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Real SSH for iPad.
Shell-first remote workspace.

NeoShell gives developers a real PTY terminal on iPad, plus persistent workflows for unstable mobile networks.

Powered by neosh - QUIC-based session transport.

Built for iPad

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Who NeoShell is for

Built for iPad users who need a real terminal workflow.

NeoShell is for developers and operators who need more than host access. It is for workflows where the shell itself, the PTY behavior, and the session continuity all matter.

iPad developers

You want a real terminal workflow on iPad, not a fallback command launcher.

Mobile-first operators

You switch networks often, move between Wi-Fi and hotspot, and still need the same remote context.

AI-assisted terminal users

You review builds, inspect logs, and steer remote systems where losing one shell means losing the loop.

Problems NeoShell solves

What breaks first in mobile SSH workflows.

The hard part is not just logging in. The hard part is preserving the exact working shell when the network path changes and interactive tools still expect a real terminal.

Plain reconnect is not session continuity

Reconnecting to the host does not guarantee the same working shell comes back.

iPad needs real PTY behavior

Interactive CLI tools break down quickly when the client is not a real terminal.

Mobile networks fail differently

Sleep, wake, roaming, and short dropouts make continuity the default requirement.

Philosophy

Built around the shell.

Real PTY. Built on libghostty.

Real PTY.

Backed by libghostty.

True PTY semantics.

No emulation layer.

Real SSH Engine

Native libssh2 transport.

OpenSSL-backed.

Encrypted key passphrase flow.

Persistent Sessions

Attach-aware reconnect.

tmux / zellij continuity.

Workspace restores on return.

Resumable Transport

QUIC-based session resume.

Reconnect without restarting SSH.

Built for unstable mobile networks.

neo@ipad:~$ ls -la
drwxr-xr-x workspace
-rw-r--r-- notes.md

Terminal Focus

Terminal is the workspace.

Files are tools.

Direct input model.

No fake UI.

Host dev-cluster
AuthMethod publickey
IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
Passphrase encrypted
Storage iOS_Keychain

Auth & Safety

Designed for serious SSH workflows.

  • Password and SSH key auth
  • Encrypted private key passphrase flow
  • Keychain-backed credential storage

No hidden credential hacks.

Start your remote workspace

Get NeoShell

Workspace

Session continuity without drama.

Leave. Come back. Everything stays.

  • tmux
  • zellij
  • tab state
  • host + project memory

You don’t start over.

A Better Transport Layer

neosh replaces SSH where session continuity matters.

  • QUIC-based sessions
  • Detach, resume, survive network changes
  • Session lifecycle independent of connection

$ neosh connect user@host

$ neosh detach

$ neosh resume

session survives the network

_

Resumable Transport

Reconnect without restarting.

With neosh support, NeoShell can resume SSH sessions across unstable mobile networks.

Below tmux or zellij, NeoShell can also recover sessions at the network transport layer.

Your shell stays alive across reconnects.

  • QUIC-based transport
  • session resume
  • SSH-compatible bootstrap

network: mobile (unstable)

ssh session dropped...

reconnect -> neosh resume

session recovered

$ ./deploy.sh

$ tail -f app.log

_

Comparison

Plain SSH, tmux or zellij, and NeoShell solve different layers.

The right setup depends on whether your main problem is host access, workspace persistence, or mobile session continuity.

Topic Plain SSH tmux / zellij NeoShell
What you get back after a drop

A new connection to the host

The host workspace, if you reattach it

A real terminal plus tmux, zellij, or neosh depending on the workflow

Best fit

Short admin tasks on stable networks

Persistent host-side workspaces

Real remote work from iPad with continuity requirements

Main weakness

Reconnect can still reset the session

Adds a multiplexer layer to manage

Needs the right continuity layer for each host

Explorer & Preview

Remote files. No local illusion.

No sync. No mirroring. No lies.

  • SFTP explorer
  • Preview when useful
  • Edit in shell
  • Disconnect-aware recovery

Preview is intentional.

Editing stays in the shell.

ESCTABCTRLALTHOMEENDPGUPPGDN↑↓←→

Input Stack (iPad specific)

Keyboard built for control.

ESC. TAB. CTRL. ALT.
Exactly where they belong.

  • Arrow / Home / End / PgUp / PgDn
  • Hardware mapping
  • IME-safe input

No input proxy tricks.

Privacy

Local-first by default.

  • No account
  • No telemetry
  • No analytics SDK
  • No hidden cloud sync

SSH traffic goes only to your server.

FAQ

Direct answers for common iPad SSH questions.

These are the questions people ask before they decide whether NeoShell is just another SSH client or an actual remote workspace.

Is NeoShell a real SSH client for iPad?

Yes. NeoShell is built around real SSH and real PTY terminal behavior for iPad workflows.

How is NeoShell different from plain SSH reconnect?

Plain reconnect restores host access. NeoShell is designed around preserving working context with tmux, zellij, or neosh when reconnect alone is not enough.

Do I still need tmux or zellij?

No. NeoShell works without tmux or zellij. They are optional when you want stronger host-side persistence, while neosh is optional for transport-level resume.

What does neosh do?

neosh is the resumable transport NeoShell uses for session continuity on unstable networks. It uses SSH bootstrap for trust and QUIC for the interactive session.

Can NeoShell work on stable networks without neosh?

Yes. NeoShell works with standard SSH on stable networks, and you can add neosh only when session continuity under mobile conditions becomes important.

Who should use NeoShell instead of a basic SSH app?

Use NeoShell when your iPad is a real remote workstation and you care about PTY fidelity, keyboard-first terminal work, and preserving session context.

Want the deeper setup guidance? Start with NeoShell Notes or read about neosh.