📖 Chapter 03 — Active Project Scratch

The fast, ephemeral side of the pyramid. Where current work lives.

Learning Objectives

• Design the scratch layout for the current project
• Use Syncthing to keep the scratch safe on the NAS
• Manage proxies so the laptop doesn't choke on heavy source media
• Decide when the scratch is done and the project moves to the archive

Introduction

The archive (Chapter 02) is for finished work. The scratch is for work in motion. The scratch is fast, ephemeral, and lives on the laptop SSD. The scratch is the only place where editing actually happens.

This chapter is the in-progress side of the hybrid workflow. Where the files go while you're editing, how the safety net works, and when to delete the scratch.

The scratch layout

On the laptop, the scratch lives in ~/Projects/Active/<project-slug>/. The same structure as the archive, but the contents change daily:

The source/ directory is a symlink to the NAS. The actual source media lives on the NAS (in Media/Active/<project-slug>/source/). The symlink means the editor sees the source as if it's local, but the bytes come from the network.

Proxies: when the source is too heavy

For 4K source media, the bitrate can be 100+ Mbps. That's beyond what 1 GbE can comfortably deliver for live editing. The solution: proxies.

Proxies are low-resolution, low-bitrate versions of the source media. The editor plays the proxy (which loads fast), but the final render uses the original source (which is high quality). The mapping between proxy and source is automatic.

Creating proxies:

• DaVinci Resolve: built-in proxy generation. Set the project to use proxies, Resolve generates them in the background, you edit using them.
• Premiere Pro: built-in proxy workflow (similar to Resolve).
• Final Cut Pro: optimized media (the equivalent).

Proxy media can be 5-10% the size of the source. For a 100 GB source folder, the proxies are 5-10 GB. That fits on the laptop SSD easily.

The Syncthing safety net

From Chapter 01: Syncthing runs on the laptop and the NAS, keeping the active project folder in sync. The setup, in detail:

1. On the laptop, install Syncthing (or SyncTrayzor for a UI on Windows).
2. On the NAS, install the Syncthing app from the TrueNAS catalog.
3. Pair the two devices:
   • Open Syncthing's web UI on the laptop (default http://localhost:8384).
   • Click "Add Remote Device." Get the device ID of the NAS (from the NAS's Syncthing UI).
   • On the NAS's UI, accept the pairing from the laptop.
4. Share the active projects folder:
   • On the laptop, add a folder: ~/Projects/Active.
   • Send to the NAS. On the NAS, accept the share, map it to /mnt/tank/Media/Active.
5. Set the folder type to "Send & Receive" (both sides can write).
6. Set ignore patterns:
   • **/.DS_Store
   • **/Thumbs.db
   • **/*.lock (editor lock files, not real data)
   • **/cache/ (the render cache can be regenerated)

After setup, every save on the laptop syncs to the NAS within seconds. If the laptop dies, you lose at most a few minutes of work.

What to sync, what not to sync

Syncthing syncs everything in the folder by default. For an active project, that's mostly right — but there are exceptions:

• Sync: project files, proxy media, assets, in-progress renders, source symlinks (but not the source media itself — that's already on the NAS).
• Don't sync: render cache (regenerable), the source media itself (already on NAS, syncing it back is wasteful), temporary files.

The conversation's rule: the NAS is the source of truth for source media. The laptop is the source of truth for project state. Syncthing keeps them in sync; if they conflict (laptop edited offline, then reconnected), the laptop wins for project files, the NAS wins for source media.

The "laptop died" recovery

The laptop dies. Hard drive failure, theft, dropped coffee. What now?

1. Get a new laptop. Install the NLE. Install Syncthing.
2. Pair the new laptop with the NAS. The active projects folder syncs down.
3. Within minutes, you have the project files, proxy media, and assets. You can resume editing.
4. What you don't have: the source media if you didn't have it on the NAS. (You do, because we put it there. So you have that too.)
5. What you might lose: the in-progress render cache and any unsaved work from the last few minutes before the crash. The NLE's auto-save (every 1-5 minutes) covers most of that.

The cost: 30 minutes of setup time to resume. The alternative (no Syncthing, no NAS): days of re-editing from scratch. The math is obvious.

When the project is done

The project is finished, exported, uploaded. Now what?

1. Stop Syncthing on the project folder (or move the folder out of the Syncthing path so it stops syncing).
2. Run the archive script (Chapter 02): create the proper structure on the NAS in Media/Archive/<year>/<slug>/.
3. Copy the source media, project files, assets, and final renders to the archive location.
4. Verify the archive by opening the project from the NAS in a fresh editor session. (Optional but worth doing once.)
5. Delete the scratch on the laptop. The laptop SSD is freed up for the next project.
6. Delete the project's working folder from Media/Active on the NAS. It's been archived; the active copy is no longer needed.

The laptop is clean. The archive is complete. The next project starts with a fresh scratch.

The "what if I'm doing multiple projects" case

For most creators, one project at a time is the rule. But sometimes two or three are in flight. The pattern:

• Each project has its own ~/Projects/Active/<slug>/ folder.
• Syncthing syncs the parent ~/Projects/Active/ folder. All subfolders sync.
• On the NAS, each project gets its own Media/Active/<slug>/ folder.

The syncing is per-file, not per-folder, so multiple in-flight projects are fine. The NAS has plenty of space (44 TB usable in the base config; you're not close to filling it).

Common pitfalls

• Syncing the source media back to the NAS. The source is on the NAS; syncing it back to the NAS through Syncthing is wasteful and can create loops. Don't put the source in the Syncthing folder; use a symlink instead.
• Syncing the render cache. DaVinci and Premiere generate large cache files. They can be regenerated. Ignore them in Syncthing.
• Not ignoring OS metadata. .DS_Store and Thumbs.db files don't need to be in the archive. Ignore them.
• Forgetting to delete the scratch when the project is done. The laptop SSD fills up. Audit every 3 months.

Engineering Note

Summary

The scratch is the laptop SSD; the active is the NAS Media/Active; the archive is the NAS Media/Archive. Syncthing keeps the scratch in sync with the NAS. Proxies let you edit heavy source media on a normal laptop. When the project is done, the scratch is freed up and the archive is created. The discipline is: one project at a time on the scratch, archive on completion, no exceptions.

Checklist

• ⬜ Set up Syncthing on the laptop and the NAS
• ⬜ Configure the shared folder: ~/Projects/Active ↔ /mnt/tank/Media/Active
• ⬜ Set ignore patterns: **/.DS_Store, **/Thumbs.db, **/*.lock, **/cache/
• ⬜ Verify: edit a file on the laptop, watch it appear on the NAS within seconds
• ⬜ Audit: every 3 months, free up scratch space on the laptop

Looking Ahead

Chapter 04 is render workflows: where the actual rendering happens. Local on the laptop, on the NAS, or somewhere else. The choice depends on the project, the hardware, and the deadline.

Ch 03 · v0.1 · drafted from the original ChatGPT conversation, July 2026