Shouldn't Rclone only list/copy directories with + and ignore everything else, similar to --include ?
PS C:\Users\AF> rclone copy c:/users/af db:af --tpslimit 12 --filter-from "c:/users/af/filter.txt" --dump filters
2023/09/23 14:44:40 NOTICE: Automatically setting -vv as --dump is enabled
2023/09/23 14:44:40 INFO : Starting transaction limiter: max 12 transactions/s with burst 1
--- start filters ---
--- File filter rules ---
- (^|/)desktop\.ini$
+ ^Desktop/.*$
+ ^Downloads/.*$
+ ^Documents/.*$
+ ^Pictures/.*$
+ ^Videos/.*$
+ ^AppData/Local/Google/Chrome/.*$
--- Directory filter rules ---
+ ^Desktop/.*/$
+ ^Desktop/$
+ ^Desktop/.*$
+ ^Downloads/.*/$
+ ^Downloads/$
+ ^Downloads/.*$
+ ^Documents/.*/$
+ ^Documents/$
+ ^Documents/.*$
+ ^Pictures/.*/$
+ ^Pictures/$
+ ^Pictures/.*$
+ ^Videos/.*/$
+ ^Videos/$
+ ^Videos/.*$
+ ^AppData/Local/Google/Chrome/.*/$
+ ^AppData/Local/Google/Chrome/$
+ ^AppData/Local/Google/$
+ ^AppData/Local/$
+ ^AppData/$
+ ^AppData/Local/Google/Chrome/.*$
--- end filters ---
2023/09/23 14:44:40 DEBUG : rclone: Version "v1.64.0" starting with parameters ["C:\\rclone\\rclone.exe" "copy" "c:/users/af" "db:af" "--tpslimit" "12" "--filter-from" "c:/users/af/filter.txt" "--dump" "filters"]
2023/09/23 14:44:40 DEBUG : Creating backend with remote "c:/users/af"
2023/09/23 14:44:40 DEBUG : Using config file from "C:\\Users\\AF\\AppData\\Roaming\\rclone\\rclone.conf"
2023/09/23 14:44:40 DEBUG : fs cache: renaming cache item "c:/users/af" to be canonical "//?/c:/users/af"
2023/09/23 14:44:40 DEBUG : Creating backend with remote "db:af"
2023/09/23 14:44:40 DEBUG : Creating backend with remote "dropbox:荀
2023/09/23 14:44:42 DEBUG : .esd_auth: Size and modification time the same (differ by -316.1548ms, within tolerance 1s)
2023/09/23 14:44:42 DEBUG : downloader.log: Size and modification time the same (differ by -328.752ms, within tolerance 1s)
2023/09/23 14:44:42 DEBUG : downloader.log: Unchanged skipping
2023/09/23 14:44:42 DEBUG : filter.txt: Size and modification time the same (differ by 54.5602ms, within tolerance 1s)
2023/09/23 14:44:42 DEBUG : filter.txt: Unchanged skipping
2023/09/23 14:44:42 DEBUG : ntuser.ini: Size and modification time the same (differ by -317.6251ms, within tolerance 1s)2023/09/23 14:44:42 DEBUG : ntuser.ini: Unchanged skipping
2023/09/23 14:44:42 DEBUG : .esd_auth: Unchanged skipping
2023/09/23 14:44:42 DEBUG : NTUSER.DAT{53b39e88-18c4-11ea-a811-000d3aa4692b}.TM.blf: Size and modification time the same (differ by 391.1385ms, within tolerance 1s)
2023/09/23 14:44:42 DEBUG : NTUSER.DAT{53b39e88-18c4-11ea-a811-000d3aa4692b}.TM.blf: Unchanged skipping
2023/09/23 14:44:42 ERROR : ntuser.dat.LOG1: Failed to copy: failed to open source object: The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process.
2023/09/23 14:44:42 DEBUG : NTUSER.DAT{53b39e88-18c4-11ea-a811-000d3aa4692b}.TMContainer00000000000000000002.regtrans-ms: Size and modification time the same (differ by -270.7578ms, within tolerance 1s)
2023/09/23 14:44:42 DEBUG : NTUSER.DAT{53b39e88-18c4-11ea-a811-000d3aa4692b}.TMContainer00000000000000000002.regtrans-ms: Unchanged skipping
2023/09/23 14:44:42 DEBUG : URLs.txt: Size and modification time the same (differ by -323.5558ms, within tolerance 1s)
2023/09/23 14:44:42 DEBUG : config.yaml: Size and modification time the same (differ by -259.8734ms, within tolerance 1s)
2023/09/23 14:44:42 DEBUG : .gtk-bookmarks: Size and modification time the same (differ by -116.4236ms, within tolerance 1s)
2023/09/23 14:44:42 ERROR : NTUSER.DAT: Failed to copy: failed to open source object: The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process.
2023/09/23 14:44:42 ERROR : ntuser.dat.LOG2: Failed to copy: failed to open source object: The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process.
2023/09/23 14:44:42 NOTICE: Documents/My Music: Can't follow symlink without -L/--copy-links
2023/09/23 14:44:42 DEBUG : NTUSER.DAT{53b39e88-18c4-11ea-a811-000d3aa4692b}.TMContainer00000000000000000001.regtrans-ms: Size and modification time the same (differ by -270.7578ms, within tolerance 1s)
2023/09/23 14:44:42 DEBUG : NTUSER.DAT{53b39e88-18c4-11ea-a811-000d3aa4692b}.TMContainer00000000000000000001.regtrans-ms: Unchanged skipping
2023/09/23 14:44:42 DEBUG : URLs.txt: Unchanged skipping
2023/09/23 14:44:42 DEBUG : config.yaml: Unchanged skipping
2023/09/23 14:44:42 DEBUG : .gtk-bookmarks: Unchanged skipping
2023/09/23 14:44:42 NOTICE: Documents/My Pictures: Can't follow symlink without -L/--copy-links
2023/09/23 14:44:42 NOTICE: Documents/My Videos: Can't follow symlink without -L/--copy-links
2023/09/23 14:44:42 DEBUG : .fleet/settings.json: Size and modification time the same (differ by 412.6133ms, within tolerance 1s)
2023/09/23 14:44:42 DEBUG : .fleet/settings.json: Unchanged skipping
2023/09/23 14:44:43 DEBUG : .dbus-keyrings/org_gtk_gdbus_general: Size and modification time the same (differ by -186.2621ms, within tolerance 1s)
2023/09/23 14:44:43 DEBUG : .dbus-keyrings/org_gtk_gdbus_general: Unchanged skipping
2023/09/23 14:44:43 DEBUG : .vscode/argv.json: Size and modification time the same (differ by 432.473ms, within tolerance 1s)
2023/09/23 14:44:43 DEBUG : .vscode/argv.json: Unchanged skipping
OK now clear. As per docs you need the following rules:
# exclude file does not matter where it is
- desktop.ini
# include specific folders
+ /Desktop/**
+ /Downloads/**
+ /Documents/**
+ /Pictures/**
+ /Videos/**
+ /AppData/Local/Google/Chrome/**
# exclude everything else
- *
When rules from --filter-from are applied they are evaluated one by one until there is a match. Without - * at the end no rule is applied for e.g. /Test and it is included as well.