Quick Start Guide

This guide will walk you through setting up Netcatty and connecting to your first remote server. You’ll learn how to manage hosts, use the terminal, transfer files with SFTP, and set up port forwarding.

If you haven’t installed Netcatty yet, see the Installation Guide first.

Understanding the Interface

When you first launch Netcatty, you’ll see the Vault - the central hub for managing your SSH hosts, keys, and connections. Netcatty Main Interface

The interface consists of:

Sidebar - Quick access to Hosts, SSH Keys, Snippets, Port Forwarding, and Logs
Vault Views - Switch between Grid, List, and Tree views to organize your hosts
Search Bar - Quickly filter and find hosts
Terminal Workspace - Tabbed interface for active sessions

Adding Your First Host

Open the Quick Connect dialog

Click the + New Host button in the Vault or use the keyboard shortcut:

macOS: ⌘ + N
Windows/Linux: Ctrl + N

Enter connection details

Fill in the host information:

Label: My Production Server
Hostname: example.com (or IP address like 192.168.1.100)
Port: 22 (default SSH port)
Username: your-username

Quick Connect tip: You can paste SSH URLs directly like ssh://user@host:port and Netcatty will parse them automatically.

Choose authentication method

Select how you want to authenticate:Password Authentication:

Select “Password” as the auth method
Enter your password
Check “Save password” to store it securely

SSH Key Authentication:

Select “SSH Key” as the auth method
Choose an existing key from the dropdown, or
Click “Manage Keys” to generate or import a new key

Certificate Authentication:

Select “Certificate”
Choose your certificate from the Keychain

Optional: Organize with groups

Keep your hosts organized by assigning them to groups:

Enter a group name like Production/Web Servers
Use / to create nested groups (e.g., Work/Clients/ACME Corp)
Add tags for additional categorization

Save and connect

Click Save & Connect to add the host and immediately open a terminal session, or click Save to add it to your vault without connecting.

Managing SSH Keys

Netcatty includes a built-in SSH key manager for generating and organizing your keys.

Open the Keychain

Click Keychain in the sidebar or press:

macOS: ⌘ + Shift + K
Windows/Linux: Ctrl + Shift + K

Generate a new SSH key

Click + Generate Key and configure:

Label: My Production Key
Type: Choose from RSA, ECDSA, or ED25519 (recommended)
Key Size: 4096 bits for RSA, 256/384/521 for ECDSA
Passphrase: Optional but recommended for security

Click Generate and the key will be created.

Import an existing key

To use existing SSH keys:

Click + Import Key
Select your private key file (usually ~/.ssh/id_rsa or ~/.ssh/id_ed25519)
Enter the passphrase if the key is encrypted
Give it a descriptive label

Use the key with a host

When adding or editing a host:

Set authentication method to “SSH Key”
Select your key from the dropdown
The key will be used for all connections to this host

Connecting to a Remote Server

Connect from the Vault

There are several ways to connect:

Double-click a host card in Grid view
Click a host in List or Tree view and press Enter
Right-click and select “Connect”
Search for the host and press Enter

Verify host key (first connection)

On first connection, you’ll see a host key verification dialog:

The authenticity of host 'example.com (192.168.1.100)' can't be established.
ED25519 key fingerprint is SHA256:abcd1234...
Are you sure you want to continue connecting?

Always verify the fingerprint with your server administrator before accepting. This prevents man-in-the-middle attacks.

Click Accept & Connect to save the host key and continue.

Work in the terminal

Once connected, you have access to the full terminal with these features:

Copy/Paste: Standard shortcuts work (⌘+C/⌘+V or Ctrl+Shift+C/Ctrl+Shift+V)
Search: Press ⌘+F (Ctrl+Shift+F) to search terminal output
Select All: ⌘+A (Ctrl+Shift+A)
Clear Buffer: ⌘+⌃+K (Ctrl+Shift+K)

Working with Split Terminals

Netcatty’s split view lets you monitor multiple servers or run parallel tasks.

Split horizontally or vertically

While in a terminal session:Split Horizontal (side-by-side):

macOS: ⌘ + D
Windows/Linux: Ctrl + Shift + D

Split Vertical (top and bottom):

macOS: ⌘ + Shift + D
Windows/Linux: Ctrl + Shift + E

Navigate between panes

Move focus between split panes:

macOS: ⌘ + ⌥ + Arrow Keys
Windows/Linux: Ctrl + Alt + Arrow Keys

Connect different hosts

Each split pane can connect to a different host:

Focus on a pane
Use Quick Switcher (⌘+J or Ctrl+J) to select a host
The connection opens in the focused pane

Using SFTP for File Transfers

Netcatty includes a powerful dual-pane SFTP browser for transferring files between local and remote systems.

Open SFTP view

From Vault:

Right-click a host → Open SFTP

From Terminal:

Click the SFTP button in the terminal toolbar
Or press ⌘+Shift+O (Ctrl+Shift+O)

Navigate the dual-pane interface

The SFTP view shows:

Left pane: Local filesystem (your computer)
Right pane: Remote filesystem (SSH server)

Navigate by:

Double-clicking folders to enter them
Clicking breadcrumbs to go up the directory tree
Using the path bar to jump to specific directories

Transfer files

Upload files (Local → Remote):

Select files in the left pane
Drag them to the right pane, or
Copy (⌘+C) and paste (⌘+V) in the destination

Download files (Remote → Local):

Select files in the right pane
Drag them to the left pane, or
Copy and paste to the destination

Drag from desktop:

Drag files from Finder/Explorer directly into the SFTP pane to upload

Edit remote files

Netcatty includes a built-in code editor powered by Monaco Editor:

Right-click a remote file
Select Edit
Make your changes in the editor
Save with ⌘+S (Ctrl+S)

The editor supports syntax highlighting for common languages and includes features like find/replace and word wrap.

File operations

Additional SFTP operations:

Rename: Select file → Press F2
Delete: Select file → Press ⌘+⌫ (Delete key)
New Folder: ⌘+Shift+N (Ctrl+Shift+N)
Refresh: ⌘+R (F5)
Select All: ⌘+A (Ctrl+A)

SFTP with Sudo

For files requiring elevated privileges:

Edit the host settings
Enable Use sudo for SFTP operations
Reconnect to the host
Enter your sudo password when prompted

Sudo SFTP requires your user to have sudo privileges on the remote server.

Setting Up Port Forwarding

Port forwarding lets you access remote services securely through SSH tunnels.

Open Port Forwarding manager

Click Port Forwarding in the sidebar or press:

macOS: ⌘ + P
Windows/Linux: Ctrl + P

Create a local forward

Local forwarding makes a remote service available on your local machine:

Click + New Rule
Select Local Forward

Configure:

Label: MySQL Database
Local Port: 3306
Bind Address: 127.0.0.1 (localhost only)
Remote Host: localhost (on the SSH server)
Remote Port: 3306
SSH Host: Select your database server

Click Start to activate the tunnel

Now you can connect to localhost:3306 on your machine to access the remote MySQL server.

Create a remote forward

Remote forwarding makes a local service available to the remote server:

Click + New Rule
Select Remote Forward

Configure:

Label: Local Web Server
Local Port: 8080 (your local service)
Remote Port: 8080 (port on SSH server)
Bind Address: 0.0.0.0 (allow remote connections)
SSH Host: Select your server

Click Start

The remote server can now access your local service at localhost:8080.

Create a dynamic forward (SOCKS proxy)

Dynamic forwarding creates a SOCKS proxy for routing traffic through the SSH server:

Click + New Rule
Select Dynamic Forward

Configure:

Label: SOCKS Proxy
Local Port: 1080
Bind Address: 127.0.0.1
SSH Host: Select your proxy server

Click Start

Configure your browser or apps to use localhost:1080 as a SOCKS5 proxy.

Enable auto-start

For tunnels you use frequently:

Edit the port forwarding rule
Check Auto-start on app launch
The tunnel will automatically connect when Netcatty starts

Advanced Features

Using Snippets

Snippets let you save and execute frequently used commands:

Click Snippets in the sidebar
Click + New Snippet

Enter:

Label: Update System
Command:
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y

Assign a keyboard shortcut (optional): F1, Ctrl+F1, etc.
Save the snippet

To run:

Open a terminal → Right-click → Snippets → Select your snippet
Or press the assigned keyboard shortcut

Broadcast Mode

Send commands to multiple terminals simultaneously:

Open multiple terminal sessions (in tabs or split panes)
Press ⌘+B (Ctrl+B) to enable broadcast mode
Type commands - they’ll execute in all active terminals
Press ⌘+B (Ctrl+B) again to disable

Use broadcast mode carefully! Commands execute on all active terminals without confirmation.

Custom Themes

Personalize your terminal appearance:

Go to Settings → Appearance
Choose from built-in themes or create a custom theme
Adjust colors for background, foreground, cursor, and ANSI colors
Apply globally or per-host in host settings

Keyword Highlighting

Highlight important patterns in terminal output:

Go to Settings → Terminal → Keyword Highlighting
Enable highlighting
Add or modify rules:
- Error: Highlights errors and failures in red
- Warning: Highlights warnings in yellow
- OK: Highlights success messages in green
- IP/MAC: Highlights IP addresses and MAC addresses
Use regex patterns for custom matching

Keyboard Shortcuts Reference

Essential Shortcuts

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux
New Local Terminal	⌘ + T	Ctrl + T
New Host	⌘ + N	Ctrl + N
Quick Switcher	⌘ + J	Ctrl + J
Command Palette	⌘ + K	Ctrl + K
Open SFTP	⌘ + Shift + O	Ctrl + Shift + O
Port Forwarding	⌘ + P	Ctrl + P
Close Tab	⌘ + W	Ctrl + W
Next Tab	⌘ + Shift + ]	Ctrl + Tab
Previous Tab	⌘ + Shift + [	Ctrl + Shift + Tab

Terminal Shortcuts

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux
Copy	⌘ + C	Ctrl + Shift + C
Paste	⌘ + V	Ctrl + Shift + V
Select All	⌘ + A	Ctrl + Shift + A
Search	⌘ + F	Ctrl + Shift + F
Clear Buffer	⌘ + ⌃ + K	Ctrl + Shift + K
Split Horizontal	⌘ + D	Ctrl + Shift + D
Split Vertical	⌘ + Shift + D	Ctrl + Shift + E
Move Focus	⌘ + ⌥ + Arrows	Ctrl + Alt + Arrows

You can customize all keyboard shortcuts in Settings → Keyboard Shortcuts.

Tips & Tricks

Quick Connect

Paste SSH URLs like ssh://user@host:22 directly into the search bar for instant parsing and connection.

Drag & Drop Everywhere

Drag files from your desktop into SFTP to upload, or drag between remote servers for direct server-to-server transfers.

Search History

Click the clock icon in the Vault sidebar to search through all commands from past sessions.

Tree View for Organization

Use Tree view (Vault) when managing many hosts in nested groups - it’s faster than scrolling through lists.

Troubleshooting

Connection refused

Verify the hostname/IP and port are correct
Check if SSH server is running: sudo systemctl status sshd
Ensure firewall allows SSH traffic (port 22)

Authentication failed

Double-check username and password
For SSH keys, ensure the public key is in ~/.ssh/authorized_keys on the server
Verify key permissions: chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_rsa

SFTP operations fail

Check file/folder permissions on the remote server
Enable “Use sudo for SFTP” if accessing protected directories
Verify encoding settings if you see garbled filenames

Port forwarding not working

Ensure the local port isn’t already in use
Check if the remote service is running and accessible
Verify GatewayPorts and AllowTcpForwarding are enabled in SSH server config

Next Steps

Now that you’re familiar with the basics, explore more features:

SSH Keys & Security

Learn about key management, agent forwarding, and jump hosts

Advanced Terminal

Explore custom themes, keyword highlighting, and terminal settings

SFTP Deep Dive

Master file operations, bookmarks, and encoding settings

Automation with Snippets

Create powerful multi-line scripts and assign keyboard shortcuts

Get Started

Core Features

Guides

Integrations

Advanced

Quick Start Guide

Quick Start Guide

Understanding the Interface

Adding Your First Host

Managing SSH Keys

Connecting to a Remote Server

Working with Split Terminals

Using SFTP for File Transfers

SFTP with Sudo

Setting Up Port Forwarding

Advanced Features

Using Snippets

Broadcast Mode

Custom Themes

Keyword Highlighting

Keyboard Shortcuts Reference

Essential Shortcuts

Terminal Shortcuts

Tips & Tricks

Quick Connect

Drag & Drop Everywhere

Search History

Tree View for Organization

Troubleshooting

Connection refused

Authentication failed

SFTP operations fail

Port forwarding not working

Next Steps

SSH Keys & Security

Advanced Terminal

SFTP Deep Dive

Automation with Snippets

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Core Features

Guides

Integrations

Advanced

Documentation Index

​Quick Start Guide

​Understanding the Interface

​Adding Your First Host

​Managing SSH Keys

​Connecting to a Remote Server

​Working with Split Terminals

​Using SFTP for File Transfers

​SFTP with Sudo

​Setting Up Port Forwarding

​Advanced Features

​Using Snippets

​Broadcast Mode

​Custom Themes

​Keyword Highlighting

​Keyboard Shortcuts Reference

​Essential Shortcuts

​Terminal Shortcuts

​Tips & Tricks

Quick Connect

Drag & Drop Everywhere

Search History

Tree View for Organization

​Troubleshooting

​Connection refused

​Authentication failed

​SFTP operations fail

​Port forwarding not working

​Next Steps

SSH Keys & Security

Advanced Terminal

SFTP Deep Dive

Automation with Snippets

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Quick Start Guide

Understanding the Interface

Adding Your First Host

Managing SSH Keys

Connecting to a Remote Server

Working with Split Terminals

Using SFTP for File Transfers

SFTP with Sudo

Setting Up Port Forwarding

Advanced Features

Using Snippets

Broadcast Mode

Custom Themes

Keyword Highlighting

Keyboard Shortcuts Reference

Essential Shortcuts

Terminal Shortcuts

Tips & Tricks

Troubleshooting

Connection refused

Authentication failed

SFTP operations fail

Port forwarding not working

Next Steps