Remote data brings reproducible inputs from a saved SSH host into a paper. Open Remote connections on Home to save a host, or Research → Remote data to browse and register inputs for the current workspace.
Configure a connection
Save a descriptive name and SSH alias/host. VersoFold uses the system SSH client, including your SSH configuration, keys, agent and jump-host setup. Normal host verification remains enabled. It does not save SSH passwords or private keys.
Confirm the host works in your normal SSH environment. Bounded browsing/transfers require Python 3 on the remote host. If authentication or host verification fails, fix that connection before repeatedly requesting a build.
Connection profiles are personal, stored in ~/.versofold/remotes.json. A manuscript keeps portable connection labels and provenance in .versofold.remotes.json; sharing a project does not share your private SSH identity.
Browse and preview
Browse one remote directory at a time using breadcrumbs and filters. Text, CSV, TSV, JSON and log previews are bounded to 256 KB. A preview may show only the beginning of a larger file; do not infer the complete dataset from that excerpt.
Browsing is read-only on the host. Choose a stable output file or directory, ideally one that is not being written by an active experiment while you fetch it. Transfers compare fingerprints to detect changes during copying.
Choose the right import mode
| Action | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Download snapshot | Keep a fixed local copy of the selected state. |
| Use in figure / Use in table | Register an input refreshed by the build dependency workflow. |
| Sync folder | Maintain a one-way local copy on demand or at a selected interval. |
| Freeze | Pin a registered source for a submission or reproducibility checkpoint. |
Use include/exclude patterns to narrow folder synchronization. Exclude large checkpoints when only final CSV metrics are needed. Do not assume a one-way sync is a bidirectional collaboration mechanism.
Understand freshness and conflicts
Downloads are staged and published only after the remote fingerprint matches the pre-transfer state. Interrupted transfers preserve the last complete local copy. Local edits, remote deletions and changed remote content surface decisions instead of silently discarding your work.
A PDF build refreshes active fetch-on-build sources first. If the host cannot be checked, the build stops. Build with cached data explicitly uses the last complete copy and marks the result stale; it is unavailable without a complete cache.
Inspect the provenance and freshness indicator before interpreting the resulting plot. A successful LaTeX pass cannot prove that unreachable remote experiments were refreshed.
Freeze and clean up
Freeze a source before a submission when you need the exact inputs retained. Frozen sources are pinned rather than refreshed opportunistically. Record which experiment/output they represent and preserve a manuscript version with the corresponding PDF.
Clearing cached files is disabled while frozen and refuses to remove locally modified data. Removing the registration leaves downloaded files in place. If you intend to remove both a dependency and a copy, inspect both actions rather than assuming deregistration deletes files.
Work with figures and agents
Figure/table registrations provide stable local dependencies and provenance for Figure Studio. Recipes consume completed local copies rather than relying on unexplained machine-specific remote paths.
Remote execution is a separate capability from browsing and downloading. An agent needs the appropriate run grant, configured workspace-to-host binding, declared remote folder and executable allow-list to run a command. Asking it to plot a downloaded CSV does not imply permission to launch experiments on the server.
Related: Figure Studio, linked results, compilation.