bug#64546: 30.0.50; [PATCH] Add support for explicitly-remote commands in Eshell

bug#64546: 30.0.50; [PATCH] Add support for explicitly-remote commands in Eshell

[Jim Porter]

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This patch adds the ability to run a command in Eshell from any host, no 
matter your current directory. For example, you could run 
"/ssh:user@remote:whoami" from a local dir, which would run "whoami" 
over the SSH connection for "user@remote". Similarly, you could run 
"/:whoami" to run the local "whoami" even from a remote dir. (The latter 
syntax is just piggybacking off of quoted file names, which otherwise 
have no special meaning in Eshell.)

Prior to the main patch, I also added a bit of documentation about how 
remote access works in Eshell. These are separate commits so that, if we 
wanted, we could backport the first patch to the Emacs 29 branch.

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From 7e0a202da1f187578d095bdd5a9bae861b1c56bc Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Jim Porter <jporterbugs@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 9 Jul 2023 12:04:01 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 1/2] Add documentation about remote access in Eshell

* doc/misc/eshell.texi
(Invocation): Mention the '*' prefix.
(Remote Access): New section...
(Commands): ... link to it.
---
 doc/misc/eshell.texi | 39 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-
 1 file changed, 38 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/doc/misc/eshell.texi b/doc/misc/eshell.texi
index c6376882542..405a78a031d 100644
--- a/doc/misc/eshell.texi
+++ b/doc/misc/eshell.texi
@@ -207,6 +207,7 @@ Commands
 * Built-ins::
 * Variables::
 * Aliases::
+* Remote Access::
 * History::
 * Completion::
 * Control Flow::
@@ -266,7 +267,10 @@ Invocation
 @vindex eshell-prefer-lisp-functions
 If you would prefer to use ordinary Lisp functions over external
 programs, set the option @code{eshell-prefer-lisp-functions} to
-@code{t}.  This will swap the lookup order of the last two items.
+@code{t}.  This will swap the lookup order of the last two items. You
+can also force Eshell to look for a command as an external program by
+prefixing its name with @kbd{*}, like @code{*@var{command}}
+(@pxref{Built-ins}).
 
 You can also group command forms together into a subcommand with curly
 braces (@code{@{@}}).  This lets you use the output of a subcommand as
@@ -1090,6 +1094,39 @@ Aliases
 
 @end table
 
+@node Remote Access
+@section Remote Access
+@cmindex remote access
+
+Since Eshell uses Emacs facilities for most of its functionality, you
+can access remote hosts transparently.  To connect to a remote host,
+simply @code{cd} into it:
+
+@example
+~ $ cd /ssh:user@@remote:
+/ssh:user@@remote:~ $
+@end example
+
+Additionally, built-in Eshell commands (@pxref{Built-ins}) and
+ordinary Lisp functions accept remote file names, so you can access
+them even without explicitly connecting first.  For example, to print
+the contents of a remote file, you could type @samp{cat
+/ssh:user@@remote:~/output.log}.  However, this means that when using
+built-in commands or Lisp functions from a remote directory, you must
+be careful about specifying absolute file names: @samp{cat
+/var/output.log} will always print the contents of your @emph{local}
+@file{/var/output.log}, even from a remote directory.  If you find
+this behavior annoying, you can enable the optional electric forward
+slash module (@pxref{Electric forward slash}).
+
+By default, commands like @code{ssh} and @code{sudo} use the external
+programs by those names, so if you ran @samp{ssh
+@var{user}@@@var{remote}}, you would end up in the default shell
+program for @var{user} on @var{remote}, @emph{not} in Eshell.  If you
+prefer to use commands like @code{ssh} but remain in Eshell
+afterwards, you can enable the optional Tramp extensions (@pxref{Tramp
+extensions}).
+
 @node History
 @section History
 @cmindex history
-- 
2.25.1


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From 35c52e034f86b2f8194cb53f617b78b203b1dbca Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Jim Porter <jporterbugs@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 9 Jul 2023 12:06:13 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 2/2] Add support for explicitly-remote commands in Eshell

* lisp/files.el (file-remote-p):
* doc/lispref/files.texi (Magic File Names): Document 'never' for
CONNECTED argument.

* lisp/net/tramp.el (tramp-handle-file-remote-p): Handle CONNECTED
value of 'never'.

* lisp/eshell/esh-ext.el (eshell-explicit-remote-commands): New
option.
(eshell-ext-initialize): Apply 'eshell-handle-remote-command' when
requested.
(eshell-handle-remote-command): New function.
(eshell-remote-command): Reimplement this function and dispatch to
'eshell-external-command', which can handle remote processes on its
own.

* test/lisp/eshell/esh-ext-tests.el
(esh-ext-test/explicitly-remote-command)
(esh-ext-test/explicitly-local-command): New tests.

* doc/misc/eshell.texi (Remote Access): Document explicitly-remote
commands.

* etc/NEWS: Announce this change.
---
 doc/lispref/files.texi            |  6 ++-
 doc/misc/eshell.texi              | 10 +++++
 etc/NEWS                          |  9 +++++
 lisp/eshell/esh-ext.el            | 62 ++++++++++++++++++++-----------
 lisp/files.el                     |  4 +-
 lisp/net/tramp.el                 |  5 ++-
 test/lisp/eshell/esh-ext-tests.el | 29 +++++++++++++++
 7 files changed, 99 insertions(+), 26 deletions(-)

diff --git a/doc/lispref/files.texi b/doc/lispref/files.texi
index 66de0f036c4..31d4aaca507 100644
--- a/doc/lispref/files.texi
+++ b/doc/lispref/files.texi
@@ -3630,7 +3630,11 @@ Magic File Names
 If @var{connected} is non-@code{nil}, this function returns @code{nil}
 even if @var{filename} is remote, if Emacs has no network connection
 to its host.  This is useful when you want to avoid the delay of
-making connections when they don't exist.
+making connections when they don't exist.  If @var{connected} is
+@code{never}, @emph{never} use an existing connection to return the
+identification, even if one is already present (this is otherwise like
+a value of @code{nil}).  This lets you prevent any connection-specific
+logic, such as expanding the local part of the file name.
 @end defun
 
 @defun unhandled-file-name-directory filename
diff --git a/doc/misc/eshell.texi b/doc/misc/eshell.texi
index 405a78a031d..8225efc61c8 100644
--- a/doc/misc/eshell.texi
+++ b/doc/misc/eshell.texi
@@ -1119,6 +1119,16 @@ Remote Access
 this behavior annoying, you can enable the optional electric forward
 slash module (@pxref{Electric forward slash}).
 
+@vindex eshell-explicit-remote-commands
+When running commands, you can also make them explicitly remote by
+prefixing the command name with a remote identifier, e.g.@:
+@samp{/ssh:user@@remote:whoami}.  This runs the command @code{whoami}
+over the SSH connection for @code{user@@remote}, no matter your
+current directory.  If you want to explicitly run a @emph{local}
+command even when in a remote directory, you can prefix the command
+name with @kbd{/:}, like @samp{/:whoami}.  To disable this syntax, set
+the option @code{eshell-explicit-remote-commands} to @code{nil}.
+
 By default, commands like @code{ssh} and @code{sudo} use the external
 programs by those names, so if you ran @samp{ssh
 @var{user}@@@var{remote}}, you would end up in the default shell
diff --git a/etc/NEWS b/etc/NEWS
index 246e6b21838..5d5ea990b92 100644
--- a/etc/NEWS
+++ b/etc/NEWS
@@ -202,6 +202,15 @@ or get a sublist of elements 2 through 4 with '$my-list[2..5]'.  For
 more information, see the "(eshell) Dollars Expansion" node in the
 Eshell manual.
 
++++
+*** Eshell commands can now be explicitly-remote (or local).
+By prefixing a command name in Eshell with a remote identifier, like
+"/ssh:user@remote:whoami", you can now runs commands on a particular
+host no matter your current directory.  Likewise, you can run a
+command on your local system no matter your current directory via
+"/:whoami".  For more information, see the "(eshell) Remote Access"
+node in the Eshell manual.
+
 +++
 *** Eshell's '$UID' and '$GID' variables are now connection-aware.
 Now, when expanding '$UID' or '$GID' in a remote directory, the value
diff --git a/lisp/eshell/esh-ext.el b/lisp/eshell/esh-ext.el
index f350622e78c..38579d7ef1c 100644
--- a/lisp/eshell/esh-ext.el
+++ b/lisp/eshell/esh-ext.el
@@ -168,11 +168,23 @@ eshell-explicit-command-char
   :type 'character
   :group 'eshell-ext)
 
+(defcustom eshell-explicit-remote-commands t
+  "If non-nil, support explicitly-remote commands.
+These are commands with a full remote file name, such as
+\"/ssh:host:whoami\".  If this is enabled, you can also run
+explicitly-local commands by using a quoted file name, like
+\"/:whoami\"."
+  :type 'boolean
+  :group 'eshell-ext)
+
 ;;; Functions:
 
 (defun eshell-ext-initialize ()     ;Called from `eshell-mode' via intern-soft!
   "Initialize the external command handling code."
-  (add-hook 'eshell-named-command-hook #'eshell-explicit-command nil t))
+  (add-hook 'eshell-named-command-hook #'eshell-explicit-command nil t)
+  (when eshell-explicit-remote-commands
+    (add-hook 'eshell-named-command-hook
+              #'eshell-handle-remote-command nil t)))
 
 (defun eshell-explicit-command (command args)
   "If a command name begins with `*', call it externally always.
@@ -186,30 +198,36 @@ eshell-explicit-command
 	(error "%s: external command not found"
 	       (substring command 1))))))
 
+(defun eshell-handle-remote-command (command args)
+  "Handle remote (or quoted) COMMAND names, using ARGS.
+This calls the appropriate function for commands that aren't on
+the connection associated with `default-directory'.  (See
+`eshell-explicit-remote-commands'.)"
+  (if (file-name-quoted-p command)
+      (let ((default-directory (if (file-remote-p default-directory)
+                                   (expand-file-name "~")
+                                 default-directory)))
+        (eshell-external-command (file-name-unquote command) args))
+    (when (file-remote-p command)
+      (eshell-remote-command command args))))
+
 (defun eshell-remote-command (command args)
   "Insert output from a remote COMMAND, using ARGS.
 A remote command is something that executes on a different machine.
-An external command simply means external to Emacs.
-
-Note that this function is very crude at the moment.  It gathers up
-all the output from the remote command, and sends it all at once,
-causing the user to wonder if anything's really going on..."
-  (let ((outbuf (generate-new-buffer " *eshell remote output*"))
-	(errbuf (generate-new-buffer " *eshell remote error*"))
-	(command (file-local-name command))
-	(exitcode 1))
-    (unwind-protect
-	(progn
-	  (setq exitcode
-		(shell-command
-		 (mapconcat #'shell-quote-argument
-			    (append (list command) args) " ")
-		 outbuf errbuf))
-	  (eshell-print (with-current-buffer outbuf (buffer-string)))
-	  (eshell-error (with-current-buffer errbuf (buffer-string))))
-      (eshell-close-handles exitcode 'nil)
-      (kill-buffer outbuf)
-      (kill-buffer errbuf))))
+An external command simply means external to Emacs."
+  (let* ((cwd-connection (file-remote-p default-directory))
+         (command-connection (file-remote-p command))
+         (default-directory (if (equal cwd-connection command-connection)
+                                default-directory
+                              command-connection))
+         ;; Never use the remote connection here.  We don't want to
+         ;; expand the local name!  Instead, we want it as the user
+         ;; typed, so that if COMMAND is "/ssh:host:cat", we just get
+         ;; "cat" as the result.
+         (command-localname (file-remote-p command 'localname 'never)))
+    (unless command-connection
+      (error "%s: not a remote command" command))
+    (eshell-external-command command-localname args)))
 
 (defun eshell-external-command (command args)
   "Insert output from an external COMMAND, using ARGS."
diff --git a/lisp/files.el b/lisp/files.el
index 2fffd2e6c35..377ed1b8a0b 100644
--- a/lisp/files.el
+++ b/lisp/files.el
@@ -1270,7 +1270,9 @@ file-remote-p
 
 If CONNECTED is non-nil, return an identification only if FILE is
 located on a remote system and a connection is established to
-that remote system.
+that remote system.  If CONNECTED is `never', never use an
+existing connection to return the identification (this is
+otherwise like a value of nil).
 
 Tip: You can use this expansion of remote identifier components
      to derive a new remote file name from an existing one.  For
diff --git a/lisp/net/tramp.el b/lisp/net/tramp.el
index 8c9023d004a..538cc4252db 100644
--- a/lisp/net/tramp.el
+++ b/lisp/net/tramp.el
@@ -4336,13 +4336,14 @@ tramp-handle-file-remote-p
   (let ((tramp-verbose (min tramp-verbose 3)))
     (when (tramp-tramp-file-p filename)
       (let* ((o (tramp-dissect-file-name filename))
-	     (p (tramp-get-connection-process o))
+	     (p (and (not (eq connected 'never))
+                     (tramp-get-connection-process o)))
 	     (c (and (process-live-p p)
 		     (tramp-get-connection-property p "connected"))))
 	;; We expand the file name only, if there is already a connection.
 	(with-parsed-tramp-file-name
 	    (if c (expand-file-name filename) filename) nil
-	  (and (or (not connected) c)
+	  (and (or (memq connected '(nil never)) c)
 	       (cond
 		((eq identification 'method) method)
 		;; Domain and port are appended to user and host,
diff --git a/test/lisp/eshell/esh-ext-tests.el b/test/lisp/eshell/esh-ext-tests.el
index ef073d3487d..d8e28cc029d 100644
--- a/test/lisp/eshell/esh-ext-tests.el
+++ b/test/lisp/eshell/esh-ext-tests.el
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 
 ;;; Code:
 
+(require 'tramp)
 (require 'ert)
 (require 'esh-mode)
 (require 'esh-ext)
@@ -73,4 +74,32 @@ esh-ext-test/addpath/set-locally
      (eshell-match-command-output "echo $PATH"
                                   (concat original-path "\n")))))
 
+(ert-deftest esh-ext-test/explicitly-remote-command ()
+  "Test that an explicitly-remote command is remote no matter the current dir."
+  (skip-unless (and (eshell-tests-remote-accessible-p)
+                    (executable-find "sh")))
+  (dolist (default-directory (list default-directory
+                                   ert-remote-temporary-file-directory))
+    (ert-info ((format "In directory: %s" default-directory))
+      (with-temp-eshell
+       ;; Check the value of $INSIDE_EMACS using `sh' in order to
+       ;; delay variable expansion.
+       (eshell-match-command-output
+        (format "%ssh -c 'echo $INSIDE_EMACS'"
+                (file-remote-p ert-remote-temporary-file-directory))
+        "eshell,tramp")))))
+
+(ert-deftest esh-ext-test/explicitly-local-command ()
+  "Test that an explicitly-local command is local no matter the current dir."
+  (skip-unless (and (eshell-tests-remote-accessible-p)
+                    (executable-find "sh")))
+  (dolist (default-directory (list default-directory
+                                   ert-remote-temporary-file-directory))
+    (ert-info ((format "In directory: %s" default-directory))
+      (with-temp-eshell
+       ;; Check the value of $INSIDE_EMACS using `sh' in order to
+       ;; delay variable expansion.
+       (eshell-match-command-output "/:sh -c 'echo $INSIDE_EMACS'"
+                                    "eshell\n")))))
+
 ;; esh-ext-tests.el ends here
-- 
2.25.1

bug#64546: 30.0.50; [PATCH] Add support for explicitly-remote commands in Eshell

[Michael Albinus]

Jim Porter <jporterbugs@gmail.com> writes:

Hi Jim,

> This patch adds the ability to run a command in Eshell from any host,
> no matter your current directory. For example, you could run
> "/ssh:user@remote:whoami" from a local dir, which would run "whoami"
> over the SSH connection for "user@remote".

Looks nice. But what if I want to run a command on another remote host
with an absolute path? Would "/ssh:user@remote:/usr/bin/whoami" also be
possible?

> Similarly, you could run "/:whoami" to run the local "whoami" even
> from a remote dir.

The same question. What about calling "/:/usr/bin/whoami"?

> +By default, commands like @code{ssh} and @code{sudo} use the external
> +programs by those names, so if you ran @samp{ssh
> +@var{user}@@@var{remote}}, you would end up in the default shell
> +program for @var{user} on @var{remote}, @emph{not} in Eshell.  If you
> +prefer to use commands like @code{ssh} but remain in Eshell
> +afterwards, you can enable the optional Tramp extensions (@pxref{Tramp
> +extensions}).

This surprises me. I thought, that only "doas", "su" and "sudo" are built-ins.

Best regards, Michael.

bug#64546: 30.0.50; [PATCH] Add support for explicitly-remote commands in Eshell

[Eli Zaretskii]

> Date: Sun, 9 Jul 2023 12:31:04 -0700
> From: Jim Porter <jporterbugs@gmail.com>
> 
> This patch adds the ability to run a command in Eshell from any host, no 
> matter your current directory. For example, you could run 
> "/ssh:user@remote:whoami" from a local dir, which would run "whoami" 
> over the SSH connection for "user@remote". Similarly, you could run 
> "/:whoami" to run the local "whoami" even from a remote dir. (The latter 
> syntax is just piggybacking off of quoted file names, which otherwise 
> have no special meaning in Eshell.)
> 
> Prior to the main patch, I also added a bit of documentation about how 
> remote access works in Eshell. These are separate commits so that, if we 
> wanted, we could backport the first patch to the Emacs 29 branch.

Documentation improvements and fixes are always welcome on the release
branch, as long as they describe the behavior of the branch.

Thanks.

bug#64546: 30.0.50; [PATCH] Add support for explicitly-remote commands in Eshell

[Jim Porter]

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On 7/10/2023 12:24 AM, Michael Albinus wrote:
> Jim Porter <jporterbugs@gmail.com> writes:
>> This patch adds the ability to run a command in Eshell from any host,
>> no matter your current directory. For example, you could run
>> "/ssh:user@remote:whoami" from a local dir, which would run "whoami"
>> over the SSH connection for "user@remote".
> 
> Looks nice. But what if I want to run a command on another remote host
> with an absolute path? Would "/ssh:user@remote:/usr/bin/whoami" also be
> possible?

Yes, the local part should let you type any command name that would work 
if you were in the home directory[1] for that connection. I'll also add 
a note about that to the manual (and a regression test).

> The same question. What about calling "/:/usr/bin/whoami"?

Ditto.

>> +By default, commands like @code{ssh} and @code{sudo} use the external
>> +programs by those names, so if you ran @samp{ssh
>> +@var{user}@@@var{remote}}, you would end up in the default shell
>> +program for @var{user} on @var{remote}, @emph{not} in Eshell.  If you
>> +prefer to use commands like @code{ssh} but remain in Eshell
>> +afterwards, you can enable the optional Tramp extensions (@pxref{Tramp
>> +extensions}).
> 
> This surprises me. I thought, that only "doas", "su" and "sudo" are built-ins.

Oops! Somehow, I got it into my head that we had an 'eshell/ssh' 
builtin, but that's not the case. I'll just remove this paragraph.

[1] Well, whatever the default directory is if you ran "cd 
/method:user@host:", anyway. Personally, I'd avoid trying to use 
relative paths though; I think that's a bit confusing.

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From 8c03abcdb81205594cb900333ddbbcebfad29ae0 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Jim Porter <jporterbugs@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 9 Jul 2023 12:04:01 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 1/2] Add documentation about remote access in Eshell

* doc/misc/eshell.texi
(Invocation): Mention the '*' prefix.
(Remote Access): New section...
(Commands): ... link to it.
---
 doc/misc/eshell.texi | 31 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-
 1 file changed, 30 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/doc/misc/eshell.texi b/doc/misc/eshell.texi
index c6376882542..cd0aaf69add 100644
--- a/doc/misc/eshell.texi
+++ b/doc/misc/eshell.texi
@@ -207,6 +207,7 @@ Commands
 * Built-ins::
 * Variables::
 * Aliases::
+* Remote Access::
 * History::
 * Completion::
 * Control Flow::
@@ -266,7 +267,10 @@ Invocation
 @vindex eshell-prefer-lisp-functions
 If you would prefer to use ordinary Lisp functions over external
 programs, set the option @code{eshell-prefer-lisp-functions} to
-@code{t}.  This will swap the lookup order of the last two items.
+@code{t}.  This will swap the lookup order of the last two items. You
+can also force Eshell to look for a command as an external program by
+prefixing its name with @kbd{*}, like @code{*@var{command}}
+(@pxref{Built-ins}).
 
 You can also group command forms together into a subcommand with curly
 braces (@code{@{@}}).  This lets you use the output of a subcommand as
@@ -1090,6 +1094,31 @@ Aliases
 
 @end table
 
+@node Remote Access
+@section Remote Access
+@cmindex remote access
+
+Since Eshell uses Emacs facilities for most of its functionality, you
+can access remote hosts transparently.  To connect to a remote host,
+simply @code{cd} into it:
+
+@example
+~ $ cd /ssh:user@@remote:
+/ssh:user@@remote:~ $
+@end example
+
+Additionally, built-in Eshell commands (@pxref{Built-ins}) and
+ordinary Lisp functions accept remote file names, so you can access
+them even without explicitly connecting first.  For example, to print
+the contents of a remote file, you could type @samp{cat
+/ssh:user@@remote:~/output.log}.  However, this means that when using
+built-in commands or Lisp functions from a remote directory, you must
+be careful about specifying absolute file names: @samp{cat
+/var/output.log} will always print the contents of your @emph{local}
+@file{/var/output.log}, even from a remote directory.  If you find
+this behavior annoying, you can enable the optional electric forward
+slash module (@pxref{Electric forward slash}).
+
 @node History
 @section History
 @cmindex history
-- 
2.25.1


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From c7c431803df9b60ab29509e890f6c2cde3b38ae5 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Jim Porter <jporterbugs@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 9 Jul 2023 12:06:13 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 2/2] Add support for explicitly-remote commands in Eshell

* lisp/files.el (file-remote-p):
* doc/lispref/files.texi (Magic File Names): Document 'never' for
CONNECTED argument.

* lisp/net/tramp.el (tramp-handle-file-remote-p): Handle CONNECTED
value of 'never'.

* lisp/eshell/esh-ext.el (eshell-explicit-remote-commands): New
option.
(eshell-ext-initialize): Apply 'eshell-handle-remote-command' when
requested.
(eshell-handle-remote-command): New function.
(eshell-remote-command): Reimplement this function and dispatch to
'eshell-external-command', which can handle remote processes on its
own.

* test/lisp/eshell/esh-ext-tests.el
(esh-ext-test/explicitly-remote-command)
(esh-ext-test/explicitly-local-command): New tests.

* doc/misc/eshell.texi (Remote Access): Document explicitly-remote
commands.

* etc/NEWS: Announce this change.
---
 doc/lispref/files.texi            |  6 ++-
 doc/misc/eshell.texi              | 12 ++++++
 etc/NEWS                          |  9 +++++
 lisp/eshell/esh-ext.el            | 62 ++++++++++++++++++++-----------
 lisp/files.el                     |  4 +-
 lisp/net/tramp.el                 |  5 ++-
 test/lisp/eshell/esh-ext-tests.el | 32 ++++++++++++++++
 7 files changed, 104 insertions(+), 26 deletions(-)

diff --git a/doc/lispref/files.texi b/doc/lispref/files.texi
index 66de0f036c4..31d4aaca507 100644
--- a/doc/lispref/files.texi
+++ b/doc/lispref/files.texi
@@ -3630,7 +3630,11 @@ Magic File Names
 If @var{connected} is non-@code{nil}, this function returns @code{nil}
 even if @var{filename} is remote, if Emacs has no network connection
 to its host.  This is useful when you want to avoid the delay of
-making connections when they don't exist.
+making connections when they don't exist.  If @var{connected} is
+@code{never}, @emph{never} use an existing connection to return the
+identification, even if one is already present (this is otherwise like
+a value of @code{nil}).  This lets you prevent any connection-specific
+logic, such as expanding the local part of the file name.
 @end defun
 
 @defun unhandled-file-name-directory filename
diff --git a/doc/misc/eshell.texi b/doc/misc/eshell.texi
index cd0aaf69add..ecc12035650 100644
--- a/doc/misc/eshell.texi
+++ b/doc/misc/eshell.texi
@@ -1119,6 +1119,18 @@ Remote Access
 this behavior annoying, you can enable the optional electric forward
 slash module (@pxref{Electric forward slash}).
 
+@vindex eshell-explicit-remote-commands
+When running commands, you can also make them explicitly remote by
+prefixing the command name with a remote identifier, e.g.@:
+@samp{/ssh:user@@remote:whoami}.  This runs the command @code{whoami}
+over the SSH connection for @code{user@@remote}, no matter your
+current directory.  If you want to explicitly run a @emph{local}
+command even when in a remote directory, you can prefix the command
+name with @kbd{/:}, like @samp{/:whoami}.  In either case, you can
+also specify the absolute path to the program, e.g.@:
+@samp{/ssh:user@@remote:/usr/bin/whoami}.  To disable this syntax, set
+the option @code{eshell-explicit-remote-commands} to @code{nil}.
+
 @node History
 @section History
 @cmindex history
diff --git a/etc/NEWS b/etc/NEWS
index 246e6b21838..5d5ea990b92 100644
--- a/etc/NEWS
+++ b/etc/NEWS
@@ -202,6 +202,15 @@ or get a sublist of elements 2 through 4 with '$my-list[2..5]'.  For
 more information, see the "(eshell) Dollars Expansion" node in the
 Eshell manual.
 
++++
+*** Eshell commands can now be explicitly-remote (or local).
+By prefixing a command name in Eshell with a remote identifier, like
+"/ssh:user@remote:whoami", you can now runs commands on a particular
+host no matter your current directory.  Likewise, you can run a
+command on your local system no matter your current directory via
+"/:whoami".  For more information, see the "(eshell) Remote Access"
+node in the Eshell manual.
+
 +++
 *** Eshell's '$UID' and '$GID' variables are now connection-aware.
 Now, when expanding '$UID' or '$GID' in a remote directory, the value
diff --git a/lisp/eshell/esh-ext.el b/lisp/eshell/esh-ext.el
index f350622e78c..38579d7ef1c 100644
--- a/lisp/eshell/esh-ext.el
+++ b/lisp/eshell/esh-ext.el
@@ -168,11 +168,23 @@ eshell-explicit-command-char
   :type 'character
   :group 'eshell-ext)
 
+(defcustom eshell-explicit-remote-commands t
+  "If non-nil, support explicitly-remote commands.
+These are commands with a full remote file name, such as
+\"/ssh:host:whoami\".  If this is enabled, you can also run
+explicitly-local commands by using a quoted file name, like
+\"/:whoami\"."
+  :type 'boolean
+  :group 'eshell-ext)
+
 ;;; Functions:
 
 (defun eshell-ext-initialize ()     ;Called from `eshell-mode' via intern-soft!
   "Initialize the external command handling code."
-  (add-hook 'eshell-named-command-hook #'eshell-explicit-command nil t))
+  (add-hook 'eshell-named-command-hook #'eshell-explicit-command nil t)
+  (when eshell-explicit-remote-commands
+    (add-hook 'eshell-named-command-hook
+              #'eshell-handle-remote-command nil t)))
 
 (defun eshell-explicit-command (command args)
   "If a command name begins with `*', call it externally always.
@@ -186,30 +198,36 @@ eshell-explicit-command
 	(error "%s: external command not found"
 	       (substring command 1))))))
 
+(defun eshell-handle-remote-command (command args)
+  "Handle remote (or quoted) COMMAND names, using ARGS.
+This calls the appropriate function for commands that aren't on
+the connection associated with `default-directory'.  (See
+`eshell-explicit-remote-commands'.)"
+  (if (file-name-quoted-p command)
+      (let ((default-directory (if (file-remote-p default-directory)
+                                   (expand-file-name "~")
+                                 default-directory)))
+        (eshell-external-command (file-name-unquote command) args))
+    (when (file-remote-p command)
+      (eshell-remote-command command args))))
+
 (defun eshell-remote-command (command args)
   "Insert output from a remote COMMAND, using ARGS.
 A remote command is something that executes on a different machine.
-An external command simply means external to Emacs.
-
-Note that this function is very crude at the moment.  It gathers up
-all the output from the remote command, and sends it all at once,
-causing the user to wonder if anything's really going on..."
-  (let ((outbuf (generate-new-buffer " *eshell remote output*"))
-	(errbuf (generate-new-buffer " *eshell remote error*"))
-	(command (file-local-name command))
-	(exitcode 1))
-    (unwind-protect
-	(progn
-	  (setq exitcode
-		(shell-command
-		 (mapconcat #'shell-quote-argument
-			    (append (list command) args) " ")
-		 outbuf errbuf))
-	  (eshell-print (with-current-buffer outbuf (buffer-string)))
-	  (eshell-error (with-current-buffer errbuf (buffer-string))))
-      (eshell-close-handles exitcode 'nil)
-      (kill-buffer outbuf)
-      (kill-buffer errbuf))))
+An external command simply means external to Emacs."
+  (let* ((cwd-connection (file-remote-p default-directory))
+         (command-connection (file-remote-p command))
+         (default-directory (if (equal cwd-connection command-connection)
+                                default-directory
+                              command-connection))
+         ;; Never use the remote connection here.  We don't want to
+         ;; expand the local name!  Instead, we want it as the user
+         ;; typed, so that if COMMAND is "/ssh:host:cat", we just get
+         ;; "cat" as the result.
+         (command-localname (file-remote-p command 'localname 'never)))
+    (unless command-connection
+      (error "%s: not a remote command" command))
+    (eshell-external-command command-localname args)))
 
 (defun eshell-external-command (command args)
   "Insert output from an external COMMAND, using ARGS."
diff --git a/lisp/files.el b/lisp/files.el
index 2fffd2e6c35..377ed1b8a0b 100644
--- a/lisp/files.el
+++ b/lisp/files.el
@@ -1270,7 +1270,9 @@ file-remote-p
 
 If CONNECTED is non-nil, return an identification only if FILE is
 located on a remote system and a connection is established to
-that remote system.
+that remote system.  If CONNECTED is `never', never use an
+existing connection to return the identification (this is
+otherwise like a value of nil).
 
 Tip: You can use this expansion of remote identifier components
      to derive a new remote file name from an existing one.  For
diff --git a/lisp/net/tramp.el b/lisp/net/tramp.el
index 8c9023d004a..538cc4252db 100644
--- a/lisp/net/tramp.el
+++ b/lisp/net/tramp.el
@@ -4336,13 +4336,14 @@ tramp-handle-file-remote-p
   (let ((tramp-verbose (min tramp-verbose 3)))
     (when (tramp-tramp-file-p filename)
       (let* ((o (tramp-dissect-file-name filename))
-	     (p (tramp-get-connection-process o))
+	     (p (and (not (eq connected 'never))
+                     (tramp-get-connection-process o)))
 	     (c (and (process-live-p p)
 		     (tramp-get-connection-property p "connected"))))
 	;; We expand the file name only, if there is already a connection.
 	(with-parsed-tramp-file-name
 	    (if c (expand-file-name filename) filename) nil
-	  (and (or (not connected) c)
+	  (and (or (memq connected '(nil never)) c)
 	       (cond
 		((eq identification 'method) method)
 		;; Domain and port are appended to user and host,
diff --git a/test/lisp/eshell/esh-ext-tests.el b/test/lisp/eshell/esh-ext-tests.el
index ef073d3487d..aae297cd413 100644
--- a/test/lisp/eshell/esh-ext-tests.el
+++ b/test/lisp/eshell/esh-ext-tests.el
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 
 ;;; Code:
 
+(require 'tramp)
 (require 'ert)
 (require 'esh-mode)
 (require 'esh-ext)
@@ -73,4 +74,35 @@ esh-ext-test/addpath/set-locally
      (eshell-match-command-output "echo $PATH"
                                   (concat original-path "\n")))))
 
+(ert-deftest esh-ext-test/explicitly-remote-command ()
+  "Test that an explicitly-remote command is remote no matter the current dir."
+  (skip-unless (and (eshell-tests-remote-accessible-p)
+                    (executable-find "sh")))
+  (dolist (default-directory (list default-directory
+                                   ert-remote-temporary-file-directory))
+    (dolist (cmd (list "sh" (executable-find "sh")))
+      (ert-info ((format "Directory: %s; executable: %s" default-directory cmd))
+        (with-temp-eshell
+         ;; Check the value of $INSIDE_EMACS using `sh' in order to
+         ;; delay variable expansion.
+         (eshell-match-command-output
+          (format "%s%s -c 'echo $INSIDE_EMACS'"
+                  (file-remote-p ert-remote-temporary-file-directory) cmd)
+          "eshell,tramp"))))))
+
+(ert-deftest esh-ext-test/explicitly-local-command ()
+  "Test that an explicitly-local command is local no matter the current dir."
+  (skip-unless (and (eshell-tests-remote-accessible-p)
+                    (executable-find "sh")))
+  (dolist (default-directory (list default-directory
+                                   ert-remote-temporary-file-directory))
+    (dolist (cmd (list "sh" (executable-find "sh")))
+      (ert-info ((format "In directory: %s" default-directory))
+        (with-temp-eshell
+         ;; Check the value of $INSIDE_EMACS using `sh' in order to
+         ;; delay variable expansion.
+         (eshell-match-command-output
+          (format "/:%s -c 'echo $INSIDE_EMACS'" cmd)
+          "eshell\n"))))))
+
 ;; esh-ext-tests.el ends here
-- 
2.25.1

bug#64546: 30.0.50; [PATCH] Add support for explicitly-remote commands in Eshell

[Michael Albinus]

Jim Porter <jporterbugs@gmail.com> writes:

Hi Jim,

>> This surprises me. I thought, that only "doas", "su" and "sudo" are
>> built-ins.
>
> Oops! Somehow, I got it into my head that we had an 'eshell/ssh'
> builtin, but that's not the case. I'll just remove this paragraph.

Thanks.

Since a while, I have the feeling we would need only 'doas' and 'sudo'
as built-in, in order to apply 'sudo COMMAND' or so. 'su' isn't needed,
it is equivalent to 'cd /su::'. But I don't know whether we shall remove
it; people might have adapted their workflow to use it.

Best regards, Michael.

bug#64546: 30.0.50; [PATCH] Add support for explicitly-remote commands in Eshell

[Jim Porter]

On 7/10/2023 10:38 AM, Michael Albinus wrote:
> Since a while, I have the feeling we would need only 'doas' and 'sudo'
> as built-in, in order to apply 'sudo COMMAND' or so. 'su' isn't needed,
> it is equivalent to 'cd /su::'. But I don't know whether we shall remove
> it; people might have adapted their workflow to use it.

Hmm, maybe a user option like 'eshell-tramp-enable-subshell-commands'? 
Then we could add 'eshell/ssh' as well, and turn that on/off along with 
'eshell/su' with that option.

bug#64546: 30.0.50; [PATCH] Add support for explicitly-remote commands in Eshell

[Michael Albinus]

Jim Porter <jporterbugs@gmail.com> writes:

Hi Jim,

>> Since a while, I have the feeling we would need only 'doas' and 'sudo'
>> as built-in, in order to apply 'sudo COMMAND' or so. 'su' isn't needed,
>> it is equivalent to 'cd /su::'. But I don't know whether we shall remove
>> it; people might have adapted their workflow to use it.
>
> Hmm, maybe a user option like 'eshell-tramp-enable-subshell-commands'?
> Then we could add 'eshell/ssh' as well, and turn that on/off along
> with 'eshell/su' with that option.

That makes sense, yes.

Best regards, Michael.

bug#64546: 30.0.50; [PATCH] Add support for explicitly-remote commands in Eshell

[Jim Porter]

Merged these patches to master as a6e88dc7269, so closing this bug now.