FileFerry

Deploy git-changed files to remote servers — directly from VSCode's Explorer panel and Source Control panel.

If you came from PhpStorm and miss its deployment workflow, FileFerry gives you exactly that experience: right-click changed files in the SCM panel, press Alt+U, done.

Features

Native SCM panel integration — right-click any changed file and choose FileFerry: Upload or FileFerry: Compare with Remote
Explorer panel integration — same commands available by right-clicking files in the Explorer file tree
Multi-select upload — select multiple files in Source Control, press Alt+U to upload them all at once
Compare with Remote — open a side-by-side diff of your local file vs the version on the server (Alt+P)
Delete deployment — git-deleted files appear in Source Control; deploying them removes them from the server with a mandatory confirmation prompt
PhpStorm-style settings UI — manage servers and path mappings through a form, not JSON
SSH Credentials Manager — add SSH credentials once, reuse across projects
OS keychain security — passwords and passphrases stored in macOS Keychain / Windows Credential Manager / Linux libsecret. Never written to disk
Multiple servers — production, staging, dev — switch with FileFerry: Switch Server or click the status bar
Clone server — duplicate an existing server config as a starting point
Root Path Override — override a server's root path per project without changing the global server definition
Remote directory browser — browse the server's filesystem when setting the root path
Path mappings — map workspace subfolders to different remote paths per server
Excluded paths — glob patterns to skip files that should never be deployed
Test Connection — verify credentials before your first deploy
Upload confirmation — summary before every deploy; "don't ask again" per server for upload-only deploys (always shown when deleting files)

Quick Start

Install FileFerry from the marketplace
Open a project with a .git folder
Open Deployment Settings: Ctrl+Shift+P → FileFerry: Deployment Settings
Add an SSH Credential (click Manage… next to the credential dropdown)
Add a Deployment Server and configure path mappings
Go to the Source Control panel, select changed files, right-click → FileFerry: Upload

Or press Alt+U when the Source Control panel is focused.

Settings UI

Deployment Settings (`Ctrl+Shift+P` → `FileFerry: Deployment Settings`)

Two-panel layout — server list on the left, details on the right.

Connection tab | Field | Description | |-------|-------------| | Name | Display name for this server | | Protocol | SFTP (recommended) or FTP | | SSH Credential | Pick from your saved credentials | | Root Path | Base path on the remote server (e.g. /var/www) |

Mappings tab

Optionally override the root path for this project only, then add rows to map local workspace paths to remote paths:

Local Path	Remote Path	Result
`/`	`html`	`src/app.php` → `/var/www/html/src/app.php`
`/public`	`public_html`	`public/index.php` → `/var/www/public_html/index.php`

More specific paths (longer prefix) take priority. If no mappings are configured, all files map directly to the server root. Excluded Paths accepts comma-separated glob patterns — e.g. node_modules, *.log, .env.

SSH Credentials (`Ctrl+Shift+P` → `FileFerry: Manage SSH Credentials`)

Auth Method	Extra Fields	Secret Storage
Password	—	Password → OS keychain
Private Key	Key file path	Passphrase (if any) → OS keychain
SSH Agent	—	Uses `ssh-agent` / Pageant — no storage

Passwords are never written to disk. Leave the password field blank when editing a credential to keep the existing stored value.

Project Binding

Each project stores its server selection and path mappings in .vscode/fileferry.json. This file contains no secrets — it only stores server IDs, path mappings, and exclusion patterns.

{
  "defaultServerId": "a1b2c3d4-...",
  "servers": {
    "a1b2c3d4-...": {
      "mappings": [
        { "localPath": "/", "remotePath": "html" }
      ],
      "excludedPaths": ["node_modules", "*.log", ".env"]
    }
  }
}

It is safe to commit .vscode/fileferry.json to git. SSH credentials are global and stored separately.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Key	Action	When
`Alt+U`	Upload selected files	Source Control panel focused
`Alt+P`	Compare with Remote	Source Control panel focused

Configurable via Preferences → Keyboard Shortcuts → search fileferry.

Commands

Command	Description
`FileFerry: Upload`	Upload selected files (SCM panel or Explorer right-click)
`FileFerry: Compare with Remote`	Diff local file against the server version
`FileFerry: Deployment Settings`	Open server and mapping configuration
`FileFerry: Manage SSH Credentials`	Add, edit, or delete SSH credentials
`FileFerry: Switch Server`	Change the default server for this project
`FileFerry: Reset Upload Confirmations`	Re-enable upload prompts suppressed by "don't ask again"

Deploying Deleted Files

When you delete a file it appears in the Source Control panel as deleted. Select it and press Alt+U (or right-click → FileFerry: Upload). FileFerry will:

Detect that the file no longer exists on disk
Show a confirmation listing what will be uploaded and what will be deleted — always shown for deletions, regardless of "don't ask again"
Remove the file from the remote server after confirmation

Troubleshooting

"No project binding found" Open Deployment Settings, configure a server and path mappings for this project.

"Default server not found" The server saved in .vscode/fileferry.json no longer exists. Open Deployment Settings and save the server configuration again.

"Authentication failed" Your saved credential may be stale. Open SSH Credentials Manager, edit the credential, and re-enter the password.

"No such file" on upload FileFerry creates missing remote directories automatically. If this still fails, check that your username has write permission on the remote path.

Upload or compare goes to the wrong path Check the path mappings in Deployment Settings. The most specific (longest) matching local path wins. If no mappings are set, all files map directly to the server root.

SSH key not working Key file permissions must be 600: chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_rsa. SSH rejects keys with loose permissions. FileFerry will warn you when saving a key credential with wrong permissions.

Security

All secrets (passwords, passphrases) stored in the OS native keychain — never on disk
.vscode/fileferry.json contains no secrets and is safe to commit
Webview panels receive credential lists without secret fields — passwords only travel to the extension on explicit Save/Test actions
Private key file permission check warns when key is world-readable (644 instead of 600)

Requirements

VSCode 1.85 or later
An SFTP-capable remote server
For private key auth: an SSH key pair (ssh-keygen)
For agent auth: ssh-agent running with your key added (ssh-add)

License

GPL-3.0-or-later — see LICENSE

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