Port Forwarding

Manage named SSH forwarding profiles from your bar. Each profile contains an SSH destination and one or more local-port → remote-host:remote-port mappings. Connections run independently of Noctalia, with a standalone CLI for the same controls.

Plugin

ID: ghillb/portforward

Type	ID	Purpose
Service	status	Connection status
Widget	indicator	Show connection state and open the panel
Panel	panel	Manage profiles, connections and diagnostics
Panel	compact	Open a shorter panel for small profile lists

Requirements

• python3: Python 3.11 or newer.
• ssh: OpenSSH 8.7 or newer.
• systemctl: systemd user services.
• Noctalia v5 with plugin API 24 or newer.

Optional: xdg-open for browser opening, journalctl for logs, and wl-copy for CLI clipboard copying. Installation needs no root access or separate Python packages.

Usage

Enable the plugin and add its indicator widget to your bar. Click the widget, add a profile, then select Connect. Saving a new profile leaves it disconnected.

Expand profiles to open or copy their local addresses. The Actions menu contains Edit, Details & logs, and Delete. Local listeners bind to 127.0.0.1; port conflicts are reported without changing your configured ports. Systemd reconnects after transport interruptions. Autoconnect is not currently supported.

Open either panel from a compositor binding or terminal:

noctalia msg panel-toggle ghillb/portforward:panel
noctalia msg panel-toggle ghillb/portforward:compact

The included CLI is ~/.local/bin/portforward. Add ~/.local/bin to your PATH if needed. Use portforward --help for commands and portforward doctor to check setup. Correct setup errors and re-enable the plugin to retry. Disconnect profiles to apply pending backend updates.

SSH host-key confirmation must be completed in a terminal. Unlock encrypted keys with your existing SSH agent. The plugin never asks for or stores passwords.

Storage and removal

Saved profiles: $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/portforward (default ~/.config/portforward). See the project README for other file locations.

Disable the plugin, run ~/.local/bin/portforward uninstall, then remove it in Noctalia. This stops tunnels and removes the backend; saved profiles are retained. Removing only the plugin leaves the CLI and any tunnels running.

See the project README for the CLI reference, screenshots and walkthrough.