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Stock iPod firmware can’t play FLAC. clickwheel convert creates separate MP3 copies, adds them to the library index, and leaves your source files unchanged. The MP3s then flow through the normal selection and sync workflow. Conversion is always explicit. A normal iPod sync skips FLAC rather than transcoding it automatically.
1

Install ffmpeg

Conversion requires ffmpeg on your PATH:
2

Choose albums

Open the interactive album picker:
Use the space bar to select albums, then press Enter to start. You can also target an artist or convert every FLAC album:
See the Library command reference for every option.
3

Load the MP3 copies

Converted tracks are indexed automatically. Select them and continue with the usual preview and sync:

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Output and reruns

By default, clickwheel writes MP3s to ~/.clickwheel/transcoded at 320 kbps. The output mirrors your library’s folder structure but stays outside music_dir, so the scanner and Plex don’t mistake the copies for source music. Change the destination or bitrate in your config:
~/.clickwheel/config.yaml
Reruns skip tracks whose source and converted copy haven’t changed. Pass --force when you intentionally want to rebuild an existing MP3. See Configuration for the corresponding environment variables.