Let me explain.
iCloud Drive uses some kind of "on demand" files, like Dropbox. If the file is in local disk, what you see is the file itself (well, not really, it is a pair of file + extra info, hidden, but this works fine in FFS). When the file is online only, it is replaced by a text file with same name, added ".iCloud" and added a starting . to hide it. Inside text file is a GUIID that tells the system/iCloud how to locate that file.
Let me explain with a sample: you have "Blade Runner.avi" in your iCloud Drive. Over the time (or you manually), the file is deleted and replaced by ".Blade Runner.avi.iCloud" file, that contains enough metadata to allow macOS to download the real file when needed.
Using FFS, if you copy a file from "on demand", Drobpox (or OneDrive), those programs exchange the "placeholder" by the real file, and real file is copied. However, with iCloud Drive files, FFS copies the ".iCloud" file instead to wait (or whatever is needed) to get the real file. I don't know if it is the way FFS uses to get the file (what Operative System call is doing), but the fact is FFS copies the wrong file. As macOS heavy user, FFS is the only program that has this issue. No other program has failed to get the real file instead of the "placeholder" one.
Using FFS to copy files from iCloud Drive could end in copying the wrong files and if you then delete the files from iCloud Drive, you've lost all. No way to go back past 30 days (or you've emptied the recycle bin).
I think FFS developer should address this ASAP.
mac OS BUG: Issues with "on-demand" iCloud Drive files
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Sounds like a similar issue as with symlinks: copy the link or the target? FFS in general has a low-level view on the file system and it doesn't do any semantic analysis regarding the file content, which are just placeholder files ending with ".icloud".
It seems Dropbox has similar issues: https://www.macfilos.com/2017/06/09/2017-6-5-icloud-drive-the-danger-with-optimised-storage-file-placeholders
Now what to do about it?
1. Warn when trying to copy an ".icloud" file, because this is never (?) what the user intended?
2. Add an option to "download .icloud files" during copy?
3. Add an option to "treat" .icloud files as symlinks? => user has option to follow or not
4. ?
It seems Dropbox has similar issues: https://www.macfilos.com/2017/06/09/2017-6-5-icloud-drive-the-danger-with-optimised-storage-file-placeholders
Now what to do about it?
1. Warn when trying to copy an ".icloud" file, because this is never (?) what the user intended?
2. Add an option to "download .icloud files" during copy?
3. Add an option to "treat" .icloud files as symlinks? => user has option to follow or not
4. ?
