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.

[Buckets]

I'm also having this issue on Debian 10 and would love to know when a fix is available. Thanks!

[linux000001]

I'm a paying customer and contacted support. I informed them of this forum thread and the multiple users facing the same issue. I'll update everyone if I hear a resolution, but I hope Dropbox addresses the issue here.

UPDATE:

A couple weeks ago I got a reply back from Dropbox support saying:

"I've raised this with our engineering teams, and will be back in touch with any updates or information."

Well, 2 weeks later and still no update 😒

[verpr]

Just unlink your device in the https://www.dropbox.com/account/security and add them again in the system. It start sync again with all files (existing files won't be touched, just re-sync it). No need to re-install! (Then If needed you can again exclude some files/folders.)

[linux000001]

I would call this more a trivial hack than a solution. If I could down vote, I would.

[verpr]

Do you have simplier solution? Or even another one solution? Re-install system completely it's better?

I'm not defending developers, on the contrary, they are leave bad bug and still not fix! But thankfully we have one more solution than completely re-install OS.

[hildenae]

I just came over this problem on a new 20.04 installation, and the realised I have the same problem on a 18.04 installation I just reinstalled Dropbox on. My debugging says the same as other posts here - the daemon responds that there are no folders excluded

[hildenae]

Same problem with newest Dropbox Daemon
```
hildenae@ember ~/Dropbox $ dropbox exclude list No directories are being ignored.
hildenae@ember ~/Dropbox $ dropbox ls <empty>
hildenae@ember ~/Dropbox $ dropbox version Dropbox daemon version: 130.3.4940
Dropbox command-line interface version: 2020.03.04
hildenae@ember ~/Dropbox $
```

[OneTokeOver]

Same problem here running Ubuntu 20.04.3 via WSL2.

[ReeceBenson]

Same problem here, reinstall and the update didn't solve anything. The only thing I've found that could reset my exclude list was removing the Dropbox application, the Dropbox daemon, and the nautilus extension.
When you add a folder to the exclude list, what dropbox seems to do, is to download that folder fully, and then delete it, and eventually, that folder's name will disappear from the exclude list out of no reason,,, even though it indeed is not being synced, and you can no longer sync that folder ever again without reinstalling the whole thing.

[Mark C.49]

This bug is hitting me as well.  The workaround to remove the device from your account, then add it back won't work for me.  My currently exclude directories are large.  I can't add them fully back to some of my devices.  I need to selectively fine tune the exclude list. This has worked for years just fine for Dropbox.  Something's broken which affects this API.

Please Dropbox, fix this regression.