If it’s not possible to download the file and it’s not available on other devices, then the only option is to restore a backup.
Is there an automated way to perform backups in devonthink?
I have the exact same problem -
On the latest desktop version (3.8.3) of Devonthink, a repeated log message of
iCloud (CloudKit) with info → “4 items left to be uploaded” keeps popping up every two minutes. There doesn’t appear to be any way to find which 4 files these are, or to stop the message. Synchronizing the DB does nothing, and Verify and Repair DB shows no problems. ‘Check file integrity’ is fine as well.
Search for ‘item pending’ shows 25 files, not 4.
Nothing in the log to help? See above for pointers to the DEVONthink Handbook which may help. Apple’s CloudKit not always reliable.
HI
No, the log just says, “4 items left to be uploaded”. The 25 items found from the “item pending” search are items that cannot be downloaded. This happened after the latest DT update.
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Only the logging is new, the issue probably isn’t (the pending items which couldn’t be uploaded usually exist for quite some time)
I switched to Dropbox sync and the problem has apparently resolved.
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Any way we could prevent this issue from happening again?
As can be seen by the plethora of reports on this forum, first step might be to avoid using Apple CloudKit and/or iCloud for synching like this if one’s experience is that synching doesn’t work well in their situation. Nobody really knows root cause–that probably includes Apple.
Surely works for some, but so many report issues with Apple’s services.
Better results reported with using Bonjour, WebDAV, and Dropbox.
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The most common reasons are e.g. cleaning a sync store and ignoring the warning that there are pending items in the database(s) or switching to another sync location while there are pending items. Or uploading databases containing not available files (e.g. missing indexed files or indexed files located on unmounted volumes while synchronizing).
All of these scenarios are now much better handled than in the past and therefore these warnings are probably due to old relicts but not a new issue (only the warning is new).
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That’s terribly unfair! I’m an “old relict” but the problem is nothing to do with me. 
Stephen
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Same problem here (“1 items left to be uploaded” popping up every two minutes after upgrading to 3.8.3 on macOS 12.3). Besides from switching to another sync store - is there a fix?
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FYI, Apple was having major system outages yesterday. Could this be an issue for you?
Apple’s iCloud and CloudKit is very unreliable for some. Have you tried another third party cloud service or Bonjour?
No problems with any other iCloud based sync (iCloudKit) or iCloud Drive. As mentioned I haven’t tried another third party cloud service as I’m looking for a fix, not an alternative.
Oh. I guess some of us want to find ways to make DEVONthink work and focus on working with it. Others report problems and only hope for fix. Probably good to engage Apple about their service also.
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In my experience, iCloud is an unreliable beast (in both its incantations). I’m still seeing photos and music not being uploaded or downloaded and files on iCloud Drive stuck somewhere between here and the next wormhole or even some other universe. Seriously, I would go for any synchronisation but this crap.
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Sorry if my reply came across too direct, it wasn’t my intention to scoff at anyone.
My main point is that iCloud is offered as a reasonable sync store option. If DT would not deem that iCloud is good enough or should be expected to work at all, it should probably consider not offerring it as a viable option at all. I understand everyone has different preferences (e.g. I have phased out Dropbox from a privacy perspective) and there’s pros and cons to every option. And even, as @chrillek points out, maybe iCloud has more problems than others (not my experience). Because of a single bug (in my case, others might experience more problems) I don’t directly focus on swapping out everything for a different alternative.
I have had these problems and here what worked for me. I turned off sync of all databases on all devices and then I cleaned the sync store. Then turned on the sync one database at a time on one device at a time. It is a little time consuming but it worked.
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You clearly have some valuable and important insights about Dropbox and how, perhaps, DEVONthink treats the encrypted files they drop on Dropbox are more risky (my words) from a privacy perspective (your words) than on Apple’s iCloud/CloudKit.
For the benefit of those still on Dropbox, or considering using Dropbox vs. Apple’s iCloud/Cloudkit, can you provide some specific evidence of where Dropbox’s privacy controls are not up to your expectations?
This could be very important and certainly enlightening for those people not aware yet of those concerns and insights you have.
Thanks.
One of my considerations with Dropbox is their built-in full-text search option which always analyzes documents stored in the cloud, compared to Apple’s approach of doing metadata creation not at all or on-device (e.g. face detection in Apple Photos). Leaving Dropbox was not specifically related to DT. Anything that is encrypted-at-rest (as DT databases can be) can be left at any (cloud) storage.
For anyone looking for a privacy-friendly option, cloud-storage should not be considered at all, unless you have full ownership (options such as Nextcloud, Syncthing or others). This at the same time brings other considerations regarding security (are you able to protect it well enough versus the privacy gain?)
Weighing what matters to your regarding privacy, security or cloud versus self-hosted are mostly very personal matters these days - balancing your own preferences.