SlothSync: Open-Source Local-First File Sync Tool Uses On-Device AI for Backups

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SlothSync is a lightweight file synchronization and backup tool that keeps documents in sync across devices without uploading data to the cloud. It runs all AI inference locally using an open-weight model such as gemma2:2b through Ollama, so no data leaves the user's machine and there are no per-request API fees. The tool watches directories for file changes, summarizes them with the local model, and stores those summaries in a hidden log. It then copies changed files to a user-specified destination such as a USB drive or external disk, and offers both a command-line interface and an optional text interface. The project was presented as a Hacktoberfest entry.

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