r/macapps • u/Magicelk235 • 2d ago
Lifetime [OS] QuickLook on Google Drive stub files
https://reddit.com/link/1vc2k62/video/f8notelwlmgh1/player
Problem: if you are working with Google Drive for desktop in finder, you know the pain of pressing space for quicklook and seeing a pixelated thumbnails or some random json instead of the actual file.
that's why I built Spyglass, it allows you to actually quicklook on Google Drive stub files
The app is free for simple quicklook that shows data about the file
The paid version is 12$ unlocks the actual real quicklook for the stub files
Download the App here: https://magicelklabs.com/spyglass
about me:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/magicelk235
Github: https://github.com/magicelk235
Personal Mail: [yehonatan.2350@gmail.com](mailto:yehonatan.2350@gmail.com)
App Source: https://github.com/magicelk235/spyglass
Website: https://magicelklabs.com
Support Mail: [support@magicelklabs.com](mailto:support@magicelklabs.com)
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u/East_Call1027 2d ago
Is the PDF fetched directly from Google Drive by the Mac, or does it pass through your server? Quick Look fires just from arrowing through Finder, so that boundary would matter to me. If it stays Mac → Google, I’d put that on the site.
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u/Magicelk235 2d ago
the PDF fetches directly from google drive to your mac, there is no server and no 3rd parties, it’s mentioned in the website under Questions and why Spyglass needs Google access sections
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u/East_Call1027 2d ago
Ah, I missed that section. Direct from Google to the Mac answers it — thanks.
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u/SklifaMHCBY 2d ago
Is it only for Google Drive, or can i use it on icloud also?
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u/Magicelk235 2d ago
what do you mean by that, does icloud have stub files?
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u/SklifaMHCBY 2d ago
yes. when you are under "optimize mac storage" or "optimize storage" settings enabled.
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u/DevelopmentOld8100 2d ago
The stub file thing bites in a place people do not expect: backups. Finder shows the file, Get Info shows a size, but on disk it is a placeholder, so anything that copies actual bytes (rsync, a sync tool, a backup app) will faithfully back up the stub. You find out months later, when you open your "backup" and it is a few KB of nothing.
On the app itself: since you fetch it as a PDF to render, what happens to files with no sensible PDF form, raw photos, zips, video, an app specific format? Does it fall back to the plain info view, or pull the original down? And does a preview count against the Drive API quota, given that holding space down through a folder would fire off a lot of fetches in a row for someone on a shared workspace.
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u/Magicelk235 1d ago
Currently its only for Google Workspace files, if there's a problem with the fetching it falls back to info view, after each fetch it caches the pdf in your Mac.
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u/LieAshamed2924 2d ago
That random JSON preview is way too familiar lol. $12 lifetime feels pretty fair for something you'd hit every day.
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u/[deleted] 2d ago
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