rclone config: Define Storage Remotes
rclone config defines named remotes (S3, GCS, Azure Blob, B2 and more) that other rclone commands reference as remote:path.
Every rclone transfer needs a configured remote. Interactively rclone config walks you through it; in CI you write the config file directly or pass connection settings as environment variables so no secrets touch disk.
What it does
rclone config manages the rclone config file (default ~/.config/rclone/rclone.conf). It adds, edits, and deletes remotes. Each remote records a storage type and its connection settings, referenced later as name:bucket/path.
Common usage
# interactive setup
rclone config
# non-interactive: create an S3 remote in one command
rclone config create s3remote s3 provider AWS region us-east-1 env_auth true
# or pass settings entirely via env vars, no config file
export RCLONE_CONFIG_S3REMOTE_TYPE=s3
export RCLONE_CONFIG_S3REMOTE_PROVIDER=AWS
export RCLONE_CONFIG_S3REMOTE_ENV_AUTH=trueOptions
| Command / setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| rclone config create <name> <type> ... | Create a remote non-interactively |
| rclone config show | Print the current config |
| env_auth = true | Read credentials from environment or instance metadata |
| RCLONE_CONFIG=<path> | Use a specific config file |
| RCLONE_CONFIG_<NAME>_<KEY> | Set any remote setting via environment variable |
In CI
Do not commit rclone.conf with keys. Set env_auth = true and let rclone pick up AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID/AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY or, better, an OIDC-assumed role via AWS_ROLE_ARN and AWS_WEB_IDENTITY_TOKEN_FILE. The RCLONE_CONFIG_<NAME>_<KEY> form lets you configure a whole remote from CI secrets with no file at all.
Common errors in CI
"didn't find section in config file" means the remote name is not defined; check spelling and RCLONE_CONFIG. "config file not found" is fine when using env-var config, but combine it with a real transfer error to confirm auth resolved. "NoCredentialProviders: no valid providers in chain" means env_auth is on but no credentials were found; export the keys or the OIDC role variables.