Connect machine picker

cmdop connect --list shows every machine this Cmdop installation can reach and its current status. A machine appears once it has joined a relay and its agent’s outbound connection is live; nothing dials in. Being listed is not the same as being attachable — a remote terminal additionally needs the target reachable at its own relay door.

Machines join a relay and become reachable once their agent connects. Inspect them from the CLI:

cmdop connect --list            # known machines and their status
cmdop connect --list --online   # only the ones currently reachable

The picker hides things on purpose

Running cmdop connect with no machine name opens a picker. That picker is filtered, which is the answer to “I ran cmdop connect and my machine wasn’t listed”:

• This machine is excluded. cmdop connect attaches to another machine; to work on this one, use cmdop chat or cmdop open.
• Offline machines are hidden, unless you pass --all.
• The fleet orchestrator is always hidden, in every mode including --all. It is a chat contact, not an attachable terminal.

If nothing is eligible, Cmdop tells you so and points at cmdop start.

Naming a machine explicitly bypasses all of this filtering:

cmdop connect <machine>     # resolves the named machine, filtered or not
cmdop connect --all         # include offline machines and this one in the picker

Visible is not the same as attachable

A machine can be on the roster without being available for a remote terminal. Remote attach additionally needs the target reachable at its own relay door, so a machine on a LAN-only relay is not remotely attachable even though it appears in the list and can still be reached through the console.

cmdop connect exec <machine> -- <command> is narrower again — it is scoped to this host today. See One-shot execution before using it in automation.

Common questions

Why is my machine not listed in cmdop connect?

The picker hides this machine, offline machines, and the fleet orchestrator. Use cmdop connect --all to include offline machines and this one in the picker, or name the machine explicitly when you already know the target.

Does listed mean reachable from an AI assistant?

Listed means the machine is known to this installation and may be online. An assistant still has to use a tool that matches the job: fleet tools for agent-operated work, interactive attach for a terminal, and connect exec only for this host’s scoped one-shot path.

What does online mean for a joined machine?

Online means the machine’s agent has a live outbound connection to its relay. It does not mean a public port is open, and it does not by itself prove that interactive terminal attach can reach the target’s own relay door.

Related

• Machines — the concept.
• Interactive attach
• Machines and relays