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First identify which program produced the error: Proton’s official proton-drive CLI and rclone’s Proton Drive backend use different authentication flows and give the word “sync” different meanings. The official CLI signs in through a browser and performs explicit scripted Drive operations; rclone uses its own configured backend, account prerequisites and mirror commands. Record the executable, version, operating system and complete error before changing credentials or deleting local state.
Identify the tool before changing anything
Run the command again only after noting whether it starts with ./proton-drive (Proton’s official CLI) or rclone. Do not apply an rclone configuration fix to the official CLI, and do not expect Proton’s browser login command to initialize rclone.
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| Question | Official Proton CLI | rclone Proton Drive backend |
|---|---|---|
| Authentication | Browser-based login with ./proton-drive auth login. |
rclone configuration using account credentials and, where applicable, 2FA and mailbox-password settings. |
| Primary purpose | Discrete scripted operations such as listing, uploading and downloading files. | rclone transfer workflows, including copy and mirror-style commands. |
| Drive encryption-key prerequisite | Not stated as an rclone-style prerequisite in Proton’s CLI instructions. | Encryption keys must first have been generated through a normal browser login. |
| Session or credential storage | Uses the operating system’s secret store by default, with documented cache, app-data and log locations. | Uses rclone’s own configuration and session handling. |
Meaning of sync |
The official examples use explicit upload and download actions; Proton describes the CLI as a scripting environment rather than the background synchronization engine in its applications. | Makes the destination match the source and can delete destination files. |
Keep the exact command, sanitized configuration, version output and operating-system account that launched it. Authentication errors can occur while credentials are being checked, while account keys are being obtained, or while a successful session is being saved and reloaded.
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Proton Drive CLI authentication failed
Use the supported browser flow
- Download the Proton Drive CLI binary for your supported operating system. Proton documents support for macOS, Windows and Linux.
- Open a terminal as the same operating-system user that will run later commands.
- Start the login flow with
./proton-drive auth login. - Complete the browser authentication that opens, then return to the terminal and wait for the command to report completion.
- Use the installed binary’s help output, such as
./proton-drive --helpand command-specific help, to confirm flags for that version before scripting further operations.
The CLI’s login is browser-based. On a headless Linux server there may be no graphical browser session in which to complete it. Do not invent a password, token or “headless” flag from an unrelated tool. Run the documented login flow in an environment where the browser step can be completed, using the same account and local session that will execute the CLI, then verify the installed version’s current help text for any supported deployment method.
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Check the account and session that launched the command
A login page can accept credentials successfully while the CLI later fails to find a session. This usually indicates a storage, permissions or user-session problem rather than proof that the password was rejected. Check whether the command was launched as a different user, through a service account, with elevated privileges, or from a non-interactive service than the one used for the browser login.
- Run the CLI and subsequent file commands under the same operating-system account.
- Compare the home directory and environment variables between the successful login shell and the failing automation job.
- Inspect the CLI log before removing any cache or application data.
- Keep the exact error, CLI version and timestamp so a reset does not erase useful evidence.
Why does the CLI fail to save my session?
Understand the default credential store
The Proton Drive SDK CLI README identifies the default credential store as the operating system’s keychain or secret store under ch.proton.drive/drive-sdk-cli. It also documents a pass option and an unsafe_file option intended for testing. Plaintext session storage should not be used as a routine production workaround because it exposes credentials to anyone who can read the file.
Inspect the keychain or secret-store availability for the user who launched the CLI. A desktop keychain may be locked, unavailable to a service account, or different from the one used in an interactive shell. A successful browser login therefore does not guarantee that a later cron job or system service can retrieve the same secret.
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Locate cache, application data and logs
Unless PROTON_DRIVE_CACHE_DIR is set, the SDK README lists these platform-specific locations:
| Platform | Cache | Application data | Logs |
|---|---|---|---|
| macOS | ~/Library/Caches/proton-drive-cli |
~/Library/Application Support/proton-drive-cli |
~/Library/Logs/proton-drive-cli |
| Windows | %LOCALAPPDATA%proton-drive-cliCache |
%LOCALAPPDATA%proton-drive-cliData |
%LOCALAPPDATA%proton-drive-cliLogs |
| Linux and Unix | $XDG_CACHE_HOME/proton-drive-cli or ~/.cache/proton-drive-cli |
$XDG_DATA_HOME/proton-drive-cli or ~/.local/share/proton-drive-cli |
$XDG_STATE_HOME/proton-drive-cli or ~/.local/state/proton-drive-cli |
If PROTON_DRIVE_CACHE_DIR is defined, follow that override when locating cache data. The environment variable does not by itself move every category of application data or logs, so verify the README’s behavior for the installed release.
Reset local state carefully
- Stop every running Proton Drive CLI process that uses the affected state.
- Copy or preserve the log directory and record the error and version.
- Confirm the operating-system user and the paths in effect, including
PROTON_DRIVE_CACHE_DIRand XDG variables. - Remove or rename only the documented cache or application-data directory you intend to reset.
- Run
./proton-drive auth loginagain and complete the browser flow. - Retry a harmless read operation, such as a file listing, before attempting uploads or downloads.
The README instructs users to stop the CLI before removing relevant directories. A reset can repair corrupted local state, but it cannot guarantee a fix for a server-side problem, an account-key issue, an unavailable keychain or a compatibility defect. If the same error returns with a fresh local state, restore the preserved logs and investigate the account, environment and release rather than repeatedly deleting data.
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Why does rclone authenticate and then fail?
Generate Proton Drive encryption keys first
rclone’s Proton Drive documentation says the account’s encryption keys must have been generated through a regular browser login before rclone’s credential flow can work. Complete that browser login in Proton’s normal web interface, allow Drive keys to be created, and only then configure the rclone backend. This is rclone guidance, not a stated requirement for Proton’s official CLI.
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During rclone configuration, check the username and password exactly as entered. If the account has two-factor authentication enabled, verify the configured 2FA code or OTP secret-key setting. Accounts using Proton’s two-password arrangement may also require the mailbox password; that mailbox password is distinct from the login password in such an account.
- Re-enter the username without hidden whitespace.
- Confirm that the password belongs to the account being tested, not to a separate mailbox or organization account.
- Check the system clock if time-based one-time passwords are failing.
- Do not paste a mailbox password into the ordinary login-password field unless the rclone prompt explicitly asks for it.
- Record the rclone version and backend options, omitting passwords and tokens from diagnostics.
rclone labels its Proton Drive backend beta. Its documentation explains that Proton does not publish API documentation and that the backend is implemented from open-source client code and observed browser traffic. Account and protocol compatibility can therefore vary by release and account configuration; persistent failures should be checked against current rclone documentation and support rather than treated as proof that every Proton account is affected.
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When credentials appear accepted but key parsing fails
An authentication message can describe a later stage than password verification. A May 2026 rclone issue reports one custom-domain account in which username, password and TOTP appeared to succeed, followed by this OpenPGP error:
gopenpgp: error in reading key ring: openpgp: invalid data: user ID signature with wrong typeThat report describes a key-parsing failure before session values were cached. It is an account-specific report, not confirmation of a universal Proton defect, a diagnosis for every custom-domain account, or evidence about the official Proton CLI. If you see the same text, preserve the sanitized configuration, rclone version and account characteristics, then consult current rclone issue and release information. Do not “fix” it by weakening encryption or putting passwords into plaintext files.
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| Observed stage | What it can mean | Next safe check |
|---|---|---|
| Browser or credential form rejects immediately | Incorrect credentials, an invalid 2FA value, account policy or an unavailable login service. | Verify the account and 2FA settings in the tool that produced the error; do not mix CLI and rclone instructions. |
| Credentials are accepted but account keys cannot be loaded | Missing Drive encryption keys, incompatible account data or a backend parsing problem. | For rclone, confirm a prior regular browser login generated keys; capture the exact sanitized error. |
| Login appears complete but the next command says unauthenticated | The session was not written to, or cannot be read from, the expected secret store or local state. | Check the same OS user, keychain availability, environment variables, paths and logs. |
| Only a particular account or custom domain fails | An account-specific compatibility issue is possible. | Compare versions and account settings without assuming the result generalizes to other accounts. |
Do not conclude that a password or 2FA value is wrong solely because a later command reports “authentication failed.” The exact executable, version and stage are required to distinguish rejected credentials from failed key retrieval or session persistence.
Will rclone sync delete my Drive files?
Yes. In rclone, sync makes the destination match the source. Files present at the destination but absent from the source may be deleted. This is fundamentally different from the official Proton CLI’s explicit upload and download examples.
Preview a mirror before making changes
- Confirm which side is the source and which is the destination. A reversed path can produce a valid command with destructive results.
- Run the same command with
--dry-runto list planned transfers and deletions without changing remote data. - Alternatively use rclone’s interactive mode,
--interactiveor its short form-i, to review operations. - Read every deletion and verify the source path, destination path and filters.
- Only remove the preview safeguard after the planned changes are understood and backed-up data is available.
rclone’s sync documentation explicitly warns: “Important: Since this can cause data loss, test first with the --dry-run or the --interactive/i flag.” Treat that warning as part of the command’s normal operating procedure, not as an optional optimization.
Use copy when you do not want a mirror
Use rclone’s copy operation when the goal is to transfer files without making the destination identical to the source. Copy does not express the same deletion intent as sync. Still verify both paths and preview the command, because an incorrect source or destination can send data to the wrong account or directory even when no deletions are planned.
Official CLI operations versus background synchronization
Proton’s official CLI examples focus on explicit file listing, upload and download actions suitable for scripts. In Proton’s June 9, 2026 CLI announcement, the company said: “It’s not a full replacement — for example, only the applications include a full synchronization engine that runs in the background — but rather a way to achieve many goals from a lightweight scripting environment.”
Therefore, a command that successfully uploads or downloads one path does not imply that the CLI provides the same continuously running desktop synchronization behavior as Proton’s applications. Choose the official CLI for discrete, controlled operations and automation; choose rclone when its backend and account prerequisites fit a transfer or mirror workflow, while observing rclone’s separate semantics and beta status.
A safe troubleshooting sequence
- Capture context. Write down the executable, full command with secrets removed, version, operating system, OS user, timestamp and exact error text.
- Classify the tool. Decide whether the command is Proton’s
proton-drivebinary or rclone. Stop following instructions for the other tool. - Check the authentication stage. Determine whether credentials were rejected, keys failed to load, or a session failed to save or reload.
- For the official CLI, repeat browser login. Run
./proton-drive auth loginas the same user and inspect the documented logs and secret store. - For rclone, verify prerequisites. Confirm browser-generated Drive encryption keys, username, password, 2FA settings and any separate mailbox password.
- Preserve evidence before resetting. Stop the official CLI before removing local state, and retain logs. Do not delete rclone configuration or tokens until they have been safely backed up and sanitized.
- Test a read-only or non-destructive action. List files or run a transfer preview before uploading, downloading or mirroring.
- Protect data before sync. Use
--dry-runor--interactivefor rclone sync, and usecopywhen a destination mirror is not required. - Escalate with precise evidence. Include the version, platform, sanitized error and whether the account uses a custom domain, two-password setup or 2FA. Never include passwords, OTP secrets, session tokens or private keys.
What to include in a support report
- The exact executable name and version.
- Operating system and whether the command ran interactively, through cron, a container or a service account.
- The command with credentials, tokens and personal file names removed.
- The complete error text and the step at which it appeared.
- For the official CLI, whether browser login completed and which secret-store and cache paths were in effect.
- For rclone, whether a regular browser login had generated Drive encryption keys, plus the configured 2FA and mailbox-password arrangement.
- Whether the failure affects one account or multiple accounts, without publishing private account data.
This information lets maintainers distinguish a rejected login from a key-parsing, secret-store or synchronization-semantics problem without exposing the credentials needed to access the account.
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