Moving SSH Clients to macOS? Test SFTP After Reconnecting

While building DartShell on macOS, I ran into a migration issue that a successful SSH login did not reveal.

The terminal reconnected correctly after a dropped session. I could run commands again and browse the remote directory, yet dragging a local file into that directory sometimes failed to start an upload. In another case, the transfer entered the queue while the sidebar continued showing stale status.

That failure changed how I evaluate a Bitvise replacement: reconnect SSH, then verify that SFTP uploads still work.

The Bitvise behavior I needed to preserve

Bitvise SSH Client gives Windows developers a practical combination of SSH access and graphical file management. After saving the host, port, username, and authentication settings, I can open a terminal and browse remote files from the same client.

A common maintenance task depends on both parts: connect to a server, inspect logs, download a configuration file, edit it locally, and upload it again. When moving that task to a Mac, checking ssh alone covers only the terminal portion.

What I tested after SSH had recovered

I compared drag-and-drop upload behavior before and after reconnecting. I treated the failed upload and stale sidebar status as separate observable failures because the available changes did not establish one shared root cause.

I adjusted the drag-upload handling after reconnection and the transfer sidebar refresh.

For verification, I disconnected SSH, reconnected to the same saved host, and dragged another local file into the remote directory. The upload started again, and the transfer status changed with the task.

The important signal was the second upload. A successful first transfer only proved that the initial SFTP session worked.

A reconnect test for macOS SSH clients

When I assess a Mac replacement for Bitvise, I now run one complete sequence:

1. Save a host and connect over SSH.
2. Open its remote directory and upload a local file.
3. Disconnect the SSH session.
4. Reconnect to the same host.
5. Drag another file into the remote directory.
6. Watch whether the upload starts and its progress refreshes.

This sequence exposes reconnect-related transfer failures that a normal connection test can miss. It is also the check I used while improving the SSH and SFTP integration in DartShell.

My practical takeaway is simple: after migrating from Bitvise, treat reconnecting, uploading, and refreshing transfer status as one test. If you maintain an SSH client, how do you verify SFTP behavior after the SSH session reconnects?