CRITICAL: Failed to create file system for "filen:": getMasterKeys: failed to decrypt master keys meta: DecryptMetadataV2: cipher: message authentication failed

l3m0r · February 21, 2026, 5:52pm

What is the problem you are having with rclone?

running rclone ls filen: gives the error:

2026/02/21 23:13:11 CRITICAL: Failed to create file system for "filen:": getMasterKeys: failed to decrypt master keys meta: DecryptMetadataV2: cipher: message authentication failed

`rclone --version`

rclone 1.73.1

os/version: gentoo 2.18 (64 bit)

os/kernel: 6.18.8-gentoo-dist (x86_64)

os/type: linux

os/arch: amd64

go/version: go1.25.5 X:nodwarf5

go/linking: dynamic

go/tags: none

Which cloud storage system are you using?

Filen

Please run 'rclone config redacted' and share the full output. If you get command not found, please make sure to update rclone.

[filen]
type = filen
email = xxx@xxx.xxx
password = XXX
api_key = XXX
master_keys = XXX
### Double check the config for sensitive info before posting publicly

NOTE that I went ahead and added master_keys to check if it works.

A log from the command that you were trying to run with the `-vv` flag

rclone ls -vv filen:

2026/02/21 23:21:56 DEBUG : rclone: Version "1.73.1" starting with parameters ["rclone" "ls" "-vv" "filen:"]
2026/02/21 23:21:56 DEBUG : Creating backend with remote "filen:"
2026/02/21 23:21:56 DEBUG : Using config file from "/home/xxx/.config/rclone/rclone.conf"
2026/02/21 23:21:59 CRITICAL: Failed to create file system for "filen:": getMasterKeys: failed to decrypt master keys meta: DecryptMetadataV2: cipher: message authentication failed

LukePet · February 22, 2026, 8:47pm

I have the same problem. When I try to synchronise for the first time, I get this error:

rclone.exe bisync filen:/Links D:\Archivio\Filen\Links --resync --verbose
2026/02/22 21:16:06 CRITICAL: Failed to create file system for "filen:/Links": getMasterKeys: failed to get master keys: POST cached: ``https://gateway.filen-6.net/v3/user/masterKeys:`` Cannot send request (Post "``https://gateway.filen-6.net/v3/user/masterKeys``": net/http: invalid header field value for "Authorization")

Aliases · March 18, 2026, 7:34pm

Same issue here. Rclone working with Filen fine for a month. Now, yesterday and today getting the same error as above.

rclone about FilenRemote: --filen-email=xxx --filen-password=xxx
Total: x TiB
Used: x GiB
Free: x TiB

Indicating email and pass correct.

However, running:

rclone lsf FilenRemote: --filen-email=xxx --filen-password=xxx --filen-api-key=xxx

Note that the api-key is in rclone obscure xxx format. Where xxx has been both raw and enclosed in double quotations (““). No luck either way.

Results in:

2026/03/18 19:33:06 ERROR : error listing: ReadDirectory decrypting metadata: all keys failed: [DecryptMetadataV2: cipher: message authentication failed DecryptMetadataV2: cipher: message authentication failed]
2026/03/18 19:33:06 NOTICE: Failed to lsf with 2 errors: last error was: error in ListJSON: ReadDirectory decrypting metadata: all keys failed: [DecryptMetadataV2: cipher: message authentication failed DecryptMetadataV2: cipher: message authentication failed]

Data was originally uploaded with bare minimum config values (default values as setup tutorial).

asdffdsa · March 18, 2026, 10:11pm

hi @edcw,

i noticed that filen backend was just added at 1.73 with external maintainers
yet somehow, it is considered Tier 1 ?

any chance you can contact whomever maintains it and have them help with these issues/bugs?
else downgrade to Tier 4 ?

Enduriel · March 19, 2026, 10:34am

I’m the person who added the Filen backend and a Filen employee so I can help out here. Though I don’t really use this forum so the best way to get a reply from me is to make a GitHub issue and mention me.

These are three distinct issues.

@LukePet you seem to have copied the API key incorrectly (or not at all), that is likely the cause of your issue.

@l3m0r I suspect you misstyped your password. There was someone else who had an issue with pasting their password on a specific OS not working as expected. If you’re 100% sure that’s not the issue, try changing your Filen password (you should be able to change it to the same thing), to regenerate the master key string

@Aliases This one seems more complicated, if you recreate the config, do you still get the exact same issue? Do you have any issues when looking at the directories in the root of your account on the website or any other client (the name of files or folders being NOT_DECRYPTED or something like that)?

ETA: @Aliases If you could open a support ticket (on the Filen site) with information about your account the support team would better served to debug your specific issue.

ETA2: @LukePet or you may have changed your password which also changed your API key

ncw · March 19, 2026, 11:56am

Thanks for your help @Enduriel with these issues.

Would you like to become a member of the rclone dev team? That would satisfy the tiering requests too. Let me know what you think (via email).

Aliases · March 19, 2026, 5:13pm

HI @Enduriel,

Thank you for the prompt reply.

I can confirm that after re-creating the rclone config ~12 times, with slight variations (i.e. right click instead of ctrl + v to paste pass), to no avail the same issues occur. And, manually using rclone obsure xxx and “xxx” then inserting the values directing into a fresh rclone.config file within %AppData%/rclone. No change.

Filen’s Electron (yuck) app works as per normal, showing CANNOT_DECRYPT_NAME_{uid} for files and folders. And, uploading a folder via the electron app works as per normal showing the actual folder/file name(s).

I have even gone so far as to change my Filen account password, and generate a new api-key via Filen CLI export-api-key (on a compatible OS). Same errors occur.

This is not a user error. Everything has been working fine for a month, without any config changes, then suddenly stopped working.

Aliases · March 19, 2026, 5:39pm

I have just updated my Filen account pass (to a new pass never used before), generated a new api-key, deleted rclone config and re-ran rclone config filen, inputting pass and api-key correctly. Issue remains.

rclone about FilenRemote: < (outputs correctly)
Total: xxx TiB
Used: xxx GiB
Free: xxx TiB

rclone lsf FilenRemote:Test < (an existing folder within Filen cloud storage)
2026/03/19 17:37:37 CRITICAL: Failed to create file system for "FilenRemote:Test": read directory: ReadDirectory decrypting metadata: all keys failed: [DecryptMetadataV2: cipher: message authentication failed DecryptMetadataV2: cipher: message authentication failed DecryptMetadataV2: cipher: message authentication failed]

Enduriel · March 20, 2026, 11:08am

The issue is that the filen rclone implementation doesn’t have a graceful way to handle undecryptable files or folders right now. Which is why it’s just erroring out.

Your issue is different from the others, that’s why I didn’t ask you to change your password or re-export your key.

If you’re seeing CANNOT_DECRYPT_NAME_{uuid} in the other clients, that means that something was encrypted incorrectly or was malformed in some other way. How many files or folders do you have in this state? Do you know what could have caused that to happen? What clients were you uploading with?

If you want to resolve this specific instance of the issue, you can delete those files/folders in any other client (or the web app). This doesn’t really feel like an rclone issue because it’s about corrupted state in your account which is visible in the other Filen clients as well, so I’d really recommend reaching out to our support team.

This is the first report I’ve seen of this kind, so any information on what kinds of things you were doing before it happened would be great.

Enduriel · March 20, 2026, 11:11am

We care about our implementation and will try and resolve people’s issues when we see them (might just need to grab our attention sometimes)

I sent you an email as well.

Aliases · March 20, 2026, 12:50pm

“something was encrypted incorrectly or was malformed in some other way” - Is this rclone’s default method of encrypting client side before uploading?

“How many files or folders do you have in this state?” - Because uploading via Filen Electron App doesn’t upload checksums, I’ve deleted all data and uploaded again via rclone copy and rclone sync –checksum. Therefore, my entire Filen cloud storage shows CANNOT_DECRYPT_NAME_{uuid} for every entry. I can access the proper names of folders/files using `rclone mount FilenRemote: R: --vfs-cache-mode full --vfs-cache-max-size 16G --dir-cache-time 5s --links --rc`. As mentioned above, isn’t this filen default implementation to encrypt by default?

”Do you know what could have caused that to happen?” - I have followed rclone filen guide (Filen), and used rclone copy and rclone sync, when files are uploaded, looking at them in browser/electron they always show as CANNOT_DECRYPT_NAME_{uuid} …. I’m not doing anything out the ordinary…. Have you tested this yourself, and what differing results do you get?

Filen ticket is opened, and we’re discussing this thread to see if you can put a fix in.

ncw · March 25, 2026, 1:05pm

I didn't get that. Can try sending to info@rclone.com ? Thanks

Enduriel · March 26, 2026, 9:39am

Done, I sent it to your email listed on your page before.

system · April 25, 2026, 9:40am

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