linuxmint / linuxmint/timeshift

User accounts now take priority over default filters within the user folders

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#545 1 comment 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

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Description

Describe the bug
Since updating timeshift from 24.06.6 to 25.12.4, I noticed that default filters such as /home/*/.cache and /home/*/.local/share/[Tt]rash no longer take priority over any custom filters. This change appears to have been added in #342 to fix #341, however since the user account is kept in the same custom filter list this causes it to now take priority over the defaults, thus effectively removing any defaults within a user directory. In addition to that, attempting to manually add paths such as /home/*/.cache to the custom filter list results in them automatically being removed presumably because they are already in the default filter lists.

To Reproduce
Steps to reproduce the behaviour:

  1. Make a new snapshot with a user's home folder included
  2. Navigate to ~/.cache/ within the snapshot
  3. Observe the folder's existence
  4. Attempt to add /home/*/.cache to the filter list and watch it immediately vanish

Expected behaviour
The user's home directory should not automatically overwrite the defaults unless manually specified, and if a custom filter is already in the defaults it shouldn't be removed.

System:

  • Linux Distribution Name and Version: Kubuntu 26.04 LTS
  • Desktop: KDE
  • Timeshift Version: 25.12.4
  • Timeshift Mode [btrfs/rsync?]: rsync
  • Display Server: wayland

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First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Reproduce the issue in Timeshift using rsync with a user home folder included, then trace the filter handling described in issues #341 and #342. The fix is complete when default paths such as /home//.cache and /home//.local/share/[Tt]rash remain effective inside user folders, while explicitly duplicated custom filters are retained rather than removed.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Domain
operating-systems
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
52/100

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