Connect a Hetzner Storage Box

This guide sets up a Hetzner Storage Box with an API token. With the token, Syncophant can create a sub-account for this Mac, turn on SSH, show snapshots and add a key, so you don’t type a password.

You need a Hetzner Storage Box and access to the Hetzner Console project that holds it.

If you prefer not to use a token, connect the box as an SFTP server instead. Paste its address (u123456.your-storagebox.de) in Add Storage and follow Connect an SFTP server. Port 23 is the box’s SFTP port.

Create an API token

1. Open Hetzner Console and pick the project with your Storage Box.
2. Go to Security, then API tokens, and choose Generate API token.
3. Choose Read and Write, then copy the token.

Syncophant sends the token only to api.hetzner.com, and saves it in your Keychain.

Set up the box

1. In Syncophant, choose Add Storage and paste the token. Syncophant shows Works. Found 1 Storage Box. (or the number it found).
2. Under Which Storage Box?, pick the box this Mac should use.
3. Give the storage a name and a color. Both show in Finder and the menu bar.
4. Review the plan. Each item is on by default and you can turn any off:
   • Give this Mac its own sub-account: this Mac can see only one folder on the box. If the Mac is lost, revoke that one sub-account in Hetzner.
   • Sign in with a key made for this Mac: turns on SSH and keeps the private key in your Keychain.
   • Show snapshots in Time Travel: makes the snapshot folder visible so you can browse old versions.
   • Prove it works with a 1 MB test: uploads, reads back and compares a small file, then deletes it.
5. Check the folder name. The default is Syncophant. With a sub-account, this Mac sees only that folder.
6. Choose Set Up This Mac. Nothing changes on your box before you do.

Syncophant runs each step and shows its progress: creating the sub-account, turning on SSH, checking the box’s fingerprint, adding this Mac’s key, testing safe reads and writes, saving the sign-in, and adding the storage to Finder.

Use the whole box instead

To give this Mac the whole box, turn off Give this Mac its own sub-account. Syncophant then signs in with the main account and asks for its password once. A sub-account is safer: a lost or compromised Mac can then reach only its own folder.

If a step fails

• The box’s fingerprint can’t be checked right after setup. A new sub-account’s address can take a few minutes to appear in DNS. Wait, then choose Retry. Setup carries on from where it stopped; you don’t need to start again.
• The token doesn’t work. Make sure it has Read and Write permission and belongs to the project that holds the box.

For other problems, see Troubleshooting.

Undo the setup

You can remove the storage from Settings › Storage. To remove the sub-account itself, delete it in Hetzner Console. The rest of the box is not affected.

To forget the API token, go to Settings › Privacy and choose Forget Token. Snapshots, sharing and the space-used display need the token; file access does not.