sshfs-mountctl started as a simple bash script that I used constantly — it was janky and ugly but it worked. I have since migrated it to Python with a nice-looking TUI and it has been really useful for me, as I mount and unmount remote folders constantly in my work and lab tasks. Hope it makes things simpler for someone else as well.
A terminal UI for managing persistent SSHFS mounts backed by systemd --user.
Built with Python and Textual.
- Add, edit, clone, remove, enable, disable, and restart SSHFS mounts
- Bulk operations — multi-select mounts for enable / disable / restart / remove
- Mount groups — organize mounts into named groups, enable/disable a whole group at once
- Command line flags for scripting:
--enable,--disable,--list,--status, and group variants - Browse the remote filesystem over SSH when setting a mount path
- Test SSH connectivity before saving a mount
- View and live-follow
journalctllogs per mount - Health check: auto-unmounts stale mounts when the remote goes offline (ping or TCP port check)
- Optional desktop notifications on disconnect / reconnect
- Resolves SSH aliases to real hostnames for health check pings
- Configurable symlink folder and mount root
- Systemd user service per mount — mounts survive reboots and reconnect automatically
- Linux with
systemd --user sshfsandfuse3/fusermount3
Install from the AUR — dependencies are handled automatically:
yay -S sshfs-mountctlThen run first-time setup:
sshfs-mountctl --initThis creates the required directories, writes your settings, and sets up /sshfs (the default mount root) with sudo.
curl -fsSL https://klick3r.com/sshfs-manager | bashInstalls textual if missing, copies the package, writes the launcher to ~/.bin/sshfs-mountctl, and sets up all systemd infrastructure. Re-running updates to the latest version.
Always inspect scripts before piping to bash. Preview first:
curl -fsSL https://klick3r.com/sshfs-manager | less
After install, reload your shell or run source ~/.profile, then launch with sshfs-mountctl.
git clone https://github.com/Klick3r-1/sshfs-manager ~/sshfs-manager
cd ~/sshfs-manager
pip install --user textual
bash setup.sh
source ~/.profileDownload the latest sshfs-mountctl binary from the Releases page — bundles Python and all dependencies, no install needed.
chmod +x sshfs-mountctl
./sshfs-mountctlOn first launch the install prompt appears automatically.
sudo pacman -R sshfs-mountctlThis removes the package but leaves your mount configs at ~/.config/sshfs-mounts/ untouched.
Open the app and go to Install → Uninstall. You will be asked whether to keep or delete your mount configs. The app removes all systemd units, the watchdog script, the launcher, and the installed package, then exits.
sshfs-mountctl # launch the TUI
sshfs-mountctl --init # first-time setup
sshfs-mountctl --debug # enable debug logging to ~/.local/state/sshfs-mountctl/debug.log| Button | Action |
|---|---|
| Add | Add a new mount |
| Edit | Edit an existing mount's configuration |
| Clone | Clone an existing mount as a starting point |
| Remove | Remove a mount |
| Enable | Enable and start a mount (supports multi-select) |
| Disable | Disable and stop a mount (supports multi-select) |
| Restart | Restart a mount (supports multi-select) |
| View logs | Tail journalctl logs for a mount |
| Settings | Configure symlink folder, mount root, and global notifications |
The tool can be scripted without opening the TUI:
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
--list |
List all mounts with status |
--status NAME |
Show status for a single mount |
--enable NAME |
Enable and start a mount |
--disable NAME |
Stop and disable a mount |
--list-groups |
List all group names |
--list-group GROUP |
List mounts in a group with status |
--enable-group GROUP |
Enable all mounts in a group |
--disable-group GROUP |
Disable all mounts in a group |
Each mount gets a config file at ~/.config/sshfs-mounts/<name>.conf and a systemd user service instance sshfs-watchdog@<name>.service. That service runs sshfs-watchdog.sh, which:
- Mounts the SSHFS target on start
- Retries automatically if the mount drops
- Optionally pings the remote host and lazy-unmounts stale mounts when the host goes offline
The service uses Restart=always so systemd keeps the watchdog alive across failures and reboots.
NAME="media"
REMOTE="user@host:/srv/media"
MOUNTPOINT="/sshfs/media"
RETRY_SECS=120
CONNECT_TIMEOUT=10
SSHFS_OPTS="reconnect,ServerAliveInterval=15,ServerAliveCountMax=3,cache=no"
HEALTHCHECK_ENABLED=1
HEALTHCHECK_HOST="192.168.1.10"
HEALTHCHECK_MODE="ping" # ping or tcp
HEALTHCHECK_PORT=22 # used when mode is tcp
HEALTHCHECK_FAILS=3
PING_TIMEOUT=2
NOTIFICATIONS_ENABLED=0 # also requires global toggle in settings.confFor a mount named media:
| Path | Purpose |
|---|---|
~/.config/sshfs-mounts/media.conf |
Mount configuration |
~/.config/sshfs-mounts/media.mountpoint |
Stored mountpoint path |
/sshfs/media |
Mount directory |
~/Mounts/media |
Convenience symlink |
SSH key authentication is required for unattended mounting. The watchdog runs non-interactively and cannot prompt for passwords.
ssh-keygen -t ed25519
ssh-copy-id user@hostAn ~/.ssh/config entry with a HostName directive lets you use short aliases in mount configs:
Host myserver
HostName 192.168.1.10
User myuser
IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
The tool reads ~/.ssh/config (including Include directives) to suggest hosts and resolve aliases to real IPs for health check pings.
systemctl --user status sshfs-watchdog@<name>.service
journalctl --user -u sshfs-watchdog@<name>.service -n 80 --no-pager
fusermount3 -uz /path/to/mountOr use View logs in the TUI to tail logs directly.
- Click row to edit — click a mount in the table to open its config directly
- Export / import configs — backup and restore all mount configs as a single archive
- Changelog modal — show release notes once when a new version is detected
- Auto-reconnect indicator — distinguish "service active, waiting to reconnect" from "mounted and healthy" in the status table
- Post-connect / pre-disconnect hooks — per-mount
ON_CONNECT/ON_DISCONNECTshell commands in the config, fired by the watchdog
-
SSH key setup — a guided
ssh-copy-idflow inside the appThis one sits on the backburner deliberately. SSH key management is a sensitive security operation, and there is real value in users understanding what they are doing when they set it up — not just clicking through a wizard. Good security hygiene means knowing the tools, not just trusting them.
That is also why sshfs-mountctl intentionally has no password support: storing SSH credentials would make the tool responsible for securing them, which is a responsibility that does not belong here. The right place for key management is the user, their terminal, and
ssh-keygen/ssh-copy-id.Until I can come up with a secure and transparent way to both generate keys and ensure they are stored safely — with the user fully understanding what is happening at each step — this feature will intentionally stay hanging.
- Add
--initflag for first-time setup without opening the TUI — creates directories, prompts for mount root and symlink folder, writes settings, handles/sshfscreation with sudo
- AUR / system install support — Install button and status label are hidden when the watchdog is installed system-wide (e.g. via AUR package)
See CHANGELOG.md for full history.