rclone Listremotes

rclone listremotes prints every remote defined in your config file. It's the fastest way to confirm which storage backends are available on the current system.

Quick Summary

Each line of output is a remote name followed by a colon. Use this to verify your config, list available remotes in scripts, or troubleshoot connection issues.

Basic Syntax

rclone listremotes [flags]

Output Example

gdrive:
wasabi:
backup-s3:
sftp-prod:

Key Flags

Flag	Description
--long	Show remote type alongside name
--config PATH	Use a specific config file

# Show remotes with their types
rclone listremotes --long

gdrive:    drive
wasabi:    s3
backup-s3: s3
sftp-prod: sftp

Practical Examples

Check Available Remotes After Setup

# Verify config after running rclone config
rclone listremotes

Use in Scripts

# Iterate over all remotes
for remote in $(rclone listremotes); do
  echo "Checking ${remote}"
  rclone about "${remote}" 2>/dev/null || echo "  → unavailable"
done

Verify a Specific Remote Exists

# Check if a remote is configured before using it
if rclone listremotes | grep -q "^backup-s3:$"; then
  rclone copy /var/www/html backup-s3:my-bucket/www/
else
  echo "Remote 'backup-s3' not configured"
  exit 1
fi

Show Remotes from a Custom Config

rclone listremotes --config /etc/rclone/production.conf

Common Pitfalls

Pitfall	Consequence	Prevention
Remote listed but not reachable	Config exists but credentials are expired	Test with rclone lsd remote:
Multiple config files	Different remotes in different configs	Use rclone config file to confirm which config is active
Remote name typo in scripts	Failed to create file system error	Validate with listremotes before use

What's Next

Examples with Output

1. Simple remote listing

Get a quick list of all your config names. Command:

rclone listremotes

Output:

gdrive:
my-s3:
one-drive:

2. List remotes with types

Identify which provider each remote uses. Command:

rclone listremotes --long

Output:

gdrive:    drive
my-s3:     s3
one-drive: onedrive

3. Check specific config file

List remotes from an alternative configuration file. Command:

rclone listremotes --config /etc/rclone/prod.conf

Output:

production-s3:
shared-drive:

4. Count total remotes

Useful for automation scripts to verify setup. Command:

rclone listremotes | wc -l

Output:

3

5. Use in a for-loop

Iterate through remotes to perform health checks. Command:

for r in $(rclone listremotes); do rclone about "$r" | head -n 1; done

Output:

Total:   15 GiB
Total:   1 TiB
Total:   5 GiB