Self-hosted SFTP Remote

Spool’s cloud sync runs on rclone, and rclone speaks SFTP. So instead of Google Drive or Dropbox you can point Spool at any machine you can SSH into — a Raspberry Pi, a NAS, an old PC in a cupboard. On a local network this is usually much faster than a public cloud provider, with no per-account storage limits, and your saves never leave your house.

This guide sets up an SFTP remote by hand with rclone config, then tells Spool to use it via the Custom provider.

What you need

• A machine you can reach over SSH (the “server” — e.g. a Raspberry Pi) that stays on when you want to sync.
• SSH access to it: its hostname or IP address, a username, and either a password or an SSH key.
• A folder on that machine to hold the backups.

How Spool finds the remote

Spool runs a bundled copy of rclone, but it reads the standard rclone config file — ~/.config/rclone/rclone.conf on Linux, %APPDATA%\rclone\rclone.conf on Windows. Any remote you create with the normal rclone config command lands in that file, and Spool’s bundled rclone picks it up automatically. You don’t need to point Spool at a separate config.

If you don’t already have rclone on the device running Spool, install it from rclone.org/downloads just to run the config wizard once. (The Linux gaming distros — Bazzite, CachyOS, SteamOS — generally already have it, or you can rclone config from a desktop terminal.)

1. Prepare the server

On the server, make sure an SSH server is running and create a folder for the backups. On a Raspberry Pi:

# Enable SSH if it isn't already (Raspberry Pi OS):
sudo raspi-config nonint do_ssh 0

# Make a folder to hold Spool's data:
mkdir -p ~/spool

Note the server’s address. On a home network a static IP or a .local hostname (e.g. raspberrypi.local) is easiest, so it doesn’t change between reboots.

2. Create the rclone remote

On the device running Spool, start the wizard:

rclone config

Then:

1. n — New remote.
2. Name it something short and memorable, e.g. pi. You’ll type this name into Spool later.
3. For the storage type, choose SFTP (sftp).
4. host — the server’s address, e.g. raspberrypi.local or 192.168.1.50.
5. user — your SSH username on the server.
6. port — leave blank for the default (22).
7. Authentication — pick one:
   • Password: choose to enter a password (y) and type it. rclone stores it obscured in the config file.
   • SSH key (recommended): leave the password blank and set key_file to your private key path (e.g. ~/.ssh/id_ed25519). This avoids putting a password in the config and is the smoother option for unattended syncing.
8. Accept the defaults for the remaining advanced options, then confirm and quit the wizard (q).

Check it works before involving Spool:

# Lists the directories under your home on the server — should connect cleanly:
rclone lsd pi:

If that errors, fix the connection (host, user, key/password, firewall) before moving on — Spool can only sync once rclone itself can.

3. Point Spool at it

In Spool, open Settings → Saves:

1. Set Provider to Custom (rclone remote).
2. In the Remote field, enter the remote name you chose — pi.
3. Set the Base folder to the path on the server where backups should live, e.g. spool (relative to the SSH user’s home) or an absolute path like /home/pi/spool.

Spool stores your save backups under <base>/ludusavi-backup and a little cross-device coordination data under <base>/_spool.

That’s it — launch a game and Spool will restore from and back up to your own server. Spool checks the remote’s reachability and shows the status in Settings; if the server is asleep or off the network, a sync probe fails fast rather than hanging your launch.

Using it across devices

Point every device — your PC and your Steam Deck — at the same remote and base folder. Each device needs the rclone remote configured locally (repeat step 2 on each), but they all read and write the same folder on the server, so playtime, the “saves backed up” badge, and the unsynced-session warning are pooled across them. See Cloud Save Sync for how a session syncs and how conflicts are resolved.

Tips

• Keep the server reachable. Sync only happens when the device can reach the server. On the same LAN that’s instant; to sync from outside your home you’d need a VPN (e.g. Tailscale) or port forwarding — covering that is beyond this guide.
• SSH keys beat passwords for something that syncs in the background — no password sits in the config file, and there’s nothing to re-enter.
• Back up the server’s folder too. A self-hosted remote is only as durable as the disk it’s on. If the saves on your server matter, make sure that disk is itself backed up.