Auster

An open-source Dropbox sync client for macOS: a plain local folder (default ~/Dropbox) kept in two-way sync with your Dropbox account, driven from a menu bar icon. No Electron, no daemons, no on-demand placeholder files — just your files, on disk, synced.

Status: in development. The full design and implementation plan live in docs/, starting from docs/PLAN.md.

Planned features (v1)

• Two-way sync with conflict resolution (conflicted copies, never data loss)
• Menu bar app with status, recent changes, and sync issues
• Onboarding wizard with browser-based OAuth (PKCE — no secrets in the app)
• Selective sync
• Desktop notifications for remote changes
• Start at login, pause/resume

Deliberately out of scope (see docs/decisions.md): bandwidth limits, multiple accounts, ignore files, a CLI, and Dropbox team/business accounts.

Requirements

• macOS 15 (Sequoia) or later
• Xcode 26+ to build
• A Dropbox API app key (development builds; see Config/Secrets.xcconfig.template)

Building

git clone git@github.com:itsjoshpark/auster.git
cd auster
Scripts/test.sh          # AusterCore tests, then an app build
Scripts/build.sh         # app build only (pass Release for a release build)

Both scripts are plain xcodebuild/swift wrappers — you can also just open Auster.xcodeproj in Xcode and hit Run. Swift package dependencies resolve on the first build.

The Dropbox app key

Auster talks to Dropbox through an API app key. Builds succeed without one; it is only needed at runtime, to link an account.

cp Config/Secrets.xcconfig.template Config/Secrets.xcconfig
# then edit Config/Secrets.xcconfig and set DROPBOX_APP_KEY

Config/Secrets.xcconfig is gitignored. Config/Shared.xcconfig picks it up via #include?, and the key becomes the app's OAuth redirect URL scheme (db-<key>). There is no client secret: OAuth uses PKCE.

Layout

Path	What
AusterCore/	The engine, as a local Swift package. No AppKit or SwiftUI.
Auster/	The app: menu bar, settings, onboarding. No sync logic.
Config/	Shared build settings and the secrets template.
Scripts/	Build and test entry points.
docs/	Design, decisions, research, and the phased implementation plan.
design/	Reference artwork and its generators. Never referenced by the build.

Tech

Swift 6 / SwiftUI, SwiftyDropbox, GRDB, Sparkle.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.