Terminal · SSH · SFTP

Blyck’s terminal is built on xterm.js, handling local shells, SSH remote sessions, the file tree, and the SFTP remote tree as panels of the same kind. Split panels to manage several servers at once, and edit remote files like local ones over SFTP.

Zero-install remote

When you work with a remote server through Blyck, you install nothing on the server. The only remote requirement is a single sshd.

To use AI with VS Code Remote-SSH, you have to install an AI CLI like Claude Code or Codex, plus extensions and a runtime (Node), on every remote machine, repeating install and login each time you switch servers. On closed networks or servers without install permissions, you can get blocked. Blyck runs Claude Code / Codex locally (on your PC) and delivers file operations over SFTP and commands over SSH.

• No AI CLI install — Claude Code / Codex run on your PC. Nothing is installed on the remote server.
• Closed-network / no-permission servers OK — It works as long as sshd is open.
• Keys / auth in one local place — No need to keep API keys or login sessions on each server.
• No trace on the server — No agent process or cache is created on the remote. Disconnect and it’s over.

Trade-off

Heavy work like large-scale code search and builds is run by sending commands over SSH (in remote folders, RAG code search is disabled, and the AI explores directly with file_list_dir·file_read). For ordinary editing and operations work, this approach is far lighter.

Local terminal

Shell auto-detection

Without configuration, it automatically selects the shell that matches your OS.

Environment	Auto-selection order
Windows	PowerShell 7+ → PowerShell 5.1 → cmd.exe
macOS / WSL	bash · zsh (LANG=en_US.UTF-8 auto-applied)

Scrollback search · font

• Scrollback buffer of 10,000 lines — search with Ctrl+F (regex supported).
• Ctrl+= / Ctrl+- / Ctrl+0 — Adjust font size. Saved separately per area: terminal, file tree, editor, chat.

Smart output — click and it acts

• URLs — Click to open in your default browser.
• Double-click a filename — Double-clicking a file in ls output and the like opens the editor; for a folder, it cds into it and shows the listing.
• Current-directory tracking — Always shows the location the shell reports (OSC 7) in the panel header.
• edit <file> — Typing this in the terminal switches that panel into the editor for that file.

Why Korean doesn’t get garbled

Note

In Windows environments, Korean displays correctly with no extra configuration.

• D2Coding font bundle — Korean/CJK displays correctly even if the OS lacks the font.
• Windows UTF-8 initialization — Automatically sets PowerShell output encoding to UTF-8 (65001).
• Safe delivery of non-ASCII commands — Delivered via -EncodedCommand (Base64 UTF-16LE) so they aren’t garbled even on a CP949 corporate PC.

If Korean is garbled on a remote server, check whether the server’s LANG environment variable is *.UTF-8 with the locale command.

AI right in the terminal — /claude

Call the AI on the spot with a slash command at the shell prompt.

Command	Action
/claude <question>	Text answer only (no file/command permission)
/claude? <question>	Ask with recent terminal output as context — for asking about an error that just occurred, as-is
/claude! <question>	Grant file / command execution permission
/claude!? <question>	Output context + execution permission — “fix this error” in one line and done

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Panels · tabs · sub-tabs

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+Shift+T	New tab
Alt+1 ~ Alt+8	Switch tabs
Ctrl+\	Split left/right
Ctrl+Shift+-	Split top/bottom
Ctrl+Tab	Cycle panels
Ctrl+`	Cycle sub-tabs
Alt+Enter	Zoom panel

Drag the divider to freely adjust the ratio. Sessions in background sub-tabs stay alive, so you can keep several servers stacked in one panel and switch between them as you work.

Tip

Layout restore — Restart the app and tabs, split structure, and sub-tabs are restored as they were, with SSH sessions attempting auto-reconnect.

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SSH

Connecting

1. Ctrl+Shift+S or the + menu → select SSH connect…
2. Enter username, host, and port (default 22), and a password if needed.
3. Choose “In this panel” or “In a new tab” to connect.

Authentication order

If you leave the password blank, it tries automatically in this order.

1. ssh-agent — The SSH_AUTH_SOCK environment variable or the Windows OpenSSH agent pipe
2. Default key files — ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 → id_rsa → id_ecdsa, in order
3. Shell password prompt — If all the above fail, the server requests it directly

If you enter a password, it’s auto-entered once when the prompt is detected. Also, SFTP for the same host connects automatically in the background.

Keepalive

While connected, a keepalive packet is sent at 30-second intervals to prevent idle disconnects.

Auto-reconnect

If an SSH session terminates abnormally, it attempts auto-reconnect with progressive backoff intervals.

1s → 2s → 4s → 8s → 16s → 30s → 30s … (up to 10 times)

• Press any key while waiting to cancel the reconnect.
• On a successful reconnect, the session is restored automatically.

Note for password-only servers

Auto-reconnect does not reuse the password. Key or ssh-agent authentication must work for auto-recovery. For servers that support only passwords, reconnect manually with Ctrl+Shift+S.

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File tree

Opening

Ctrl+Shift+E or the + menu → File tree

Keyboard shortcuts

Key	Action
↑ / ↓	Move between items
→ / ←	Expand / collapse
Enter	Enter / open
Backspace	To parent folder
:	Go to an arbitrary path
Space	Select (multi-select supported)
y / x / p	Copy / cut / paste
d	Delete
r or F2	Rename
n / N	New file / new folder
R	Refresh
c	Send path to the terminal shell
a	@attach to AI Chat

Deletion difference

Deleting a local file moves it to the Recycle Bin (recoverable).
Deleting a remote (SFTP) file permanently deletes it immediately (rm -rf, unrecoverable).
Be sure to read the warning in the confirmation prompt.

File-open size policy

File size	Behavior
≤ 2 MB	Open in the Monaco editor
2 MB ~ 32 MB	Open as read-only (tab shows [read-only])
> 32 MB	Prompt for the OS default app
Image / PDF	Built-in viewer
Office / archive files	Open with the OS default app

Git badges (local tree)

In the local file tree, Git status is shown as a badge next to the file.

Badge	Meaning
?	Untracked
+	Staged
-	Deleted
!	Conflict

Git badges are not shown in the remote SFTP tree.

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SFTP remote tree

Connecting

Ctrl+Shift+F or the + menu → SFTP remote tree…

Enter user · host (required) · port (22) · password (leave blank for key auth) · key path · key passphrase · save name.

Authentication order: explicit key → ssh-agent → ~/.ssh default key → password

Tip

If you enter a password and connect in the SSH dialog, SFTP for the same host connects automatically in the background (”✓ SFTP connected” toast). No re-authentication is needed for file operations.

Editing remote files

Double-click a text file in the SFTP tree to open it in the Monaco editor. Saving with Ctrl+S uploads to the remote immediately, and the change is automatically recorded in ChangeSet so it can be reverted.

Note

LSP autocompletion, ▶ Run, and Git diff don’t apply to remote SFTP files. The file size limit is 2 MB.

Symbolic links are shown in a distinct color in the tree.

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File upload · download

Keep a local file tree and an SFTP remote tree open side by side in the same tab, and transfer quickly with the u/g keys.

Direction	Method
Upload (local → remote)	Select with Space in the local tree → u
Download (remote → local)	Select with Space in the SFTP tree → g

• Folders are transferred recursively.
• Progress is shown in the status bar as “N items → user@host”.
• If there’s no opposite-kind tree in the same tab, a guidance message is shown.

The right-click menu also offers upload, download, new folder, rename, and delete, and server-to-server direct transfer (not going through local) is supported too.

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Saved connections

Enter a “save name” and connect in the SSH or SFTP dialog and the connection is saved. From then on you connect directly with one click from the list.

Secure password storage

Passwords and key passphrases are stored encrypted in the OS keychain.

• Windows: DPAPI (bound to the user account)
• macOS: Keychain

connections.json stores only the encrypted values, and plaintext exists only in memory.

When copying to another PC

If you copy the settings file to another PC or account, the password can’t be decrypted. The credential-entry dialog opens again on connection.

Saved connections can be grouped into folders by team or environment.

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Remote project folders (AI Chat integration)

You can designate an SSH/SFTP remote folder as AI Chat’s working folder.

How to set up

1. Click the 📁 folder chip at the top of the AI Chat panel
2. Select Remote (SSH/SFTP) connection…
3. Select the server → select the folder

After setup, the chip shows user@host:/path · Remote SFTP.

How it works

Once designated, the AI’s file tools (file_read / file_write / file_list_dir) auto-route to the SFTP path. Remote file changes are also recorded in ChangeSet and can be reverted.

Note

In a remote project folder, RAG code search (Search) is disabled. The AI explores remote code with the file_list_dir and file_read tools.

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VNC

Use the built-in VNC viewer when you need a remote desktop.

• Connect by entering host:port, with VNC password authentication supported
• Auto-fit screen — The remote screen auto-scales to the panel size.
• Bidirectional clipboard — Remote → local syncs automatically; local → remote via Ctrl+V or the clipboard-send button
• SSH tunnel option — Reach an internal-network VNC through a jump server (local port auto-mapped)
• File transfer tab — Upload/download based on the TightVNC protocol. You can choose the filename encoding (UTF-8 · Windows-949 · Shift-JIS, etc.) in the options.

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WinRM — remote Windows management

Manage Windows servers where SSH can’t be opened via the WinRM panel.

• PowerShell commands run on the remote.
• Korean commands are safe too thanks to -EncodedCommand processing.
• Delegate to the AI and query commands (Get-*) run automatically, while change commands (Set- / Remove- / Restart-, etc.) go through confirmation.

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Together with AI

AI Chat is aware of the active SSH panel. Delegate commands in natural language and the AI runs them with the ssh_exec tool, collecting the output to answer.

▸ Show this server's nginx config file
▸ Find the 5 largest files in /var/log

Before crafting a command, the AI grasps the server environment (OS · init system · package manager · whether containerized · memory · disk · installed tool versions) with ssh_probe_env. It won’t craft a wrong command due to differences like apt/yum or systemd/sysvinit.

Read commands run automatically, but write/dangerous commands (rm, chmod, etc.) go through a confirmation dialog before running. See AI Chat › Tool approval for details.

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FAQ

Q. SSH won’t connect.
Check the host, port (default 22), firewall, and username. For key auth, verify the ~/.ssh key file exists and is registered in the server’s authorized_keys.

Q. Auto-reconnect keeps failing.
Auto-reconnect does not reuse the password. Key or ssh-agent authentication must work for auto-recovery. For servers that support only passwords, reconnect manually with Ctrl+Shift+S.

Q. Korean is garbled on a remote server.
Check whether the server’s LANG environment variable is *.UTF-8 with the locale command. Blyck auto-applies UTF-8 to the local Windows terminal.

Q. File transfer (u/g) doesn’t work.
You must open both a local file tree and an SFTP remote tree in the same tab. Select in the local tree for upload, in the SFTP tree for download.

Q. I moved saved connections to another PC and it asks for the password again.
Passwords are protected with an encryption key bound to the OS account. Copy to another PC/account and they won’t decrypt, so you must re-enter. This is intended security behavior.

Q. RAG search doesn’t work in a remote project folder.
Remote SFTP folders are currently not RAG indexing targets. The AI explores remote code directly with the file_list_dir and file_read tools. For a local folder, try Search.