Mojave Mail.app rules rule them all

Anyone know how to get Mail.app to reload/import to a specific version of '~/Library/Mail/V5/MailData/SyncedRules.plist' and avoid automatic update to an unwanted set of rules coming down from the cloud?


After installing Mojave on a separate SSD to test with I did go as far as logging into my iCloud account to see how Mail, Calendars, Notes, etc looked. The system correctly inherited my Internet accounts from the cloud like it's been doing for years, which is great. After spending some time in Mojave it was time to reboot back into High Sierra. Once back in High Sierra I noticed that Mail wasn't filtering incoming mail like I had many rules set up to do so. Sure enough, going into Preferences > Rules in Mail app showed there was only one rule, the default "News from Apple" mail rule present on new installs. OK, so my usage of Mail in Mojave updated my SyncedRules.plist and then my High Sierra Mail.app pulled them down and updated my local rules with the Mojave ones. No worry, I use Time Machine. I restored a copy of my SyncedRules.plist from from late last night. Opened the file up with BBEdit to conform it's full of my regular rules. Re-launched Mail.app. Mail.app updated the local rules I had restored to the Mojave default rules from the cloud.


Long story shorter ... I've manually replaced 'SyncedRules.plist', updated rules using Mail.app on High Sierra, and it appears mail rule changes made in Mojave are the truth now. I've touched the local SyncedRules.plist in High Sierra but it keeps getting replaced on Mail.app launch with the Mojave version of the file. Whatever I add/change in Mojave Mail.app propogates to Mail.app in other Macs, but no changes I make to rules outside of Mojave get propogated the other way.


Even if this is a Mojave bug (*) it raises the question of how does one restore (or delete) preferences stored in iCloud that are not user visible?


*- I'm going to re-install Mojave clean, and test the entire cycle of changing rules again. If the same thing happens, I'll open a radar bug.

Replies

I have exactly the same question. It's always been a nightmare manually updating all my rules as I cross over into a new year and it never seems to get any better.

I would be nice to know what Timestamp means on the rule but also just exactly how to either erase what's in iCloud Drive or to dirty the local changes so they are seen as being more recent and not overwritten.