# Config-Sync Cross-Preset Contamination **URL:** \ **Category:** Bugs or Unexpected Behavior\ **Created:** [April 18, 2026, 10:55pm UTC](https://community.folivora.ai/t/config-sync-cross-preset-contamination/46782 "2026-04-18T22:55:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![yary\_h](https://community.folivora.ai/user_avatar/community.folivora.ai/yary_h/32/32503_2.png) [@yary\_h](https://community.folivora.ai/u/yary_h)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2026, 10:55pm UTC](https://community.folivora.ai/t/config-sync-cross-preset-contamination/46782/1 "2026-04-18T22:55:42Z")
**Describe the bug** Sync overwrote a recently configured floating menu - I details in β€œSyncing static parent config, excluding dynamic child items” post. This is more details from AI about how the sync failed, to be a general sync-bug report. * * * **Affected input device (e.g. MacBook Trackpad, Magic Mouse/Trackpad, Touch Bar, etc.)**πŸ™‚macbook mouse & menu * * * **Device information:** - Type of Mac:MacBook Pro 14” 2023 - macOS version: 26.4.1 - BetterTouchTool version: 6.396 * * * **Additional information:** AI-generated report # Bug Report: Cross-Preset Contamination β€” Synced Preset Overwrites Local Preset Triggers **Category:** Unexpected Behavior **Reproducibility:** Occurred after BTT update/restart with sync enabled * * * ## Summary After BTT update + restart, triggers in a **local (non-synced) preset** were severely corrupted by data from the **"Synced" preset**. The corruption manifested as: 1. **Empty "zombie" actions** from the Synced preset injected into local preset triggers 2. **Complete deletion** of a complex floating menu trigger 3. **Config property gutting** β€” a floating menu lost 32 of 39 config properties The root cause appears to be a **cross-preset boundary violation** during sync/restart: the Synced preset's data overwrote or deleted data belonging to a completely separate local preset (`sequoia_status_item_bar`). * * * ## Evidence ### 1. Zombie Action Shells (5 instances) Five triggers in the `sequoia_status_item_bar` preset had **empty action shells** injected into them. Each zombie action had: - `BTTTriggerBelongsToPreset: "Synced"` ← **wrong preset** - No `BTTPredefinedActionType` (the field that defines what the action does) - No meaningful configuration β€” just a UUID and preset tag These actions were children of triggers that belonged to `sequoia_status_item_bar`, creating an impossible state: a parent trigger in preset A containing child actions tagged as belonging to preset B. **Affected triggers:** | Trigger | Trigger Preset | Zombie Action UUID | Action's Preset Tag | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Battery status item | sequoia\_status\_item\_bar | _(removed)_ | Synced | | BetterSnapTool status item | sequoia\_status\_item\_bar | _(removed)_ | Synced | | BTT icon status item | sequoia\_status\_item\_bar | 4CBD98D2-... | Synced | | Unnamed status item #1 | sequoia\_status\_item\_bar | _(removed)_ | Synced | | Unnamed status item #2 | sequoia\_status\_item\_bar | _(removed)_ | Synced | The zombie on the BTT icon status item was directly responsible for the StatusItemBar failing to open β€” it was the first action in the action list, and since it had no `BTTPredefinedActionType`, it effectively became a no-op that blocked execution. ### 2. Complete Trigger Deletion β€” HoverRecognitionOverlay The **HoverRecognitionOverlay** floating menu (UUID: `B7C825A4`) was completely deleted from the config. This was a complex trigger with: - 42 config properties defining an invisible hover detection overlay - 3 child items (hover-start action β†’ Show StatusItemBar, dummy hit area, hover-end action β†’ Hide StatusItemBar) - Careful positioning at top-right of the focused screen After the restart, it simply didn't exist. No trace in any preset. It had to be fully recreated from a backup preset file. ### 3. Config Property Gutting β€” StatusItemBar The **StatusItemBar** floating menu (UUID: `356DDAB3`) retained its basic existence but lost most of its configuration: | | Before (from backup) | After corruption | | --- | --- | --- | | `BTTMenuConfig` properties | **39** | **~7** | | Positioning config | Full (relative to screen, anchored center-right) | Missing | | Visual config | Blur, padding, spacing, corner radius, colors | Missing | | Behavior config | Hover animations, visibility, window level | Missing | | `BTTMenuVisibility` | 1 (hidden by default, shown via action) | Missing (defaults to 0 = always visible) | | `BTTMenuElementIdentifier` | "StatusItemBar" | Missing | The menu still existed as a trigger, but with its config stripped it couldn't function β€” it had no positioning, no visibility control, and no element identifier for Show/Hide actions to reference. ### 4. Additional Zombie Items in StatusItemBar Post-recovery inspection found **2 additional zombie child items** inside the StatusItemBar (UUIDs: `8F07173B`, `B061F84F`) that: - Have no `BTTTriggerType` set - Have names equal to their own UUIDs (auto-generated placeholder names) - Have minimal config (only `BTTMenuElementIdentifier` set to their own UUID) - Were not present in the original backup preset These are likely additional artifacts of the cross-preset sync contamination. * * * ## The Anti-Pattern The core issue is a **preset boundary violation**. BTT's preset system implies isolation β€” triggers in preset A should not be affected by sync operations on preset B. But the observed behavior shows: ```auto Synced preset sync/load β†’ Reaches into sequoia_status_item_bar preset β†’ Injects empty action shells with "Synced" preset tag β†’ Deletes HoverRecognitionOverlay entirely β†’ Strips StatusItemBar config to minimal skeleton β†’ Inserts unnamed zombie child items ``` This suggests the sync mechanism may be matching/merging triggers by UUID or some other identifier across preset boundaries, rather than operating strictly within the Synced preset's scope. * * * ## Steps to Reproduce (Suspected) 1. Have two presets: one synced ("Synced"), one local ("sequoia\_status\_item\_bar") 2. Both presets contain Global floating menu triggers 3. Trigger BTT sync (e.g., by updating BTT, which causes a restart) 4. After restart, inspect the local preset's triggers **Note:** I haven't confirmed whether the triggers share any identifiers across presets that could cause UUID-based merging. The corruption might be triggered by overlapping `BTTMenuElementIdentifier` values or by the sync mechanism's trigger-matching logic. * * * ## Impact - **Functional breakage:** The StatusItemBar floating menu stopped appearing entirely (the primary hover trigger was deleted, and the zombie action blocked the fallback) - **Data loss:** 32 config properties lost from StatusItemBar, entire HoverRecognitionOverlay trigger tree deleted - **Silent corruption:** No error messages, no UI indication that anything went wrong. The user only notices when functionality breaks. - **Recovery difficulty:** Required a backup preset file and manual JSON-level restoration. Without the backup, the full config would have been unrecoverable. * * * ## Fix Applied (Manual) 1. Removed all 5 zombie action shells via `manage_trigger_actions` (operation: remove) 2. Restored StatusItemBar's full 39-property `BTTMenuConfig` via `update_btt_trigger` 3. Recreated HoverRecognitionOverlay from backup preset via `create_new_btt_trigger_from_json` 4. Fixed HoverRecognitionOverlay's preset assignment (it defaulted to "Synced" on creation; updated to "sequoia\_status\_item\_bar") 5. Removed 2 additional zombie child items from StatusItemBar * * * ## Suggested Fix The sync mechanism should enforce **strict preset boundaries** : - When loading/applying the Synced preset, only modify triggers where `BTTTriggerBelongsToPreset == "Synced"` - Never inject actions into triggers belonging to other presets - Never delete or modify triggers belonging to other presets - If UUID conflicts exist across presets, handle them by skipping (not merging) Additionally, a **sync integrity check** on startup could detect cross-preset contamination (actions whose `BTTTriggerBelongsToPreset` doesn't match their parent trigger's preset) and flag or auto-repair it. * * * ## Environment - BTT 6.x (latest stable as of April 2026) - Two Macs syncing via BTT's built-in sync - Presets: "Synced" (synced) + "sequoia\_status\_item\_bar" (local, not synced) ---
**Author:** ![Andreas\_Hegenberg](https://community.folivora.ai/user_avatar/community.folivora.ai/andreas_hegenberg/32/39221_2.png) [@Andreas\_Hegenberg](https://community.folivora.ai/u/Andreas_Hegenberg)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2026, 6:07am UTC](https://community.folivora.ai/t/config-sync-cross-preset-contamination/46782/2 "2026-04-19T06:07:13Z")
oh my god please stop the ai generated posts, they are so long, impossible to read and contain so much incorrect (guessed) stuff. Iβ€˜m closing all of them as they make me sick just looking over them. ---
**Author:** ![Andreas\_Hegenberg](https://community.folivora.ai/user_avatar/community.folivora.ai/andreas_hegenberg/32/39221_2.png) [@Andreas\_Hegenberg](https://community.folivora.ai/u/Andreas_Hegenberg)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2026, 6:07am UTC](https://community.folivora.ai/t/config-sync-cross-preset-contamination/46782/3 "2026-04-19T06:07:16Z")