SSH Drive

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SSH Drive

SSH Drive

Your SSH servers in Finder's sidebar, next to iCloud Drive. Files download when you open them, and the cache clears itself.

SSH Drive mounts SSH servers through Apple's File Provider framework, the one iCloud Drive and Dropbox use. There is no window: you set a location up with the sshdrive command, then use Finder.

brew tap alecdwm/tap
brew install --cask sshdrive
sshdrive add nas alec@nas.local

Does it fit?

  • You can already ssh into the server. SSH Drive runs your own /usr/bin/ssh, so ~/.ssh/config aliases, ProxyJump chains, Match exec blocks, ssh-agent, 1Password, Secretive and FIDO keys all work as they do in a terminal.
  • Nobody needs to be at the keyboard on every connection. The mount reconnects on its own, so add refuses a key that asks for a touch, a PIN or a one-time code each time. A key agent, a FIDO key made with no-touch-required, or a password works instead.
  • You run macOS 14 or newer, and the server allows SFTP over SSH, which OpenSSH does by default.

What it does

  • Placeholders until opened. Folders list without downloading anything; a file is fetched when something opens it.
  • A cache that expires. Downloaded files are dropped after a TTL you set per location, from 15 minutes to a month, or never.
  • Pinned folders stay downloaded, including files that appear on the server later. Pinning is the same as Finder's "Keep Downloaded".
  • Server changes show up on their own, by one of three methods depending on what the server can run. sshdrive status says which. The fastest is a small helper binary that reports changes in about a second.
  • Sleep, wake and network loss are handled. Edits made offline are queued and uploaded when the server comes back.
  • No trash. Deleting in the mount deletes on the server, and Finder says so.

Where to go next

Using it:

  • Install and use: installing, the two macOS prompts, your first location, everyday commands and uninstalling.
  • Troubleshooting: organised by what sshdrive doctor says.

Working on it:

Install and use