Can't un-exclude directories with `dropbox.py exclude remove <directory>` on Ubuntu 20.04.2

[caconym]

I have a Linux machine (running Ubuntu 20.04.2 LTS, "Focal Fossa") upon which I am running a "headless" Dropbox daemon as per here: https://www.dropbox.com/install-linux

The Dropbox daemon is up to date:

```

$ dropbox.py version
Dropbox daemon version: 125.4.3474
Dropbox command-line interface version: 2020.03.04

```

This machine is truly "headless", so I am doing everything on the command line. Installation of the daemon and initial sync seemed to work fine, though autostart isn't working for me.

I've found that I can exclude directories with `dropbox.py exclude add <directory>` just fine. When I run that command for a directory in my Dropbox, the directory briefly appears in the list output from `dropbox.py exclude`. However, once the directory is actually deleted from the local Dropbox directory, it disappears from the list too. For example, I do have a bunch of directories excluded, and they are not present in the local Dropbox directory. However, the tool incorrectly reports no excluded directories:

```

$ dropbox.py exclude
No directories are being ignored.

```

This is fine, if a bit weird, but the problem is that I can't add excluded directories back (un-exclude them?) with `dropbox.py exclude remove <directory>`. That command outputs nothing and has no effect.

Why not? How can I get this to work? It seems totally broken right now.

[cf_0001]

Very frustrating. I have paid for many years.

[ckrapu]

This bug has ground all of my work to a halt. I can't keep using my 2 TB Dropbox account for my work if I can't selectively pick which of my directories are being used on a Ubuntu machine.

[alanpaulkwan]

For whatever reason the developers at Dropbox don't want to spend the week of developer time it would take to fix their program up.

My solutions to this are twofold:

• Insync (which is also headless) although your I have not tested this for taxing workloads. 
• As I said in a previous post VNC --> GUI works.

[ckrapu]

I didn't realize using Insync could be a solution to this. I had used them in the past for Google Drive but that sounds like a good idea. Thanks! GUI is out of the question for me 😞

[Maclean G.]

Any updates? Dropbox... please.

[jwvjwvjwv]

I don't think anyone at Dropbox actually monitors the forum--or at least this thread. My guess is that the more noise we make via official complaints, the more likely this is to get fixed: https://www.dropbox.com/support/email

[kavehzaf]

similar problem here too, 🙂

When I exclude a folder, then I can not see it when I run

"dropbox.py exclude list"

No directories are being ignored.

[Walter]

Hi all - happy New Year!

I checked back internally on this and I have an update for you.

This should be fixed in our latest, stable version of the desktop app found here.

If you'd like to give our beta version a go instead, please download and install the app from this page. 

Let us know how it goes!

[Mark C.49]

Thanks for the update Walter.

I can confirm that updated  version of dropbox (138.4.2392) now works.

I've tested:

• Adding a new exclude item
• Query the exclude list
• Removing an existing exclude item

All three operations now work properly as they did before the regression.

[Walter]

Glad to hear that @Mark C.49 - thanks for keeping us in the loop too.

See you around the Community and happy 2022!