Configuring SSH

Create a key#

The default filenames are ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 for the private key and ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub for the public key. Keep the private key on the Mac. A passphrase encrypts the private-key file.

Install the public key#

ssh-copy-id appends the selected public key to the remote account's ~/.ssh/authorized_keys. It normally asks for the account password during this installation.

Add a host block#

Host defines the alias shown by pālana, HostName defines the address, and User defines the remote login. Port, IdentityFile, and ProxyJump remain available through ordinary OpenSSH syntax.

pālana follows Include directives while reading aliases. It does not edit an included file, so settings report aliases whose defining block cannot be changed from the top-level config.

Test the alias#

Accept the host key and prepare your key or SSH agent in Terminal first. Then test access without login prompts:

BatchMode=yes disables authentication prompts. Exit status zero confirms noninteractive access. If the test fails, resolve the reported connection or authentication error before opening the host in pālana.

Choose reload hosts from a pane's host menu after editing the config while the app is open.

In-app edits#

Settings can add, remove, or hide a top-level host block. Before writing, pālana checks that the config bytes still match the version it read. It then creates a versioned backup and performs an atomic replacement.

A concurrent edit, unreadable config, invalid alias, wildcard alias, or reserved local alias produces a diagnostic and leaves the file unchanged. The add-host form displays the exact block before writing it.