Connect an editor from the Mac

Editors on the Mac open a project in a VM over SSH: VS Code, Cursor and other editors based on VS Code, Zed, and JetBrains IDEs. The window stays on the Mac. The editor's server, its extensions and the language servers run in the VM, next to your toolchains and the project's Linux dependencies.

Set up SSH once

LimaNix keeps the SSH settings of your VMs in one file on the Mac. Add this line at the top of ~/.ssh/config, before any Host block:

~/.ssh/config

Include "~/Library/Application Support/Limanix/ssh/config"

With LIMANIX_HOME set, include $LIMANIX_HOME/ssh/config instead. Each VM is then the host NAME.limanix, such as dev-box.limanix. Check it from the Mac:

Mac

ssh dev-box.limanix

You log in as the user from [user] in limanix.toml, in that user's home, like with limanix shell. The VM must be running. The host keeps its port when the VM restarts, and LimaNix updates the file when you create, update, start or delete a VM. A VM created with an earlier limanix gets its host after limanix update --config limanix.toml.

VS Code and Cursor

Install the Remote - SSH extension: Microsoft's in VS Code, Anysphere's in Cursor. Run Remote-SSH: Connect to Host…, choose dev-box.limanix and open the project at its path in the VM, such as /workspace. From a terminal on the Mac:

Mac

code --remote ssh-remote+dev-box.limanix /workspace

The first connection installs the editor's server in your home in the VM. Extensions that you install in the remote window run in the VM too.

Zed

Open the project with Zed's command or with Connect to Server on the start screen:

Mac

zed ssh://dev-box.limanix/workspace

Zed uses the language servers of your toolchains and downloads others into the VM.

JetBrains IDEs

In GoLand, PyCharm, IntelliJ IDEA, RustRover or JetBrains Gateway, choose Remote Development, then SSH, and create a connection with the user from [user], dev by default, and the host dev-box.limanix. The IDE reads the port and the key from the SSH settings. Pick the IDE for the VM and the project path, such as /workspace. The IDE downloads its backend into your home in the VM and opens a client window on the Mac.

What runs where

On the Mac	In the VM
The editor window, its settings and the client	The editor's server, extensions, language servers, terminals, toolchains and builds

The editor's server and caches live in your home in the VM, which is the managed home on the Mac: they survive limanix update. Projects you share with the VM appear at their target, such as /workspace; see Shared folders.

Servers of editors are programs built for other Linux systems. Every VM runs them with nix-ld, which provides the common libraries they load.

When something does not work

Case	Next step
Could not resolve hostname dev-box.limanix	Add the Include line at the top of ~/.ssh/config. A VM created with an earlier limanix needs limanix update --config limanix.toml first.
Connection refused	The VM is stopped: limanix start dev-box.
limanix start fails because the SSH port is in use	Another program on the Mac took the VM's port. limanix update --config limanix.toml moves the VM to a free port and updates the file.
An extension's tool fails with error while loading shared libraries	The tool needs a library the VM does not provide. Add it to programs.nix-ld.libraries in your own module, such as programs.nix-ld.libraries = [ pkgs.icu ];.