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OneDro1d (@onedro1d) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Coder File Transfer by onedro1d — Agent Skill

Name: Coder File Transfer
Author: OneDro1d

Coder File Transfer

Upload or download large files to/from a Coder CDE workspace using the coder CLI. Use when transferring files, directories, build artifacts, datasets, or binaries to a Coder workspace, when `rsync -e "coder ssh"` fails or desyncs, or when a copy over `coder ssh` hangs/corrupts. Triggers on "upload to coder", "copy files to workspace", "coder scp", "coder rsync", "transfer to CDE", "push files to my workspace", "coder config-ssh".

OneDro1d 99d7551 3.2 KB Updated Sep 17, 2026

File contents

Coder Workspace File Transfer

Move large files to (or from) a Coder Cloud Development Environment reliably. The naive path — rsync -e "coder ssh" — is broken on macOS. Use a coder config-ssh host alias with a protocol-clean, PTY-free SSH channel instead.

When to use

Uploading a directory, dataset, build artifact, or binary to a Coder workspace.
rsync -e "coder ssh" fails, desyncs mid-transfer, or hangs.
A copy over coder ssh corrupts or never completes.
You need a resumable transfer over a flaky dev tunnel.

The one-liner

coder config-ssh                                          # one-time per machine
rsync -avP -e "ssh -T" /local/dir <workspace>.coder:/remote/target/dir/

Instructions

Generate SSH host aliases (one-time per machine/workspace):
```
coder config-ssh
```
This adds host entries to ~/.ssh/config. Note the alias for your workspace from the output — typically <workspace>.coder (e.g. workspace Loom → host Loom.coder).
Confirm you have GNU rsync (macOS ships the incompatible openrsync):
```
rsync --version
```
If it says openrsync, install GNU rsync:
```
brew install rsync
```

Ensure the remote target directory exists:

coder ssh <workspace> -- mkdir -p /remote/target/dir

Transfer — preferred (resumable):
```
rsync -avP -e "ssh -T" /local/dir <workspace>.coder:/remote/target/dir/
```
- -a archive, -v verbose, -P = --partial --progress → resumable.
- -e "ssh -T" disables PTY allocation — the essential fix.

Transfer — fallback (no resume):

scp -r /local/dir <workspace>.coder:/remote/target/dir/

Download (reverse direction) — swap the arguments:

rsync -avP -e "ssh -T" <workspace>.coder:/remote/dir ./local/target/

What NOT to do

❌ rsync -e "coder ssh" src host:dst — macOS openrsync desyncs against the remote GNU rsync; even with GNU rsync, coder ssh's PTY corrupts the byte stream.
❌ Omitting -e "ssh -T" — the default TTY allocation breaks rsync/tar pipelines.
❌ Trusting the macOS built-in rsync — always verify rsync --version reports GNU.

Why this works

coder config-ssh turns the Coder tunnel into a standard SSH host. Any TCP-clean SSH tool (rsync, scp, sftp) then works directly, instead of being wrapped by coder ssh, which forces a PTY. Removing the PTY (ssh -T) and using GNU rsync's protocol gives a clean binary channel that survives large, resumable transfers.

Reference

Full write-up with the failure matrix and a concrete Loom example: docs/coder-large-file-upload.md.

---name: coder-file-transferdescription: Upload or download large files to/from a Coder CDE workspace using the coder CLI. Use when transferring files, directories, build artifacts, datasets, or binaries to a Coder workspace, when `rsync -e "coder ssh"` fails or desyncs, or when a copy over `coder ssh` hangs/corrupts. Triggers on "upload to coder", "copy files to workspace", "coder scp", "coder rsync", "transfer to CDE", "push files to my workspace", "coder config-ssh".---# Coder Workspace File TransferMove large files to (or from) a Coder Cloud Development Environment reliably. The naivepath — `rsync -e "coder ssh"` — is broken on macOS. Use a `coder config-ssh` host aliaswith a protocol-clean, PTY-free SSH channel instead.## When to use- Uploading a directory, dataset, build artifact, or binary to a Coder workspace.- `rsync -e "coder ssh"` fails, desyncs mid-transfer, or hangs.- A copy over `coder ssh` corrupts or never completes.- You need a **resumable** transfer over a flaky dev tunnel.## The one-liner```bashcoder config-ssh # one-time per machinersync -avP -e "ssh -T" /local/dir <workspace>.coder:/remote/target/dir/```## Instructions1. **Generate SSH host aliases (one-time per machine/workspace):** ```bash coder config-ssh ``` This adds host entries to `~/.ssh/config`. Note the alias for your workspace from the output — typically `<workspace>.coder` (e.g. workspace `Loom` → host `Loom.coder`).2. **Confirm you have GNU rsync (macOS ships the incompatible `openrsync`):** ```bash rsync --version ``` If it says `openrsync`, install GNU rsync: ```bash brew install rsync ```3. **Ensure the remote target directory exists:** ```bash coder ssh <workspace> -- mkdir -p /remote/target/dir ```4. **Transfer — preferred (resumable):** ```bash rsync -avP -e "ssh -T" /local/dir <workspace>.coder:/remote/target/dir/ ``` - `-a` archive, `-v` verbose, `-P` = `--partial --progress` → **resumable**. - `-e "ssh -T"` disables PTY allocation — **the essential fix**.5. **Transfer — fallback (no resume):** ```bash scp -r /local/dir <workspace>.coder:/remote/target/dir/ ```6. **Download (reverse direction)** — swap the arguments: ```bash rsync -avP -e "ssh -T" <workspace>.coder:/remote/dir ./local/target/ ```## What NOT to do- ❌ `rsync -e "coder ssh" src host:dst` — macOS `openrsync` desyncs against the remote GNU rsync; even with GNU rsync, `coder ssh`'s PTY corrupts the byte stream.- ❌ Omitting `-e "ssh -T"` — the default TTY allocation breaks rsync/tar pipelines.- ❌ Trusting the macOS built-in `rsync` — always verify `rsync --version` reports GNU.## Why this works`coder config-ssh` turns the Coder tunnel into a standard SSH host. Any TCP-clean SSHtool (rsync, scp, sftp) then works directly, instead of being wrapped by `coder ssh`,which forces a PTY. Removing the PTY (`ssh -T`) and using GNU rsync's protocol gives aclean binary channel that survives large, resumable transfers.## ReferenceFull write-up with the failure matrix and a concrete Loom example:`docs/coder-large-file-upload.md`.

Frequently asked questions