Rule works manually but won't trigger automatically on Sequo

Talk, speculate, discuss, pontificate. As long as it pertains to Hazel.

Moderators: Mr_Noodle, Moderators

Hi everyone,
I'm having a frustrating issue where a long-standing rule of mine has stopped triggering automatically. I’m running Hazel 6.0 (build 2342) on macOS Sequoia 15.2.
The Setup:
I have a simple rule on my Downloads folder:
Conditions: Kind is PDF + Name matches "Invoice..."
Action: Move to folder "Business/Receipts" + Add tag "Unprocessed"
The Problem:
If I click "Run Rules Now," it works perfectly and moves the files. However, when I download a new PDF that matches the criteria, Hazel just ignores it. I've checked the "Rule Status" (the eye icon), and it shows as a match, but the automation never kicks in on its own.
What I’ve tried:
Restarted my Mac and the Hazel helper.
Verified that Hazel has Full Disk Access in System Settings.[1]
Checked the logs, but I don't see any specific error messages related to these files—they just aren't appearing in the log at all when they land in the folder.
Is there a known issue with Sequoia’s file events or something I should be looking for in the debug log?
Thanks for any help!
1v1lolonline
 
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2026 4:18 am

First off, try updating to 6.1.1 and see if anything changes.

If the problem persists, post/email logs from the time the file was added to the time it was processed. Turn on debug logging and make sure to specify which file it is and the exact time it was added.
Mr_Noodle
Site Admin
 
Posts: 12183
Joined: Sun Sep 03, 2006 1:30 am
Location: New York City

Hi, I ran into something similar recently on Sequoia.

If it works with “Run Rules Now” but not automatically, it usually means Hazel isn’t getting the file system event. One thing to check: are the PDFs being downloaded by your browser into a temporary file first and then renamed? Sometimes Hazel misses that final change.free online games

Also try:

Toggle monitoring off/on for the Downloads folder in Hazel
Remove and re-add the folder
Make sure the rule is at the top (priority can matter)

Quick question: which browser are you using to download the PDFs? I’ve seen different behavior between Safari and Chrome with this.
justindev
 
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2025 11:34 am


Return to Open Discussion