/nc/. Reads are async and streaming, with
range requests for partial reads.
For credential setup, see Nextcloud Setup.
Install
Config
NextcloudVFS(config) takes a NextcloudConfig object with the
WebDAV URL plus optional Basic Auth credentials. Both READ and WRITE
modes are supported. Use an app password (Settings → Security in
Nextcloud) rather than your account password.
Fields marked secret are redacted in snapshots.
VFS.md
The VFS.md an agent reads with Nextcloud mounted at/<path>.
- Rendered
- Raw
/nc/ exposes:
/nc/Documents/notes.md issues HTTP requests
against <NEXTCLOUD_URL>/Documents/notes.md.
Cache
The Nextcloud VFS usesIndexCacheStore. Directory listings come
from a single PROPFIND Depth: 1 and populate file size, type, and
ETag entries that stat reads via a fast path, so a readdir followed
by per-entry stat calls (which is what ls, FUSE getattr, and most
shell commands trigger) costs one HTTP request instead of N.
Snapshots
A snapshot restores a Nextcloud mount’s settings (hand it back at load when it has a password, which is not saved); its files are not checked for drift.Integration
What Nextcloud answers through its own API, so fewer files are read. Integration explains each command.Example
Shell Commands
The Nextcloud VFS supports the full set of shell commands since it operates on real file content (text, binary, JSON, CSV, etc.). Reads benefit from HTTPRange requests so commands like head -c BYTES
don’t pull the whole file.
Read Commands
Text Processing
File Operations
Path Utilities
Compression
Encoding
Streaming
- Reads: streamed in chunks. Downstream commands like
head -n 1early-cancel, so you only pay for the first chunk over the wire. - Range reads:
head -c BYTESand other partial reads issue HTTPRangerequests that Nextcloud and most WebDAV servers honor. - Writes: buffer the payload before upload. Streaming uploads
(Nextcloud’s
uploads/resumable protocol) are a possible future follow-up.
Use Cases
- AI agents accessing personal cloud storage: Mount Nextcloud so agents can read documents, notes, and structured data on a self-hosted cloud.
- Self-hosted alternative to Dropbox/Box: Same shell-command surface, with full read+write support.
- Multi-protocol WebDAV: Works against any RFC 4918-compliant server, not just Nextcloud.
- FUSE mounting: Expose Nextcloud through a virtual FUSE mount for external tools.