Bump version to 4.6.3

With incremental recursion rsync only knows the total near the end, so the bar showed
no ETA for most of the backup. Save the file count as a third line of the state file
and use it as an estimate until rsync reports the real total.

PKGBUILD

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 
 pkgname=simple_backup
 pkgdesc='Simple backup script that uses rsync to copy files'
-pkgver=4.4.1
+pkgver=4.6.2
 pkgrel=1
 url="https://git.shouldnt.work/fuxino/$pkgname"
 arch=('any')
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ checkdepends=('python-pytest'
 conflicts=('simple_backup-git')
 source=("git+$url?signed#tag=$pkgver")
 validpgpkeys=('7E12BC1FF3B6EDB2CD8053EB981A2B2A3BBF5514')
-sha256sums=('cc5b378ac489f7cf3e3a38855dfd530a79f0651a1891ea83355b952ed3a20aee')
+sha256sums=('bbe7b79669fe02ca4dc62fb08b8b5eaed809b5f1ece9586017af8ebf20d2faa0')
 
 build()
 {

README.md

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ simple_backup -h
 to print all possible command line options.
 
 ## Dependencies
+simple_backup requires Python 3.10 or later.
 The script uses rsync to actually run the backup, so you will have to install it on your system. For example on Arch Linux:
 
 ```bash
@@ -57,10 +58,28 @@ To back up files that your user can't read, run simple_backup with sudo or doas.
 In that case the user who ran the command is detected automatically, so that '~' (in the inputs and in the default configuration file path) refers to that user's home directory, not root's.
 When running as root in other ways (e.g. from a systemd service), specify the user with the --user (or -u) argument.
 
+## Progress
+When run in a terminal, simple_backup shows a progress bar with the percentage of files copied and an estimated time to completion.
+Disable it with --no-progress.
+
 ## Old backups
 The number of old backups to keep can be set with the --keep (or -k) argument (or in the configuration file).
-Old backups are only removed if rsync completes successfully, so that they are not deleted when the new backup may be incomplete.
+By default, old backups are only removed if rsync completes successfully, so that they are not deleted when the new backup may be incomplete.
 The only rsync error that is ignored is return code 24 (source files vanished during the transfer), which is common when backing up a live system.
+To free space on the destination first, use --remove-before-backup: old backups are then removed before rsync starts, even if the new backup fails.
+
+## Last backup
+After each successful backup, simple_backup saves its time and directory to `~/.local/state/simple_backup/last_backup` (or `$XDG_STATE_HOME/simple_backup/last_backup`).
+It also saves the number of files, so that the next run can show progress and an estimated time while rsync is still looking for files.
+When run with sudo or doas, the file goes to the home directory of the user who ran the command.
+To see when the last backup was made (e.g. `Last backup: 2026-10-25 14:03 (2 days ago)`), run:
+
+```bash
+simple_backup --last-backup
+```
+
+The first line of the file is the completion time in ISO 8601 format (e.g. `2026-10-25T14:03:12+02:00`), the second the backup directory, and the third (if known) the number of files.
+Scripts (e.g. a status bar indicator) can easily read the first line to remind you when a backup is overdue.
 
 ## Remote backup
 > **Warning**
@@ -90,4 +109,6 @@ sudo --preserve-env=SSH_AUTH_SOCK -s simple_backup [options]
 
 or by editing the sudoers file.
 If SSH key authentication is not available, password authentication will be used instead.
+In that case, if sshpass is installed, it is used to pass the password to rsync, so that you only have to enter it once; otherwise you will be asked for it more than once.
+sshpass has some security risks (see sshpass(1)), so use SSH key authentication if possible.
 Check the man page for more details.

man/simple_backup.1

@@ -1,31 +1,34 @@
-.TH SIMPLE_BACKUP 1 2026-10-21 SIMPLE_BACKUP 4.5.0
+.TH SIMPLE_BACKUP 1 2026-11-08 SIMPLE_BACKUP 4.6.3
 .SH NAME
 simple_backup \- Backup files and folders using rsync
 .SH SYNOPSIS
-.B simple_backup
+.SY simple_backup
-\-h, \-\-help
+\-h,\~\-\-help
-.PD 0
+.YS
-.P
+.SY simple_backup
-.PD
+\-\-last\-backup
-.B simple_backup
+[\-u,\~\-\-user\~USERNAME]
-[\-c, \-\-config FILE]
+.YS
-[\-i, \-\-input INPUT [INPUT...]]
+.SY simple_backup
-[\-o, \-\-output DIR]
+[\-v,\~\-\-verbose]
-.PD 0
+[\-c,\~\-\-config\~FILE]
-.P
+[\-i,\~\-\-inputs\~INPUT\~[INPUT...]]
-.PD
+[\-o,\~\-\-output\~DIR]
-.RS 14 [\-e, \-\-exclude FILE|DIR|PATTERN [FILE|...]]
+[\-e,\~\-\-exclude\~FILE|DIR|PATTERN\~[FILE|...]]
-[\-k, \-\-keep N]
+[\-k,\~\-\-keep\~N]
-[\-\-ssh\-host HOSTNAME]
+[\-u,\~\-\-user\~USERNAME]
-[\-\-ssh\-user USERNAME]
+[\-\-ssh\-host\~HOSTNAME]
-[\-\-keyfile FILE]
+[\-\-ssh\-user\~USERNAME]
-.PD 0
+[\-\-keyfile\~FILE]
-.P
+[\-\-remote\-sudo]
-.PD
+[\-\-numeric\-ids]
-[\-s, \-\-checksum]
+[\-s,\~\-\-checksum]
-[\-z, \-\-compress]
+[\-z,\~\-\-compress]
+[\-\-rsync\-options\~OPTION\~[OPTION...]]
 [\-\-remove\-before\-backup]
-.RE
+[\-\-no\-syslog]
+[\-\-no\-progress]
+.YS
 .SH DESCRIPTION
 .B simple_backup
 is a python script for performing backup of files and folders.
@@ -36,15 +39,20 @@ in a configuration file (default location $HOME/.config/simple_backup/simple_bac
 or directly on the command line.
 .P
 Parameters specified on the command line will override those in the configuration file.
+The exceptions are remote_sudo and numeric_ids: if enabled in the configuration file, they
+can\(aqt be disabled on the command line.
 .SH OPTIONS
 .TP
 .B \-h, \-\-help
 Print a short help message and exit.
 .TP
+.B \-v, \-\-verbose
+More verbose output.
+.TP
 .B \-c, \-\-config FILE
 Specify the configuration file, useful to specify a different one from the default.
 .TP
-.B \-i, \-\-input INPUT [INPUT...]
+.B \-i, \-\-inputs INPUT [INPUT...]
 Specify the files and directories to backup. Multiple inputs can be specified, just separate
 them with a space. If filenames or paths contain spaces, don't forget to escape them,
 or to use single or double quotes around them.
@@ -64,7 +72,7 @@ not preserved either.
 .TP
 .B \-e, \-\-exclude FILE|DIR|PATTERN [FILE|...]]
 Specify files, directories or patterns to exclude from the backup. Matching files and directories
-will not be copied. Multiple elements can be specified, in the same way as for the \-\-input option.
+will not be copied. Multiple elements can be specified, in the same way as for the \-\-inputs option.
 .TP
 .B \-k, \-\-keep N
 Specify how many old backups (so excluding the current one) will be kept. The default behavior
@@ -86,13 +94,13 @@ Username for connecting to the server in case of remote backup.
 .B \-\-keyfile FILE
 Location of the SSH key for server authentication.
 .TP
-.B \-s, \-\-checksums
+.B \-s, \-\-checksum
 Same as rsync option \(aq\-\-checksum\(aq, use checksums instead of mod\-time and size
 to skip files.
 .TP
 .B \-z, \-\-compress
 Compress data during transfer (rsync \(aq\-\-compress\(aq option). Useful for remote backup
-if saving bandwith is needed.
+if saving bandwidth is needed.
 .TP
 .B \-\-remove\-before\-backup
 Remove old backups (if necessary) before creating the new backup. Useful to free some space
@@ -108,8 +116,9 @@ Don't use systemd journal for logging.
 .B \-\-no\-progress
 Don't show a progress bar while rsync copies the files. The progress bar is only shown when
 the output is a terminal, so it never appears in the systemd journal or in redirected output.
-While rsync is still looking for files, the bar shows \(aq(scanning)\(aq, and the percentage
+While rsync is still looking for files, the percentage and estimated time (marked with
-and estimated time are only approximate.
+\(aq~\(aq) are based on the number of files in the last backup, or the bar shows
+\(aq(scanning)\(aq if that is unknown or already exceeded.
 .TP
 .B \-\-rsync\-options OPTIONS [OPTION...]
 By default, the following rsync options are used:
@@ -145,6 +154,12 @@ needs to be allowed to run without password in the same way.
 .TP
 .B \-\-numeric\-ids
 Use rsync \-\-numeric\-ids option. This causes rsync to use numeric uid/gid instead of trying to map uid/gid names from the local machine to the server.
+.TP
+.B \-\-last\-backup
+Print the date of the last successful backup and how long ago it was made (for example
+\(aqLast backup: 2026\-10\-25 14:03 (2 days ago)\(aq), then exit. The exit status is 0, or 1
+if no backup has been recorded yet or the state file can\(aqt be read (see
+.BR FILES ).
 .SH CONFIGURATION
 An example configuration file is provided at \(aq/usr/share/doc/simple_backup/simple_backup.conf\(aq.
 Copy it to the default location ($HOME/.config/simple_backup) and edit it as needed.
@@ -216,6 +231,18 @@ SSH connection failed.
 .TP
 .B 6
 Bad configuration file or options (for example, only one of SSH host and SSH user specified).
+.SH FILES
+.TP
+.I $XDG_STATE_HOME/simple_backup/last_backup
+Written after each successful backup (local or remote), replacing the previous one. The first line
+is the completion time in ISO 8601 format with the UTC offset (for example
+\(aq2026\-10\-25T14:03:12+02:00\(aq), the second line the backup directory (prefixed with
+\(aquser@host:\(aq for remote backups), and the third line, if present, the number of files, used
+for the progress bar estimate (only counted when the progress bar is shown, otherwise the previous
+count is kept). The default location is
+\fI~/.local/state/simple_backup/last_backup\fR. When running as root with sudo, doas or \-\-user,
+the file is written to that user\(aqs \fI~/.local/state\fR and owned by them. Useful for scripts
+that remind you when a backup is overdue.
 .SH SEE ALSO
 .BR rsync (1)
 .SH AUTHORS

simple_backup/__init__.py

@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 """Init."""
 
-__version__ = '4.5.0'
+__version__ = '4.6.3'

simple_backup/simple_backup.conf

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # Example config file for simple_backup
 
 [backup]
-# Files and directories to backup. Multiple items can be separated using a comma (','). It is possible to use wildcards (i.e. '*' to match multiple characters and '~' for the user's home directory).
+# Files and directories to backup. Multiple items can be separated using a comma (','). It is possible to use wildcards (e.g. '*' to match multiple characters) and '~' for the user's home directory.
 inputs=/home/user
 
 # Output directory. For remote backups, this is a path on the server ('~' and relative paths refer to the home directory on the server).
@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@ exclude=*.bak
 # Number of old backups (i.e. excluding the one that's being created) to keep (use -1 to keep all)
 keep=-1
 
-# Uncomment the following section to enable backup to remote server through ssh
+# Uncomment the following section to enable backup to remote server through ssh.
+# ssh_host can be an alias from ~/.ssh/config (its HostName, Port and IdentityFile are used)
 # [server]
 # ssh_host=
 # ssh_user=

simple_backup/simple_backup.py

@@ -25,9 +25,8 @@ import shlex
 import sys
 import warnings
 from collections import deque
-from collections.abc import Callable, Iterator
+from collections.abc import Iterator
 from datetime import datetime
-from functools import wraps
 from getpass import GetPassWarning, getpass
 from glob import glob
 from logging import StreamHandler
@@ -35,7 +34,7 @@ from shutil import get_terminal_size, rmtree, which
 from subprocess import PIPE, STDOUT, Popen
 from tempfile import mkstemp
 from timeit import default_timer
-from typing import Any, ParamSpec, TypedDict, TypeVar
+from typing import Any, TypedDict
 
 try:
     import paramiko
@@ -69,9 +68,6 @@ if journal:
     j_handler.setFormatter(j_format)
     logger.addHandler(j_handler)
 
-P = ParamSpec('P')
-R = TypeVar('R')
-
 # Seconds to wait for the TCP connection to the SSH server
 SSH_TIMEOUT = 15
 
@@ -80,25 +76,15 @@ PROGRESS_RE = re.compile(r'\s*(\S+)\s+\d+%\s+\S+\s+\d+:\d\d:\d\d(?:\s+\(xfr#\d+,
 PROGRESS_BAR_WIDTH = 30
 
 
-def timing(func: Callable[P, R]) -> Callable[P, R]:
+def _format_duration(seconds: float) -> str:
-    """Decorator to measure execution time of a function
+    """Format seconds as mm:ss, or h:mm:ss from one hour"""
 
-        Parameters:
+    s = round(seconds)
-            func: Function to decorate
-    """
-    @wraps(func)
-    def wrapper(*args: P.args, **kwargs: P.kwargs) -> R:
-        start = default_timer()
 
-        value = func(*args, **kwargs)
+    if s >= 3600:
+        return f'{s // 3600}:{s // 60 % 60:02d}:{s % 60:02d}'
 
-        end = default_timer()
+    return f'{s // 60:02d}:{s % 60:02d}'
-
-        logger.info('Elapsed time: %.3f seconds', end - start)
-
-        return value
-
-    return wrapper
 
 
 class MyFormatter(argparse.RawTextHelpFormatter, argparse.ArgumentDefaultsHelpFormatter):
@@ -108,14 +94,27 @@ class MyFormatter(argparse.RawTextHelpFormatter, argparse.ArgumentDefaultsHelpFo
 class _ProgressBar:
     """Draws rsync --info=progress2 updates as a bar on stderr"""
 
-    def __init__(self) -> None:
+    def __init__(self, estimate: int = 0) -> None:
         self._start = default_timer()
         # rsync reports ir-chk while incremental recursion is still finding files
         self._scanning = True
         self._checked = 0
         self._total = 0
+        # Total files of the last backup, used until rsync knows the real total
+        self._estimate = estimate
         self._shown = False
 
+    @property
+    def total(self) -> int | None:
+        """Total number of files, once rsync has found them all"""
+
+        return None if self._scanning or self._total == 0 else self._total
+
+    def _eta(self, total: int) -> str:
+        eta = int((default_timer() - self._start) * (total - self._checked) / self._checked)
+
+        return f'{eta // 3600}:{eta // 60 % 60:02d}:{eta % 60:02d}'
+
     def update(self, record: str) -> bool:
         """Draw the bar if record is a progress update, and return whether it was"""
 
@@ -133,20 +132,29 @@ class _ProgressBar:
             self._checked = self._total - int(m.group(3))
 
         # Count files, not bytes: with --link-dest unchanged files are linked, and rsync's percentage leaves them out
-        if self._scanning or self._total == 0:
+        percent: int | None
-            text = f'{self._checked:,} files checked  {size} copied  (scanning)'
+
-            percent = None
+        if self.total is None:
+            # Estimate from the last backup, unless this one already has more files
+            if 0 < self._checked < self._estimate:
+                percent = self._checked * 100 // self._estimate
+                text = f'{f"~{percent}":>3}%  {self._checked:,}/~{self._estimate:,} files  {size} copied'
+
+                if percent > 0:
+                    text += f'  ETA ~{self._eta(self._estimate)}'
+            else:
+                text = f'{self._checked:,} files checked  {size} copied  (scanning)'
+                percent = None
         else:
             percent = self._checked * 100 // self._total
             text = f'{percent:3d}%  {self._checked:,}/{self._total:,} files  {size} copied'
 
             if 0 < percent < 100:
-                eta = int((default_timer() - self._start) * (self._total - self._checked) / self._checked)
+                text += f'  ETA {self._eta(self._total)}'
-                text += f'  ETA {eta // 3600}:{eta // 60 % 60:02d}:{eta % 60:02d}'
 
         width = get_terminal_size().columns - 1
 
-        # Fixed width, so the bar doesn't jump when the text changes length; no bar until the total is known
+        # Fixed width, so the bar doesn't jump when the text changes length; no bar without a total or estimate
         if percent is not None and len(text) + PROGRESS_BAR_WIDTH + 4 <= width:
             filled = PROGRESS_BAR_WIDTH * percent // 100
             text = f'[{"#" * filled}{"-" * (PROGRESS_BAR_WIDTH - filled)}]  {text}'
@@ -209,7 +217,7 @@ class Backup:
                  keep: int | None, options: str,
                  ssh_host: str | None = None, ssh_user: str | None = None, ssh_keyfile: str | None = None,
                  remote_sudo: bool = False, remove_before: bool = False, verbose: bool = False,
-                 progress: bool = False) -> None:
+                 progress: bool = False, file_estimate: int = 0) -> None:
         # Missing values are reported by check_params()
         self.inputs = inputs if inputs is not None else []
         self.output = output if output is not None else ''
@@ -223,6 +231,9 @@ class Backup:
         self._remove_before = remove_before
         self._verbose = verbose
         self._progress = progress
+        self._file_estimate = file_estimate
+        # Files in the backup, known only with the progress bar
+        self.file_count: int | None = None
         self._last_backup = ''
         self._server = ''
         self._output_dir = ''
@@ -233,6 +244,7 @@ class Backup:
         # Passed to sshpass through rsync's environment only
         self._password: str | None = None
         self._removed_count = 0
+        self._start_time = 0.0
 
     def check_params(self, homedir: str = '') -> int:
         """Check if parameters for the backup are valid"""
@@ -315,6 +327,12 @@ class Backup:
         if self._remote:
             self._server = f'{self.ssh_user}@{self.ssh_host}:'
 
+    @property
+    def destination(self) -> str:
+        """The current backup directory, prefixed with 'user@host:' for remote backups"""
+
+        return f'{self._server}{self._output_dir}'
+
     def remove_old_backups(self) -> None:
         """Remove old backups if there are more than indicated by 'keep'"""
 
@@ -663,14 +681,19 @@ class Backup:
                     'Rsync error (return code %d) - Check rsync(1) for details', returncode)
 
     # Function to read configuration file
-    @timing
     def run(self) -> int:
         """Perform the backup"""
 
+        self._start_time = default_timer()
+
         try:
             return self._run()
         finally:
             self._remove_temp_files()
+            logger.info('Elapsed time: %s', self._elapsed())
+
+    def _elapsed(self) -> str:
+        return _format_duration(default_timer() - self._start_time)
 
     def close(self) -> None:
         """Close the SSH connection, if open"""
@@ -770,7 +793,7 @@ class Backup:
 
         if self._progress:
             args.append('--info=progress2')
-            bar = _ProgressBar()
+            bar = _ProgressBar(self._file_estimate)
 
         with Popen(args, stdin=PIPE, stdout=PIPE, stderr=STDOUT, shell=False, env=env) as p:
             assert p.stdin is not None and isinstance(p.stdout, io.BufferedIOBase)
@@ -789,6 +812,9 @@ class Backup:
 
             returncode = p.wait()
 
+        if bar is not None:
+            self.file_count = bar.total
+
         if returncode == 0:
             # Without -v, only the summary, which may be fewer than two lines (e.g. with --rsync-options q)
             for r in output:
@@ -825,14 +851,14 @@ class Backup:
             logger.error(
                 'Some errors occurred while performing the backup')
 
-            _notify(
+            _notify(f'Some errors occurred while performing the backup (elapsed time {self._elapsed()}). '
-                'Some errors occurred while performing the backup. Check log for details')
+                    'Check log for details')
 
             return 4
 
         logger.info('Backup completed')
 
-        _notify('Backup completed')
+        _notify(f'Backup completed in {self._elapsed()}')
 
         return 0
 
@@ -902,6 +928,8 @@ def _parse_arguments() -> argparse.Namespace:
                         help='Run rsync on remote server with sudo if allowed')
     parser.add_argument('--numeric-ids', action='store_true',
                         help='Use rsync \'--numeric-ids\' option (don\'t map uid/gid values by name)')
+    parser.add_argument('--last-backup', action='store_true',
+                        help='Show when the last successful backup was made and exit')
 
     args = parser.parse_args()
 
@@ -1077,6 +1105,119 @@ def _notify(text: str) -> None:
         os.seteuid(euid)
 
 
+def _state_owner(user: str | None) -> pwd.struct_passwd | None:
+    """The user whose state file is used when running as root on their behalf (sudo, doas, -u)"""
+
+    if os.geteuid() != 0 or user is None:
+        return None
+
+    try:
+        owner = pwd.getpwnam(user)
+    except KeyError:
+        return None
+
+    return owner if owner.pw_uid != 0 else None
+
+
+def _state_file(owner: pwd.struct_passwd | None) -> str:
+    if owner is not None:
+        # XDG_STATE_HOME belongs to root here
+        base = os.path.join(owner.pw_dir, '.local', 'state')
+    else:
+        base = os.getenv('XDG_STATE_HOME', '')
+
+        # The XDG spec says to ignore relative paths
+        if not os.path.isabs(base):
+            base = os.path.expanduser('~/.local/state')
+
+    return os.path.join(base, 'simple_backup', 'last_backup')
+
+
+def _last_file_count(user: str | None) -> int:
+    """Files in the last backup (third line of the state file), or 0 if unknown"""
+
+    try:
+        with open(_state_file(_state_owner(user)), encoding='utf-8') as fp:
+            return int(fp.read().splitlines()[2])
+    except (OSError, ValueError, IndexError):
+        return 0
+
+
+def _write_state(user: str | None, destination: str, file_count: int | None = None) -> None:
+    """Record the time, directory and file count of the last successful backup (one per line)"""
+
+    owner = _state_owner(user)
+    path = _state_file(owner)
+    tmp = ''
+
+    # Without the progress bar the count is unknown, so keep the previous one
+    if file_count is None:
+        file_count = _last_file_count(user)
+
+    count_line = f'{file_count}\n' if file_count > 0 else ''
+    euid, egid = os.geteuid(), os.getegid()
+
+    # Create the file (and any missing directories) as the user, not root
+    if owner is not None:
+        os.setegid(owner.pw_gid)
+        os.seteuid(owner.pw_uid)
+
+    try:
+        os.makedirs(os.path.dirname(path), exist_ok=True)
+
+        # Replace the file in one step, so readers (e.g. status bar scripts) never see it half written
+        fd, tmp = mkstemp(prefix='.last_backup', dir=os.path.dirname(path), text=True)
+
+        with os.fdopen(fd, 'w', encoding='utf-8') as fp:
+            fp.write(f'{datetime.now().astimezone().isoformat(timespec="seconds")}\n{destination}\n{count_line}')
+
+        os.replace(tmp, path)
+    except OSError as e:
+        logger.warning('Cannot save the time of the last backup to %s: %s', path, e)
+
+        if tmp != '':
+            try:
+                os.remove(tmp)
+            except OSError:
+                pass
+    finally:
+        if owner is not None:
+            os.seteuid(euid)
+            os.setegid(egid)
+
+
+def _show_last_backup(user: str | None) -> int:
+    path = _state_file(_state_owner(user))
+
+    try:
+        with open(path, encoding='utf-8') as fp:
+            time, destination = fp.read().splitlines()[:2]
+
+        completed = datetime.fromisoformat(time).astimezone()
+    except FileNotFoundError:
+        print('No backup recorded yet')
+
+        return 1
+    except (OSError, ValueError) as e:
+        print(f'Cannot read {path}: {e}', file=sys.stderr)
+
+        return 1
+
+    days = (datetime.now().astimezone().date() - completed.date()).days
+
+    if days == 0:
+        age = 'today'
+    elif days == 1:
+        age = 'yesterday'
+    else:
+        age = f'{days} days ago'
+
+    print(f'Last backup: {completed:%Y-%m-%d %H:%M} ({age})')
+    print(f'Directory: {destination}')
+
+    return 0
+
+
 def simple_backup() -> int:
     """Main"""
 
@@ -1084,6 +1225,9 @@ def simple_backup() -> int:
 
     user: str | None = args.user or _detect_user()
 
+    if args.last_backup:
+        return _show_last_backup(user)
+
     if not args.user and os.geteuid() != 0:
         homedir = os.getenv('HOME', '')
     elif user is not None:
@@ -1160,15 +1304,21 @@ def simple_backup() -> int:
     if args.numeric_ids or config_args['numeric_ids']:
         rsync_options.append('--numeric-ids')
 
+    progress = not args.no_progress and sys.stderr.isatty()
     backup = Backup(inputs, output, exclude, keep, ' '.join(rsync_options), ssh_host, ssh_user, ssh_keyfile,
                     remote_sudo, remove_before=args.remove_before_backup, verbose=args.verbose,
-                    progress=not args.no_progress and sys.stderr.isatty())
+                    progress=progress, file_estimate=_last_file_count(user) if progress else 0)
 
     try:
         return_code = backup.check_params(homedir)
 
+        if return_code != 0:
+            return return_code
+
+        return_code = backup.run()
+
         if return_code == 0:
-            return backup.run()
+            _write_state(user, backup.destination, backup.file_count)
 
         return return_code
     finally:

tests/conftest.py

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 import sys
 from collections.abc import Callable, Iterator
 from datetime import datetime, timedelta
+from pathlib import Path
 
 import pytest
 
@@ -10,13 +11,14 @@ from simple_backup import simple_backup as sb
 
 
 @pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
-def no_side_effects(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+def no_side_effects(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch, tmp_path: Path) -> None:
-    """Keep tests out of the systemd journal and the desktop notifications"""
+    """Keep tests out of the systemd journal, the desktop notifications and the user's state directory"""
 
     if hasattr(sb, 'j_handler'):
         sb.logger.removeHandler(sb.j_handler)
 
     monkeypatch.setattr(sb, '_notify', lambda text: None)
+    monkeypatch.setenv('XDG_STATE_HOME', str(tmp_path / 'state'))
 
 
 @pytest.fixture

tests/test_cli.py

@@ -26,11 +26,14 @@ class FakeBackup:
 
     instances: list['FakeBackup'] = []
     check_code = 0
+    run_code = 0
+    destination = '/backups/simple_backup/2026-10-25_10-00-00'
 
     def __init__(self, inputs: Any, output: Any, exclude: Any, keep: Any, options: str,
                  ssh_host: str | None = None, ssh_user: str | None = None,
                  ssh_keyfile: str | None = None, remote_sudo: bool = False,
-                 remove_before: bool = False, verbose: bool = False, progress: bool = False) -> None:
+                 remove_before: bool = False, verbose: bool = False, progress: bool = False,
+                 file_estimate: int = 0) -> None:
         self.inputs = inputs
         self.output = output
         self.exclude = exclude
@@ -43,6 +46,8 @@ class FakeBackup:
         self.remove_before = remove_before
         self.verbose = verbose
         self.progress = progress
+        self.file_estimate = file_estimate
+        self.file_count: int | None = None
         self.homedir: str | None = None
         self.ran = False
         self.closed = False
@@ -56,7 +61,7 @@ class FakeBackup:
     def run(self) -> int:
         self.ran = True
 
-        return 0
+        return FakeBackup.run_code
 
     def close(self) -> None:
         self.closed = True
@@ -66,6 +71,7 @@ class FakeBackup:
 def fake_backup(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
     FakeBackup.instances = []
     FakeBackup.check_code = 0
+    FakeBackup.run_code = 0
     monkeypatch.setattr(sb, 'Backup', FakeBackup)
 
 
@@ -83,6 +89,8 @@ def as_root(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
     """Run as root, with no sudo/doas variables set"""
 
     monkeypatch.setattr(os, 'geteuid', lambda: 0)
+    # Writing the state file as root would call seteuid() (covered in test_state.py)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(sb, '_write_state', lambda user, destination, file_count=None: None)
 
     for var in ['SUDO_USER', 'SUDO_UID', 'DOAS_USER']:
         monkeypatch.delenv(var, raising=False)
@@ -261,6 +269,17 @@ ssh_keyfile=/keys/id
         assert run_cli('-c', config('backup_dir=/backups'), *argv) == 0
         assert last_backup().progress is progress
 
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize('tty, estimate', [(True, 1234), (False, 0)])
+    def test_file_estimate(self, run_cli: RunCli, config: Callable[[str], str], monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+                           tmp_path: Path, tty: bool, estimate: int) -> None:
+        monkeypatch.setattr(sb.sys.stderr, 'isatty', lambda: tty)
+        state = tmp_path / 'state' / 'simple_backup' / 'last_backup'
+        state.parent.mkdir(parents=True)
+        state.write_text('2026-10-25T10:00:00+02:00\n/backups/old\n1234\n')
+
+        assert run_cli('-c', config('backup_dir=/backups')) == 0
+        assert last_backup().file_estimate == estimate
+
     def test_check_params_failure(self, run_cli: RunCli, config: Callable[[str], str]) -> None:
         FakeBackup.check_code = 2
 
@@ -270,6 +289,20 @@ ssh_keyfile=/keys/id
         assert not b.ran
         assert b.closed
 
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize('check_code, run_code, saved', [(0, 0, True), (2, 0, False), (0, 4, False)])
+    def test_state_saved_only_on_success(self, run_cli: RunCli, config: Callable[[str], str], tmp_path: Path,
+                                         check_code: int, run_code: int, saved: bool) -> None:
+        FakeBackup.check_code = check_code
+        FakeBackup.run_code = run_code
+
+        assert run_cli('-c', config('backup_dir=/backups')) == (check_code or run_code)
+
+        state = tmp_path / 'state' / 'simple_backup' / 'last_backup'
+        assert state.exists() is saved
+
+        if saved:
+            assert state.read_text().splitlines()[1] == FakeBackup.destination
+
 
 class TestUser:
     @pytest.mark.usefixtures('as_user')

tests/test_local.py

@@ -88,6 +88,18 @@ class TestRsync:
         assert 'Backup completed' in caplog.text
         assert 'rsync: sent' in caplog.text
 
+    def test_elapsed_time(self, src: Path, out: Path, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+                          caplog: pytest.LogCaptureFixture) -> None:
+        notifications: list[str] = []
+        monkeypatch.setattr(sb, '_notify', notifications.append)
+        # Start, then the notification and the log line
+        monkeypatch.setattr(sb, 'default_timer', iter([0.0, 863.187, 863.2]).__next__)
+
+        assert run_backup(out, [str(src)]) == 0
+
+        assert notifications[-1] == 'Backup completed in 14:23'
+        assert 'Elapsed time: 14:23' in caplog.text
+
     def test_hard_links(self, src: Path, out: Path) -> None:
         assert run_backup(out, [str(src)]) == 0
         (src / 'changed.txt').write_text('second')
@@ -195,13 +207,30 @@ class TestRsync:
         assert 'rsync: total size' in caplog.text
         assert '%' not in caplog.text
 
+    def test_file_count(self, src: Path, out: Path) -> None:
+        backup = make_backup(out, [str(src)], progress=True)
+
+        assert backup.run() == 0
+        # The source folder, its two files and the implied parent folders
+        assert backup.file_count is not None and backup.file_count >= 3
+
+    def test_no_file_count_without_progress(self, src: Path, out: Path) -> None:
+        backup = make_backup(out, [str(src)])
+
+        assert backup.run() == 0
+        assert backup.file_count is None
+
     def test_cli(self, src: Path, out: Path, tmp_path: Path, run_cli: Callable[..., int]) -> None:
         config_file = str(tmp_path / 'missing.conf')
 
         for _ in range(2):
             assert run_cli('-c', config_file, '-i', str(src), '-o', str(out), '-k', '0') == 0
 
-        assert backups(out) == ['2026-10-14_11-00-00']
+        # The fake clock also advances when the state file is written
+        assert backups(out) == ['2026-10-14_12-00-00']
+        state = (tmp_path / 'state' / 'simple_backup' / 'last_backup').read_text().splitlines()
+        assert state[0].startswith('2026-10-14T13:00:00')
+        assert state[1] == f'{out}/simple_backup/2026-10-14_12-00-00'
 
 
 class ChunkStream(io.BufferedIOBase):
@@ -227,6 +256,13 @@ class TestReadRecords:
         assert list(sb._read_records(stream)) == ['file', '', 'namé', '�']
 
 
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(('seconds', 'text'), [
+    (0.4, '00:00'), (59.6, '01:00'), (863.187, '14:23'), (3599.4, '59:59'), (3600, '1:00:00'), (37230, '10:20:30'),
+])
+def test_format_duration(seconds: float, text: str) -> None:
+    assert sb._format_duration(seconds) == text
+
+
 class TestProgressBar:
     @pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
     def terminal(self, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
@@ -257,6 +293,30 @@ class TestProgressBar:
         assert bar.update('          3.00M   2%    1.47MB/s    0:00:03')
         assert capsys.readouterr().err.endswith(']   50%  2/4 files  3.00M copied  ETA 0:00:30\033[K')
 
+    def test_estimate_while_scanning(self, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+                                     capsys: pytest.CaptureFixture[str]) -> None:
+        monkeypatch.setattr(sb, 'get_terminal_size', lambda: os.terminal_size((100, 24)))
+        bar = sb._ProgressBar(estimate=4000)
+
+        assert bar.update('          2.00M  25%    1.47MB/s    0:00:02 (xfr#1, ir-chk=1000/2000)')
+        assert bar.total is None
+        assert capsys.readouterr().err == \
+            '\r[#######-----------------------]  ~25%  1,000/~4,000 files  2.00M copied  ETA ~0:01:30\033[K'
+
+    def test_estimate_exceeded(self, capsys: pytest.CaptureFixture[str]) -> None:
+        bar = sb._ProgressBar(estimate=1000)
+
+        # More files than in the last backup: back to plain scanning
+        assert bar.update('          2.00M  25%    1.47MB/s    0:00:02 (xfr#1, ir-chk=500/2000)')
+        assert capsys.readouterr().err == '\r1,500 files checked  2.00M copied  (scanning)\033[K'
+
+    def test_real_total_replaces_estimate(self, capsys: pytest.CaptureFixture[str]) -> None:
+        bar = sb._ProgressBar(estimate=4000)
+
+        assert bar.update('      4,000,000   1%    2.97MB/s    0:00:01 (xfr#2, to-chk=1/4)')
+        assert bar.total == 4
+        assert '  75%  3/4 files' in capsys.readouterr().err
+
     def test_not_progress(self, capsys: pytest.CaptureFixture[str]) -> None:
         bar = sb._ProgressBar()
 

tests/test_state.py

@@ -0,0 +1,160 @@
+"""Tests for the last backup state file and --last-backup"""
+
+import os
+import pwd
+from collections.abc import Callable
+from datetime import datetime, timedelta
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import pytest
+
+from simple_backup import simple_backup as sb
+
+DESTINATION = '/backups/simple_backup/2026-10-25_10-00-00'
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
+def as_user(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+    """Run as a non-root user (the tests may run as root in a chroot)"""
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(os, 'geteuid', lambda: 1000)
+    monkeypatch.setenv('USER', 'user')
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def state(tmp_path: Path) -> Path:
+    return tmp_path / 'state' / 'simple_backup' / 'last_backup'
+
+
+def write_state(state: Path, text: str) -> None:
+    state.parent.mkdir(parents=True)
+    state.write_text(text)
+
+
+def test_write(state: Path) -> None:
+    sb._write_state(None, DESTINATION)
+
+    time, destination = state.read_text().splitlines()
+    assert abs(datetime.now().astimezone() - datetime.fromisoformat(time)) < timedelta(minutes=1)
+    assert destination == DESTINATION
+    # No temporary file left behind
+    assert os.listdir(state.parent) == ['last_backup']
+
+
+def test_overwrite(state: Path) -> None:
+    write_state(state, '2026-10-01T10:00:00+02:00\n/old\n')
+
+    sb._write_state(None, DESTINATION)
+
+    assert state.read_text().splitlines()[1] == DESTINATION
+
+
+def test_file_count(state: Path) -> None:
+    sb._write_state(None, DESTINATION, 1234)
+
+    assert state.read_text().splitlines()[2] == '1234'
+    assert sb._last_file_count(None) == 1234
+
+
+def test_file_count_kept_when_unknown(state: Path) -> None:
+    write_state(state, '2026-10-01T10:00:00+02:00\n/old\n1234\n')
+
+    sb._write_state(None, DESTINATION)
+
+    assert state.read_text().splitlines()[1:] == [DESTINATION, '1234']
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('text', [None, '2026-10-01T10:00:00+02:00\n/old\n', '2026-10-01T10:00:00+02:00\n/old\nx\n'])
+def test_no_file_count(state: Path, text: str | None) -> None:
+    if text is not None:
+        write_state(state, text)
+
+    assert sb._last_file_count(None) == 0
+
+
+def test_relative_xdg_state_home_ignored(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch, tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    monkeypatch.setenv('XDG_STATE_HOME', 'relative')
+    monkeypatch.setenv('HOME', str(tmp_path / 'home'))
+
+    sb._write_state(None, DESTINATION)
+
+    assert (tmp_path / 'home' / '.local' / 'state' / 'simple_backup' / 'last_backup').exists()
+
+
+def test_write_error(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch, tmp_path: Path, caplog: pytest.LogCaptureFixture) -> None:
+    # A file where the state directory should be
+    (tmp_path / 'not a dir').write_text('')
+    monkeypatch.setenv('XDG_STATE_HOME', str(tmp_path / 'not a dir'))
+
+    sb._write_state(None, DESTINATION)
+
+    assert 'Cannot save the time of the last backup' in caplog.text
+
+
+def test_root_writes_as_user(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch, tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    calls: list[tuple[str, int]] = []
+    egid = os.getegid()
+    owner = pwd.struct_passwd(('user', 'x', 1000, 1001, '', str(tmp_path / 'home'), '/bin/sh'))
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(os, 'geteuid', lambda: 0)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(pwd, 'getpwnam', lambda name: owner)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(os, 'seteuid', lambda uid: calls.append(('euid', uid)))
+    monkeypatch.setattr(os, 'setegid', lambda gid: calls.append(('egid', gid)))
+
+    sb._write_state('user', DESTINATION)
+
+    # Root's XDG_STATE_HOME is not used
+    assert (tmp_path / 'home' / '.local' / 'state' / 'simple_backup' / 'last_backup').exists()
+    assert calls == [('egid', 1001), ('euid', 1000), ('euid', 0), ('egid', egid)]
+
+
+class TestStateOwner:
+    def test_non_root(self) -> None:
+        assert sb._state_owner('user') is None
+
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize('name, expected', [('user', 'user'), ('root', None), ('unknown', None), (None, None)])
+    def test_root(self, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch, name: str | None, expected: str | None) -> None:
+        users = {'user': pwd.struct_passwd(('user', 'x', 1000, 1000, '', '/home/user', '/bin/sh')),
+                 'root': pwd.struct_passwd(('root', 'x', 0, 0, '', '/root', '/bin/sh'))}
+
+        def getpwnam(name: str) -> pwd.struct_passwd:
+            if name not in users:
+                raise KeyError(name)
+
+            return users[name]
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr(os, 'geteuid', lambda: 0)
+        monkeypatch.setattr(pwd, 'getpwnam', getpwnam)
+
+        owner = sb._state_owner(name)
+        assert (owner.pw_name if owner is not None else None) == expected
+
+
+class TestShow:
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize('days, age', [(0, 'today'), (1, 'yesterday'), (3, '3 days ago')])
+    def test_age(self, run_cli: Callable[..., int], state: Path, capsys: pytest.CaptureFixture[str],
+                 days: int, age: str) -> None:
+        completed = (datetime.now() - timedelta(days=days)).replace(hour=12, minute=30).astimezone()
+        write_state(state, f'{completed.isoformat(timespec="seconds")}\n{DESTINATION}\n')
+
+        assert run_cli('--last-backup') == 0
+        assert capsys.readouterr().out == \
+            f'Last backup: {completed:%Y-%m-%d} 12:30 ({age})\nDirectory: {DESTINATION}\n'
+
+    def test_after_write(self, run_cli: Callable[..., int], capsys: pytest.CaptureFixture[str]) -> None:
+        sb._write_state(None, DESTINATION)
+
+        assert run_cli('--last-backup') == 0
+        assert '(today)' in capsys.readouterr().out
+
+    def test_no_backup(self, run_cli: Callable[..., int], capsys: pytest.CaptureFixture[str]) -> None:
+        assert run_cli('--last-backup') == 1
+        assert capsys.readouterr().out == 'No backup recorded yet\n'
+
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize('text', ['', '2026-10-25T10:00:00+02:00\n', 'yesterday\n/backups\n'])
+    def test_bad_file(self, run_cli: Callable[..., int], state: Path, capsys: pytest.CaptureFixture[str],
+                      text: str) -> None:
+        write_state(state, text)
+
+        assert run_cli('--last-backup') == 1
+        assert 'Cannot read' in capsys.readouterr().err