Send laptop files to a coding agent on a remote VM

Send laptop files to a coding agent on a remote VM the same way you would hand a folder across a desk: copy the files over SSH, then tell the agent the directory. A screenshot, a notes PDF, and a .mov all fail for the same reason. The agent opens paths on the host. Those files are still on the laptop.

This page is the mixed-batch job. One PNG into Claude Code: How to paste an image into Claude Code over SSH. Cursor attaching a local C:\ path: Cursor Remote-SSH cannot analyze local files.

Collect the local files

Gather what the agent should see on the laptop first.

Cursor over Remote-SSH has the same rule for documents: a local C:\Users\…\file.html pill in chat points at the wrong disk. Details: Cursor Remote-SSH cannot analyze local files.

Do not start in the remote thread hoping Ctrl+V will carry a binary. It will not.

Upload one batch over SSH

scp is enough for one named file you want to keep:

scp shot.png notes.pdf rec.mov ubuntu@host:/tmp/

Then you type three paths into the prompt. Original names stay. Nothing expires. After a morning of captures, /tmp is a junk drawer and you are still listing files by hand.

rsync is the wrong default here. You do not want a mirrored tree. You want a throwaway folder the agent can list. Keep rsync for nested projects that should stay in sync. See vmup vs scp and rsync.

A batch CLI does the agent-shaped job: collect, upload once, print one directory.

vmup shot.png notes.pdf rec.mov

Stdout:

Uploaded 3 files → default
Agent folder: ~/vmup/agents-20260911-140128-a1b2c3d4/

Prompt:
Please inspect all files in ~/vmup/agents-20260911-140128-a1b2c3d4/

Remote names are image-01.png, file-01.pdf, video-01.mov. Original basenames are gone on the VM on purpose: the listing is stable. If you need the original name on the host, use scp.

If the files are still on the clipboard:

vmup --clip

If they land in Desktop or Screenshots after you snip:

vmup watch

On macOS, clipboard images need pngpaste. Copied Finder files do not. Native Windows is not supported; use WSL or pass paths. Recipes: Upload screenshots to a remote coding agent.

Batches expire after 5 minutes. Raise TTL for a long session. vmup prune --all deletes every remote batch immediately. Why batches expire.

Paste the folder prompt

The agent does not need your laptop paths. It needs one directory on the host:

Please inspect all files in ~/vmup/agents-…/

Paste that into Claude Code, Cursor, or Codex in the same thread. Codex also accepts a remote path on launch: codex -i ~/vmup/agents-…/image-01.png "fix this". The clipboard already holds the folder prompt after a vmup upload (clipboard_copy = "prompt"). Set "path" if you only want the folder.

That is the whole loop: collect locally, upload over SSH, stay in the thread.

When to stay on scp or rsync

Need the original filename on the VM: scp or rsync.

Need a nested directory to stay in sync: rsync.

Need one pasteable prompt for a coding agent, then cleanup: a batch folder. You can use all three on the same machine. vmup still calls ssh.

Quick answers

Why can’t a remote coding agent see files on my laptop? The agent process reads paths on the host it runs on. A screenshot, PDF, or recording that exists only on your laptop is a path to the wrong disk.

Is scp enough to send files to Claude Code or Cursor on a VM? scp is enough for one named file you want to keep. Several screenshots plus a PDF means several copies and a prompt that lists every path. A batch folder is the other job.

Can I send PDFs and recordings, not just screenshots? Yes. The filesystem boundary is the same for every type. Upload the files, then give the agent a directory to inspect.

Should I use rsync to feed a coding agent? Use rsync when a nested tree should stay in sync. Use a one-shot batch when the agent only needs a throwaway folder, then delete it.