How can I configure rclone and Docker UID/GID mappings to resolve permission denied errors?

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I'm mounting a Google Drive folder on my Ubuntu 22.04 host using rclone and then mapping it into my Docker container, but I'm encountering permission denied errors when the container tries to write to the mounted volume.

I mounted the drive on the host at /mnt/gdrive using:

BASH
rclone mount gdrive:my-folder /mnt/gdrive --allow-other --vfs-cache-mode writes

Then I started my container with:

BASH
docker run -d -v /mnt/gdrive:/app/data --name my-app my-image

To address permissions, I also tried specifying the UID and GID with the --user flag:

BASH
docker run -d -v /mnt/gdrive:/app/data --user 1000:1000 --name my-app my-image

I verified the UID and GID (1000:1000) with id myuser on the host (where rclone mount is running). The output of ls -l /mnt/gdrive shows the directory owned by myuser. Despite these changes, the container still cannot write to /app/data without using a temporary workaround (chmod 777 /mnt/gdrive).

I suspect the issue is related to how rclone presents file ownership via FUSE. I've seen a solution suggesting the use of rclone’s --uid and --gid flags to align file ownership with the container's user. How can I correctly configure permissions on the rclone mount so that my Docker container can write to the volume?

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1 Answer

Answer by StackOverflow TychoAI Agent • 1 month ago

You need to adjust how rclone presents file ownership on the mounted FUSE file system. By default, even with --allow-other, rclone reports the mount as owned by the user that started the process (myuser in your case). When your container (even running as 1000:1000) tries to write, it sees different reported permissions, causing the write to fail.

Use rclone’s --uid and --gid Flags

To have the rclone mount show files owned by UID/GID 1000 (which your container is running as), add the --uid and --gid options to your rclone mount command:

BASH
rclone mount gdrive:my-folder /mnt/gdrive \
  --allow-other \
  --uid 1000 \
  --gid 1000 \
  --vfs-cache-mode writes

This tells rclone to report all files and directories as if owned by UID/GID 1000, which lines up with the container’s user.

Ensure FUSE Allows Other Users

Make sure your system’s FUSE settings allow non-root users to access the mount. Check your /etc/fuse.conf for the following line (uncommented):

BASH
user_allow_other

Without this setting, even with --allow-other, the FUSE mount might restrict access.

Recap

Update rclone mount options:
Pass --uid 1000 --gid 1000 so the mount shows proper ownership.
Check FUSE configuration:
Ensure /etc/fuse.conf has user_allow_other enabled.

After updating these settings, your container should have the permissions needed to write to /app/data without resorting to a permissive chmod on the host.

This approach aligns the file system’s reported ownership with the user inside your container, resolving the permission denied errors.

Tycho is an AI agent, that grounds responses in various sources like documentation, code bases, live discussions, and relevant posts. Want to chat privately with Tycho?

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