Cross-Repository Sync

Handles syncing files between BobTheSkull5 and BobFast5 repositories, particularly audio files and shared components.

When to Use

• Syncing audio files between repos
• Copying static assets (greetings, startup audio, testing audio)
• Updating shared components
• Managing the dual-repo workflow
• Deploying to Raspberry Pi

Repository Structure

BobTheSkull5 (Main repo):

• Full system with MQTT, distributed architecture
• Web configuration interface
• All components and services

BobFast5 (Legacy/Testing repo):

• Simpler architecture
• Used for quick audio testing
• Shares audio files with BobTheSkull5

Common Sync Paths

Audio Files

Greetings:

From: BobTheSkull5/audio/static/greetings/
To:   BobFast5/audio/static/greetings/

Startup:

From: BobTheSkull5/audio/static/startup/
To:   BobFast5/audio/static/startup/

Testing:

From: BobTheSkull5/audio/static/testing/
To:   BobFast5/audio/static/testing/

Sync Commands

Windows (cmd)

Copy single file:

copy "BobTheSkull5\audio\static\testing\filename.mp3" "BobFast5\audio\static\testing\"

Copy all files in directory:

xcopy "BobTheSkull5\audio\static\greetings\*.mp3" "BobFast5\audio\static\greetings\" /Y

Sync entire audio tree:

xcopy "BobTheSkull5\audio\static" "BobFast5\audio\static" /E /Y

Git Bash / WSL

Copy single file:

cp "BobTheSkull5/audio/static/testing/filename.mp3" "BobFast5/audio/static/testing/"

Copy all MP3s:

cp BobTheSkull5/audio/static/greetings/*.mp3 BobFast5/audio/static/greetings/

Sync with rsync:

rsync -av BobTheSkull5/audio/static/ BobFast5/audio/static/

Safe Sync Workflow

1. Check current directory:

   pwd  # Should be in parent directory containing both repos
   ls   # Should see both BobTheSkull5 and BobFast5
   

2. Verify source files exist:

   ls BobTheSkull5/audio/static/testing/*.mp3
   

3. Verify destination directory exists:

   ls BobFast5/audio/static/testing/
   

4. Perform sync with confirmation:

   # Windows - shows files before copying
   dir "BobTheSkull5\audio\static\testing\*.mp3"
   xcopy "BobTheSkull5\audio\static\testing\*.mp3" "BobFast5\audio\static\testing\" /Y
   

5. Verify sync succeeded:

   ls BobFast5/audio/static/testing/
   

Audio Generation Workflow

When generating new audio files:

1. Generate in BobTheSkull5:

   cd BobTheSkull5
   python generate_greeting_audio.py
   # or
   python generate_startup_audio.py
   

2. Verify generated files:

   ls audio/static/greetings/  # Check new files exist
   

3. Sync to BobFast5:

   cd ..  # Go to parent directory
   cp BobTheSkull5/audio/static/greetings/*.mp3 BobFast5/audio/static/greetings/
   

4. Test in BobFast5:

   cd BobFast5
   # Run tests or play audio
   

Deploy to Pi Workflow

The deploy_to_pi.bat script handles syncing to Raspberry Pi:

# From BobTheSkull5 directory
deploy_to_pi.bat

This copies:

• All Python files
• Configuration files (requirements, .env.bob)
• Setup scripts
• Component directories (events, wake_word, stt, llm, tts, state_machine, vision, hardware, web)

What NOT to Sync

Never copy these:

• .git/ directories
• Virtual environments (venv/, .venv/)
• __pycache__/ directories
• .pyc files
• Local configuration (.env, config.yaml)
• Database files (*.db, *.sqlite)
• Log files (logs/)
• Face data (facedata/)
• Embeddings (EmbeddingsDB/, LongTermDB/)

Selective Sync Pattern

Only sync specific audio categories:

REM Greetings only
xcopy "BobTheSkull5\audio\static\greetings\*.mp3" "BobFast5\audio\static\greetings\" /Y

REM Testing files only
xcopy "BobTheSkull5\audio\static\testing\*.mp3" "BobFast5\audio\static\testing\" /Y

REM Startup sounds only
xcopy "BobTheSkull5\audio\static\startup\*.mp3" "BobFast5\audio\static\startup\" /Y

Bi-directional Sync Caution

Usually sync is one-way: BobTheSkull5 → BobFast5

Reverse sync (BobFast5 → BobTheSkull5) is rare and should be done carefully:

• Only for audio testing results
• Only for experimental audio files
• Never for code changes (different architectures)

Common Sync Scenarios

After generating new greetings:

cd /c/Users/Knarl/Code
cp BobTheSkull5/audio/static/greetings/*.mp3 BobFast5/audio/static/greetings/

After generating test audio:

cd /c/Users/Knarl/Code
cp BobTheSkull5/audio/static/testing/*.mp3 BobFast5/audio/static/testing/

Before deploying to Pi:

cd /c/Users/Knarl/Code/BobTheSkull5
cmd /c deploy_to_pi.bat

Full audio sync:

cd /c/Users/Knarl/Code
rsync -av --include='*.mp3' --include='*.wav' --include='*/' --exclude='*' \
  BobTheSkull5/audio/static/ BobFast5/audio/static/

Automation Script Example

@echo off
REM sync_audio.bat - Sync all audio files
REM Usage: sync_audio.bat

echo Syncing audio files from BobTheSkull5 to BobFast5...

echo [1/3] Syncing greetings...
xcopy "%CD%\BobTheSkull5\audio\static\greetings\*.mp3" "%CD%\BobFast5\audio\static\greetings\" /Y /Q

echo [2/3] Syncing startup sounds...
xcopy "%CD%\BobTheSkull5\audio\static\startup\*.mp3" "%CD%\BobFast5\audio\static\startup\" /Y /Q

echo [3/3] Syncing testing audio...
xcopy "%CD%\BobTheSkull5\audio\static\testing\*.mp3" "%CD%\BobFast5\audio\static\testing\" /Y /Q

echo.
echo Sync complete!
pause

Verification Commands

Check file counts match:

# Linux/Git Bash
diff <(ls BobTheSkull5/audio/static/greetings/) <(ls BobFast5/audio/static/greetings/)

# Windows PowerShell
Compare-Object (Get-ChildItem BobTheSkull5\audio\static\greetings) (Get-ChildItem BobFast5\audio\static\greetings)

Check file sizes match:

# Linux/Git Bash
ls -lh BobTheSkull5/audio/static/greetings/*.mp3
ls -lh BobFast5/audio/static/greetings/*.mp3

Troubleshooting

"File not found" error:

• Check current working directory with pwd or cd
• Verify source path exists: ls BobTheSkull5/audio/static/testing/
• Use tab completion to verify paths

"Permission denied" error:

• Files may be in use (close audio players)
• Check file permissions
• Run command prompt as Administrator (Windows)

Files don't appear after copy:

• Check destination directory: ls BobFast5/audio/static/testing/
• Verify copy command succeeded (check exit code)
• Try absolute paths instead of relative

Wrong files copied:

• Double-check source and destination paths
• Use /Y flag to overwrite without prompting
• Test with single file first before bulk copy

Pro Tips

1. Always run from parent directory containing both repos
2. Use tab completion to avoid typos in paths
3. Verify before bulk operations - test with one file first
4. Check file counts after sync to ensure completeness
5. Use wildcards carefully - *.mp3 not * to avoid copying unwanted files
6. Keep audio in sync - sync immediately after generation
7. Document custom sync scripts if you create automation