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Copy files with SFTP

SFTP copies files between your computer and your agent's server, with the same user and password as SSH.
Time needed 5 minutes
You need Your agent's SSH user (client area → Overview tab) and the service password, or an SSH key
Result A file from your computer in the agent's folder, and a file from the agent on your computer

Prefer the browser?

The client area Files tab uploads and downloads files without any app or password. See Terminal and files in the browser.

1. Go to the folder with your file

Open Terminal (macOS: Applications → Utilities; Linux: your terminal app) and go to the folder that holds the file you want to send, for example cd Documents. Files you download also land in this folder.

Windows

Windows 10 and 11 PowerShell also has the sftp command. Not shown in this guide: we tested on Linux only.

2. Connect, upload and download

Type the SSH command from the client area Overview tab, with sftp instead of ssh:

sftp vm123@ssh.agents.lsvps.net

(vm123 is an example: use your own user.) Then type the commands below. This is a real session with an OpenClaw agent:

An SFTP session

  1. sftp and your user. The first time, answer yes to the server question, as in Connect with SSH.
  2. Type the service password (nothing appears while you type). With an SSH key this question does not appear. The client_global_hostkeys_prove_confirm… line that follows can be ignored. Connected to ssh.agents.lsvps.net. and the sftp> prompt mean you are in.
  3. ls lists the files on the server; cd opens a folder. You start in root's home folder, which has a shortcut to the agent's folder (here openclaw). cd openclaw/workspace opens the agent's working folder.
  4. put price-list.txt uploads price-list.txt from your computer into the current folder on the server.
  5. get AGENTS.md downloads AGENTS.md from the server to your computer.
  6. bye closes SFTP. Back on your computer, ls shows the downloaded file.

The Uploading … to /srv/agentvm/… line shows where the agent's folder really is on the server. Inside the agent, the same file is in the agent's folder (here /home/node/.openclaw/workspace/price-list.txt).

Where to put files for the agent

Put files in the agent's folder. Everything else inside the agent's container is reset when you save the settings or update the agent.

Agent Agent's folder Agent's working folder
Hermes cd hermes cd hermes/workspace
n8n cd n8n-files —
OpenClaw cd openclaw cd openclaw/workspace

put sends files from the folder where you started sftp on your computer, so cd there first (step 1).

Check that it worked

After put, type ls: your file is in the list. When we tested this guide, the uploaded file was visible to the OpenClaw agent, with the same content and owned by the agent's own user, a minute later.

Other SFTP apps

Graphical apps such as FileZilla or WinSCP work with the same details: protocol SFTP, server ssh.agents.lsvps.net, port 22, your SSH user and the service password. Not shown in this guide: we tested only the sftp command.

Common problems

Permission denied, please try again

The password is wrong. Use the service password from the "Your agent is ready" email, not your client area password.

Connection closed straight away

After several failed logins the server refuses new connections for a few minutes. See Connect with SSH: Common problems.

My uploaded file disappeared after an update

It was outside the agent's folder. Upload it again into the agent's folder (see the table above).

Next steps