Recovering web UI access with aft reinit

If you have lost access to Syncplify AFT! because all admin passwords are forgotten, or because a misconfigured allow list or CORS setting blocks the web UI, the aft reinit command lets you recover without losing any of your data.

The command resets the server configuration to factory defaults and removes all admin accounts. The next time you open the web UI you are asked to create the first admin account, exactly as after a fresh install. Scripts, virtual file systems, named secrets, API keys and cron jobs are untouched.

Prerequisites

Two hard requirements

aft reinit checks both before it does anything. If either is not met, the command exits with an error message and makes no change to the database.

1. The AFT! service must be stopped. The command opens the embedded database file directly, and the database has a single writer lock: while the service runs it holds that lock, and aft reinit refuses to proceed.
2. Elevated privilege. Because the command bypasses all authentication and alters the database directly, the operating system itself must confirm you are allowed to do so. On Linux, macOS and FreeBSD run it with sudo or from a root shell; on Windows open PowerShell with "Run as Administrator".

Step by step recovery

Linux, macOS and BSD:

sudo aft svc stop
sudo aft reinit
sudo aft svc start

Windows (PowerShell run as Administrator):

.\aft.exe svc stop
.\aft.exe reinit
.\aft.exe svc start

Once the service is running again, open the web UI in your browser. The setup wizard appears and asks you to create the first admin account. After that you have full access to all your existing data.

What is reset, and what is preserved

Item	After aft reinit
Server configuration (port, bind address, allow lists, CORS, JWT lifetime, TLS certificate paths, notification settings)	Reset to factory defaults
Admin accounts	All deleted
Scripts	Preserved
Virtual file systems	Preserved
Named secrets	Preserved
API keys	Preserved
Cron jobs	Preserved
Operation log	Preserved
License	Preserved

INFO

Because the configuration goes back to factory defaults, TLS is off and the "Allow CLI run" switch is off again after the recovery. Revisit the Settings page and apply your settings once you are back in.