1P occasionally dies and "fixes" problem by setting Primary vault to "None"

bdiggs01

I have been using 1Password for many years with Dropbox for sync.
1Password has died a few times over the past few weeks with a
pop-up window indicating that there was a problem and would like
to "ignore" the issue or "fix" it. When I click on "fix", it changes the
Primary vault to "None". I then change the Primary vault selection
from "None" to Dropbox and select the 1Password.agilekeychain,
which is in a non-default directory within Dropbox, and click
"Merge with Existing". The sync completes relatively quickly and
then I am back in business. Though I'm concerned about the
quality of the data, given that 1P keeps having this issue from time
to time.

Why is 1Password's fix to remove its reference to the vault in Dropbox?

Thanks in advance!

Brad

---

1Password Version: 6.5.2 (652002)
Extension Version: 4.6.1 (Safari)
OS Version: macOS 10.12.1
Sync Type: Dropbox

ag_kevin

Hi @bdiggs01 ,

The quality of the data shouldn't concern you. The nice thing about encrypted data is either it'll decrypt or it won't. It won't "degrade" over time. Also, Dropbox stores the sync data, but the main copy of your data is stored on your Mac, and not in Dropbox. But based on what you are describing, it sounds like something else is modifying the 1Password file. What other devices do you sync this file with? And do you share it with another Dropbox user?

Thanks,
Kevin

bdiggs01

Thanks!
3 Macs, 2 iPhones and 1 iPad share the Primary vault.

bdiggs01

Clarification. All the aforementioned devices share the Primary vault through a single Dropbox account that is not shared with others.

Drew_AG

Hi @bdiggs01,

Thanks for the details & clarification! That sounds like a typical/normal sync setup, so I don't know why the sync settings are being disabled in 1Password. There are a few legitimate reasons why that might happen, though - for example, if the sync file in Dropbox is deleted, moved to a different location, or cannot be found for some reason. The fact that you're seeing a notification about the sync settings (the one with 'Ignore' and 'Fix' options) means the problem already happened, and 1Password is just letting you know about it. At that point, the sync settings are already set to 'None', and clicking the Fix button is simply a way to go straight to those settings so you can re-enable sync.

You mentioned the 1Password.agilekeychain sync file is in a non-default location in Dropbox. If you don't mind, what is its exact location? I don't know if that's related to the problem at all, but it might be worth looking into. Do you use any other software that might modify the contents of that folder? Also, does this problem happen on just that one Mac, or do the sync settings become disabled in 1Password on your other Macs/iOS devices as well?

bdiggs01

Thanks for the info! Exact location:
Dropbox/1Password_Brad/1Password.agilekeychain

With respect to other apps touching the 1Password folder(s) or files, nothing touches them other than 1Password.

With respect to it happening on just one mac, it has happened on my desktop a few times and once on my laptop. To my knowledge, its never happened on the iPad or iPhones.

Drew_AG

Hi @bdiggs01,

Thanks for the location of the sync file! Even though it's not the default location, I don't see anything wrong with it. As long as that sync file (and/or the Dropbox folder) stays in the same place and isn't being moved around on your Mac, it's strange that the sync settings would keep being disabled.

There are a couple things you could try to see if they help. One is to delete the current sync file and create a new one (in case the current sync file is somehow causing the problem). Another option would be to try moving the sync file to the default location to see if it makes a difference. Before trying that, you should make new backups of your 1Password data as a precaution (in 1Password for Mac, simply go to File > Backup). Then you can try those suggestions by following these steps:

On one of your Macs:

• Open 1Password and go to 1Password > Preferences > Sync
• Change the sync setting from Dropbox to None.
• Click the box to Delete data from Dropbox, then click Disable Sync.
• Check your Dropbox/1Password_Brad/ folder to make sure 1Password.agilekeychain was deleted.
• In 1Password, go back to 1Password > Preferences > Sync.
• Change the sync setting from None to Dropbox.
• Click the Choose button and select a location in Dropbox (to use the default location, select the main Dropbox folder), then click Open.
• Click Create New, then allow Dropbox to fully sync.

On your other Macs and iOS devices, 1Password should stop syncing when it realizes the old sync file was removed from Dropbox, and will give you an error message about that on each one (which is expected). You'll just need to re-enable sync with Dropbox on each device and choose the new sync file.

Please let us know how it goes, and if it's still a problem, we'll continue from there. Cheers! :)