent scanners report: SkillSpector: PASS, Skill Scanner: WARNING. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Syncthing?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Syncthing free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Syncthing?

tomevault-io (@tomevault-io) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Syncthing by tomevault-io — Agent Skill

Name: Syncthing
Author: tomevault-io

File contents

Syncthing Management

Syncs <SYNC_FOLDER> between <LOCAL_DEVICE> and <REMOTE_DEVICE> bidirectionally.

Setup

Before using this skill, replace the placeholders:

Placeholder	Example	How to find
`<SYNC_FOLDER>`	`~/projects`	The folder you're syncing
`<LOCAL_DEVICE>`	`macbook`	Your local machine name
`<REMOTE_DEVICE>`	`vps`	Remote device name in Syncthing
`<FOLDER_ID>`	`abc12-xyz34`	Syncthing GUI → Folder → Edit → General → Folder ID

Quick Reference

Config: ~/Library/Application Support/Syncthing/config.xml (macOS) or ~/.config/syncthing/config.xml (Linux)
Ignore patterns: <SYNC_FOLDER>/.stignore
Web GUI: http://localhost:8384
Folder ID: <FOLDER_ID>

Status Commands

Check full status

# Service running?
pgrep -x syncthing > /dev/null && echo "Running" || echo "Stopped"

# Web GUI accessible?
curl -s http://localhost:8384/rest/system/status > /dev/null && echo "GUI OK" || echo "GUI unreachable"

Check sync status via API

# Get folder status (requires API key from config.xml)
API_KEY=$(grep -oP '<apikey>\K[^<]+' ~/Library/Application\ Support/Syncthing/config.xml)
curl -s -H "X-API-Key: $API_KEY" "http://localhost:8384/rest/db/status?folder=<FOLDER_ID>"

Key status fields

state: idle (done), scanning, syncing, error
needFiles: Files waiting to download (0 = in sync)
pullErrors: Files that failed to sync
inSyncFiles vs globalFiles: Local vs total across devices

Healthy sync: needFiles: 0, pullErrors: 0, remote connected

Common Operations

Force rescan (after .stignore changes)

API_KEY=$(grep -oP '<apikey>\K[^<]+' ~/Library/Application\ Support/Syncthing/config.xml)
curl -s -X POST -H "X-API-Key: $API_KEY" "http://localhost:8384/rest/db/scan?folder=<FOLDER_ID>"

Start/stop service (macOS)

# Start
brew services start syncthing

# Stop
brew services stop syncthing

Start/stop service (Linux systemd)

# Start
systemctl --user start syncthing

# Stop
systemctl --user stop syncthing

Common Issues

Case sensitivity errors

macOS is case-insensitive, Linux is case-sensitive. Files like README.md and readme.md conflict.

Fix: Add problematic paths to <SYNC_FOLDER>/.stignore:

// Case conflict files
README.md

Remote not connecting

Check remote device has Syncthing running
Verify firewall allows ports 22000 (sync) and 21027 (discovery)
Check device IDs match in both configs

Sync stuck

# Check for errors
API_KEY=$(grep -oP '<apikey>\K[^<]+' ~/Library/Application\ Support/Syncthing/config.xml)
curl -s -H "X-API-Key: $API_KEY" "http://localhost:8384/rest/folder/errors?folder=<FOLDER_ID>"

Converted and distributed by TomeVault — claim your Tome and manage your conversions.

---name: syncthingdescription: Check Syncthing sync status between devices. Use when asked about sync status, Syncthing issues, or file synchronization. Use when this capability is needed.---# Syncthing ManagementSyncs `<SYNC_FOLDER>` between `<LOCAL_DEVICE>` and `<REMOTE_DEVICE>` bidirectionally.## SetupBefore using this skill, replace the placeholders:| Placeholder | Example | How to find ||-------------|---------|-------------|| `<SYNC_FOLDER>` | `~/projects` | The folder you're syncing || `<LOCAL_DEVICE>` | `macbook` | Your local machine name || `<REMOTE_DEVICE>` | `vps` | Remote device name in Syncthing || `<FOLDER_ID>` | `abc12-xyz34` | Syncthing GUI → Folder → Edit → General → Folder ID |## Quick Reference- **Config**: `~/Library/Application Support/Syncthing/config.xml` (macOS) or `~/.config/syncthing/config.xml` (Linux)- **Ignore patterns**: `<SYNC_FOLDER>/.stignore`- **Web GUI**: http://localhost:8384- **Folder ID**: `<FOLDER_ID>`## Status Commands### Check full status```bash# Service running?pgrep -x syncthing > /dev/null && echo "Running" || echo "Stopped"# Web GUI accessible?curl -s http://localhost:8384/rest/system/status > /dev/null && echo "GUI OK" || echo "GUI unreachable"```### Check sync status via API```bash# Get folder status (requires API key from config.xml)API_KEY=$(grep -oP '<apikey>\K[^<]+' ~/Library/Application\ Support/Syncthing/config.xml)curl -s -H "X-API-Key: $API_KEY" "http://localhost:8384/rest/db/status?folder=<FOLDER_ID>"```### Key status fields- `state`: idle (done), scanning, syncing, error- `needFiles`: Files waiting to download (0 = in sync)- `pullErrors`: Files that failed to sync- `inSyncFiles` vs `globalFiles`: Local vs total across devices**Healthy sync**: `needFiles: 0`, `pullErrors: 0`, remote connected## Common Operations### Force rescan (after .stignore changes)```bashAPI_KEY=$(grep -oP '<apikey>\K[^<]+' ~/Library/Application\ Support/Syncthing/config.xml)curl -s -X POST -H "X-API-Key: $API_KEY" "http://localhost:8384/rest/db/scan?folder=<FOLDER_ID>"```### Start/stop service (macOS)```bash# Startbrew services start syncthing# Stopbrew services stop syncthing```### Start/stop service (Linux systemd)```bash# Startsystemctl --user start syncthing# Stopsystemctl --user stop syncthing```## Common Issues### Case sensitivity errorsmacOS is case-insensitive, Linux is case-sensitive. Files like `README.md` and `readme.md` conflict.**Fix**: Add problematic paths to `<SYNC_FOLDER>/.stignore`:```// Case conflict filesREADME.md```### Remote not connecting1. Check remote device has Syncthing running2. Verify firewall allows ports 22000 (sync) and 21027 (discovery)3. Check device IDs match in both configs### Sync stuck```bash# Check for errorsAPI_KEY=$(grep -oP '<apikey>\K[^<]+' ~/Library/Application\ Support/Syncthing/config.xml)curl -s -H "X-API-Key: $API_KEY" "http://localhost:8384/rest/folder/errors?folder=<FOLDER_ID>"```---> Converted and distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io/claim/harley) — claim your Tome and manage your conversions.

Frequently asked questions

Syncthing