Node.js File Watcher Issue in Home Assistant Addon

General
1

I’m encountering an issue where fs.watch() isn’t detecting changes in a mounted directory within my Home Assistant addon. Here’s what I’ve done so far:

  1. Addon Setup: I’ve created an addon that mounts the config directory using map: - config:rw in the config.yaml file. This works locally, but not in the addon environment.

  2. Plugin Directory: The addon looks for a plugins directory within config and creates it if it doesn’t exist. This part works fine.

  3. File Watching: I’m using fs.watch() to monitor changes in the plugins directory. Locally, this works perfectly, but in the addon, it doesn’t detect any changes.

  4. Environment: I’m running the latest Home Assistant OS on a Raspberry Pi.

Possible Causes and Solutions:

  • Filesystem Permissions: Ensure the mounted directory has the correct permissions. Sometimes, Docker mounts can have restrictive permissions that prevent file watching.

  • Filesystem Type: Check if the mounted directory is on a filesystem that supports inotify (the underlying mechanism for fs.watch()). Some network or special filesystems might not support it.

  • Alternative Approaches: If fs.watch() isn’t working, consider using a different file watching library like chokidar, which might handle edge cases better.

  • Debugging: Add logging to see if the watcher is being set up correctly and if any errors are being thrown.

If anyone has experienced similar issues or has suggestions, I’d greatly appreciate your input!