Commands

file update

Update a file or folder's metadata in a single request.

poly file update changes a file or folder's metadata — name, tags, rating, notes, indexing opt-out, or custom properties — in a single request. It never touches file bytes and never moves a file between folders; for that, use poly mv.

Usage

poly file update <TARGET>

TARGET accepts a local path inside the sync folder, a //-prefixed Poly path, a deep link, or a web URL — see How it Works for the full reference syntax. At least one mutation flag is required.

Flags

FlagDescription
--name <NAME>Rename the file. Cannot contain /.
--tag <TAG>Add a tag. Repeatable. Prefix with a color, e.g. red:school — see Tags and Colors.
--remove-tag <TAG>Remove a tag. Repeatable.
--rating <0.0-10.0>Set the rating. Conflicts with --remove-rating.
--remove-ratingClear the rating.
--notes <TEXT>Set the notes field. Conflicts with --remove-notes.
--remove-notesClear the notes field.
--do-not-indexOpt the file out of search indexing. Conflicts with --do-index.
--do-indexOpt the file back into search indexing.
--set "<NAME|ID>=<VALUE>"Set a custom property, by name or ID. Repeatable.
--unset "<NAME|ID>"Clear a custom property, by name or ID. Repeatable.

Examples

# Rename a file
poly file update //Home/docs/draft.md --name final.md

# Add colored tags
poly file update //Home/docs/report.pdf --tag red:school --tag blue:urgent

# Remove a tag and set a rating
poly file update //Home/photos/sunset.jpg --remove-tag draft --rating 8.5

# Clear notes and opt out of indexing
poly file update //Home/docs/private.pdf --remove-notes --do-not-index

# Set a custom property
poly file update //Home/docs/report.pdf --set "reviewed=true"

# Combine multiple mutations in one request
poly file update //Home/docs/report.pdf --name report-v2.pdf --tag green:done --rating 9
  • mv — move a file between folders (not covered by file update).
  • file write — change bytes instead of metadata.
  • file history — see past updates to a file.
  • Tags and Colors — colored tag syntax and Finder tag sync.
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