Remote sessions
A remote session moves Newt’s working side to another environment while keeping the interface on your computer. Both file panes, terminals, file operations, searches, and virtual filesystem mounts run on the target.
This is different from mounting a remote filesystem in one pane. A pane mount gives the current session access to one target’s files; a remote session makes the target the context for the whole window.
Start a session
Section titled “Start a session”Press Mod + Shift + R to open Connect, choose a target, and leave Open as a new session enabled. The connection opens in a new Newt window; your existing windows remain independent.
Newt can start full sessions through:
| Target | How it connects |
|---|---|
| SSH | Uses the system SSH client and respects ~/.ssh/config. |
| Docker or Podman | Runs the Newt agent inside a running container. Shell-less images are supported by the default connection mode. |
| Kubernetes | Runs the agent in a pod with kubectl exec; a container can be selected when the pod has more than one. |
| Custom command | Uses a shell command you provide, for transports or sandboxes not covered by the built-in choices. |
| Elevated | Starts an agent through pkexec on Linux or UAC on Windows. |
| WSL | Opens a session in a Windows Subsystem for Linux distribution. |
The Docker, Podman, and Kubernetes forms discover currently available targets. The SSH form offers host aliases from your SSH configuration.
What runs where
Section titled “What runs where”Inside a remote session:
- both panes show files visible to the target;
- terminal processes run on the target;
- copy, move, delete, search, and archive operations run there;
- S3 and SFTP mounts use the target’s credentials and network;
- Docker, Podman, Kubernetes, SSH, and custom connections are launched from the target.
This makes nested workflows possible. For example, after opening an SSH session to a server, you can mount one of that server’s containers in a pane or open a second full session inside it.
Access files on the client
Section titled “Access files on the client”Newt does not expose your computer’s filesystem to a remote session by default. Enable Expose local filesystem to remote sessions in Settings if you want the client filesystem to appear as an additional Local mount for transfers between the two machines.
Enable this only for targets you trust. The setting gives the remote Newt agent read and write access through Newt’s filesystem interface.
Disconnections
Section titled “Disconnections”If the transport exits, the session window shows the error and connection log instead of silently returning to a local session. Choose Reconnect to start the transport again. Authentication or privilege prompts may be shown again.
SSH passwords, key passphrases, and host-key questions appear in Newt, including when the SSH process is running on the remote side of an existing session.