How it works
Three separate parts, so the schedule never depends on an app being open. Here is what each one does, where your files end up, and a few things worth knowing before you rely on it.
The parts
The menu bar app only changes settings and starts runs. The work itself happens in short processes that end when they're done.
| Part | When it runs | Memory |
|---|---|---|
Scheduled jobs sync, snapshot | On schedule, then exit | 0 MB idle |
| Menu bar app | While you leave it open | ~78 MB |
| Runs started from the menu | Until the run finishes | ~50 MB |
The two jobs
syncdaily at a set time
Downloads every new video and image, each with the right file extension. With a Sync Module 2 it also reads the attached USB drive and collects clips that never reached the cloud.
It looks back two days, so a missed night is covered by the next run. A record of past downloads, plus a check of the folder itself, prevents duplicates.
snapshotevery 15 min to 12 h
Visits cameras one at a time and asks each for a photo. It waits up to 40 seconds for the new image to arrive; if it doesn't, that camera is skipped for the round rather than saving a stale picture.
Taking a photo doesn't depend on the system being armed, and it never arms anything.
Where files go
Every file name carries the camera, the exact time, and whether it was a recording (clip) or a photo Blink Sync asked for (snapshot). Other layouts are available: by date first, by camera only, by date only, or one flat folder.
~/Pictures/Blink/ ├─ front-door/ │ └─ 2026-09-13/ │ ├─ front-door_20260913-031247_clip.mp4 │ ├─ front-door_20260913-141502_snapshot.jpg │ └─ front-door_20260913-151504_snapshot.jpg ├─ driveway/ │ └─ 2026-09-13/ │ └─ driveway_20260913-141531_snapshot.jpg └─ garden/ └─ 2026-09-12/ └─ garden_20260912-224410_clip.mp4
Before you rely on it
Every photo wakes the camera, captures, and uploads over Wi-Fi. On battery-powered cameras, hourly photos can shorten AA lithium life from 1–2 years to a few months. Plugged-in cameras and the Blink Mini aren't affected.
To stretch it: take photos less often, set active hours so it rests overnight, or choose only the cameras you care about.
A missed job runs once when the Mac wakes. For the daily sync to run overnight, leave the Mac awake or schedule it to wake a few minutes before.
A scheduled run can't answer a verification code. It logs a message and stops cleanly; sign in once from the menu and it picks up again.
Only one run happens at a time. If a photo round is still going when the sync is due, the sync waits for the next day, and the two-day lookback covers it.
Blink has no public API. Blink Sync uses blinkpy, the open-source client behind Home Assistant's Blink integration, and adds the scheduling, file handling and sign-in storage on top.
Requirements
There's no public download. If you'd like to try it or talk through how it's built, get in touch.