Too Many Levels of Symbolic Links

Drew Drucker

I keep getting this error from most of the Native Instruments plugins. I've deleted the plugins tried to reinstall them and still get this error. I attempted to contact NI tech support, but they didn't respond. I have been stuck on this for over a week now. I really would be disappointed if I can't ever use the Native stuff again.

Could not complete your request because boost::filesystem::status: Too many levels of symbolic links [system:62]: "/Users/drewdrucker/Documents/Native Instruments/User Content/Bite".

MrCee

Okay so it's great, you should have a symbolic link in your Documents pointing to separate Native Instruments folder, not everyone does this. It's the way to go. Just make sure that symlink isn't going further than /Users/drewdrucker/Documents/Native Instruments/

Your apps should then have the complete PATHS configured after that.
Example:

/Users/drewdrucker/Documents/Native Instruments/User Content/Bite/

If using Traktor, the File Management section in settings would look like this:

/Users/drewdrucker/Native Instruments/Traktor 3.11.1/
/Users/drewdrucker/Native Instruments/Tracktor Samples/
/Users/drewdrucker/Native Instruments/Tracktor Content Import/

The error you are getting is caused by unnecessary links after your initial link, or further symbolic links potentially within links trying to do the same thing that maybe causing a loop.
To check your symbolic links run this in terminal:
[EDIT: includes generic $(whoami) so anyone on macOS can run using the following without needing to edit the username in the DIR PATH]

#!/bin/bash
DIR="/Users/$(whoami)/Documents/Native Instruments"
MAX_DEPTH=10
check_symlinks() {
    find "$1" -type l -print0 | while IFS= read -r -d '' symlink; do
        target=$(readlink "$symlink")
        if [[ -z "$target" ]]; then
            echo "Could not read target of $symlink"
            continue
        fi

        current="$symlink"
        depth=0
        while [[ -L "$current" ]]; do
            if [[ $depth -ge $MAX_DEPTH ]]; then
                echo "Too many levels of symbolic links: $symlink"
                break
            fi
            current=$(readlink "$current")
            depth=$((depth + 1))
        done

        if [[ -e "$current" ]]; then
            echo "Symbolic link: $symlink -> $target"
        else
            echo "Broken symbolic link or loop: $symlink -> $target"
        fi
    done
}
check_symlinks "$DIR"

Let me know the output, it would be interesting to see.

MrCee

Okay so it's great, you should have a symbolic link in your Documents pointing to separate Native Instruments folder, not everyone does this. It's the way to go. Just make sure that symlink isn't going further than /Users/drewdrucker/Documents/Native Instruments/

Your apps should then have the complete PATHS configured after that.
Example:

/Users/drewdrucker/Documents/Native Instruments/User Content/Bite/

If using Traktor, the File Management section in settings would look like this:

/Users/drewdrucker/Native Instruments/Traktor 3.11.1/
/Users/drewdrucker/Native Instruments/Tracktor Samples/
/Users/drewdrucker/Native Instruments/Tracktor Content Import/

The error you are getting is caused by unnecessary links after your initial link, or further symbolic links potentially within links trying to do the same thing that maybe causing a loop.
To check your symbolic links run this in terminal:
[EDIT: includes generic $(whoami) so anyone on macOS can run using the following without needing to edit the username in the DIR PATH]

#!/bin/bash
DIR="/Users/$(whoami)/Documents/Native Instruments"
MAX_DEPTH=10
check_symlinks() {
    find "$1" -type l -print0 | while IFS= read -r -d '' symlink; do
        target=$(readlink "$symlink")
        if [[ -z "$target" ]]; then
            echo "Could not read target of $symlink"
            continue
        fi

        current="$symlink"
        depth=0
        while [[ -L "$current" ]]; do
            if [[ $depth -ge $MAX_DEPTH ]]; then
                echo "Too many levels of symbolic links: $symlink"
                break
            fi
            current=$(readlink "$current")
            depth=$((depth + 1))
        done

        if [[ -e "$current" ]]; then
            echo "Symbolic link: $symlink -> $target"
        else
            echo "Broken symbolic link or loop: $symlink -> $target"
        fi
    done
}
check_symlinks "$DIR"

Let me know the output, it would be interesting to see.

Drew Drucker

Thanks for the comment.

It appears my documents folder is named: Documents - Drew's Mac Mini

In the error, it appears it's just looking for a folder named Documents. The OS won't let me change the folder to just plain Documents for some reason, when I try, OS tells me there's already a folder named that. Is there any way to redirect the folder to 'Documents - Drew's Mac Mini" instead of just plain Documents?

I ran the script you gave me in the terminal and got this:

DIR="/Users/drewdrucker/Documents/Native Instruments"

check_symlinks() {

find "$1" -type l -print0 | while IFS= read -r -d '' symlink; do

target=$(readlink "$symlink")

if [[ -e "$target" ]]; then

echo "Symbolic link: $symlink -> $target"

else

echo "Broken symbolic link: $symlink -> $target"

fi

done

}

check_symlinks "$DIR"

zsh: event not found: /bin/bash

drewdrucker@Drews-Mac-mini ~ % 

drewdrucker@Drews-Mac-mini ~ % 

MrCee

the code is not incorrect, the #!/bin/bash should be included in any script but you dont nessacarily need to paste that into terminal, and if you do it needs to be exactly as shown so the system can interoperate your shell.

I updated the script a few hours later and included an edit so you should be pasting a version that uses the $(whoami) variable.

DIR="/Users/$(whoami)/Documents/Native Instruments"

Apologies for confusion if you are working from the original content in an email. Thats my bad not having this response in order first time.

MacOS does include bash, always. You wont need to specify this when running in the terminal usually but hey since we are working with the above script you would normally include the entire script as I mentioned starting with the shebang line "#!/bin/bash"

MrCee

And hey, the only other part I can potentially help with here is…
Having the folder structure /Users/$(whoami)/Documents is a fundamental basic of owning a Mac.
You should never try and rename Documents folder. A better question to ask you is why do you want to set '/Users/drewdrucker/Documents - Drew's Mac Mini' separately?

If you strip back your setup to '/Users/drewdrucker/Documents' and create 1 symlink in that directory (and you do know what you are doing here regards symlinks) it should point to "/Users/drewdrucker/Documents/Native Instruments" where a separate directory is present so your symlink actually works.

Give it a go…. and dont edit $(whoami) because it's a shell command and it's apart of the code.
Furthermore, just to be concise and explain: this will clean up and remove your symlinks, not data, and recreate the one you need to work effectively…

find "/Users/$(whoami)/Documents/Native Instruments" -type l -exec rm -f {} +
ln -s "/Users/$(whoami)/Native Instruments" "/Users/$(whoami)/Documents/Native Instruments"

One you have that, run the script again.

Drew Drucker

Thanks for the responses.

Honestly, I never use Terminal, so most of this stuff is out of my scope of knowledge. I've never used symlink stuff either, so not sure where to begin with that. All these errors started to occur when I was attempting to run a bunch of NI updates.

I don't recall changing the documents folder name. I think iCloud did it automatically because I have a laptop too, and was backing up both computers to the cloud. I turned off iCloud backups a while ago, but I think it never reverted back the basic folder name.

Is there a way to just retitle to plain Documents folder without wiping my computer? I definitely don't need any custom naming here.

MrCee

Oh I see, with iCloud turned on for Documents and Desktop, that's a whole other variable.
Were you expecting the Native Instruments files to be synchronised across both computers using iCloud?
It can be done, but iCloud isn't really the best tool for that purpose, and symlinks won't work in that case.
Maybe there are some other users on this forum that happy keep a Native Instruments folder containing hundreds of gigabytes of data in their Documents with iCloud on. but I won't do this. I don't trust the file sync process.

To fix the issue: You're best bet is to turn off iCloud for Documents and Desktop, you can and should keep it on for everything else.

Once you have done that your /Users/$USER/Documents folder will become visible again, and it's up to you to drag everything back into it. Remove any symlinks from the Documents folder, they don't get backed up to iCloud in any event. Delete all other left over Document folders that have another name.

At a later stage you can turn it on but keep your Native Instruments folder outside of Documents and get all your apps to point directly at the directory.

So when it comes to NI Updates, depending of what you chose during install and update, often the installation wizards will default to looking for a directory in your '/Users/$USER/Documents/Native Instruments' which can really mess things up. That's the whole point of why I keep a symlink that I don't use in any apps, just incase. So I do not to rely or reference this path on it in Traktor. It's there just uncase of an update or install if I haven't selected the correct paths.

I would recommend:

MOVE: '/Users/$USER/Documents/Native Instruments' TO: '/Users/$USER/Native Instruments'

MOVE FILES CONTAINED IN: 'Documents - Drew's Mac Mini' TO: ''/Users/$USER/Documents' after iCloud Documents & Desktop is turned off and you can see the standard folder in finder account under your name.

Clean out any symlinks from the Documents folder till you are ready to try this again, and if you do recreate a symlink, it's only to fall back on if a NI default install/update tries install into your Documents folder.
You don't want the settings any NI apps to mention the Documents in any path, You would map settings direct to '/Users/$USER/Native Instruments' in all apps.

List them first in terminal:

find /Users/$USER/Documents -type l

Delete them manually.

Drew Drucker

iCloud backups have been turned off for a while now. But it won't let me rename the folder back to just "documents". It says there's already a folder with that name, but when I search for it under "Go" in the finder menu, OS can't find it.

I don't keep any NI sample libraries on my desktop, they're on an external drive.

MrCee

So don't try and rename it. Drag the files within it to the macOS Documents folder.

Can you see it here in Finder settings?

If you go to your user home as shown above, do you now see it?

In iCloud settings, you need to make sure the below setting is off to make Documents become visible again in the usual macOS location as well as select it in Finder settings above.

Drew Drucker

Ok. Thanks again for all the input here.

I go to Finder Settings. The Documents "Favorites" was not clicked. I click it. Nothing happens on my sidebar in the finder window. Then for some reason, OS un clicks the box on its own. If I go click the General Tab on the finder settings window, then back to the sidebar tab. The documents "favorites" becomes unchecked again.

iCloud backups are turned off; under "sync this Mac".

It's as if the MacOS documents folder doesn't exist.