`--daemon` works, but fails immediately in combination with `--rc` on macOS [15.7.3]

What is the problem you are having with rclone?

rclone mount seems to balk when adding the --rc parameter, no matter what remote type (SFTP or OneDrive).

This is an example with OneDrive: (For an example with SSH/SFTP see below)

Example without –rc:

rclone mount -vv --daemon odqlsc:Repository /mnt/rclone
 2026/01/11 19:55:47 DEBUG : rclone: Version "v1.72.1" starting with parameters ["rclone" "mount" "-vv" "--daemon" "odqlsc:Repository" "/mnt/rclone"]
 2026/01/11 19:55:47 DEBUG : Creating backend with remote "odqlsc:Repository"
 2026/01/11 19:55:47 DEBUG : Using config file from "/Users/admin/.config/rclone/rclone.conf"
 2026/01/11 19:55:52 DEBUG : rclone: Version "v1.72.1" finishing with parameters ["/usr/local/bin/rclone" "mount" "-vv" "--daemon" "odqlsc:Repository" "/mnt/rclone"]

ps ax | grep rclone
 6793   ??  Ss     0:00.03 /usr/local/bin/go-nfsv4 --volname odqlsc Repository /Volumes/Downloads/rclone
 6792 s006  S      0:00.11 /usr/local/bin/rclone mount -vv --daemon odqlsc:Repository /mnt/rclone
 6803 s006  S+     0:00.00 grep rclone

Adding –-rc:

rclone mount -vv --daemon --rc odqlsc:Repository /mnt/rclone
 2026/01/11 19:58:46 DEBUG : rclone: Version "v1.72.1" starting with parameters ["rclone" "mount" "-vv" "--daemon" "--rc" "odqlsc:Repository" "/mnt/rclone"]
 2026/01/11 19:58:46 NOTICE: Serving remote control on http://127.0.0.1:5572/
 2026/01/11 19:58:46 DEBUG : Creating backend with remote "odqlsc:Repository"
 2026/01/11 19:58:46 DEBUG : Using config file from "/Users/admin/.config/rclone/rclone.conf"
 2026/01/11 19:58:47 ERROR : Daemon timed out. Failed to terminate daemon pid 6866: os: process already finished
 2026/01/11 19:58:47 CRITICAL: Fatal error: daemon exited with error code 1

It fails immediately / at once.

Run the command 'rclone version' and share the full output of the command.

rclone v1.72.1
- os/version: darwin 15.7.3 (64 bit)
- os/kernel: 24.6.0 (x86_64)
- os/type: darwin
- os/arch: amd64
- go/version: go1.25.5
- go/linking: dynamic
- go/tags: cmount

Which cloud storage system are you using? (eg Google Drive)

I think it doesn’t matter. It happens with SFTP and Microsoft OneDrive.

The command you were trying to run (eg rclone copy /tmp remote:tmp)

rclone mount -vv --daemon --rc $remote:folder $local_drive/folder

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

[combine]
type = combine
upstreams = a=odqlsb:Repository b=odqlsc:Games

[m1a]
type = sftp
ssh = ssh m1a
shell_type = unix
md5sum_command = md5sum
sha1sum_command = sha1sum

[m1af]
type = sftp
ssh = ssh -i ~/.ssh/ssh.internal.admin.pub admin-de71364-cl-m1@10.0.0.2
shell_type = unix
md5sum_command = md5sum
sha1sum_command = sha1sum

[m2a]
type = sftp
ssh = ssh m2a
shell_type = unix

[m3a]
type = sftp
ssh = ssh m3a
shell_type = unix

[odql]
type = onedrive
region = global
token = XXX
drive_id = XXX
drive_type = business

[odql_encrypted]
type = crypt
remote = odqlsc:Encrypted
filename_encryption = obfuscate
directory_name_encryption = true
password = XXX
password2 = XXX

[odqlsa]
type = onedrive
drive_id = XXX
drive_type = business
no_versions = true
token = XXX

[odqlsb]
type = onedrive
token = XXX
drive_id = XXX
drive_type = business
no_versions = true

[odqlsc]
type = onedrive
token = XXX
drive_id = XXX
drive_type = business
no_versions = true

[odqlsc_encrypted]
type = crypt
remote = odqlsc:Encrypted
filename_encryption = obfuscate
directory_name_encryption = true
password = XXX
password2 = XXX
no_versions = true

[odqlw]
type = onedrive
region = global
drive_id = XXX
drive_type = business
no_versions = true
token = XXX

[u1sd]
type = sftp
ssh = ssh u1sd
shell_type = unix

[u2sd]
type = sftp
ssh = ssh u2sd
shell_type = unix

[u3sd]
type = sftp
ssh = ssh u3sd
shell_type = unix

[u4sd]
type = sftp
ssh = ssh u4sd
shell_type = unix

[u5sd]
type = sftp
ssh = ssh u5sd
shell_type = unix
md5sum_command = md5sum
sha1sum_command = sha1sum

[u9a]
type = sftp
ssh = ssh u9a
shell_type = unix
md5sum_command = md5sum
sha1sum_command = sha1sum
### Double check the config for sensitive info before posting publicly

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

This is an example with SSH/SFTP to a local Linux/Ubuntu server:

rclone mount -vv --daemon u5sd:/mnt/sda1 ~/Downloads/rclone/
 2026/01/11 20:04:27 DEBUG : rclone: Version "v1.72.1" starting with parameters ["rclone" "mount" "-vv" "--daemon" "u5sd:/mnt/sda1" "/Users/admin/Downloads/rclone/"]
 2026/01/11 20:04:27 DEBUG : Creating backend with remote "u5sd:/mnt/sda1"
 2026/01/11 20:04:27 DEBUG : Using config file from "/Users/admin/.config/rclone/rclone.conf"
 2026/01/11 20:04:27 DEBUG : sftp://admin@:22//mnt/sda1: ssh external: running: ssh u5sd -s sftp
 2026/01/11 20:04:50 DEBUG : sftp://admin@:22//mnt/sda1: Shell type "unix" from config
 2026/01/11 20:04:50 DEBUG : sftp://admin@:22//mnt/sda1: Using root directory "/mnt/sda1"
 2026/01/11 20:04:55 DEBUG : rclone: Version "v1.72.1" finishing with parameters ["/usr/local/bin/rclone" "mount" "-vv" "--daemon" "u5sd:/mnt/sda1" "/Users/admin/Downloads/rclone/"]

ps ax | grep rclone
 7029   ??  Ss     0:00.02 /usr/local/bin/go-nfsv4 --volname u5sd  mnt sda1 /Volumes/Downloads/rclone
 7027 s006  S      0:00.09 /usr/local/bin/rclone mount -vv --daemon u5sd:/mnt/sda1 /Users/admin/Downloads/rclone/
 7038 s006  S+     0:00.00 grep rclone

pkill rclone

rclone mount -vv --daemon --rc u5sd:/mnt/sda1 ~/Downloads/rclone/
 2026/01/11 20:05:19 DEBUG : rclone: Version "v1.72.1" starting with parameters ["rclone" "mount" "-vv" "--daemon" "--rc" "u5sd:/mnt/sda1" "/Users/admin/Downloads/rclone/"]
 2026/01/11 20:05:19 NOTICE: Serving remote control on http://127.0.0.1:5572/
 2026/01/11 20:05:19 DEBUG : Creating backend with remote "u5sd:/mnt/sda1"
 2026/01/11 20:05:19 DEBUG : Using config file from "/Users/admin/.config/rclone/rclone.conf"
 2026/01/11 20:05:19 DEBUG : sftp://admin@:22//mnt/sda1: ssh external: running: ssh u5sd -s sftp
 2026/01/11 20:05:19 DEBUG : sftp://admin@:22//mnt/sda1: Shell type "unix" from config
 2026/01/11 20:05:19 DEBUG : sftp://admin@:22//mnt/sda1: Using root directory "/mnt/sda1"
 2026/01/11 20:05:19 ERROR : Daemon timed out. Failed to terminate daemon pid 7047: os: process already finished
 2026/01/11 20:05:19 CRITICAL: Fatal error: daemon exited with error code 1