AI Pilot for files and storage
Use AI Pilot on FTP, S3, WebDAV and Azure connections – folder reports, content search, bulk changes as one reviewable plan and connection diagnosis.
FTP, S3, WebDAV and Azure connections have no shell, so AI Pilot works there with file tools: it explores folders, searches contents, suggests cleanups and carries out the changes you approve – on the storage and on your own computer. This page also covers the file tools AI Pilot uses in terminal tabs.
AI Pilot in the transfer view
Storage connections open in the transfer view: your computer on the left, the storage on the right. Press ⌘JCtrlJ or click the AI Pilot button on the right edge of the window to open the panel.
AI Pilot knows which folder you're looking at on each side, so you can say "this folder" or use relative paths. An empty chat explains what AI Pilot can do here, tells you whether changes need your confirmation and offers four suggestions:
- What is in the current folder? Give me an overview.
- Create a folder report with cleanup suggestions.
- Find large or old files I could delete.
- Which files here contain credentials or passwords?
What AI Pilot can do here
| Task | Tool | Needs your approval |
|---|---|---|
| List a folder | list_dir | no |
| Find files by name, size and age | find_files | no |
| Search file contents | search_files | no |
| Analyze a folder tree | folder_report | no |
| Read a text file | read_file | no |
| Create or replace a text file | write_file | unless Autopilot is on; replacing always |
| Create a folder | make_dir | unless Autopilot is on |
| Rename or move | rename | unless Autopilot is on; onto an existing name always |
| Delete | delete | always |
| Upload a file from your computer | upload | unless Autopilot is on; replacing always |
| Download a file to your computer | download | unless Autopilot is on; replacing always |
| Several changes at once | execute_plan | always, once for the whole plan |
| Ask you a question | ask_user | waits for your answer |
Parameters and limits of each tool: Tools reference.
Your computer and the storage
Every file tool works on either side: on the connected storage, which is the default, or on your own computer, the left pane. Cards of steps on your computer carry the label local. Uploads and downloads always go between the two sides and handle single files; to transfer a folder, AI Pilot creates the folders it needs and transfers the files one by one or in a plan.
After every change AI Pilot makes, both panes refresh. Its uploads and downloads also appear in the Transfers list, like your own.
Folder reports
A folder report gives you an overview of a folder tree without reading any file contents. It uses names, sizes and dates only and covers:
- the number of files and folders and the total size,
- sizes by file type and by extension,
- the age distribution: changed within 30 days, 90 days, a year, or longer ago,
- the largest, oldest and newest files,
- possible duplicates – files with the same name and size in different folders,
- empty folders,
- cleanup candidates: temporary files (such as
.DS_Store,Thumbs.db,*.tmp,*.part), logs older than 30 days, backups and archives older than 90 days (such as*.bak,*.old,*.zip,*.sql,*.tar.gz), and files over 10 MB that haven't changed for more than a year.
To get one for the folder you're in, click Folder report with the AI (the chart icon) in the storage pane. AI Pilot opens with a prepared request; press Enter to send it. You can also ask for a report in your own words, for any folder on either side.
The card shows the totals, the largest files, the cleanup candidates and possible duplicates. AI Pilot turns the report into advice. It only suggests cleanups – deleting always waits for your approval. A report goes up to 6 folder levels deep by default (at most 12) and looks at up to 5,000 entries.
Search file contents
Ask things like "Where is the database password configured?" and AI Pilot searches the text files below a folder for a word or a pattern. It only gets the matching lines back – path, line number and the line itself – never whole files. Binary files and files larger than Limit per file (KB) are skipped.
The card lists every file whose content was read under Files read, so you can see exactly what was searched. A search reads up to 200 files (AI Pilot can raise this to 500) and returns up to 100 matching lines. Content search requires Send file contents to the AI in the settings.
Bulk changes as a plan
For more than a couple of changes – renaming a batch of photos, sorting files into folders, removing old backups – AI Pilot looks around first and then bundles all changes into one plan. The plan card shows a one-sentence summary and every step in order: create folder, rename, delete, write file, upload, download.
- Read through the steps. Steps on your computer carry the label local.
- Click Run to carry out the whole plan, or Deny to reject it.
- Follow the progress. Each step gets a mark for done, error or skipped.
The steps run in order. If one fails, the plan stops there and the remaining steps are skipped; the card then shows how many steps succeeded, for example 4/7. A plan can hold up to 200 operations. Plans always need your approval, also in Autopilot. A plan that deletes or overwrites something shows This action deletes or overwrites data – please check carefully.
What always asks
Without Autopilot, every change waits for your approval. With Autopilot on, creating folders and new files, renaming to a free name, uploads and downloads run directly. These always wait for you:
- deleting files or folders,
- writing a file that already exists,
- renaming or moving onto a name that already exists,
- uploads and downloads that would replace an existing file,
- plans.
A folder that still contains files is only deleted when AI Pilot requests a recursive delete, and then everything inside goes with it. The card shows the path – check it before you click Run. See Approvals and safety.
When a connection fails
If a storage connection can't be established, the storage pane shows the error and, when kaiport recognizes the problem, up to three Possible causes. These rule-based hints cover typical mistakes:
- S3: wrong keys, wrong region, a missing bucket, missing rights, path-style addressing
- FTP: rejected login, passive mode blocked by a firewall, TLS required, port and encryption mode that don't match
- WebDAV: rejected login (Nextcloud and ownCloud with two-factor need an app password), wrong path, a URL that points to the web interface
- Azure: account name or access key, a missing container
- Any type: refused connections, timeouts, unknown host names, self-signed or mismatched certificates
Below them are two buttons:
- Try again reconnects.
- AI diagnosis opens AI Pilot with a prepared question about the error. AI Pilot sees the error message, the hints and the connection's settings – never its passwords or keys – and explains what to change. Press Enter to send it.
Ask about a single file
Every file row in both panes of the transfer view has a sparkle button, Ask the AI about this file. It opens AI Pilot with a prepared request to look at the file and explain what it does. The same button is in the Files panel of terminal tabs. Reading the file requires Send file contents to the AI.
File tools in terminal tabs
In terminal tabs, AI Pilot has these file tools too: read_file, write_file, list_dir, find_files, search_files and folder_report. They work over SFTP on the connected server. AI Pilot prefers them over cat, heredocs and ls, because they handle large files and special characters reliably and keep your terminal tidy.
In terminal tabs, the file tools always refer to the connected system; there is no local side. Creating folders, renaming, deleting and transfers happen through ordinary shell commands there, with the usual approvals.
When file contents are switched off
With Send file contents to the AI off, AI Pilot can't read files or search their contents. Listing, finding and folder reports still work, because they only use names, sizes and dates. In storage tabs, AI Pilot tells you when a task needs file contents. See Context, tokens and privacy.