using-exe-dev

name	using-exe-dev
description	Guides working with exe.dev VMs. Use when the user mentions exe.dev, exe VMs, *.exe.xyz, or tasks involving exe.dev infrastructure.

About

exe.dev provides Linux VMs with persistent disks, instant HTTPS, and built-in auth. All management is via SSH.

Documentation

• Docs index: https://exe.dev/docs.md
• All docs in one page (big!): https://exe.dev/docs/all.md

The index is organized for progressive discovery: start there and follow links as needed.

Quick reference

ssh exe.dev help             # show commands
ssh exe.dev help <command>   # show command details
ssh exe.dev new --json       # create VM
ssh exe.dev ls --json        # list VMs
ssh exe.dev rm <vm>          # delete VM
ssh <vm>.exe.xyz             # connect to VM
scp file.txt <vm>.exe.xyz:~/ # transfer file

Every VM gets https://<vm>.exe.xyz/ with automatic TLS.

A tale of two SSH destinations

• ssh exe.dev <command> — the exe.dev lobby. A REPL for VM lifecycle, sharing, and configuration. Does not support scp, sftp, or arbitrary shell commands.
• ssh <vm>.exe.xyz — a direct connection to a VM. Full SSH: shell, scp, sftp, port forwarding, everything.

Working in non-interactive and sandboxed environments

Coding agents often run SSH in non-interactive shells or sandboxes. Common issues and workarounds:

scp/sftp failures: Ensure you're targeting <vm>.exe.xyz rather than exe.dev. Use ssh-based workarounds.

Hung connections: Non-interactive SSH can block on host key prompts with no visible output. Use -o StrictHostKeyChecking=accept-new on first connection to a new VM.

SSH config: Check whether both destinations are configured to use the right key:

Host exe.dev *.exe.xyz
  IdentitiesOnly yes
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519