LCOT: keep the SSH terminal and file browser in sync

LCOT (Linked Console Over Transport) means the terminal and the SFTP file browser share one SSH login. You stop bouncing between PuTTY and WinSCP — edit, restart, and verify on the same host in one window.

Step 1 — Connect once

Unlock the vault, open a saved session. That connection is the shared transport. You should not get a second password prompt when the file browser opens.

Step 2 — Browse on the linked pane

The dual-pane browser walks the remote filesystem over SFTP on that same session. Change directories, open logs, jump to /etc — still the host you shelled into.

AidaIDE LCOT — file browser and terminal sharing one SSH session

Step 3 — Edit in place

Open a config file in the editor, change it, save. The write goes over SFTP — no download-upload dance. Details and trade-offs vs VS Code Remote: edit remote files without downloading.

Step 4 — Restart and verify in the terminal

In the linked terminal pane:

Restart the service (sudo systemctl restart …)
Tail the log
Confirm the change stuck

Why it matters on Pi / ESP / fleets: you are not installing a remote IDE server. The host only needs SSH + SFTP — the same bar PuTTY already required.

More context: SSH toolkit · AidaIDE vs WinSCP · Free forever core; Pro AI suite from $19/mo.

Try the LCOT workflow — free forever SSH + SFTP workspace.