Native Mac file manager · written in Swift
Two panes
over SSH.
Browse local files and SSH hosts in two panes. Review commands and transfer routes before running file or ZFS plans. Use your SSH configuration, keys, and agent, with a shell on the focused host.
Submit a useful beta report and get the 1.0 app free. Report a bug or send feedback.
macOS 14+ · GPL-3.0 · v0.8-beta
Remote access requires SSH without login prompts.
Check requirements.
copy · copy to another machine 1 entry · 41.3 GB jodo:/tank/media/camera → koan:/rpool/cold $ rsync -a -s --partial --info=progress2 /tank/media/camera/archive-2025 koan:/rpool/cold/
Illustrative copy plan: two hosts, two panes, and the command panel.
Walk through your first copy.
Use your existing SSH setup
pālana reads ~/.ssh/config and runs the Mac’s system SSH.
Prepare your keys or agent so hosts connect without a password, passphrase,
or host-key prompt. Transfer tools run on the machines that carry the data.
ZFS is optional. The Mac does not need ZFS to work with a remote ZFS host. Requirements and supported transfer tools
See where the files travel
Between two SSH hosts, rsync can carry files directly from source to destination. The source needs rsync 3.1 or later, the destination needs rsync, and the source must be able to reach and authenticate to the destination using the configured SSH agent forwarding.
When that route is unavailable, file copies stream through your Mac using tar. File moves that need a copy refuse this fallback. A transfer with your Mac as an endpoint runs directly between the Mac and the host.
The plan names the route before you run it. Read the transfer rules.
Review the operation before it runs
Choose copy, move, delete, rename, create, or touch from a pane. Copy and move use the other pane as the destination. The plan shows commands, collisions, and verification. Enter runs it; Esc dismisses it.
- File moves
- A move that cannot use
mvrequires supported rsync. It checks file contents and removes source files progressively. Do not modify either location during the move; interruption can split files between them. Move consequences - Permanent deletion
- Delete removes the selected files and directories, including their contents. It does not use Trash. Review the selected paths in the plan before running it.
- Remote editing
- Open a remote file in a Mac editor. Saved changes upload automatically by default when the remote file is unchanged. Settings can require confirmation; detected conflicts require review. Editing and conflicts
Work with ZFS on your hosts
Browse datasets and snapshots, change mount state, and plan ZFS
operations. Dataset changes require a current view of the host’s ZFS
state. Dataset destroy asks you to type destroy by default;
Settings can disable that confirmation.
Eligible whole-dataset transfers use zfs send and
zfs receive, either directly between hosts or through the
Mac. Receive leaves the destination unmounted.
ZFS operations and safeguards
The field records host capabilities, datasets, and when they were probed. You choose when to refresh those facts. Using the field
zfs snapshot tank/media@before-copy
zfs list -H -o name -t snapshot -- tank/media@before-copy
Keyboard, shell, and previews
pālana’s bindings draw from Yazi and Vim-style navigation: h/l leave or enter a directory, and j/k move the cursor. Arrow keys also work. Tab changes panes. Binding differences
⌘` opens a shell on the focused host; press it again to return the keyboard to the panes. Preview selected text, images, and documents within the read limits.
Install pālana
The signed and notarized v0.8-beta disk image is on the releases page. The beta requires macOS 14 or later and is free through November 4, 2026.
Submit a useful bug report or feedback during the beta to receive the 1.0 app free. Send a report.
Source and pricing
At 1.0 the built application costs US $29 once, covering 1.x updates, with no subscription, license key, or account. Building the GPL-3.0 source remains free at every version.