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Use Case: Development Workflow

This guide shows how to use RemoteX as a developer's command palette. The goal: replace the most repetitive terminal commands with one-click buttons, organised by project.

The scenario

You work on two projects:

  • A frontend (React app, running locally)
  • A backend API (Node.js, deployed on a remote VPS)

You run the same commands dozens of times a day: build, test, deploy, check logs. RemoteX replaces your muscle memory with visible, labelled buttons.

Step 1 — Add your server as an SSH machine

For commands that run on the VPS, add it first:

Field Value
Name VPS Production
Host your-vps-ip
SSH User deploy
SSH Key Path ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Click Test to verify connectivity.

!!! tip "Pro feature" SSH machines require RemoteX Pro.

Step 2 — Frontend category

Create these buttons with Category: Frontend.

Install dependencies

npm install
  • Execution mode: Show output (see if something fails)
  • Working directory tip: prefix with cd ~/projects/myapp &&

Full command: cd ~/projects/myapp && npm install

Start dev server

cd ~/projects/myapp && npm run dev
  • Execution mode: Open in terminal — the dev server is interactive and streams output continuously

Build for production

cd ~/projects/myapp && npm run build
  • Execution mode: Show output — you want to see build errors
  • Icon: package-x-generic-symbolic

Run tests

cd ~/projects/myapp && npm test -- --watchAll=false
  • Execution mode: Show output
  • Tooltip: Run the full Jest test suite once

Lint

cd ~/projects/myapp && npm run lint
  • Execution mode: Show output
  • Color: #1c71d8 (blue — informational)

Step 3 — Backend category

Create these buttons with Category: Backend. Target: VPS Production.

Pull latest code

cd ~/app && git pull origin main
  • Execution mode: Show output
  • Confirm before running: enabled (avoids accidental deploys)

Restart API server

sudo systemctl restart myapp
  • Execution mode: Silent
  • Confirm before running: enabled

Docker: rebuild and restart

cd ~/app && docker compose down && docker compose up -d --build
  • Execution mode: Show output
  • Tooltip: Rebuild containers and restart (takes ~30s)
  • Color: #26a269 (green — deploy action)

Tail application logs

sudo journalctl -u myapp -f -n 100
  • Execution mode: Open in terminal — journalctl -f streams indefinitely

Check Docker containers

docker ps --format "table {{.Names}}\t{{.Status}}\t{{.Ports}}"
  • Execution mode: Show output

Database backup

cd ~/app && pg_dump mydb > ~/backups/mydb_$(date +%Y%m%d).sql
  • Execution mode: Show output
  • Confirm before running: enabled
  • Tooltip: Dump the production database to ~/backups/

Step 4 — Use "Show output" strategically

Not every command needs Show output. A good rule:

Use Silent for Use Show output for Use Open in terminal for
Service restarts Builds and tests Interactive processes (htop, vim, psql)
Simple triggers Commands that can fail Long-running streams (tail -f, docker logs -f)
Deploys you trust Anything with meaningful stdout SSH sessions

Step 5 — Migrating to a new server

When your VPS is upgraded or migrated, you don't need to edit each button individually. Use multi-select to reassign all Backend buttons at once:

  1. Enter select mode (☑ in the header bar)
  2. Click each Backend button, or rubber-band select them all
  3. Click Machine in the action bar at the bottom
  4. Choose the new server

All selected buttons are updated in one operation.

Result

Two clean category tabs — Frontend and Backend — surface exactly the commands you need. Your terminal stays open for exploratory work; RemoteX handles the repetitive parts.

!!! tip Keep the number of buttons per category to around 6–10. More than that and it becomes as hard to navigate as the terminal.