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This document is a WORK IN PROGRESS.
This is just a quick personal cheat sheet: treat its contents with caution!

pCloud

pCloud is a cloud storage that provides access to all your digital content including images, video, audio, documents, etc.

pCloud Console Client (pcldoudcc) is the console line interface tool used to access pCloud from your terminal. This is the application that will be detailed here.

Reference(s)

Table of contents

Install

TODO

$ sudo apt-get install cmake zlib1g-dev libboost-system-dev libboost-program-options-dev libpthread-stubs0-dev libfuse-dev libudev-dev fuse build-essential git mkdir console-client
$ git clone https://github.com/pcloudcom/console-client.git ./console-client/
$ cd ./console-client/pCloudCC/
$ cd lib/pclsync/
$ make clean
$ make fs
$ cd ../mbedtls/
$ cmake .
$ make clean
$ make
$ cd ../..
$ cmake .
$ make
$ sudo make install
$ sudo ldconfig
$ pcloudcc -u username -p

TODO

TODO

TODO

Install with AUR: 

$ mkdir -p ~/apps/aur-apps
$ cd ~/apps/aur-apps
$ git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/pcloudcc-git.git
$ cd pcloudcc-git
$ makepkg -is # --syncdeps to auto-install deps, --install to install after building

TODO

TODO

TODO

Config

  • Create a dedicated pCloud user:

    $ sudo useradd --create-home pcloud

  • For any user who will have to use the pcloud mount point:

    $ sudo usermod -aG pcloud $USER
$ newgrp pcloud
$ groups

  • Connect a first time:

    $ sudo su pcloud
$ pcloudcc -s -u username -p # connect, then Ctrl-C
$ exit

    From now on, only $ pcloudcc -u <username> will be needed for the pcloud user. Indeed, the password has been saved in the /home/pcloud/.pcloud directory, thanks to the -s option).

  • Create a mount point:

    $ sudo mkdir /path/to/mount/point/for/pcloud
$ sudo chown pcloud:pcloud /path/to/mount/point/for/pcloud
$ sudo chmod og=rwx,o=x /path/to/mount/point/for/pcloud
$ sudo chmod g+s /path/to/mount/point/for/pcloud # set setgid bit for files/dirs under /path/to/mount/point/for/pcloud to inherit group rights

  • Create a systemd service:

    $ sudo vi /usr/lib/systemd/system/pcloud.service

    > [Install]
    > WantedBy=multi-user.target
    >
    > [Unit]
    > After=network.target
    > Description=pCloud Console Client systemd service
    >
    > [Service]
    > ExecStart=/bin/pcloudcc -d -u username -m /path/to/mount/point/for/pcloud # or `/usr/local/bin/pcloudcc` if you build it yourself
    > User=plcoud
    > Group=plcoud

$ sudo systemctl daemon-reload
$ sudo systemctl enable pcloud.service
$ sudo systemctl start pcloud.service

$ sudo systemctl status pcloud.service
$ sudo journalctl -u pcloud.service

  • https://github.com/zcalusic/dockerfiles/tree/master/pcloud

  • https://github.com/jlloyola/pcloudcc_docker

Use

  • Print help:

    $ pcloudcc -h
    pCloud console client v.2.0.1
    Allowed options:
      -h [ --help ]             produce help message
      -u [ --username ] arg     pCloud account name
      -p [ --password ]         Ask pCloud account password
      -c [ --crypto ]           Ask crypto password
      -y [ --passascrypto ] arg Use user password as crypto password also.
      -d [ --daemonize ]        Daemonize the process.
      -o [ --commands  ]        Parent stays alive and processes commands.
      -m [ --mountpoint ] arg   Mount point where drive to be mounted.
      -k [ --commands_only ]    Daemon already started pass only commands
      -n [ --newuser ]          Switch if this is a new user to be registered.
      -s [ --savepassword ]     Save password in database.

Tips and tricks

Custom FUSE options

pCloudCC is based on FUSE (fusermount3).

At the moment (06/2023), if you want to specify your own FUSE option, e.g. by adding the allow_other option (see https://github.com/pcloudcom/console-client/issues/56), then you'll have to patch the code base and (re)build pCloudCC :

$ git clone https://github.com/pcloudcom/console-client.git ./console-client/
$ cd ./console-client
$ vi pCloudCC/lib/pclsync/pfs.c
    > ...
    > #if defined(P_OS_LINUX)
    >   fuse_opt_add_arg(&args, "argv");
    >   fuse_opt_add_arg(&args, "-oauto_unmount");
  + >   fuse_opt_add_arg(&args, "-oallow_other");
    > ...

$ sudo vi /etc/fuse.conf
    > # The file /etc/fuse.conf allows for the following parameters:
    > #
    > # user_allow_other - Using the allow_other mount option works fine as root, in
    > # order to have it work as user you need user_allow_other in /etc/fuse.conf as
    > # well. (This option allows users to use the allow_other option.) You need
    > # allow_other if you want users other than the owner to access a mounted fuse.
    > # This option must appear on a line by itself. There is no value, just the
    > # presence of the option.
    >
  ~ > user_allow_other
    >
    >
    > # mount_max = n - this option sets the maximum number of mounts.
    > # Currently (2014) it must be typed exactly as shown
    > # (with a single space before and after the equals sign).
    >
    > #mount_max = 1000

Then (re)build pCloudCC (e.g. like described in the install section for apt users.

Troubleshooting

Error libpcloudcc_lib.so: cannot open shared object file

If you build pCloudCC yourself, and you encounter the error libpcloudcc_lib.so: cannot open shared object file when runnging pcloudcc, then: https://stackoverflow.com/a/17892806.

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