elevated-edit

Edit files across SSH or sudo boundaries using a pull/edit/push workflow.

Workflow

1. Pull the file to a local temp directory:

   bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/file-bridge pull [user@host:]path
   

   For new files that don't exist yet:

   bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/file-bridge pull --new [--owner root:root] [--mode 0644] [user@host:]path
   

2. Read the temp file path printed by the pull command, then Edit or Write it normally — the standard diff view and approval UI work as usual.

3. Push changes back to the original location:

   bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/file-bridge push /tmp/elevated-edit/<session>/path/to/file
   

   Original ownership and permissions are automatically restored from the .meta sidecar.

Examples

Local privileged file:

bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/file-bridge pull /etc/nginx/nginx.conf
# Read and Edit the temp file...
bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/file-bridge push /tmp/elevated-edit/XXXXXX/etc/nginx/nginx.conf

Remote file via SSH:

bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/file-bridge pull admin@webserver:/etc/nginx/nginx.conf
# Read and Edit the temp file...
bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/file-bridge push /tmp/elevated-edit/XXXXXX/etc/nginx/nginx.conf

Push by original source path (finds the most recent session):

bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/file-bridge push /etc/nginx/nginx.conf
bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/file-bridge push admin@webserver:/etc/nginx/nginx.conf

Notes

• Binary files: rsync handles binary files fine, but do not attempt to Edit binary content — use Read to inspect and Write for full replacement only.

• Large files: rsync handles large files efficiently; Read/Edit work on the local temp copy.

• Symlinks: rsync follows symlinks by default. The pushed file replaces the symlink target.

• Sudo NOPASSWD: For local privileged files, the script uses sudo rsync. If sudo prompts for a password, configure NOPASSWD for rsync or cache credentials with sudo -v before pulling.

• Cleanup: Sessions are auto-cleaned after a successful push. To clean abandoned sessions: bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/file-bridge clean --stale (>24h) or clean --all.

• Permission-manager users: Add an allow pattern to ~/.claude/command-permissions.json for frictionless operation:

  { "allow": ["bash */scripts/file-bridge *"] }