Initial commit: dial — interactive SSH host picker
A fast, read-only ~/.ssh/config picker that exec's the system ssh client. Includes: static high-contrast picker with recency/frequency/name sort and tag grouping, `dial keygen` (native ed25519/RSA + optional config entry), and an optional offline YubiKey launch gate with one-time recovery codes. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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# dial — v2 report
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A status report on `dial` after the v2 pass, written to be self-contained so it
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can be pasted into a fresh chat for brainstorming. No codebase access needed to
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follow it. (For the original tool, see the v1 REPORT.md; this focuses on what v2
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added and where it stands.)
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## What dial is (one paragraph)
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`dial` is a fast, cross-platform command-line SSH tool. Its core is an
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interactive host picker: it reads `~/.ssh/config`, shows a clean, static,
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high-contrast, low-light-friendly list, and on selection `exec`s the real system
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`ssh` client into the host (so tty/ProxyJump/agent forwarding just work). It's a
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single Go binary. v2 added sorting/grouping, an SSH key generator, and an in-app
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SFTP file browser. Optional features include a YubiKey launch gate. App data
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(recents, favourites, settings) lives under `~/.ssh/.dial/` so it syncs via the
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user's existing Syncthing.
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## What v2 shipped
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1. **Alphabetical sort.** The `s` key now cycles three modes: recently used →
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most used → name. Favourites still pin to the top in every mode. Persisted.
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2. **Last-connected timestamp** shown in the host preview pane ("1 hour ago" /
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"never"), surfacing the recency data already tracked for sorting.
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3. **Tag grouping + coloured tag pills.** A `g` toggle (independent of sort)
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groups the list into sections: a Favourites section, one section per tag
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(alphabetical), then Untagged. Tag pills are coloured deterministically per
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tag from the theme's high-contrast palette. **Decision made:** grouping is an
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independent toggle (not a 4th sort mode), and a multi-tagged host appears
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under its *first* tag only, so the list stays a clean permutation with no
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duplicated rows.
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4. **`dial keygen`.** A new subcommand that generates SSH keys **natively in Go**
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(no `ssh-keygen` dependency): ed25519 by default, `--rsa` for RSA-4096.
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Optional passphrase (default none). It keeps the `.pub` file (the old shell
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script deleted it), writes the private key `0600`, and can append a matching
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`Host` block to `~/.ssh/config` — backing the file up first and refusing to
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duplicate an existing alias. It's a rebuild of an old `create_ssh_keypair.sh`,
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fixing that script's macOS-only `sed`, key-deletion, and unquoted-append bugs.
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5. **In-app SFTP file browser.** Pressing `t` on a host opens a dual-pane
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browser (local left, remote right) that transfers files without leaving dial:
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- Side-by-side panes, `tab` to switch, arrow/`jk` to move, `enter` to descend,
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`backspace` up, `space` to batch-select.
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- Directional transfers: `→`/`p` push local→remote, `←`/`g` pull remote→local,
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into the other pane's current directory.
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- Recursive directory transfers, aggregate progress bar, and overwrite prompts
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(`[o]verwrite`/`[s]kip`/`[r]ename`, uppercase = apply to all remaining).
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- **Same-session resume**: an interrupted transfer retried in the same session
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resumes partial files instead of restarting.
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- Connects over SFTP in-process (`pkg/sftp` + `golang.org/x/crypto/ssh`),
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reusing the host's real `~/.ssh/config` (resolved via `ssh -G`), including
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ProxyJump, authenticating via ssh-agent or unencrypted key files.
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- When the YubiKey gate is enabled it re-challenges before opening the browser.
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## Architecture (packages)
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Existing v1 packages: `sshconf` (read-only config parser), `store`
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(`~/.ssh/.dial/` persistence), `picker` (the TUI), `connect` (exec-into-ssh),
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`yubikey` (gate + recovery code), `theme` (styling). v2 added:
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- `internal/keygen` — native key generation (crypto + `x/crypto/ssh`), key-file
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writing with correct perms, and safe `~/.ssh/config` appends.
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- `internal/xfer` — the transfer engine. A small `fs` abstraction lets push and
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pull share one recursive copy routine; handles progress, conflict policy, and
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resume. **Fully unit-tested against an in-memory SFTP server** (no sshd needed).
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- `internal/sshx` — the connection layer. Resolves effective config via
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`ssh -G <alias>`, builds the `ssh.ClientConfig` (agent + key auth, known_hosts
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verification), and dials directly or through a ProxyJump chain.
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- `internal/browser` — the dual-pane Bubble Tea file browser, using `xfer` for
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transfers and coordinating the overwrite prompt across goroutines.
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The picker's `t` key returns an `ActionSFTP` result; `main` then (re-)runs the
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gate, connects via `sshx`, opens an `sftp.Client`, and runs the browser. The
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default flow is now a loop: pick → connect (exec, ends) or sftp (returns to the
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picker). Host *selection* stayed decoupled from the *action*, which is what let
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SFTP reuse the picker cleanly.
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## Current state
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- **Complete and green.** All packages build; `go vet` clean; unit tests pass
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for `sshconf`, `store`, `yubikey`, `picker`, `keygen`, `xfer`, `sshx`.
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- **Cross-compiles** to all five targets (macOS arm64/amd64, Linux amd64/arm64,
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Windows amd64). Binary grew from ~3.5 MB to ~6.1 MB — the cost of the
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in-process SFTP stack (`x/crypto/ssh` + `pkg/sftp`), a deliberate trade chosen
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over shelling out to the system `sftp`.
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- **Live-verified via tmux** (against an in-memory SFTP server): dual-pane
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render, navigation, batch selection, single-file push, recursive directory
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push (contents verified on the far side), and the overwrite-conflict prompt
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(goroutine↔UI coordination). keygen verified end-to-end (valid ed25519,
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correct perms, config append with backup).
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## Known limitations / not yet exercised
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- **The SFTP connection layer is now live-verified against a real sshd.**
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Against a test host (key-based auth, no agent, unencrypted key loaded directly
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from `IdentityFile`): `sshx.Connect` + SFTP listing, an SFTP write/read/remove
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round-trip, and a full-TUI pull *and* push both passed with byte-for-byte
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sha256 matches. An env-gated live test (`DIAL_LIVE_HOST=<host> go test
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./internal/sshx -run TestLiveConnect`) is kept for re-running this. Still
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unverified against a real host: **ProxyJump chaining** and **agent-backed /
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encrypted-key auth** (the test host used a plain key file, no agent). (Same
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hardware-untested posture remains for the YubiKey gate.)
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- **ssh-agent on Windows** uses named pipes, not the `SSH_AUTH_SOCK` unix socket
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the code dials; it compiles, but agent auth on Windows likely needs follow-up.
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- **Encrypted key files** are skipped by the SFTP auth (it relies on the agent
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for those) — dial never prompts for a key passphrase when connecting.
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- **No mid-transfer cancel** — resume covers interruptions, but there's no
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in-flight cancel key; a stuck transfer would need Ctrl-C out of the browser.
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- **known_hosts is verify-only** — an unknown host errors out ("ssh to it once
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first") rather than offering trust-on-first-use; no known_hosts management.
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- Still unsigned binaries (Gatekeeper/SmartScreen warnings); no CI/releases.
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## Deferred (explicitly out of this pass)
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Idle-timeout gate option; crash-persistent resume (surviving a dial restart);
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distribution/signing/package managers; multi-select/batch actions *across hosts*
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(distinct from the in-browser batch file selection, which shipped); per-host
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notes; fuzzy search.
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## Open questions & directions to brainstorm
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1. **Real-host validation plan for SFTP** — what's the cheapest way to smoke-test
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the connection layer (a throwaway VM? a container running sshd? a known host)?
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2. **Windows agent support** — is Windows a real target for the SFTP browser, or
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is it macOS/Linux-first? Determines whether named-pipe agent support is worth
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building.
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3. **Cancel & crash-persistent resume** — how often do transfers of very large
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files over flaky links actually happen? That's the trigger for investing in
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disk-persisted transfer state.
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4. **known_hosts UX** — is verify-only acceptable, or should the browser offer to
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record a new host key (with a clear prompt)?
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5. **Grouping refinements** — should multi-tagged hosts optionally appear under
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*every* tag? Should there be a per-tag filter shortcut or colour legend?
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6. **Distribution** — Homebrew tap / Scoop / `install.sh` / signed releases via
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CI: worth doing now that the feature set is broad?
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7. **SFTP polish** — a file preview? delete/rename/mkdir on either side? a "sync
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this directory" one-shot? These edge toward a full file manager — where's the
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line for a tool that's fundamentally a host picker?
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## How to build / try
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- Build: `make build` (native) or `make dist` (all platforms). Requires Go 1.23+.
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- Keys: `dial keygen` (no external deps).
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- SFTP browser: `dial`, pick a host, press `t` (needs the host in known_hosts and
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agent/key auth working — i.e. a host you can already `ssh` to).
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- YubiKey gate: `dial yubikey enable` (requires Yubico's `ykman`).
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