Written 28 Aug 2026. This is a how-to, not a product card. Buy links are not tagged yet.

See what's in a leftover-box folder

After SSH works, list the leftover-box folder you are sitting in with ls. You do not need a file manager app for this.

SSH from the couch puts you at a leftover-box prompt. You are sitting in a folder. ls prints the names in that folder. That is how you confirm a copied file landed, pick a file for nano, and stop guessing. The leftover box does not need a desktop, a file manager, or a NAS for this one job.

Skip until SSH already works

SSH from the couch should already get you a leftover-box prompt. A short name is nicer: give the leftover box a short name on your laptop. If you only need to move a file, that is copy a file to the leftover box from your laptop. If you are changing a leftover-box file, that is edit a leftover-box file from the couch. This note is how you look at names. Skip this whole note if you are still stuck on the first login.

What this is

ls lists names in a folder. Leave off a path and it lists the folder you are already in. After a normal SSH login that is your home folder (the leftover-box login’s own files). You are not measuring free disk. That is see if the leftover box still has room. You are not ranking which folders are huge. That is see which leftover-box folders are eating the disk.

List the folder you are in

SSH in. At the leftover-box prompt:

ls

You get a list of names. Folders and files sit together. If the list is empty, you are in a fresh home folder. That is fine. You have not broken anything.

See where you are

If you are not sure which folder that list belongs to:

pwd

That prints the full path. A first leftover-box login is usually something like /home/you. The tilde ~ is a short name for that home folder. Optional same list, named:

ls ~

If you are already home, that is the same names as plain ls.

Optional: sizes and dates

After you copy a file over, you want more than a name:

ls -lh

-l is the long list (size, date, who owns it). -h makes sizes readable (12K, 3.1M) instead of raw bytes. Look at one name:

ls -lh ~/photo.jpg

You want the filename, a size that is not zero, and today’s date if you just copied it. Swap the filename for yours.

Optional: names that start with a dot

ls hides names that start with a dot. Those are ordinary files the leftover box uses for settings. ~/.ssh is one of them. Seeing which laptop keys already live there is see which laptop keys the leftover box already trusts. To include those names:

ls -a

or the long form:

ls -lah

Skip deleting anything you do not recognize in that list.

Look at a folder you name

You can point ls at a folder without moving:

ls /etc

That is the leftover-box settings folder. It is long. You are only looking. Do not edit those files from this note. Optional one folder you copied into:

ls ~/scripts

If the leftover box says no such file or directory, the folder is not there yet. That is a reason to check the name, not a reason to buy a NAS.

What this is not

This list is names. It is not a backup. It is not a house share other computers browse. That is a folder the house can open. Free disk left is see if the leftover box still has room. Which folders are huge is see which leftover-box folders are eating the disk.

What next

Need to sit in one of those folders? Move into a leftover-box folder. Need to change one of those files? Edit a leftover-box file from the couch. Need the file on the laptop too? Copy a file to the leftover box from your laptop. Tired of retyping the same long line? Reuse a leftover-box command you already typed. When key login is boring on every computer you use, turn off leftover-box password login once the key works. Keep SSH on the house network: keep the leftover box on the house network. Do not forward port 22.

Skip

Skip if SSH still fails. Finish SSH from the couch first.
Skip buying a file manager, Midnight Commander, or a “cloud drive” app to see leftover-box names.
Skip ls -R / tonight. That dumps the whole leftover box and is not a backup.
Skip deleting names you do not know. Looking is the job.
Skip opening SSH to the internet so you can list folders from a coffee shop. That is keep the leftover box on the house network.

Sources

GNU coreutils: ls invocation. Debian: ls. Ubuntu: ls. Official pages only. For the login, see SSH from the couch. For a short name, see give the leftover box a short name on your laptop. For moving a file, see copy a file to the leftover box from your laptop. For editing a file, see edit a leftover-box file from the couch. For disk room, see see if the leftover box still has room.

Also on this topic

SSH from the couchType commands on the leftover box from your laptop, on the house network. Password login first. Do not open this to the internet. Copy a file to the leftover box from your laptopAfter SSH works, use scp to move one file without a USB stick. A short leftover name makes the typing shorter. You do not need a NAS for this. Edit a leftover-box file from the couchAfter SSH works, open a leftover-box file with nano, change a line, and save. The keys at the bottom of the screen are the whole trick. You do not need a new editor. Reuse a leftover-box command you already typedAfter SSH works, flip back through commands with the Up arrow or history. You do not need a notebook for the same long line twice. See which laptop keys the leftover box already trustsBefore you turn off password login, look at which laptop keys can already get in. Remove leftovers from an old Marketplace box. You do not need a YubiKey for this. See if the leftover box still has roomAfter the house folder is working, check that the leftover box is not filling up. Photos stop copying when the disk is full. You do not need a NAS for this look. See which leftover-box folders are eating the diskBefore you buy a bigger drive or a NAS, ask which leftover-box folders are taking the room. Move into a leftover-box folderAfter SSH works, change leftover-box folders with cd. You do not need a file manager app for this. Turn off leftover-box password login once the key worksAfter the laptop key login is boring, tell SSH to stop accepting the leftover-box password. The key is how you get in. A keyboard on the leftover box is the backup now.