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+# SSH Remote OpenClaw Management — Design
+
+## Overview
+
+Allow ClawPal to manage remote openclaw instances on VPS servers via SSH, providing the same full management capabilities as local (config editing, session management, agent/channel management, gateway restart, etc.).
+
+## Key Decisions
+
+| Decision | Choice |
+|---|---|
+| Management scope | Full mirror — same capabilities as local |
+| SSH auth | Mixed — read `~/.ssh/config` first, also support manual config (host + key) |
+| Execution method | SFTP for file operations + SSH exec for CLI commands |
+| Multi-instance | Parallel — multiple remotes connected simultaneously |
+| UI layout | Top tab bar (Local / Remote-A / Remote-B / +) |
+| Connection lifecycle | On-demand — connect when switching to tab, auto-disconnect on idle (5min), auto-reconnect on next operation |
+| Remote openclaw path | Default `~/.openclaw`, not configurable |
+
+## Architecture
+
+```
+UI (React)
+  ├── Instance Tab Bar
+  └── Page Components (Home, Channels, Doctor, ...)
+        │
+        ▼
+  API Layer (api.ts)
+        │
+        ▼
+  Connection Layer
+  ├── LocalBackend    — existing logic, direct Tauri commands
+  └── RemoteBackend   — same interface, via SSH exec + SFTP
+        │
+        ▼
+  Tauri Rust Backend
+  ├── Local commands   — existing, unchanged
+  └── SSH commands     — new: ssh_exec, sftp_read, sftp_write, etc.
+```
+
+- Rust layer provides SSH/SFTP low-level primitives.
+- Remote business commands combine these primitives in Rust, returning the same types as local commands.
+- Frontend uses a context-based API router — pages don't know if they're operating on local or remote.
+
+## Remote Instance Configuration
+
+```typescript
+interface RemoteInstance {
+  id: string;           // auto-generated unique ID
+  label: string;        // display name, e.g. "Production VPS"
+  host: string;         // hostname or SSH config alias
+  port: number;         // default 22
+  username: string;
+  authMethod: "key" | "ssh_config";
+  keyPath?: string;     // private key path (when authMethod is "key")
+}
+```
+
+- Persisted in `.clawpal/remote-instances.json`.
+- No passwords/passphrases stored — rely on ssh-agent or prompt user.
+- If `host` matches a `~/.ssh/config` Host entry, inherit its settings.
+
+## SSH Connection Management
+
+**Rust crate:** `russh` + `russh-sftp` (pure Rust async SSH implementation, cross-platform).
+
+**Connection pool:** Global `Mutex<HashMap<String, SshSession>>` in Rust, keyed by instance ID. Auto-reconnect on stale connections.
+
+**Tab status indicators:**
+- Gray dot: not connected
+- Green dot: connected
+- Red dot: connection error
+
+## Rust SSH Primitives (Tauri Commands)
+
+```rust
+// Connection management
+ssh_connect(instance_id) -> Result<bool>
+ssh_disconnect(instance_id) -> Result<bool>
+ssh_status(instance_id) -> Result<String>  // "connected" | "disconnected" | "error"
+
+// SSH exec
+ssh_exec(instance_id, command) -> Result<SshExecResult>
+// SshExecResult { stdout, stderr, exit_code }
+
+// SFTP file operations
+sftp_read(instance_id, path) -> Result<String>
+sftp_write(instance_id, path, content) -> Result<bool>
+sftp_list(instance_id, path) -> Result<Vec<SftpEntry>>
+sftp_stat(instance_id, path) -> Result<SftpStat>
+sftp_remove(instance_id, path) -> Result<bool>
+sftp_read_bytes(instance_id, path) -> Result<Vec<u8>>
+```
+
+## Remote Business Commands
+
+Built on top of primitives, returning the same types as local commands. Named with `remote_` prefix.
+
+**Config:**
+- `remote_read_raw_config(id)` — sftp_read openclaw.json
+- `remote_apply_config_patch(id, patch, params)` — sftp read → merge patch in memory → sftp write
+- `remote_get_system_status(id)` — sftp read config + ssh_exec version check + gateway health probe
+
+**Gateway:**
+- `remote_restart_gateway(id)` — ssh_exec "openclaw gateway restart"
+- `remote_check_gateway_health(id)` — ssh_exec curl or TCP probe via SSH
+
+**Sessions:**
+- `remote_analyze_sessions(id)` — sftp list + sftp read JSONL files, reuse classification logic
+- `remote_preview_session(id, agent, session)` — sftp read single JSONL
+- `remote_delete_sessions_by_ids(id, agent, ids)` — sftp remove files + update sessions.json
+
+**Agents/Channels:**
+- All via sftp read/write config, same logic as local.
+
+## Frontend Architecture
+
+**Instance Tab Bar:**
+
+```
+┌──────────┬──────────────┬──────────────┬─────┐
+│ 🟢 Local │ 🟢 Prod VPS  │ ⚫ Staging   │  +  │
+└──────────┴──────────────┴──────────────┴─────┘
+```
+
+- First tab is always Local (not removable).
+- `+` button opens Add Remote Instance dialog.
+- Right-click tab for edit/disconnect/remove.
+
+**API context layer:**
+
+```typescript
+const [activeInstance, setActiveInstance] = useState<string>("local");
+
+function getApi(instanceId: string) {
+  if (instanceId === "local") return localApi;
+  return createRemoteApi(instanceId);
+}
+```
+
+`createRemoteApi(id)` returns the same interface as `localApi`, mapping each method to the corresponding `remote_*` Tauri command. Page components get the API from context — zero changes to page logic.
+
+## Implementation Phases
+
+### Phase 1 — Basic Connectivity (MVP)
+
+- SSH connection management (connect/disconnect/status)
+- SFTP read/write primitives
+- SSH exec primitive
+- Remote instance config CRUD (add/edit/delete, persist to JSON)
+- Instance Tab Bar UI
+- `remote_read_raw_config` + `remote_get_system_status` — Home page shows remote status
+
+### Phase 2 — Core Management
+
+- Remote config editing (apply_config_patch remote version)
+- Remote gateway restart
+- Remote Agent/Channel management
+- API context layer — pages switch seamlessly
+
+### Phase 3 — Full Parity
+
+- Remote session analysis/preview/delete
+- Remote Doctor diagnostics
+- Remote Chat (via ssh_exec openclaw agent --message)
+- Connection resilience: reconnect, timeout handling, error UX polish