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Wondering if anyone else is suffering from Hazel taking time to run rules? I upgraded OS and Hazel last week but now rules are not running unless they are forced to, or unless Hazel is engaged with (like opening the app window or the log). The rules will eventually run after a few minutes, but not instantly. These are very small files every few minutes.

I was loading files into OneDrive, I tried the "download first" option but still no luck, I blamed OneDrive so attempted on local folders. Same problem. I tried reinstalling Hazel, same problem, then I tried it on another Mac locally, same issue.

It's happening on all rules, 3 different Macs and I have run on Tahoe (latest) and Sonoma (latest), Hazel 6.1, Hazel has full disk access.

Also, a weird quirk is that a rule might work pretty quickly at first, but will hang on a second file unless I intervene.

Anyone else?

Please go through the troubleshooting guide here: https://www.noodlesoft.com/kb/hazel-tro ... ing-guide/

Report back with the results of each test.

Hello,
I have the same problem.
I use macOS Tahoe 26.1 and Hazel 6.1.
Previously, my rules for monitored folders also worked when I closed Hazel. Now the rules only work when I start Hazel and leave it running.
I hope there is a solution for this.

Glad it's not just me losing my mind. I've been trying to get to the bottom of it, testing different ways of isolating the issue.

Log shows rules running fine once they run, but the problem is they're not running until I click on the GUI or force them to run.

Seems like it's an issue with Spotlight/FSevents so I've stopped and rebuilt there, also recovered drive/first aid, reinstalled Hazel twice, run in safe mode, all no luck. Suggested there might be an issue with Dropbox or Onedrive, disabled them, no luck.

The fact that it's broken on 4 macs suggests it's not a limited issue and latest update to MacOS is breaking it. I have latest Sonoma and latest Tahoe, so it might be there.

I'll copy a bunch of logs this weekend.

Please go through the troubleshooting guide as I requested. "Me too" reports are not helpful without that.

Since I'm not getting reports, I'm going to be more specific about what I want submitted.

- Turn on debug logging as described here: https://www.noodlesoft.com/kb/hazel-debug-mode/
- If possible, pause rules on any other folders.
- Open the logs by going to Help->View Logs
- Clear the logs ("Clear" button in Console's toolbar)
- Add a file to the folder we are focusing on. Record the time.
- Keep an eye on the destination folder.
- When the file finally appears there, record the time.
- Gather all logs that showed up since clearing them. Send those along with the name of the file and the times recorded above.

Please do not keep posting here unless you provide this.

I too have had this issue since upgrading to 6.1 and Mac OS26. The rule had been succesfully used for months prior to the upgrade - a watched folder receives a specific tag, and is moved to a Dropbox folder. The rule will run within maybe a minute, or five minutes later - no pattern. If the Hazel window is made active, the rule runs immediately.

I have followed the steps as advised. The debug log in text is attached. This rule took 4 minutes, 24 seconds to run. The folder being moved is called "Rename and Tag".

I experimented with changing the destination folder to something local on my desktop in case of some Dropbox issue, but nothing changed.
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2025-11-21 17:00:30.086 86Z3GCJ4MF.com.noodlesoft.HazelHelper[32603] DEBUG: Thread 0x705044000: Received events (
{
date = "2025-11-21 16:56:16 +0000";
path = "/Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2/.DS_Store";
shouldDoFullScan = 0;
}
) for stream at path: /Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2
2025-11-21 17:00:30.087 86Z3GCJ4MF.com.noodlesoft.HazelHelper[32603] DEBUG: Thread 0x705044000: Run worker for folder: /Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2
2025-11-21 17:00:30.089 86Z3GCJ4MF.com.noodlesoft.HazelHelper[32603] DEBUG: Thread 0x705044000: Received events (
{
date = "2025-11-21 16:56:17 +0000";
path = "/Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2/Rename and Tag";
shouldDoFullScan = 0;
}
) for stream at path: /Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2
2025-11-21 17:00:30.089 86Z3GCJ4MF.com.noodlesoft.HazelHelper[32603] DEBUG: Thread 0x705044000: Run worker for folder: /Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2
2025-11-21 17:00:30.089 86Z3GCJ4MF.com.noodlesoft.HazelHelper[32603] DEBUG: Task already running for folder [32807]: /Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2
2025-11-21 17:00:30.121 hazelworker[32807] Running worker (v6.1) for folder with identifier: 16777234-1020807.
2025-11-21 17:00:30.122 hazelworker[32807] ###Arch: arm64
2025-11-21 17:00:30.122 hazelworker[32807] ###main load address: 0x1008c0000
2025-11-21 17:00:30.122 hazelworker[32807] ###Hazel Core load address: 0x100a94000
2025-11-21 17:00:30.122 hazelworker[32807] ###Noodle load address: 0x100ee0000
2025-11-21 17:00:30.122 hazelworker[32807] ###CK load address: 0x100974000
2025-11-21 17:00:30.125 hazelworker[32807] DEBUG: Program is licensed.
2025-11-21 17:00:30.131 hazelworker[32807] DEBUG: Could not find entry for default_directory in Chrome preference file.
2025-11-21 17:00:30.132 hazelworker[32807] Processing folder SYNC FOLDER 2
2025-11-21 17:00:30.132 hazelworker[32807] DEBUG: Pausing to wait for things to settle down.
2025-11-21 17:00:32.187 hazelworker[32807] DEBUG: Processing directories: (
"/Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2"
)
2025-11-21 17:00:32.190 86Z3GCJ4MF.com.noodlesoft.HazelHelper[32603] DEBUG: Checking events for path /Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2, folder SYNC FOLDER 2
2025-11-21 17:00:32.192 hazelworker[32807] DEBUG: Received file event: {
date = "2025-11-21 16:56:17 +0000";
path = "<NoodlePathSet: 0xca10ba080>\n /Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2/Rename and Tag : 0\n /Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2/.DS_Store : 0\n";
}
2025-11-21 17:00:32.192 hazelworker[32807] DEBUG: About to process directory /Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2
2025-11-21 17:00:32.205 hazelworker[32807] DEBUG: .DS_Store: File is hidden/invisible. Skipping.
2025-11-21 17:00:32.206 hazelworker[32807] DEBUG: Icon
: File is hidden/invisible. Skipping.
2025-11-21 17:00:32.208 hazelworker[32807] Rename and Tag: Rule EH 3000 pixel files matched.
2025-11-21 17:00:32.208 hazelworker[32807] DEBUG: New rule signature. Executing actions.
Old signatures: (
)
New Signature:{tags hazelContainsObjectThatContainsObject: "EH"}:{(move:/Users/byphoto/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox/CLIENT IMAGES/PRINT WEB FILES/EH HOMES,{
replaceExisting = 0;
throwAwayDupes = 0;
})}
2025-11-21 17:00:32.210 hazelworker[32807] [File Event] File moved: Rename and Tag moved from folder /Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2 to folder /Users/byphoto/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox/CLIENT IMAGES/PRINT WEB FILES/EH HOMES.
2025-11-21 17:00:32.211 hazelworker[32807] DEBUG: Rule executed. Updating match date for file /Users/byphoto/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox/CLIENT IMAGES/PRINT WEB FILES/EH HOMES/Rename and Tag: 2025-11-21 17:00:32 +0000
2025-11-21 17:00:32.211 hazelworker[32807] DEBUG: Action changed file: Rename and Tag
2025-11-21 17:00:32.211 hazelworker[32807] DEBUG: File /Users/byphoto/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox/CLIENT IMAGES/PRINT WEB FILES/EH HOMES/Rename and Tag moved out of folder. No longer tracking.
2025-11-21 17:00:32.212 hazelworker[32807] DEBUG: Writing out DB file for /Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2 to path: /Users/byphoto/Library/Application Support/Hazel/16777234-1020807.hazeldb
2025-11-21 17:00:32.214 hazelworker[32807] DEBUG: Directory /Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2 processed in 0.021683 seconds
2025-11-21 17:00:32.215 86Z3GCJ4MF.com.noodlesoft.HazelHelper[32603] DEBUG: Checking events for path /Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2, folder SYNC FOLDER 2
2025-11-21 17:00:32.215 hazelworker[32807] DEBUG: Sleeping
2025-11-21 17:00:34.293 hazelworker[32807] DEBUG: About to process directory /Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2
2025-11-21 17:00:34.295 86Z3GCJ4MF.com.noodlesoft.HazelHelper[32603] DEBUG: Thread 0x705044000: Received events (
{
date = "2025-11-21 17:00:33 +0000";
path = "/Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2/Rename and Tag";
shouldDoFullScan = 0;
}
) for stream at path: /Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2
2025-11-21 17:00:34.295 86Z3GCJ4MF.com.noodlesoft.HazelHelper[32603] DEBUG: Error resolving symlinks for path /Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2/Rename and Tag:, No such file or directory
2025-11-21 17:00:34.295 86Z3GCJ4MF.com.noodlesoft.HazelHelper[32603] DEBUG: Thread 0x705044000: Run worker for folder: /Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2
2025-11-21 17:00:34.295 86Z3GCJ4MF.com.noodlesoft.HazelHelper[32603] DEBUG: Task already running for folder [32807]: /Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2
2025-11-21 17:00:34.297 hazelworker[32807] DEBUG: .DS_Store: File is hidden/invisible. Skipping.
2025-11-21 17:00:34.298 hazelworker[32807] DEBUG: Icon
: File is hidden/invisible. Skipping.
2025-11-21 17:00:34.298 hazelworker[32807] DEBUG: Writing out DB file for /Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2 to path: /Users/byphoto/Library/Application Support/Hazel/16777234-1020807.hazeldb
2025-11-21 17:00:34.300 hazelworker[32807] DEBUG: Directory /Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2 processed in 0.007314 seconds
2025-11-21 17:00:34.301 86Z3GCJ4MF.com.noodlesoft.HazelHelper[32603] DEBUG: Checking events for path /Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2, folder SYNC FOLDER 2
2025-11-21 17:00:34.301 hazelworker[32807] DEBUG: Received file event: {
date = "2025-11-21 17:00:33 +0000";
path = "<NoodlePathSet: 0xca10ba1e0>\n /Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2/Rename and Tag : 0\n";
}
2025-11-21 17:00:34.301 hazelworker[32807] DEBUG: Sleeping
2025-11-21 17:00:36.344 hazelworker[32807] DEBUG: About to process directory /Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2
2025-11-21 17:00:36.347 hazelworker[32807] DEBUG: .DS_Store: File is hidden/invisible. Skipping.
2025-11-21 17:00:36.348 hazelworker[32807] DEBUG: Icon
: File is hidden/invisible. Skipping.
2025-11-21 17:00:36.349 hazelworker[32807] DEBUG: Writing out DB file for /Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2 to path: /Users/byphoto/Library/Application Support/Hazel/16777234-1020807.hazeldb
2025-11-21 17:00:36.351 hazelworker[32807] DEBUG: Directory /Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2 processed in 0.006810 seconds
2025-11-21 17:00:36.352 86Z3GCJ4MF.com.noodlesoft.HazelHelper[32603] DEBUG: Checking events for path /Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2, folder SYNC FOLDER 2
2025-11-21 17:00:36.352 hazelworker[32807] DEBUG: Writing out DB file: /Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2
2025-11-21 17:00:36.354 hazelworker[32807] DEBUG: Sending metrics to scheduler. Next scheduled run: 4001-01-01 00:00:00.000
2025-11-21 17:00:36.355 86Z3GCJ4MF.com.noodlesoft.HazelHelper[32603] DEBUG: Received metrics for folder /Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2: {
directoryDepth = 0;
requestedSchedulingTime = "4001-01-01 00:00:00 +0000";
triggerPaths = "<NoodlePathSet: 0x705820c80>\n";
unavailablePaths = "{(\n)}";
}
2025-11-21 17:00:36.355 hazelworker[32807] Done processing folder SYNC FOLDER 2
2025-11-21 17:00:36.355 86Z3GCJ4MF.com.noodlesoft.HazelHelper[32603] DEBUG: Timer scheduled for folder /Users/byphoto/Pictures/Bradley Hall Processing/SYNC FOLDER 2 at 4001-01-01 00:00:00 +0000
2025-11-21 17:00:36.361 86Z3GCJ4MF.com.noodlesoft.HazelHelper[32603] DEBUG: Thread 0x705044000: Task removed: [32807]

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Came to report this problem, and submitted debug logs via email.

Here is what I did after enabling debug logging:

1. Open terminal.
2. cd ${HOME}/Downloads
3. touch $(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S.txt)
4. Watch debug logs from Hazel.

For about 30 seconds between file was created -- there was no actions taken by Hazel. Then, it moved file, and sent me notification.

Subsequent to my previous reply with debug logs etc - reverting to version 6.0.4 solved the issue.

I've got to say I think I have the same issue. Symptoms for me is that I process (move) a lot of file which are saved into my Downloads folder. These files are typically renamed and then moved into the relevant folders on my NAS.

Typically, after a file has been saved / downloaded into the Download directory, Hazel springs to life around 40-60 seconds after the file has been saved. Looking at the logs there seem not to be any errors, Just the delayed response.

This has occurred since the latest 6.1 upgrade. So is it possible to 'downgrade' to an older version to see if that resolves the issue (temporary fix).

To try and resolve the issue I actually wiped the Mac Mini Pro 2 and did a complete fresh install of Hazel (it was annoying me that much). It didn't fix the problem.

[Apologies for my adding any more data, but I'm now at 70% sight loss so even posting this message is a chore ]

I am testing out a fix. If you are willing to run a test build, please email in to support.

Emailed in as requested, test build now running! Fingers crossed.

I can confirm the latest update does look to have fixed the issue.