> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://copy-cat.in/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Sync client selections and copy your chosen RAW files

> Pull your client's photo selections from the cloud into Copycat, then copy the matching RAW files from your archive to a destination folder on your local drive.

After your client submits their selections in the vault viewer, there are two steps to get the chosen files onto your drive: sync the selections from the cloud, then copy the matching RAW originals to a folder of your choice. Both steps happen inside the Vault Dashboard in Copycat.

## Step 1: Sync selections

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Vault Dashboard">
    In Copycat, switch to the **Vault** tab and open the **Vault Dashboard**. Your active vault sessions are listed here.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Find the vault session">
    Locate the session you want to sync. Active sessions have a status of **Vault Created** or **Awaiting Client Selection**. If the client has submitted, the client status shows **Done**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Sync Selections">
    Click the **Sync Selections** button next to the session. Copycat fetches the latest selection data from the cloud.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review the sync results">
    After syncing, a summary shows:

    * **Selected** — photos your client marked as selected
    * **Rejected** — photos your client explicitly rejected
    * **Skipped** — photos with no decision recorded
    * **Last sync** — timestamp of when this sync completed

    If the client status shows **done**, your client has submitted their final choices. If it still shows **in\_progress**, they may not have clicked Submit yet.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  You can sync multiple times before copying. Each sync pulls the latest state from the cloud, so if your client updates their selections after an initial review, syncing again will reflect the changes.
</Tip>

## Step 2: Copy selected RAW files

<Steps>
  <Step title="Click Copy Selected RAW">
    After syncing, click the **Copy Selected RAW** button in the dashboard. This becomes active once you have at least one sync on record.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose a destination folder">
    A folder picker opens. Select the local folder where you want the selected RAW files copied. Copycat creates the folder if it doesn't exist.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Wait for the copy to complete">
    Copycat searches your RAW source folder (the one you selected when creating the vault) and copies any files whose names match the client's selected photos. A progress bar shows files copied versus total.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review the copy summary">
    When the copy finishes, you'll see:

    * **Copied** — files found in the source and successfully copied
    * **Missing** — selected files not found in the source folder
    * **Destination** — the full path where files were copied

    If the missing count is greater than zero, see the troubleshooting note below.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  By default, Copycat uses the **Newest Only** match policy: if multiple files in your source folder share the same filename stem, only the one with the most recent modification date is copied. This handles cases where you have duplicates across sub-folders or backup drives.
</Note>

## If the RAW source folder has moved

If Copycat can't find the RAW folder — for example because an external drive was remounted at a different path — you'll see a **RAW directory not found** error. Copycat will prompt you to locate the folder. Select the correct path and the copy run will resume automatically.

<Warning>
  If files show as **Missing** after copying, the most common cause is that the source drive is disconnected or the RAW files are in a sub-folder not included in the original source path. Verify the drive is connected and the source folder is correct, then run Copy Selected RAW again.
</Warning>