Host commands
A host is a machine you reach with plain ssh, such as a Mac mini that runs
self-hosted CI runners. kobe host gives it the same verbs a lease has, and
kobe vnc <action> --host drives its screen through macOS Screen Sharing.
A host is not a lease. Nothing is created, reserved or recycled: the machine is
always there, and it may be running other work while you use it. Every verb
runs your own ssh, so a host is reachable exactly when ssh <dest> is, with
your ~/.ssh/config, agent and keys.
Define a host
kobe host set mini --ssh ci@192.168.64.10 --vnc-password "op://Zondax/macos ci/password"This writes the global config. --local writes ./.kobe.toml instead, so a
project can share the definition:
[hosts.mini]
ssh = "ci@192.168.64.10"
vnc_password = "op://Zondax/macos ci/password"| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
ssh | ssh destination: user@address or an alias from ~/.ssh/config |
vnc_user | Screen Sharing account. Defaults to the user in ssh |
vnc_password | Where to read that account's password (see below). Needed only for kobe vnc --host |
vnc_port | VNC port on the host. Defaults to 5900, where Screen Sharing listens |
vnc_password is a reference, never the password. kobe refuses anything else
before it reaches a file:
| Reference | Read with |
|---|---|
op://vault/item/field | op read (1Password CLI) |
keychain:<service> | security find-generic-password -w -s <service> |
env:<VAR> | the environment variable |
cmd:<command> | the command's output |
The password is read when a VNC command connects and is not stored anywhere.
kobe host list shows the hosts from both files. kobe host remove mini
removes one.
Run, forward, log in
kobe host exec mini -- uname -a # exits with the remote exit code
kobe host port-forward mini 8080:8080 # until Ctrl-C
kobe host ssh mini # interactive shellDrive the screen
Every desktop command takes --host in place of a
lease:
kobe vnc screenshot --host mini -f mini.png
kobe vnc click --host mini --at 640,400
kobe vnc type --host mini --text "sshd-keygen-wrapper"
kobe vnc key --host mini --key returnThe RFB stream runs over ssh -W, so no local port is opened and nothing is
installed on the Mac. kobe logs in to Screen Sharing with Apple's security type
30. Input over Screen Sharing is real input to macOS, so it also works in
places that ignore scripted clicks, such as System Settings privacy panes.
kobe vnc open --host mini forwards Screen Sharing to a local port and opens
it in your system VNC viewer, which asks for the account itself.
Limits
- The Mac must have Screen Sharing on (System Settings > General > Sharing), and the account must be allowed to use it.
- kobe does not check who else is using the host. On a CI machine, runners may be building while you click.
- Access is whatever
sshallows. There is no kobe-side access policy or audit for hosts.