I spent half an hour this afternoon stepping on pitfalls and testing: Syncthing free sync for Obsidian (Mac + Android) finally works!

This afternoon I gritted my teeth and spent a full half hour running Syncthing + Obsidian sync from start to finish again.

And it failed on the first try — the folder path was set incorrectly, resulting in garbled characters everywhere, and the phone side opened a mess of files, almost causing a breakdown.

Later, I deleted all folders on both devices and reconfigured from scratch step by step… This time, it finally worked! Below is the most stable solution I personally tested successfully + a record of pitfalls to avoid. Mac + Android users can copy this directly.

Here is the complete, reproducible success process, along with my pitfalls and tips from this test.

Why recommend Syncthing?

• Completely free
• Real-time bidirectional sync
• Data transmitted entirely between your own devices (no cloud servers)
• Supports Mac / Windows / Linux / Android
• Syncs plugins, themes, and .obsidian configuration

Core Architecture:
Mac Obsidian ↔ Syncthing (P2P) + Git for version backup (double insurance) (optional, but I haven’t enabled it yet)

Complete Configuration Process (Successfully Tested)

1. Mac Installation

Recommended: Install via Homebrew.

Open Terminal:

brew install syncthing

# After installation, start:
brew services start syncthing

Check if it’s running:

brew services list

# Check if Syncthing is listening on the port:
lsof -i :8384

Normal output will show:

syncthing xxxx TCP localhost:8384 (LISTEN)

Alternative (download from official website):

• Go to the Syncthing website and download the Mac-compatible archive.
• Extract and run the syncthing executable directly.

💡 Note: When starting with the executable, you need to go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and set “Open Anyway”, otherwise it won’t start. This is a temporary run; it will need to be restarted each time you reboot your Mac.

Open in browser: http://localhost:8384
This is the Syncthing web UI, where all subsequent configuration is done.

2. Android Installation

Recommend installing Syncthing-Fork (community-maintained, more stable). Search for it directly on Google Play.

This is the most active Android community version. After installation, open the app.

3. Device Pairing

• Computer side: Actions → Show ID, copy the Device ID (or scan the QR code on your phone).
• Android: Add Device → paste the ID / scan the computer’s device QR code. You’ll see a popup on the computer.
• Mac: Confirm acceptance.

Now the two devices trust each other. Next, create a sync folder.

4. Add the Obsidian Folder

Pitfall I encountered: The first time, I added the entire Documents folder, and also set the directory path incorrectly on the phone, causing a lot of garbled characters and hidden file conflicts.

Correct approach:

• In the Syncthing web UI on the computer, click Add Folder.
• Folder Label: Obsidian (or whatever you like)
• Folder Path: Select only the independent Vault folder (e.g., /Users/yourusername/Documents/Obsidian).
• Important: Do not add the whole Documents or iCloud folder — only sync the independent Vault folder.

5. Share to Android

Edit the folder → Sharing → Check the Android device → Save.

6. Android Accept and Choose Path

After accepting the share, choose a save location (recommend creating /storage/emulated/0/Obsidian).

If you already have Obsidian installed on your phone and have created a Vault, you can directly use that path.

Hint: Phone paths start with /storage/emulated/0, followed by your specific file path. For example, mine is in Documents/doc, so the path would be /storage/emulated/0/Documents/doc.

7. Wait for Initial Sync

After reconfiguring this time, it took about 10 seconds to sync over 30 notes. After that, it was very smooth.

8. Open Obsidian on Your Phone

Select your Vault, and you’ll see the content synced from the computer.

Verified Test

• Create a note on Mac → appears on Android within seconds.
• Edit or create on Android → automatically updates on Mac.
• Plugins and themes sync correctly as well.

Common Questions & My Pitfall Avoidance Tips

Q: Garbled characters or sync failure?
The most common cause is an incorrect folder path.

Solution: Delete the corresponding folders on both sides and re-add a clean Vault folder (that’s what I did today to fix it).

Q: Do both devices need to be on the same WiFi?
No. As long as both devices can connect to the internet, it works.

Q: What happens if one device goes offline?
It will wait until the other device comes back online, then sync — no data loss.

Q: Is it secure?
More secure than cloud drives (fully peer-to-peer). For important Vaults, consider using Git + GitHub private repository for version control.

Recommended Final Architecture

• Real-time sync: Syncthing
• Version control + offsite backup: Git + GitHub Private Repo (optional, but I haven’t enabled it yet)

After spending half an hour testing, I am even more convinced: For users who don’t want to pay, Syncthing is currently the most stable and flexible Obsidian sync solution for Mac + Android.

Although the first configuration might hit one or two pitfalls, once it’s working, it’s really great.

What sync solution are you currently using for Obsidian?
Feel free to share your configuration or any pitfalls you’ve encountered in the comments — I’m happy to discuss.