Daemon (strawd)¶

The Straw daemon (strawd) is the core component that monitors filesystem events and executes rules.

Overview¶

The daemon: - Watches configured directories for file changes - Evaluates rules against new/modified files - Executes actions on matching files - Provides IPC endpoint for the TUI client - Supports live configuration reloading

Starting the Daemon¶

Linux (systemd)¶

If installed via the install script, the daemon runs as a systemd user service:

# Check status
systemctl --user status strawd

# Start the service
systemctl --user start strawd

# Enable auto-start on login
systemctl --user enable strawd

# Restart
systemctl --user restart strawd

# Stop
systemctl --user stop strawd

Manual Start¶

Run the daemon directly:

# Default config location
strawd

# Custom config
strawd --config /path/to/config.toml

# With verbose logging
strawd --verbose

Command-Line Options¶

strawd [flags]

Flags:
  -c, --config string   Path to config file (default is platform-specific)
  -v, --verbose         Enable verbose logging
  -h, --help            Help for strawd
  --version             Version for strawd

Configuration Reloading¶

The daemon supports live configuration reloading without restarting:

Method 1: Signal¶

# Send HUP signal (Linux/macOS)
pkill -HUP strawd

Method 2: TUI¶

Use the reload function in the TUI interface.

Method 3: IPC¶

Send the TRIGGER_RELOAD command via the IPC interface.

Logging¶

Linux (journald)¶

# View all logs
journalctl --user -u strawd

# Follow logs in real-time
journalctl --user -u strawd -f

# View last 50 lines
journalctl --user -u strawd -n 50

# View since last boot
journalctl --user -u strawd --since today

Direct Output¶

When running directly (not as a service):

# Log to file
strawd 2>&1 | tee ~/strawd.log

# Log rotation (Linux)
strawd 2>&1 | rotatelogs ~/strawd.log 10M

Troubleshooting¶

Daemon Won't Start¶

1. Check config file exists:

   ls -la ~/.config/straw/config.toml
   

2. Validate config syntax:

   # Use a TOML validator or just start the daemon and check error output
   strawd 2>&1 | head -20
   

3. Check permissions:

   # Ensure the daemon can access watched directories
   ls -la ~/Downloads  # or your watched directories
   

High CPU Usage¶

• Reduce the number of watched directories
• Use non-recursive watching where possible
• Add more specific match criteria to reduce rule evaluation

Rules Not Executing¶

1. Check rule is enabled:

   enabled = true
   

2. Verify match criteria:

3. Test your glob/regex patterns

4. Ensure file attributes match (size, age, etc.)

5. Check logs for errors:

   journalctl --user -u strawd -f
   

Socket Connection Issues¶

1. Check socket path:

   # Default location
   ls -la /tmp/straw.sock
   
   # Or check your config
   grep socket_path ~/.config/straw/config.toml
   

2. Verify daemon is running:

   pgrep -a strawd
   

3. Check file permissions:

   ls -la $(dirname /tmp/straw.sock)
   

Performance¶

Resource Usage¶

Typical resource usage on Raspberry Pi (idle):

Optimization Tips¶

1. Limit recursive watching to only necessary directories
2. Use specific match criteria to reduce rule evaluation overhead
3. Combine multiple criteria in a single rule instead of multiple rules
4. Use trash action over shell commands for better performance

Advanced Topics¶

Running as System Service¶

To run the daemon as a system-wide service (instead of user service):

# Create system service file
sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/strawd.service << 'EOF'
[Unit]
Description=Straw File Automation Daemon
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/strawd
Restart=always
RestartSec=5
User=straw
Group=straw

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF

# Create dedicated user
sudo useradd -r -s /bin/false straw

# Set permissions
sudo mkdir -p /etc/straw
sudo chown straw:straw /etc/straw

# Reload and start
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable strawd
sudo systemctl start strawd

Debugging¶

Enable debug logging:

# Set environment variable
STRAW_DEBUG=1 strawd

# Or use verbose flag
strawd --verbose

Monitoring¶

Monitor daemon health:

# Check if process is running
pgrep strawd > /dev/null && echo "Running" || echo "Not running"

# Monitor resource usage
watch -n 1 'ps aux | grep strawd | grep -v grep'

# Check open files
lsof -p $(pgrep strawd)