ADR-0001 · Google Drive as SSOT
We considered a separate Obsidian vault synced via Syncthing (peer-to-peer across Mac, Phone, VPS) as the primary knowledge store, with Google Drive as a secondary collaboration layer. We chose Google Drive as the single source of truth instead, with rclone mount on the VPS for agent access.
The deciding factors: Francois’s existing PARA structure and years of history already live in Google Drive. Running two sync systems (Google Drive Desktop + Syncthing) on the same files risks conflicts. Google Drive natively handles collaboration (.gdoc, .gsheet) which a Syncthing vault cannot. The only gap — editing .md on mobile — is solved by Markor + Hermes via Telegram, not by adding an entire sync layer.
Considered Options
Section titled “Considered Options”- Syncthing + Obsidian vault (separate from Google Drive): Provider-agnostic, local-first, excellent for .md. But requires migrating existing content, creates two sources of truth, and adds Syncthing ops on every device.
- Google Drive SSOT + rclone on VPS: Keeps existing workflow, one source of truth, no migration needed. Trades provider-agnosticism (Google dependency) for simplicity and continuity.
Consequences
Section titled “Consequences”- The estate depends on Google Drive availability. If Google locks the account, the rclone mount and all agent access stops until resolved.
- Weekly backups to external HD mitigate this risk.
- Switching to a different cloud storage later requires migrating files and reconfiguring rclone (rclone supports 70+ backends, so the VPS-side change is minimal).