Skymir

Skymir is a native Google Drive sync client built specifically for Linux. It mirrors your Google Drive folders to local disk, keeps them in perfect two-way sync, lets you open Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides with a double-click, and shows sync status in a native GTK system tray. It is designed for Linux users who need reliable access to their Google Drive files without relying on Google's own desktop client, which is available only for Windows and macOS. The product's main purpose is to provide a safe, fast, and fully integrated Google Drive experience on Debian-based Linux distributions. Google has never released a Google Drive desktop application for Linux. Google Drive for desktop runs on Windows and macOS only. This leaves Linux users without an official, native way to sync their Drive files to local disk. Many have turned to tools like rclone, which is excellent for bulk transfers but not optimized for keeping a working folder in sync with Drive's native documents. The creators of Skymir experienced this firsthand: a sync run using rclone's bisync deleted 1,437 of their Google Docs because the native Docs, Sheets, and Slides were treated as missing files. That event led to building Skymir from scratch with a safety-first approach, ensuring that Google Docs become shortcuts rather than "missing files," and that every deletion goes to a trash you can restore from on both sides. True mirror mode is the core of Skymir. It mirrors your entire Google Drive — or just the folders you choose — in perfect sync with local disk. You can edit on either side, and changes flow both ways. Full offline access is available, so you can work on your files even without an internet connection. Deletions propagate safely to the trash on both sides, with a 30-day recovery period and never permanent. A sync that would delete more than half your files is refused, preventing catastrophic data loss. Because Skymir is built from scratch on the Google Drive API, your files are real files on disk, not a virtual filesystem. Skymir generates .gdoc, .gsheet, and .gslides shortcut files for every native Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides file in your Drive. These shortcuts let you open the live document directly from your file manager. Double-click a .gdoc file in Nemo, Nautilus, or Dolphin and the document opens in your browser. This bridges the gap between local file management and Google's cloud-native documents without requiring you to manually navigate the web interface. It also means your Google Docs are never treated as "missing files" during sync, which was the root cause of the data loss that inspired Skymir. Quick, incremental sync keeps your files up to date without unnecessary work. When you save a file locally, it is on Drive within seconds. Changes made in Drive — whether on the web, your phone, or another computer — come down within about a minute. Skymir asks Drive only for what changed since the last check using the changes.list API endpoint, so it never rescans your whole Drive. This makes syncing fast and efficient, even for large Drives. The background daemon runs continuously, keeping everything in sync while the tray icon shows current status. Skymir also includes a Recent Activity window that lists downloads, uploads, deletions, and shortcut creations with timestamps, giving you a clear audit trail of sync actions. The native GTK tray is a real AppIndicator3 icon that matches your Mint, GNOME, Cinnamon, KDE, or XFCE theme. It shows sync status at a glance, so you can see whether everything is up to date. Quick actions are available directly from the tray menu: sync now, pause, open folder, and open settings. This provides a native Linux experience, unlike tools that rely on command-line interfaces or non-native toolkits. The tray also displays trial status and last sync time, keeping you informed without needing to open the main application window. Skymir offers two sync modes to fit different needs. Full Drive Sync mirrors every top-level folder in your My Drive and automatically picks up new folders you create later — the same model as Google Drive Desktop on Windows and Mac. Selective mode lets you choose exactly which folders to mirror, so you can leave large or noisy folders behind. You pick at first-run setup, and you can switch between the two any time in Settings → Folders. Either way, only your My Drive is mirrored; shared drives are not supported yet. Installation is straightforward: add the skymir.app apt repository or download the .deb directly. The app works on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Debian, Pop!_OS, and other Debian-based distributions. Skymir's approach is built on safety, transparency, and independence. It is an independent third-party application built on top of Google's public Drive API, not affiliated with or endorsed by Google. Your Google Drive data moves only between your computer and Google — Skymir never sees or stores it. The app sends only a small amount of data to its own server: email address and OS version at setup, license key and a random machine identifier at activation, and a weekly "still alive" ping. No usage telemetry, crash reports, or file information is collected. There is no vendor lock-in: if you uninstall Skymir, your local files stay on your disk and your Drive content stays in Google Drive. Pricing is simple and transparent. Skymir costs $19 as a one-time purchase with lifetime updates and no subscription ever. A 14-day free trial offers full functionality with no credit card required. After the trial, you need to purchase a license to continue using the graphical app and background sync. Each license activates one machine at a time, and you can move between computers anytime via deactivation. A 30-day no-questions-asked refund policy is available. Email support is provided at support@skymir.app. Use cases for Skymir are varied. You can mirror your entire Google Drive for full offline access on a Linux laptop. Selective sync lets you keep only the folders you need, leaving large or noisy folders in the cloud. Writers, developers, and researchers can open Google Docs from their file manager with a double-click. Teams and individuals working across multiple devices can rely on quick incremental sync to keep files current. Anyone who has experienced data loss with other sync tools will appreciate Skymir's safety features, including trash recovery and the refusal to delete more than half your files. The app is tested on Linux Mint 22.3, Ubuntu 24.04.4 LTS, Ubuntu 22.04.5 LTS, and Debian 13 "Trixie" across Cinnamon, GNOME, and KDE Plasma. In summary, Skymir is the native Google Drive client that Google never built for Linux. It combines true mirror mode, double-click Google Docs shortcuts, quick incremental sync, and a native GTK tray into a single application. Built safety-first from the ground up on the Google Drive API, it protects your files with trash recovery and deletion safeguards. With a one-time price of $19, a 14-day free trial, and no subscription, Skymir offers a compelling, reliable solution for Linux users who need Google Drive sync that just works.