Use socket instead of port, update README

Author: danielpgross

README.md

@@ -1,218 +1,155 @@
-# RMate Server
+# RMate Launcher
 
-A server implementation of the RMate protocol that allows editing remote files using a local editor of the user's choice.
+Seamlessly edit files over SSH with a local editor of your choice, using the rmate protocol.
 
-## Features
+## Overview
 
-- ✅ **Remote file editing** via RMate protocol
-- ✅ **Multiple concurrent files** supported
-- ✅ **Real-time file watching** with OS-level notifications
-- ✅ **Cross-platform** (Linux, macOS)
-- ✅ **Statically linked binaries** for easy deployment
-- ✅ **Any editor** that can be launched from command line
+- ✅ **Remote file editing** via RMate protocol with any local editor
+- ✅ **Multiple concurrent files** with real-time OS-level file watching
+- ✅ **Cross-platform** (Linux, macOS) with statically linked binaries
+- ✅ **Editor agnostic** - VS Code, Sublime Text, Zed, etc.
+- ✅ **Always available** - Runs as standalone service, independent of editor
 
-## Installation
-
-### From GitHub Releases
+### How it works
 
-Download the appropriate binary for your platform from the [releases page](../../releases):
+1. RMate client on remote server connects via SSH tunnel to local RMate server
+2. Server saves file content to temp file and watches for changes with OS-level notifications
+3. Server spawns local editor to edit temp file
+4. Changes trigger `save` commands; editor close triggers `close` command
 
-- **Linux x86_64**: `rmate_server-linux-x86_64.tar.gz`
-- **Linux ARM64**: `rmate_server-linux-aarch64.tar.gz`
-- **macOS Intel**: `rmate_server-macos-x86_64.tar.gz`
-- **macOS Apple Silicon**: `rmate_server-macos-aarch64.tar.gz`
+### Why the rmate protocol?
 
-```bash
-# Download and extract (example for Linux x86_64)
-curl -L -o rmate_server.tar.gz https://github.com/yourusername/rmate-server/releases/latest/download/rmate_server-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
-tar -xzf rmate_server.tar.gz
-chmod +x rmate_server-linux-x86_64
-mv rmate_server-linux-x86_64 /usr/local/bin/rmate_server
-```
+Originally developed for [TextMate](https://github.com/textmate/rmate), this is a proven protocol for editing remote files through SSH tunnels. It's widely supported with clients in [Ruby](https://github.com/textmate/rmate) (original), [Bash](https://github.com/aurora/rmate), [Python](https://github.com/sclukey/rmate-python), [Perl](https://github.com/davidolrik/rmate-perl), [Nim](https://github.com/aurora/rmate-nim), [C](https://github.com/hanklords/rmate.c), [Node.js](https://github.com/jrnewell/jmate), and [Go](https://github.com/mattn/gomate). Use any existing client with RMate Server - no changes required.
 
-### From Source
+### Why not use existing editor extensions?
 
-```bash
-git clone https://github.com/yourusername/rmate-server.git
-cd rmate-server
-zig build -Doptimize=ReleaseSmall
-```
+Editor-specific extensions ([RemoteSubl](https://github.com/randy3k/RemoteSubl), [Remote VSCode](https://github.com/rafaelmaiolla/remote-vscode)) require the editor to be running, have inconsistent behavior, and lock you into one editor. RMate Server provides consistent functionality across all editors and future-proof remote editing.
 
-### Running as a Service
-
-For production use, you may want to run rmate-server as a system service that starts automatically.
-
-#### macOS (launchd)
+## Usage
 
-1. Copy the example plist file and customize it:
 ```bash
-cp macos-launchd.plist.example ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.user.rmate-server.plist
-```
+# 1. Start server locally (skip this step if already running as a service)
+RMATE_EDITOR="code --wait" rmate_server &
 
-2. Edit the plist file to customize:
-   - Path to your rmate_server binary
-   - Your preferred editor in `RMATE_EDITOR`
-   - Port and IP settings if different from defaults
-   - Log file paths
+# 2. SSH with tunnel
+ssh -R 52698:~/.rmate-server/rmate.sock user@remote-server
 
-3. Load and start the service:
-```bash
-launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.user.rmate-server.plist
-launchctl start com.user.rmate-server
+# 3. Edit remote files (opens in your local editor!)
+rmate /path/to/remote/file.txt
 ```
 
-4. To stop or unload:
-```bash
-launchctl stop com.user.rmate-server
-launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.user.rmate-server.plist
-```
+### Automatic SSH Config
 
-#### Linux (systemd)
+Add to `~/.ssh/config` for automatic forwarding:
+```ssh-config
+Host myserver.example.com          # For specific hosts
+    RemoteForward 52698 ~/.rmate-server/rmate.sock
 
-1. Copy and customize the service file:
-```bash
-sudo cp linux-systemd.service.example /etc/systemd/system/rmate-server.service
+Host *                            # For all hosts (optional)
+    RemoteForward 52698 ~/.rmate-server/rmate.sock
 ```
 
-2. Edit the service file to customize:
-   - Path to your rmate_server binary
-   - Your preferred editor in `RMATE_EDITOR`
-   - Port and IP settings if different from defaults
-
-3. Enable and start the service:
-```bash
-sudo systemctl daemon-reload
-sudo systemctl enable rmate-server
-sudo systemctl start rmate-server
-```
+## Installation
 
-4. Check service status:
-```bash
-sudo systemctl status rmate-server
-sudo journalctl -u rmate-server -f  # View logs
-```
+### From GitHub Releases
 
-## Usage
+Download binaries from the [releases page](../../releases):
+- **Linux**: `rmate_server-linux-x86_64.tar.gz` / `rmate_server-linux-aarch64.tar.gz`
+- **macOS**: `rmate_server-macos-x86_64.tar.gz` / `rmate_server-macos-aarch64.tar.gz`
 
+```bash
+# Download and install (example for Linux x86_64)
+curl -L -o rmate_server.tar.gz https://github.com/yourusername/rmate-server/releases/latest/download/rmate_server-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
+tar -xzf rmate_server.tar.gz && chmod +x rmate_server-linux-x86_64
+mv rmate_server-linux-x86_64 /usr/local/bin/rmate_server
 ```
-rmate_server [OPTIONS]
-```
-
-### Options
 
-- `--help, -h` - Show help message and exit
-
-### Required Environment Variables
-
-#### `RMATE_EDITOR`
-Editor command to use. The command will receive the temp file path as an argument.
+### From Source
 
+Requires [Zig](https://ziglang.org/) 0.14.1+:
 ```bash
-# Examples:
-export RMATE_EDITOR="code --wait"    # VS Code
-export RMATE_EDITOR="vim"            # Vim
-export RMATE_EDITOR="nano"           # Nano
-export RMATE_EDITOR="subl --wait"    # Sublime Text
+git clone https://github.com/yourusername/rmate-server.git && cd rmate-server
+zig build -Doptimize=ReleaseSmall  # or just 'zig build' for development
 ```
 
-### Optional Environment Variables
+## Running as a service
 
-#### `RMATE_PORT`
-Port to listen on (default: 52698)
+For daily use, run it as a system service. Templates are provided to set up the service on macOS and Linux:
+
+#### macOS (launchd)
 
 ```bash
-export RMATE_PORT=52699
+mkdir -p ~/.rmate-server
+cp macos-launchd.plist.example ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.user.rmate-server.plist
+# Edit plist: paths, RMATE_EDITOR, RMATE_SOCKET, sandbox settings
+launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.user.rmate-server.plist
+launchctl start com.user.rmate-server
 ```
 
-#### `RMATE_IP`
-IP address to bind to (default: 127.0.0.1)
+#### Linux (systemd)
 
 ```bash
-export RMATE_IP=0.0.0.0  # Listen on all interfaces
+mkdir -p ~/.rmate-server ~/.config/systemd/user
+cp linux-systemd.service.example ~/.config/systemd/user/rmate-server.service
+# Edit service: paths, RMATE_EDITOR, RMATE_SOCKET
+systemctl --user daemon-reload && systemctl --user enable --now rmate-server
+sudo loginctl enable-linger $USER  # Start on boot (optional)
 ```
 
-## How It Works
-
-1. User opens remote file in SSH session using an RMate client
-2. Client connects through SSH tunnel to RMate server running on local machine
-3. RMate server saves file content to temporary file on disk
-4. RMate server begins watching for changes to tempfile using OS-level file watching
-5. RMate server spawns local editor process to edit the newly-created temporary file
-6. On changes to the temp file, RMate server sends 'save' command to client
-7. On close of the local editor process, RMate server sends 'close' command to client
+## Configuration
 
-The server supports multiple files opened concurrently.
+All configuration is defined in environment variables.
 
-## Example Setup
-
-### 1. Start the server locally
+### Required
 
+`RMATE_EDITOR` - Editor command to run. Path to the temp file will be passed as the first argument.
 ```bash
-RMATE_EDITOR="code --wait" rmate_server
+export RMATE_EDITOR="code --wait"    # VS Code
+export RMATE_EDITOR="vim"            # Vim  
+export RMATE_EDITOR="subl --wait"    # Sublime Text
 ```
 
-### 2. Set up SSH tunnel
+### Optional Configuration
 
-```bash
-ssh -R 52698:localhost:52698 user@remote-server
-```
+- `RMATE_SOCKET` - Unix socket path (default: `~/.rmate-server/rmate.sock`)
+- `RMATE_PORT` / `RMATE_IP` - Legacy TCP options (default: `52698/127.0.0.1`, less secure)
 
-### 3. Edit remote files
+### Advanced: Dynamic editor selection
 
-On the remote server, use any RMate client:
+Since `RMATE_EDITOR` can be any command, you can use a bash script to launch different editors based on file patterns:
 
 ```bash
-# Using rmate client
-rmate /path/to/remote/file.txt
-
-# The file will open in your local VS Code!
+#!/bin/bash
+# ~/.rmate-server/editor-selector.sh
+case "$(basename "$1")" in
+    *.md|*.txt|README*) zed --wait "$1" ;;           # Docs in Zed
+    *.js|*.ts|*.json|*.html) code --wait "$1" ;;     # Web dev in VS Code  
+    *) subl --wait "$1" ;;                           # Everything else in Sublime
+esac
 ```
-
-## Building from Source
-
-### Prerequisites
-
-- [Zig](https://ziglang.org/) 0.14.1 or later
-
-### Build Commands
-
 ```bash
-# Development build
-zig build
-
-# Optimized build
-zig build -Doptimize=ReleaseSmall
-
-# Run tests
-zig build test
-
-# Cross-compile for Linux
-zig build -Dtarget=x86_64-linux-gnu -Doptimize=ReleaseSmall
+chmod +x ~/.rmate-server/editor-selector.sh
+export RMATE_EDITOR="$HOME/.rmate-server/editor-selector.sh"
 ```
 
 ## Development
 
-### Running locally
+### Prerequisites
 
-```bash
-export RMATE_EDITOR="code --wait"
-zig build run
-```
+[Zig](https://ziglang.org/) 0.14.1+
 
-### Testing
+### Build & Run
 
 ```bash
-zig build test
-```
+zig build                                                    # Development build
+zig build -Doptimize=ReleaseSmall                           # Optimized build  
+zig build test                                               # Run tests
+zig build -Dtarget=x86_64-linux-gnu -Doptimize=ReleaseSmall # Cross-compile
 
-## For Maintainers
-
-- **Release Instructions**: See [RELEASE.md](./RELEASE.md) for detailed release process
+# Run locally
+export RMATE_EDITOR="code --wait" && zig build run
+```
 
 ## License
 
-[Add your license here]
-
-## Contributing
-
-[Add contributing guidelines here]
+MIT

linux-systemd.service.example

@@ -8,12 +8,11 @@ Type=simple
 ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/rmate_server
 Restart=always
 RestartSec=5
-DynamicUser=true
 
 # Environment variables
 Environment=RMATE_EDITOR=code --wait
-Environment=RMATE_PORT=52698
-Environment=RMATE_IP=127.0.0.1
+# RMATE_SOCKET defaults to %h/.rmate-server/rmate.sock if not specified
+# Environment=RMATE_SOCKET=%h/.rmate-server/rmate.sock
 
 # Logging
 StandardOutput=journal
@@ -22,10 +21,14 @@ SyslogIdentifier=rmate-server
 
 # Security settings
 NoNewPrivileges=true
-PrivateTmp=true
 ProtectSystem=strict
-ProtectHome=true
-ReadWritePaths=/tmp
+ProtectHome=tmpfs
+ReadWritePaths=%h/.rmate-server
+ReadOnlyPaths=%h/.config %h/.local
+PrivateDevices=true
+ProtectKernelTunables=true
+ProtectKernelModules=true
+ProtectControlGroups=true
 
 [Install]
-WantedBy=multi-user.target
+WantedBy=default.target

macos-launchd.plist.example

@@ -14,10 +14,11 @@
     <dict>
         <key>RMATE_EDITOR</key>
         <string>code --wait</string>
-        <key>RMATE_PORT</key>
-        <string>52698</string>
-        <key>RMATE_IP</key>
-        <string>127.0.0.1</string>
+        <!-- RMATE_SOCKET defaults to ~/.rmate-server/rmate.sock if not specified -->
+        <!-- 
+        <key>RMATE_SOCKET</key>
+        <string>/Users/USERNAME/.rmate-server/rmate.sock</string>
+        -->
     </dict>
 
     <key>RunAtLoad</key>
@@ -33,6 +34,23 @@
     <string>/usr/local/var/log/rmate-server-error.log</string>
 
     <key>WorkingDirectory</key>
-    <string>/tmp</string>
+    <string>/Users/USERNAME/.rmate-server</string>
+    
+    <!-- Note: Update USERNAME above to your actual username -->
+    
+    <!-- Uncomment the sandbox profile below for additional security -->
+    <!-- 
+    <key>SandboxProfile</key>
+    <string>
+        (version 1)
+        (deny default)
+        (allow process-exec (literal "/usr/local/bin/rmate_server"))
+        (allow file-read* file-write* (subpath "/Users/USERNAME/.rmate-server"))
+        (allow file-read* (subpath "/usr/bin") (subpath "/usr/local/bin"))
+        (allow file-read* (subpath "/Applications"))
+        (allow network-outbound (remote ip))
+        (allow network-bind (local ip))
+    </string>
+    -->
 </dict>
 </plist>