Remote Deploy

Remote Deploy is an IntelliJ Platform plugin for uploading a local file or directory to a remote server over SSH and then optionally running a follow-up command on that server.

It is designed for the common "edit locally, upload quickly, run one deploy command" workflow when a full CI/CD pipeline would be too heavy for the job.

Why Remote Deploy

• Trigger a deploy from inside your IDE instead of switching between terminals and file transfer tools
• Reuse saved SSH targets and deploy commands across repeat deploys
• Run the same deploy flow from the Tools menu or a reusable Run Configuration
• Keep passwords and key passphrases in IntelliJ Password Safe instead of plain-text XML

Project Status

Remote Deploy is currently an early-stage open source project and should be treated as an MVP.

It is an independently developed personal project and is not officially affiliated with, endorsed by, or backed by JetBrains or any previous plugin author, company, or organization.

That means:

• the core deploy flow is working
• contributor onboarding is now documented
• some production-grade hardening work is still on the roadmap

If you try it and hit rough edges, opening an issue is very helpful.

Features

• Upload a single file or an entire directory with SFTP
• Run an optional remote command after upload finishes
• Support password authentication and private-key authentication
• Save reusable SSH server definitions
• Launch deploys from Tools -> Remote Deploy...
• Launch deploys from a Remote Deploy Run Configuration
• Package plugin zip and source zip with one-click scripts

Screenshots

Screenshots are not published yet, but the main UI surfaces are:

• Deploy dialog for selecting a server, local path, remote directory, and optional command
• Server configuration dialog for SSH target setup and connection testing
• Run Configuration editor for repeatable deploy workflows

Planned follow-up: add annotated screenshots or a short GIF for the main deploy flow.

Quick Start

For plugin users

1. Build the plugin zip with package-plugin.bat or .\gradlew.bat buildPlugin
2. In IntelliJ IDEA, open Settings/Preferences -> Plugins
3. Open the gear menu and choose Install Plugin from Disk...
4. Select the generated zip from build/distributions
5. Open Tools -> Remote Deploy...
6. Add an SSH server, choose the local path, enter the remote directory, and optionally provide a deploy command

For contributors

1. Install JDK 21
2. Point the build to a local IntelliJ installation with either:
   • platformPath in ~/.gradle/gradle.properties
   • IDEA_PLATFORM_PATH environment variable
3. Run:

$env:JAVA_HOME="C:\Program Files\Eclipse Adoptium\jdk-21"
$env:IDEA_PLATFORM_PATH="C:\Program Files\JetBrains\IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate"
./gradlew.bat buildPlugin

Successful builds generate a plugin archive under build/distributions/.

Example ~/.gradle/gradle.properties:

platformPath=C:/Program Files/JetBrains/IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate

Usage

Quick deploy from the Tools menu

1. Open Tools -> Remote Deploy...
2. Add or select an SSH server
3. Choose a local file or directory
4. Enter the remote target directory
5. Optionally enter a remote command such as bash deploy.sh
6. Run the deploy and inspect the command output dialog if one is shown

Reusable run configuration

1. Open Run -> Edit Configurations...
2. Add a Remote Deploy configuration
3. Pick a saved server
4. Fill in local path, remote directory, and optional command
5. Run it like any other IntelliJ run configuration

The plugin currently ships multiple configuration presets, including upload-only and deploy-script-oriented templates.

Packaging

Plugin package

./package-plugin.bat

This wraps the Gradle buildPlugin task and prints the generated plugin zip path.

Source package

./package-source.bat

This creates a source archive while excluding local-only directories such as .git, .gradle, .idea, .intellijPlatform, build, and out.

Security Notes

• SSH passwords and private-key passphrases are stored through IntelliJ Password Safe, not in the plugin XML settings file
• The current MVP uses a permissive SSH host key verifier to reduce first-run friction
• Before production-heavy usage, host key verification should be hardened

Contributing

Issues and pull requests are welcome.

Before opening a pull request:

1. Make sure the change fits the current plugin scope
2. Run .\gradlew.bat buildPlugin
3. Update docs when behavior or setup changes
4. Keep secrets, machine-local paths, and generated build output out of the repository

Please read the community files before contributing:

• Code of Conduct
• Contributing Guide
• Security Policy
• Bug Report Template
• Feature Request Template

Open Source Safety

If you are publishing, forking, or contributing to this project, review these first:

• Contributing Guide
• Security Policy
• Third-Party Materials
• Open Source Release Checklist
• Open Source Owner Questionnaire

Development Notes

• Shared project settings live in gradle.properties
• Contributor-specific machine paths should stay out of the repository and go into ~/.gradle/gradle.properties or environment variables
• The plugin zip is the distributable artifact; the source zip is intended for sharing the repository contents without local build output

Roadmap

• Harden SSH host key verification
• Add automated tests for deploy and configuration flows
• Add screenshots and a Marketplace-ready plugin page
• Improve build automation for contributor onboarding

License

MIT. See LICENSE.