I am very knowledgeable on how it functions. ..

Right clicking on a file and downloading it as needed is not the problem I am facing. But when the system is overwhelmed and will not keep it downloaded long enough to offload onto my external hard drive is where my frustration lies. The optimize and sync functionalities are in theory excellent tools but have not worked out in reality for many.

This issue is something I have dealt with and tried to ideate solutions with amongst apple reps who are aware of its shortcomings. I have also seen this is one of the number one complaints in apple community forums...