SSH Remote Development
CrispyVibe supports SSH-backed projects inside a VibeSpace, giving you full file browsing, editing, and terminal access on remote servers.
⚠️ Note: SSH Remote Development is behind an experimental feature flag. Enable it in Settings → Experimental before use.
Prerequisites
- An SSH key pair configured for the remote host (key-based authentication only)
- The remote host added to your SSH config or configured in Settings → Connections
🚨 Warning: Password authentication is not supported. You must use key-based authentication.
Setting up a remote project
- Open Settings → Connections and add an SSH profile, or import from your
~/.ssh/config. - Create or open a VibeSpace.
- Add a remote project by selecting your SSH profile and specifying the remote path.
File browsing
Remote directories appear in the Files sidebar like local projects. CrispyVibe uses SFTP to list and transfer files.
Editing remote files
Open any remote text file in the content viewer. Edits are saved back to the remote server through the same file-content abstraction used for local files.
Remote images and PDFs are staged locally for preview.
Remote terminals
Launch a terminal on the remote host from the terminal board or the command palette. Remote terminals use the system /usr/bin/ssh binary.
tmux persistence
If tmux is available on the remote host, CrispyVibe can persist terminal sessions across disconnects. Reconnecting to the remote host reattaches to existing tmux sessions.
Agent CLI on remote hosts
The crispy CLI works in remote terminals — including for AI agents on the remote host — with no install on the remote machine. CrispyVibe relays the CLI over your SSH connection. It is a per-connection opt-in (on by default). See Remote Agent CLI for setup and details.
Port forwarding
Access forwarded ports through the remote status popover in the status bar. Add or remove port forwards while connected.
Connection management
Connection states
| State | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Connected | Active SSH connection |
| Connecting | Handshake in progress |
| Disconnected | No active connection |
| Failed | Connection attempt failed |
Reconnect or disconnect
Use the remote status popover to manually reconnect or disconnect from a remote host.
Connection multiplexing
CrispyVibe uses SSH ControlMaster to multiplex connections. Multiple terminals and file operations share a single SSH connection to the host.
Host key validation
On first connection to a new host, CrispyVibe prompts you to verify the host key fingerprint. Subsequent connections validate against the stored key.
VibeSpace restore
When you reopen a VibeSpace that contains remote projects, CrispyVibe reconnects to the remote hosts and restores your previous state.
Managing SSH profiles
Open Settings → Connections to:
- Add new SSH profiles
- Edit existing profiles
- Remove profiles
- Import hosts from
~/.ssh/config
Known limitations
- Key-based authentication only — no password or keyboard-interactive support.
- Requires the experimental feature flag to be enabled.