Check your restore.

Download the source

Save both scripts outside the folder you want to inspect. They run locally and do not upload files or connect to pCloud.

Use an idle folder

Keep the output outside the inspected folder. Create your archive, extract it to a separate folder, then compare the two manifests.

python3 archive_manifest.py ./original > before.jsonl
# Create and extract your archive to ./restored
python3 archive_manifest.py ./restored > after.jsonl
python3 compare_manifests.py before.jsonl after.jsonl

The generator skips symlinks and .git/.private directories. The comparator prints counts rather than filenames. Exit status 0 means matching nonempty manifests; 1 means differences; 2 means invalid or empty input.

Keep real manifests private. Filenames and hashes can reveal information. Review the source and your inclusion rules before using it on important data.

A small, reproducible check

On 25 October 2026, we checked a synthetic ZIP round trip with Python 3.9.6. The fixture had three ordinary files, a symlink and two excluded directories.

The changed file kept the same byte length. This checks the example, not every filesystem, archive format or failure mode. No working project or customer files were used.

Background: Python documentation for hashlib and os.walk.

Optional paid storage

The scripts work independently of any storage provider. If you compare pCloud plans, review the current billing period, total price and limits on its site. A merchant account and payment are separate from these free tools.

Affiliate disclosure: our source headers and the optional link below contain pCloud referral links. Qualifying paid purchases may earn PlanPusk a commission. pCloud did not supply these tools.