Skip to main content

Server

FileFlows Server is the main application that all FileFlows instances must first install. It includes its own internal Agent.

If you want a minimal, non-distributed setup, installing this Server alone is sufficient.

Installing Homebrew​

If you haven't installed Homebrew yet, install it by running:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Adding the Tap​

Add the FileFlows tap to your Homebrew:

brew tap fileflows/tap

Installing FileFlows​

Install the FileFlows formula:

brew install fileflows

This will install FileFlows and register it as a Brew service, which will automatically start on login using macOS's launchd.

Application Directory​

The application data is stored at:

$HOME/Library/Application Support/FileFlows

Running the Service​

Start the service with:

brew services start fileflows

Stop the service with:

brew services stop fileflows

Restart the service with:

brew services restart fileflows

Running Manually​

You can also run FileFlows manually (without using brew services) by executing:

fileflows

Updating​

To force reinstall the latest version of FileFlows:

brew reinstall fileflows

You may also want to restart the service afterward:

brew services restart fileflows

Updating the Tap​

Fixes to how FileFlows is installed are published in the FileFlows tap. Update the tap with:

brew update

Then reinstall to use the updated tap:

brew reinstall fileflows

If the tap is still out of date, remove it and add it again. --force is needed because FileFlows was installed from the tap, this does not uninstall FileFlows or remove its data.

brew untap --force fileflows/tap
brew tap fileflows/tap
brew reinstall fileflows

Failed Changing Dylib ID​

If installing or reinstalling shows an error like:

Error: Failed changing dylib ID of .../libe_sqlite3.dylib
...
Updated load commands do not fit in the header of .../libe_sqlite3.dylib

your FileFlows tap is out of date. Update the tap and reinstall.

Homebrew Cache Issues​

If Homebrew reports that FileFlows is already up to date but you know a newer version exists, this is usually caused by a cache issue.

Run:

brew cleanup --prune=all

Then reinstall:

brew reinstall fileflows

Uninstalling FileFlows​

To uninstall FileFlows:

brew uninstall fileflows

Notes​

  • This formula uses a custom no-checksum download strategy to allow downloading a versioned zip without SHA verification.
  • The launchd service runs as your local user—no root required.
  • Configuration must be completed before starting the service for the first time.