Frequently asked questions

Short answers to the questions we hear most. Each answer links to the page with the details.

General

What is kaiport?

An AI-first app for SSH, SFTP, FTP/FTPS, S3, WebDAV and Azure Blob Storage, for macOS, Windows, Linux, iPhone and iPad. It combines tabs, a file browser, a transfer view and an editor with AI Pilot, an assistant that works inside your sessions with the model you choose. See the introduction.

Which systems are supported?

macOS 12 or later (Apple silicon and Intel), Windows 10 (64-bit) and 11, Linux x64 with glibc 2.31 or later, as AppImage or .deb, and iOS and iPadOS 17 or later. See Installation.

Where can I get kaiport?

From the Mac App Store, from the App Store on iPhone and iPad, as a download from kaiport.dev for macOS, Windows and Linux, and from the Microsoft Store for Windows. All of them are free to download. See Where to get kaiport.

What is different in the Mac App Store version?

It runs in Apple's sandbox. Updates come through the App Store, there is no SSH agent and no agent forwarding (private keys are imported into the app), you choose the files to import in a file dialog, and you choose the folders for the local pane of the transfer view once. See The Mac App Store version.

Is there a mobile app?

Yes: kaiport for iPhone and iPad, free in the App Store, for iOS and iPadOS 17 or later. It has the terminal, SFTP and storage connections, and AI Pilot with kaiport Pro. There is no Android app. See kaiport for iPhone and iPad.

Which languages does the app support?

English and German. kaiport follows your system language; you can change it under Settings → General → Language.

Free and kaiport Pro

Is kaiport free?

Yes. The terminal, SFTP, FTP/FTPS, S3, WebDAV and Azure, the editor, the import and export, the app lock and themes are free, with up to three saved connections and no time limit. kaiport Pro adds AI Pilot, jump hosts and unlimited connections, and on the Mac also the MCP server, server views and port forwarding. See Free and kaiport Pro.

Do I need an account?

No. kaiport has no account and no sign-in. You subscribe to kaiport Pro with your Apple ID in the App Store.

How much does kaiport Pro cost?

€29.99 or US$29.99 per year; the App Store sets the price for your country and currency and shows it before you buy. New subscribers get the first 14 days free. AI models are not included. See Price and free trial.

Where can I buy kaiport Pro?

In the app on iPhone and iPad and in the Mac App Store version, through Apple. The download from kaiport.dev and the Microsoft Store version are the free version for now and offer no purchase. See Where you get kaiport Pro.

Can I use kaiport Pro on several devices?

Yes, on iPhone, iPad and Mac with the same Apple ID: kaiport is one app in the App Store for all three, so one subscription unlocks it everywhere. On a new device, Restore purchases in Settings → kaiport Pro finds it if the app doesn't by itself. See Restore purchases.

How do I cancel?

Apple manages the subscription. On iPhone and iPad, open Settings › your name › Subscriptions; on a Mac, open the App Store, then your account › Subscriptions. Cancel at least 24 hours before the renewal date. See Renewal and cancellation.

How do I get a refund?

Purchases in the App Store are refunded by Apple. Request a refund at reportaproblem.apple.com.

What happens when kaiport Pro ends?

kaiport goes back to the free version. Nothing is deleted: your connections stay usable, also those above three, and only adding new ones is blocked. AI Pilot, jump hosts, port forwarding and the MCP server wait until kaiport Pro is active again. See When kaiport Pro ends.

Does kaiport work offline?

Yes. As long as your servers and storage are reachable, kaiport needs no internet access, and with a local model AI Pilot works offline too. The App Store keeps your kaiport Pro purchase on the device, so Pro works offline as well.

AI Pilot and models

Which AI models can I use?

Anthropic Claude, OpenAI, OpenRouter, Groq, Mistral, DeepSeek, Together AI, Ollama, LM Studio and every OpenAI-compatible API. You add your own API key in the settings; local models need no key at all. See Set up AI Pilot.

Are AI models included in kaiport Pro?

No. AI Pilot uses your own API key or a local model, so you pay your provider directly and keep full control.

Does AI Pilot run commands without asking?

Not by default: you approve every command with Run or Deny. With Autopilot on, AI Pilot runs commands directly, but potentially dangerous commands still ask. On storage connections, deleting, renaming and overwriting always ask. You can also deny or allow commands per connection. See Approvals and safety.

Can I keep file contents away from the AI?

Yes. Turn off Send file contents to the AI under Settings → AI Pilot. AI Pilot then works with file names, sizes and dates only. The output of commands AI Pilot runs in the terminal still goes to the model. See Context and privacy.

Privacy and security

Does kaiport collect telemetry?

No. kaiport collects no data and sends nothing about you or your servers to us. Besides your servers and your AI provider, the download from kaiport.dev only contacts the download server to check for updates. See Privacy.

Do my prompts pass through kaiport's servers?

No. AI requests go straight from your device to the provider you set up, or to your local model server.

Where are my passwords and keys stored?

On your computer, in kaiport's data folder, encrypted with the macOS Keychain, Windows DPAPI or the Secret Service (libsecret) on Linux. Settings → About shows under Encryption whether this works. The JSON export contains no passwords or keys, and kaiport doesn't sync them anywhere. See Security.

Why does kaiport ask me to trust a server I already use?

kaiport keeps its own list of known hosts, separate from ~/.ssh/known_hosts. On the first connection it shows the server's fingerprint and asks whether to trust it. See Host keys.

Migration and data

Can I import connections from other clients?

Yes: from ~/.ssh/config, FileZilla, Cyberduck, WinSCP, PuTTY and kaiport exports. See Import and export.

How do I move my connections to another device?

kaiport doesn't sync connections. Export them on one device and import the file on the other; this also works from the desktop app to iPhone and iPad. The export contains no passwords or keys, so you enter them again after the import. See Import and export.

Where does kaiport keep my data?

In a folder of your user account, for example ~/Library/Application Support/kaiport on macOS. See Where your data lives.