Remote Publishing with Alfred Remote for Quartz Sites

Remote Publishing with Alfred Remote for Quartz Sites

Trigger publishing from anywhere using Alfred Remote on your iPhone or iPad. Your always-on Mac mini handles the work while you publish on-the-go.

Table of Contents

1. What You’ll Build
2. Prerequisites
3. How It Works
4. Setup on Mac Mini
5. Setup on iPhone/iPad
6. Configure File Sync
7. Testing Remote Publishing
8. Troubleshooting

What You’ll Build

Remote publishing system that lets you:

• Trigger publishing from iPhone/iPad
• Publish from anywhere with Obsidian Sync or iCloud
• Use your always-on Mac mini as a publishing server
• No need for Obsidian app to run on Mac mini
• Get notifications when publishing completes

The remote workflow:

Edit on iPad → Obsidian Sync → Tap "publish" on iPhone → Mac mini builds → Site live

Why Quartz makes this easier:

• No wikilink conversion step
• Quartz reads directly from synced vault
• Fewer moving parts = fewer failures

Time to complete: 15-20 minutes

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Prerequisites

Before setting up remote publishing, you must have:

Required

• Alfred workflows already set up and working
  • Must have tested preview and publish successfully on your Mac
• Alfred Powerpack on your Mac
• Alfred Remote app on iPhone/iPad (free, requires Powerpack on Mac)
  • Download: App Store - Alfred Remote
• Always-on Mac (Mac mini recommended)
  • Must stay powered on and connected to internet
  • Alfred must launch at login
• File sync service:
  • Obsidian Sync (paid), OR
  • iCloud Drive with Obsidian vault, OR
  • Dropbox/other cloud sync

Verify Prerequisites

Test that local workflows work on your Mac:

# Test publish manually
cd ~/Developer/mementropy-quartz && ./scripts/publish.sh

If this fails, fix your core workflows first.

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How It Works

Remote Publishing Architecture

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Your iPad/Laptop                                        │
│  ┌─────────────────┐                                     │
│  │  Edit in        │                                     │
│  │  Obsidian       │                                     │
│  └────────┬────────┘                                     │
└───────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────┘
            │
            │ Obsidian Sync / iCloud (automatic)
            ▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Mac Mini (always on)                                    │
│  ┌─────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐             │
│  │  Synced Vault   │────▶│  Quartz Project │             │
│  │  (markdown)     │     │  (content/)     │             │
│  └─────────────────┘     └────────┬────────┘             │
│                                   │                      │
│                                   │ Alfred triggers      │
│                                   ▼                      │
│                          ┌─────────────────┐             │
│                          │  npx quartz     │             │
│                          │  build & push   │             │
│                          └────────┬────────┘             │
└───────────────────────────────────┼──────────────────────┘
                                    │
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Your iPhone                                             │
│  ┌─────────────────┐                                     │
│  │  Alfred Remote  │──── "Tap publish" ─────────────────▶│
│  │  (triggers Mac) │                                     │
│  └─────────────────┘                                     │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Critical Point: Obsidian App NOT Required on Mac Mini

The Mac mini only needs:

• macOS - Running
• File sync - iCloud daemon or Obsidian Sync service (background)
• Alfred - To receive Remote triggers
• Node.js - For Quartz builds
• Git - For pushing to GitHub

The Obsidian application does not need to run. Quartz reads markdown files directly from disk.

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Setup on Mac Mini

Step 1: Configure Energy Settings

Ensure Mac mini never sleeps:

1. System Settings → Energy
2. Enable:
   • Prevent sleeping when display is off: ON
   • Start up automatically after a power failure: ON

Step 2: Configure Login Items

Make Alfred launch automatically:

1. System Settings → General → Login Items
2. Click ”+” under “Open at Login”
3. Select Alfred from Applications

Test: Restart Mac mini and verify Alfred appears in menu bar.

Step 3: Enable Alfred Remote

1. Open Alfred Preferences on Mac mini
2. Click Remote tab
3. Check “Enable Remote on this Mac”
4. Choose connection method:

Option A - Local Network (same WiFi only):

• Click “Add iOS Device”
• Note the IP address shown

Option B - iCloud (Recommended - works anywhere):

• Click “Enable iCloud Sync”
• Sign in with your Apple ID

Step 4: Create Remote Page (Optional)

Organize your workflows for easy access:

1. In Alfred Preferences → Remote tab
2. Click ”+” to create new page
3. Name: “Quartz”
4. Drag these workflows to the page:
   • preview
   • publish
   • stoppreview

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Setup on iPhone/iPad

Step 1: Download Alfred Remote

1. Open App Store
2. Search: “Alfred Remote”
3. Download (free, requires Powerpack on Mac)

Step 2: Connect to Mac Mini

Using iCloud (Recommended)

1. Open Alfred Remote
2. Tap Settings (gear icon)
3. Tap “Sign in with iCloud”
4. Use same Apple ID as your Mac mini
5. Wait 30 seconds - Mac should appear
6. Tap Mac name to connect

Using Local Network

1. Open Alfred Remote
2. Tap ”+” → “Add Mac”
3. Your Mac mini should appear
4. Tap to connect
5. Enter PIN shown in Alfred Preferences

Step 3: Verify Connection

• Green dot = Connected
• Your workflows should be visible
• Test: Tap any workflow

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Configure File Sync

For remote publishing to work, your edits must sync to the Mac mini.

Option 1: Obsidian Sync (Recommended)

1. On Mac mini, open Obsidian once
2. Settings → Sync → Verify vault connected
3. Close Obsidian (don’t need it running)
4. Sync runs in background automatically

Option 2: iCloud Drive

1. Ensure vault is in iCloud location:

   ~/Library/Mobile Documents/iCloud~md~obsidian/Documents/YourVault/

2. Update Quartz content/ to symlink or copy from there

3. Verify iCloud is active:

   brctl status
   # Should show: iCloud is active

Option 3: Direct Vault Reference

If your Quartz project’s content/ folder is a symlink to your Obsidian vault:

# Check if content is a symlink
ls -la ~/Developer/mementropy-quartz/content

# Should show something like:
# content -> /Users/ryan/Obsidian/Ingenium/mementropy-site

The sync happens at the Obsidian vault level, and Quartz picks it up automatically.

Test File Sync

1. On iPad: Edit a file in Obsidian
2. Wait 30-60 seconds
3. On Mac mini:

   ls -lt ~/Obsidian/Ingenium/mementropy-site/ | head -5

4. Verify: Modified file shows recent timestamp

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Testing Remote Publishing

Test 1: Connection Test

1. On iPhone: Open Alfred Remote
2. Find your Quartz page (or default)
3. Tap preview

Expected on Mac mini:

• Quartz server starts
• Browser opens to localhost:8080
• Notification appears

Test 2: Stop Preview

1. On iPhone: Tap stoppreview

Expected:

• Server stops
• Notification: “Preview server stopped”

Test 3: Publish (No Changes)

1. On iPhone: Tap publish

Expected:

• Notification: “Already up to date” (if no changes)
• Or “Published successfully” (if there were changes)

Test 4: Full Remote Flow

1. On iPad: Edit a file in Obsidian
2. Wait 60 seconds for sync
3. On iPhone: Tap publish
4. Verify: Check GitHub Actions → should show new workflow run

Test 5: Away From Home (iCloud)

1. On iPhone: Turn off WiFi (use cellular)
2. Open Alfred Remote
3. Verify Mac still shows “Connected”
4. Tap publish

If using iCloud: Works from anywhere with internet!

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Usage Scenarios

Scenario 1: Quick Fix While Out

Situation: Spotted typo while reading site on phone.

Steps:

1. Open Obsidian on phone
2. Fix the typo
3. Wait 30 seconds for sync
4. Open Alfred Remote → Tap publish
5. Done in under 2 minutes

Scenario 2: Write on iPad, Publish from Phone

Situation: Wrote new post on iPad at coffee shop.

Steps:

1. Finish writing in Obsidian on iPad
2. Ensure draft: false in frontmatter
3. Wait for Obsidian Sync (check status icon)
4. On iPhone: Alfred Remote → publish
5. Site updates in ~3 minutes

Scenario 3: Preview on Mobile Device

Situation: Want to see how site looks on phone.

Steps:

1. Tap preview in Alfred Remote
2. On iPhone Safari: http://[MAC_IP]:8080
3. Browse site on actual mobile device
4. Tap stoppreview when done

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Troubleshooting

Problem: Mac Not Appearing in Alfred Remote

Solutions:

1. Same Apple ID: Both devices must use same Apple ID for iCloud
2. Wait for sync: iCloud can take 2-3 minutes
3. Restart Alfred on Mac: Quit completely, relaunch
4. Check firewall: System Settings → Network → Firewall → Allow Alfred

Problem: Workflow Doesn’t Trigger

Solutions:

1. Test locally first:

   cd ~/Developer/mementropy-quartz && ./scripts/publish.sh

2. Check Alfred is running: Look for icon in Mac menu bar
3. Verify Mac is awake: Energy settings → Prevent sleep

Problem: Files Not Syncing

Solutions:

1. Check timestamps on Mac mini:

   ls -lt ~/Obsidian/Ingenium/mementropy-site/ | head -5

2. For Obsidian Sync: Check sync status in Obsidian Settings
3. For iCloud: Run killall bird to restart sync daemon
4. Create test file: Make new file on iPad, verify it appears on Mac

Problem: Build Fails After Sync

Solutions:

1. Check log:

   cat /tmp/quartz-publish.log

2. Run manual build:

   cd ~/Developer/mementropy-quartz && npx quartz build

3. Check for syntax errors in recent edits

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Quick Reference

Connection Checklist

• Mac mini: Alfred running
• Mac mini: Energy settings prevent sleep
• Mac mini: Alfred Remote enabled
• iPhone: Alfred Remote app installed
• iPhone: Connected (green dot)
• File sync: Working (test with timestamp check)

Log Files

File	Purpose
/tmp/quartz-publish.log	Publish output
/tmp/quartz-preview.log	Preview server output

Commands for Debugging

# Check if Quartz server is running
lsof -i :8080

# Check recent file modifications
ls -lt ~/Obsidian/Ingenium/mementropy-site/ | head -10

# View publish log
cat /tmp/quartz-publish.log

# Manual publish test
cd ~/Developer/mementropy-quartz && ./scripts/publish.sh

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Related

• Alfred Workflows for Quartz - Core workflow setup
• Quartz Troubleshooting - Advanced debugging

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Last updated: 2025-01-13