Skip to main content
A mount makes an Aspect project available as a local volume. Editing applications, file managers, and command-line tools can open files through that volume while Aspect retrieves data on demand. Mounting requires access to the project and your operating system’s mounting prerequisites.

​
Mount a project or folder

To mount only one folder and give the volume a clear name:
The result reports the volume name, mount point, and status. aspect mount --json includes name, mountPoint, and status; use the actual mount point returned on your operating system rather than assuming a fixed location. You can mount a project or directory. A workspace or individual file cannot be mounted. --name names the volume; it is not a custom filesystem path.

​
Open and edit files

Open the returned mount point in Finder, File Explorer, or your Linux file manager, or select it in an application’s file picker. File reads use local cached data when available and retrieve missing content from Aspect. A mount therefore uses local disk space as you work, without requiring a complete project download first. When you have permission to write, save files into the volume as you would on another drive. You can also rename or move files within the mounted volume using your file manager or normal filesystem tools. These changes affect the project in Aspect. Writes first land locally and are uploaded in the background after the application’s writable file handles close. A completed save dialog is not a confirmation that the file is already uploaded. Other people’s changes can arrive through the mounted project too; coordinate edits to the same file because simultaneous writes are not automatically merged. For independent local copies, use download. For a large explicit upload with a transfer ID, use upload.

​
Check the mount

status provides an overview of the filesystem service, mounts, pin synchronization, and CLI transfers. Use Troubleshooting if a mount remains in a starting or error state.

​
Finish work and unmount

  1. Close files or applications that are writing into the volume.
  2. Run aspect daemon status --json. Check that writeBackDrained is true and writeSyncSummary.failureCount is 0, with no mount errors. A drained queue alone does not rule out failed uploads. If these fields are missing, upload completion is unknown; keep Aspect running and investigate before disconnecting or shutting down.
  3. Unmount by volume name or Aspect URL:
aspect transfer wait waits for a detached CLI transfer, not the writes made by applications through this mount. A shell sync command is also not a confirmation that cloud uploads have completed.

​
The background service

The filesystem service keeps a mount available after the mount command exits. With a signed-in desktop app, the app owns that service. With a standalone CLI installation, commands start it when needed. The service remembers mounts and restores them when it next starts for the same account. Explicitly unmounting removes that remembered mount. This does not install a Linux service that starts automatically at login; the CLI has no daemon install command. When the desktop app owns the service, manage it through the app. aspect daemon start, stop, and restart return daemon_owned_by_desktop in that state. For offline preparation, pin files while online and keep the mount available before disconnecting.