ned

README

Ned

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ned is a CLI tool that lets you open any remote file in your local editor — with a single command.

It connects over SSH or Docker, downloads the file to your machine, opens it in your local editor (Neovim, Vim, VSCode, etc.), and uploads it back after you save and exit.

No installing editors on tiny VPS instances.
No fighting with vi on production.
No unnecessary setup.

ned root@192.168.1.10:/etc/nginx/nginx.conf

Works over SSH. Works with Docker containers. Zero setup required.

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Install

Homebrew (macOS & Linux)

brew tap ValeryCherneykin/ned
brew install ned

Go

go install github.com/ValeryCherneykin/ned/cmd/ned@latest

Binary

Download the latest release:

https://github.com/ValeryCherneykin/ned/releases/latest

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Usage

ned [flags] [user@]host[:port]:/remote/path
ned [flags] docker://container:/remote/path

SSH

# Basic
ned root@192.168.1.10:/etc/nginx/nginx.conf

# Custom port
ned root@192.168.1.10:2222:/etc/.env

# Explicit SSH key
ned -i ~/.ssh/prod_key deploy@prod.example.com:/app/.env

Docker

# Edit a file inside a running container
ned docker://my-container:/app/config.json
ned docker://postgres:/etc/postgresql/postgresql.conf

Aliases (via config)

ned prod:/etc/.env
ned dev:/app/config.yml
ned staging:/var/log/app.log

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First connection

On the first password-based SSH connection, ned can automatically install an SSH key for passwordless access:

→ connecting root@192.168.1.10:22
root@192.168.1.10's password: ••••••••
→ connected
No SSH key found for 192.168.1.10. Install one for passwordless access? [Y/n]: y
✓ generated new SSH key: ~/.ssh/ned_id_ed25519
✓ SSH key installed — next connect will be passwordless

After that, connections are instant.

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Config file

Create ~/.ned/config.yml:

defaults:
  user: valery
  port: 22
  identity: ~/.ssh/ned_id_ed25519

hosts:
  prod:
    host: 192.168.1.10
    user: deploy
    identity: ~/.ssh/prod_key
  dev:
    host: 10.0.0.5
    user: root
  staging:
    host: staging.example.com
    port: 2222
    user: ubuntu

Then:

ned prod:/etc/nginx/nginx.conf

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Flags

Flag	Description
-i <path>	Path to SSH private key
-p <port>	SSH port (overrides config and default 22)
--version	Print version and exit

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Recovery

If upload fails (network drop, restart, etc.), your changes are saved locally:

~/.ned/recovery/.env_20260304_153042

Fix the connection and re-run ned — your edits are safe.

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How it works

ned root@host:/etc/.env
      │
      ├── Parse target
      ├── Connect via SSH / Docker
      ├── Download file
      ├── Open in $EDITOR
      ├── Wait for exit
      ├── Upload back
      └── Cleanup

Signals are handled gracefully to prevent data loss.

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Editor behavior

ned respects the $EDITOR environment variable.

If not set, it tries:

nvim → vim → nano → vi

You can override per session:

EDITOR=hx ned root@host:/etc/.env

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Architecture

ned/
├── cmd/ned/          # entry point
└── internal/
    ├── auth/         # SSH auth chain
    ├── backend/      # SSH + Docker implementations
    ├── config/       # config loader + alias resolver
    ├── connection/   # SSH + SFTP lifecycle
    ├── editor/       # $EDITOR resolution + exec
    ├── keygen/       # ed25519 key generation
    ├── recovery/     # local backup on failure
    ├── target/       # CLI argument parser
    ├── terminal/     # user I/O
    └── transfer/     # download/upload logic

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Contributing

git clone https://github.com/ValeryCherneykin/ned
cd ned

task test
task lint
task check

Pull requests are welcome.

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License

MIT © Valery Cherneykin