Local Sync
Clear Ideas Local Sync is available as native desktop apps for macOS and Windows. It keeps selected Site content available in a local folder while preserving Clear Ideas as the governed system of record.
What Local Sync Does
Local Sync provides bidirectional sync for enabled Sites:
- downloads files and folders from selected Sites into a local root folder
- uploads eligible local changes back to the matching Site
- records uploads, downloads, and deletions in recent activity
- handles conflicts without turning the desktop app into the version-history system
Version history and governed recordkeeping still belong to the Clear Ideas web app.
Before You Start
Local Sync depends on two layers of control:
- the account-level Local Sync setting in Settings > Local Sync Sites
- Local Sync being enabled for the Site
The desktop app can only sync Sites that are enabled and available to your account.
Set Up Local Sync
1. Choose a local root folder
During setup, the desktop app asks you to choose a root sync folder. It then creates one folder per synced Site beneath that location.
If you later change the root folder, the app resets its local sync records and history. Existing local files are not automatically deleted by that change.
2. Choose which Sites to sync
The desktop apps can:
- sync all available Local Sync Sites
- sync only selected Sites on that device
This is useful when one machine should keep only a subset of your governed workspaces offline.
Desktop App Controls
The current macOS and Windows apps support:
- automatic sync on a five-minute interval
- Sync Now
- pause and resume of the automatic sync loop
- viewing recent activity and sync history
- opening the local sync folder from the app
- selecting which Sites sync on that device
Inactive Sites
If a Site is no longer eligible for Local Sync, the desktop app can mark it as inactive instead of treating it like an ordinary active workspace.
That helps keep local folders understandable when Site availability changes over time.
Conflicts and Versions
Clear Ideas remains the source of truth for governed versions.
When a local change can upload cleanly, Clear Ideas records it as the next accepted version. If the remote copy changed first, the sync engine preserves the latest server copy locally and records the local conflict separately so your work is not silently discarded.
Use the web app for formal version review, audit context, and document comparison.
Updates
Both native desktop apps support:
- background update checks
- manual update checks from the app
- download of available updates
- install or restart flow after download
The exact UI differs slightly by platform, but the supported behavior is the same in both clients.
Platform Notes
macOS
- native macOS client
- menu-bar style experience
- launch-at-login support
Windows
- native Windows client
- tray-first desktop experience
- app-managed sync root and background operation
Best Practices
- Enable Local Sync only for Sites people genuinely need in the file system.
- Use per-device Site selection to keep local storage manageable.
- Review recent sync activity before troubleshooting deeper.
- Treat the web app as the place for governed history and version review.