Multi-Server Setup

Kitty turns multi-server management into an organized, keyboard-driven workflow. Combine named tabs, the SSH kitten, and file transfer kittens to manage any number of remote servers.

Learning Focus

Build a complete multi-server workflow: one-command SSH with terminfo, named tabs per server, file transfer over TTY, and remote file editing.

Pattern 1: Named Server Tabs

Open each server in its own named tab for quick switching:

~/bin/server-tabs.sh

#!/bin/bash
SERVERS=(
  "web01:deploy@web01.example.com"
  "web02:deploy@web02.example.com"
  "db01:admin@db01.example.com"
  "cache01:admin@cache01.example.com"
)

for SERVER_ENTRY in "${SERVERS[@]}"; do
  TAB_NAME="${SERVER_ENTRY%%:*}"
  SSH_TARGET="${SERVER_ENTRY#*:}"

  kitty @ launch --type=tab --title "$TAB_NAME"
  kitty @ send-text --match-title "$TAB_NAME" "kitty +kitten ssh $SSH_TARGET\n"
  sleep 0.5
done

echo "Opened ${#SERVERS[@]} server tabs"

Navigate Between Servers

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+Shift+Left	Previous tab (previous server)
Ctrl+Shift+Right	Next tab (next server)
Ctrl+Shift+1-9	Jump to tab by number
Ctrl+Shift+l	List all tabs

Pattern 2: Multi-Server Command Broadcasting

Run the same command on all servers:

~/bin/broadcast-cmd.sh

#!/bin/bash
CMD="$*"
if [ -z "$CMD" ]; then
  echo "Usage: $0 <command>"
  echo "Example: $0 systemctl status nginx"
  exit 1
fi

# Use broadcast kitten with pattern matching on tab names
kitty +kitten broadcast --match "web*" --match "db*" "$CMD"

Examples

# Check disk space on all web servers
~/bin/broadcast-cmd.sh "df -h"

# Restart nginx everywhere
~/bin/broadcast-cmd.sh "sudo systemctl restart nginx"

# Check kernel version
~/bin/broadcast-cmd.sh "uname -r"

Pattern 3: File Transfer Between Servers

Use the transfer kitten to move files without SCP:

# From your local machine to a remote server via SSH
kitty +kitten ssh deploy@web01
# Inside the SSH session:
kitty +kitten transfer receive /tmp/config-backup.tar.gz

# Send a config file to a remote
kitty +kitten transfer send ./nginx.conf

Transfer Between Remote Servers

# From server A's SSH session, pull a file from server B
scp user@server-b:/path/to/file /tmp/
# Or set up the transfer across sessions using kitty's piping

Pattern 4: Remote File Editing

Edit files on remote servers using your local kitty config:

# Quick edit a remote config
kitty +kitten remote_file admin@web01:/etc/nginx/nginx.conf

# Edit multiple remote files
kitty +kitten remote_file admin@web01:/etc/nginx/sites-enabled/default
kitty +kitten remote_file admin@db01:/etc/postgresql/postgresql.conf

The remote_file kitten:

1. Downloads the remote file via SSH
2. Opens it in your local $EDITOR
3. Watches for save
4. Uploads the changed file back

Pattern 5: Three-Server Monitoring Layout

A complete script that creates a three-server monitoring tab:

~/bin/three-server-monitor.sh

#!/bin/bash
# Creates a monitoring layout: 3 servers side by side
# Each server split into: system stats + logs

TAB_TITLE="server-monitor"

kitty @ launch --type=tab --title "$TAB_TITLE"
sleep 0.3

# First server: web01
kitty @ send-text --match-title "$TAB_TITLE" \
  "kitty +kitten ssh deploy@web01.example.com\n"
sleep 0.8  # Wait for SSH connection
kitty @ send-text --match-title "$TAB_TITLE" "htop\n"

# Split bottom for logs on web01
kitty @ launch --type=window --location=vsplit
kitty @ send-text --match-title "$TAB_TITLE" \
  "tail -f /var/log/nginx/access.log\n"

# Add second server column: web02
kitty @ launch --type=window --location=hsplit
kitty @ send-text --match-title "$TAB_TITLE" \
  "kitty +kitten ssh deploy@web02.example.com\n"
sleep 0.8
kitty @ send-text --match-title "$TAB_TITLE" "htop\n"

# Split bottom for logs on web02
kitty @ launch --type=window --location=vsplit
kitty @ send-text --match-title "$TAB_TITLE" \
  "tail -f /var/log/nginx/error.log\n"

# Add third server column: db01
kitty @ launch --type=window --location=hsplit
kitty @ send-text --match-title "$TAB_TITLE" \
  "kitty +kitten ssh admin@db01.example.com\n"
sleep 0.8
kitty @ send-text --match-title "$TAB_TITLE" "htop\n"

echo "Three-server monitoring tab created"

SSH Kitten Tips for Multi-Server

~/.ssh/config

# SSH config works seamlessly with kitty +kitten ssh
Host web*
  User deploy
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/deploy_key
  ServerAliveInterval 60

Host db*
  User admin
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/admin_key
  ForwardAgent yes

# With the config above, this is all you need:
kitty +kitten ssh web01
# Expands to: ssh deploy@web01 -i ~/.ssh/deploy_key

Multi-Server Management Reference

Task	Command	Kitten Used
Connect to server with terminfo	kitty +kitten ssh user@host	ssh
Send file to remote	kitty +kitten transfer send ./file	transfer
Receive file from remote	kitty +kitten transfer receive ./file	transfer
Edit remote file	kitty +kitten remote_file user@host:/path	remote_file
Run command on multiple servers	kitty +kitten broadcast --match "web*" "cmd"	broadcast
View image on remote	kitty +kitten icat image.png (over SSH)	icat
Diff files on remote	kitty +kitten diff file1 file2	diff

Common Pitfalls

Pitfall	Symptom	Fix
SSH kitten prompt for password repeatedly	No SSH key cached	Run ssh-add or use ssh-agent
Transfer fails on large files	"Broken pipe"	Use rsync or scp for files > 100MB
Tab names not unique	Wrong tab matched by broadcast	Include server name or IP in tab title
Remote shell not recognizing kitty TERM	TERM=kitty: unknown terminal	Use kitty +kitten ssh for automatic terminfo
sleep timing causes dropped keystrokes	Commands typed before SSH connected	Increase sleep or use expect for SSH

Hands-On Practice

# Practice the three-server layout pattern locally
kitty @ launch --type=tab --title "practice-multi"

# Simulate three windows with local shells
kitty @ send-text --match-title "practice-multi" "echo 'Server 1: web01'\n"
kitty @ launch --type=window --location=hsplit
kitty @ send-text --match-title "practice-multi" "echo 'Server 2: web02'\n"
kitty @ launch --type=window --location=hsplit
kitty @ send-text --match-title "practice-multi" "echo 'Server 3: db01'\n"

# Verify all three windows
kitty @ ls

# Send a command to all three using broadcast
kitty +kitten broadcast --match "practice-multi" "hostname\n"
echo "Broadcast sent — all three windows received the command"

What's Next

• DevOps Patterns
• Application Monitoring
• Troubleshooting