Know when you are controlling a live shell.

Open a general server shell

Use a saved server’s terminal button or the terminal icon in an active chat. Confirm the displayed user@host:port. The shell is independent of Herdr: it does not start or select a session, and commands run immediately with the saved SSH account.

Leaving with Back closes the shell connection and returns to the originating screen. HerdRanger never retries terminal input after network loss.

Continue in the existing agent terminal

When a waiting Herdr agent (opens in a new tab) needs an interactive login, OAuth, MFA, passphrase, or approval, Continue in live terminal attaches to that existing terminal after confirmation. It does not create a new shell or change the selected agent.

Terminal controls

Keyboard behavior follows the active Android input-method area (opens in a new tab).

• Text: terminal text uses a fixed, readable size; pinch-to-resize is not available.
• Swipe vertically: browse local scrollback.
• Long-press: select and copy terminal text.
• Paste: review and confirm clipboard content because newlines can execute commands.
• Voice: review a transcript, then Insert it at the cursor without Enter.
• Keyboard: restore terminal focus and reopen the software keyboard after Android Back dismisses it.

Submit the saved password once

If the profile stores the account password, the key button reads it from encrypted storage and sends it with one Enter directly to the current PTY. It is not displayed or copied to Android’s clipboard.

Use it only while a visible prompt—such as sudo—requests that same account password. The action disables while the credential is read to prevent duplicate taps.

Files and screenshots

The SFTP browser can navigate folders, upload and download files, and create folders under the saved SSH account. Individual transfers are limited to 512 MiB. The space picker can select an existing project directory; automatic project discovery never creates a new project directory.

HerdRanger does not upload screenshots directly. Transfer one with KDE Connect (opens in a new tab) or another trusted method, then tell the agent its exact remote path. Never place images containing credentials, recovery codes, or sensitive host details in a shared directory.