Transparent Compression with Folder Actions in macOS
a day ago
- #macOS
- #Automation
- #File Compression
- AFSCT is a transparent file system compression built into macOS that compresses files on disk while keeping them accessible normally.
- Use applesauce (a modern Rust tool) for faster, parallel compression with safe atomic writes instead of the older afsctool.
- Set up a Folder Action with Automator to automatically compress files when they are added to a specific folder.
- Folder Actions only trigger on top-level file additions or removals, not on changes to existing files or subfolders.
- By default, applesauce uses LZFSE, but you can choose LZVN for faster decompression or ZLIB for better compression ratios.
- Compression savings are visible in Finder's Get Info, with the size in brackets showing the reduced disk usage.
- Manage Folder Actions setup via the Folder Actions Setup dialog to enable or attach actions to multiple folders.