canon exclude
Manage source exclusions. Excluded sources are skipped by most commands.
# Mark sources as excluded (e.g., small files, temp files)
canon exclude set --where 'source.size<1000'
canon exclude set /path/to/photos --where 'source.ext=tmp'
# Exclude a specific file by path
canon exclude set /path/to/photos/unwanted.jpg
# Exclude by source ID (shown in ls --duplicates output)
canon exclude set --id 12345
# Preview what would be excluded
canon exclude set --where 'source.ext=bak' --dry-run
# Skip confirmation prompt (for scripting)
canon exclude set --where 'source.ext=bak' --yes
# View excluded sources (use ls --excluded instead of the removed exclude list)
canon ls --excluded
canon ls --excluded /path/to/photos
# Remove exclusions
canon exclude clear
canon exclude clear --where 'source.ext=tmp'
# Preview what would be cleared
canon exclude clear --where 'source.ext=tmp' --dry-run
# Skip confirmation prompt
canon exclude clear --yes
When excluding or clearing more than one source, a confirmation prompt shows the count, root spread, and (for exclude set) archive coverage before proceeding. Use --yes to skip the prompt, or --dry-run to preview without executing.
canon exclude duplicates
Automatically exclude duplicate files while keeping copies in a preferred location.
# Exclude duplicates, keeping files under /preferred/path
canon exclude duplicates /scope/path --prefer /preferred/path
# Preview what would be excluded
canon exclude duplicates /scope/path --prefer /preferred/path --dry-run
# Skip confirmation prompt
canon exclude duplicates /scope/path --prefer /preferred/path --yes
# With filters
canon exclude duplicates /scope/path --prefer /preferred/path --where 'source.ext=jpg'
This is useful for deduplicating across backup drives while keeping the “canonical” copy in your preferred location.
When excluding more than one source, a confirmation prompt shows the count, number of duplicate groups, and skip statistics before proceeding. Use --yes to skip the prompt.
How exclusions affect other commands:
| Command | Default behavior | Override |
|---|---|---|
ls | Skips excluded | --include excluded or --excluded filter mode |
worklist | Skips excluded | --include excluded |
facts | Skips excluded, shows count | --include excluded |
coverage | Stats on included only | --include excluded shows excluded dimension |
cluster generate | Always skips excluded | No override (hard gate) |
apply | Blocks if manifest has excluded | No override (hard gate) |
Exclusions are stored directly on sources and objects in the database.