Change permissions and work as root

Start from a host’s files in SFTP (Move files with SFTP).

Change permissions and owners

1. Select one or more items and choose Permissions… in the menu.
2. Set read, write and execute for owner, group and others, or the octal mode, and the owner and group ids.
3. For a folder, tick Apply to folder contents and choose files, folders or both.

Open files as root

Choose Open as administrator. The pane shows as root, and Open as your own user again goes back.

Sternway runs the host’s own sftp-server with sudo on your existing connection, and types a password only if sudo asks:

• Without asking you, it sends only a password this host already got from you this session, or the saved one if the login used it.
• Otherwise it asks you. Use saved password sends the saved one only when you press it.

It tries at most three wrong passwords, and doesn’t log or keep the password unless you tick Save to host.

The host’s login shell must be a POSIX shell (Linux, macOS, the BSDs). A sudo with its own prompt (two-factor, some SSSD or Kerberos setups, sudo-rs) can’t be answered this way; after 20 seconds Sternway says sudo didn’t answer.