iCloud workspace sync · Morrow Docs

Enable on each Mac

Open Settings → General → iCloud Sync, choose a folder inside iCloud Drive, and enable Sync workspace with iCloud Drive. The default is iCloud Drive/Morrow. Use the corresponding folder on your other Mac and enable sync there too.

Enable Set up missing services automatically on a Mac that should recreate the shared setup with the same binary policy as normal creation (configured distributions for Node and other software, with official Go archives as a fallback). This switch covers missing Node versions too. This permission is local to each Mac and is off by default. Morrow checks the folder approximately every 30 seconds while the app is running and idle. Sync and Retry Setup starts a check immediately and retries unresolved recipes.

This developer preview uses a user-accessible iCloud Drive folder, with coordinated file access. It does not depend on CloudKit or an app-specific iCloud entitlement, and works with the shared CLI. Apple handles the folder's delivery between devices; Morrow's status confirms local file reconciliation, not completion of Apple's upload or another Mac's download. For a different folder, make sure it is actually inside iCloud Drive.

What travels between Macs

Folder version selections are local to each Mac because their absolute project paths may differ. Registered runtime packages still participate in the runtime installation recipes; assigning those runtimes to local folders is a separate step. Morrow does not publish project folders or their version-selection file through this sync feature.

The workspace blueprint contains:

Mailpit server names, version choices, SMTP/inbox ports, and launch-at-login choices.
Database names, engine and release series, preferred ports, memory and connection limits, and launch-at-login choices.
Registered runtime release series and selected defaults for PHP, Go, Flutter, Node.js, Python, and Ruby.
Appearance and menu-bar count preferences.

Database contents, captured mail/attachments, logs, credentials, executable paths, Homebrew paths, process status, and machine-specific sync preferences remain local. MinIO server records, objects, and credentials are also local and are not yet included in the blueprint. A synced database recipe creates a new, empty instance on another Mac; it does not copy its data or open connections.

Automatic setup

When enabled, Morrow verifies existing installations and reuses a compatible release series before downloading. Missing Node and other runtime versions use the configured binary provider, with the same validation as normal creation. Existing nvm versions can be reused without changing their alias. The catalog source is local to each Mac; synchronization never invokes Homebrew. A historical patch that is unavailable may be recreated using an available patch in the same series. The setup report shows the version actually used.

A new database or mail service starts stopped. Its launch-at-login choice is retained. If its preferred port is occupied, Morrow chooses the next available engine port and reports it. Existing instances keep their machine's local port and data. Settings changes require stopping a running instance; a different engine or release series is reported for local review rather than automatically migrated.

A local removal is remembered on that Mac so subsequent sync checks do not immediately recreate the removed selection. Remote deletions do not remove local data or uninstall shared packages. Recipes remain in the shared setup for other machines; removing recipes from the shared setup is not a preview feature.

Mailpit setup is recreated using a detected compatible version or a current available release in the same major series. The report shows the version installed and the machine’s ports.

Conflicts and retries

Each Mac publishes a separate snapshot file under devices. Revisions give delivered snapshots a deterministic order. On publication, Morrow keeps additions from the delivered cloud setup and gives that Mac's local settings and defaults precedence. Simultaneous edits to the same preference or service are not merged field by field; the selected snapshot wins. This preview does not promise real-time synchronization or a distributed transactional merge.

Unavailable catalog distributions, port/configuration problems, and running-instance settings conflicts are listed under Sync Status. One failure does not stop unrelated recipes from being restored. Failed recipes are not downloaded repeatedly on every timer tick: use Sync and Retry Setup after resolving the problem, or deliver a changed blueprint.

If iCloud has not downloaded a snapshot, Morrow waits and reports that settings are downloading. Use Finder to download the selected folder if needed. Disabling sync leaves local services and existing cloud files intact.

CLI

morrow sync enable --auto-install
morrow sync now
morrow sync status
morrow sync now --retry --json
morrow sync disable

For an explicitly chosen folder:

morrow sync enable --folder "$HOME/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs/Morrow" --auto-install

The CLI reconciles once per sync now invocation. Keep the macOS app open for periodic checks. A compatible distribution must be available from the configured provider for missing database, mail, and runtime software; Node uses complete hosted distributions and Go also has an official provider. No package manager is used. iCloud Drive must be enabled and the chosen folder available on both Macs. Automatic setup can download large SDKs, especially Flutter.