docs: overhaul and enrich documentation for clarity and onboarding

- Revamp and reorganize the documentation with a new feature list and table of contents
- Add sections dedicated to features, configuration options, best practices, cross-platform usage, troubleshooting, workflow diagram, and FAQ
- Update and expand usage examples, including multi-server, changed-files-only, artifact integration, and Windows scenarios
- Improve clarity, formatting, and structure throughout the README
- Remove redundant and outdated examples and notes
- Provide clearer and more secure SSH key setup instructions
- Document common error codes and their solutions
- Improve quick start and workflow setup steps for better user onboarding

Signed-off-by: appleboy <appleboy.tw@gmail.com>

.github/FUNDING.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+# These are supported funding model platforms
+
+github: # Replace with up to 4 GitHub Sponsors-enabled usernames e.g., [user1, user2]
+patreon: # Replace with a single Patreon username
+open_collective: # Replace with a single Open Collective username
+ko_fi: # Replace with a single Ko-fi username
+tidelift: # Replace with a single Tidelift platform-name/package-name e.g., npm/babel
+community_bridge: # Replace with a single Community Bridge project-name e.g., cloud-foundry
+liberapay: # Replace with a single Liberapay username
+issuehunt: # Replace with a single IssueHunt username
+otechie: # Replace with a single Otechie username
+lfx_crowdfunding: # Replace with a single LFX Crowdfunding project-name e.g., cloud-foundry
+custom: ['https://www.paypal.me/appleboy46']

.github/dependabot.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+version: 2
+updates:
+  - package-ecosystem: github-actions
+    directory: /
+    schedule:
+      interval: weekly
+  - package-ecosystem: gomod
+    directory: /
+    schedule:
+      interval: weekly

.github/workflows/ci.yml

@@ -1,39 +1,150 @@
 name: scp files
 on: [push]
 jobs:
-
-  build:
-    name: Build
+  testing:
+    name: test scp action
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
-    - uses: actions/checkout@master
-    - name: copy file via ssh password
-      uses: appleboy/scp-action@master
-      with:
-        host: ${{ secrets.HOST }}
-        username: ${{ secrets.USERNAME }}
-        password: ${{ secrets.PASSWORD }}
-        port: ${{ secrets.PORT }}
-        source: "tests/a.txt,tests/b.txt"
-        target: "test"
+      - name: checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
-    - name: copy file via ssh key
-      uses: appleboy/scp-action@master
-      with:
-        host: ${{ secrets.HOST }}
-        username: ${{ secrets.USERNAME }}
-        key: ${{ secrets.KEY }}
-        port: ${{ secrets.PORT }}
-        source: "tests/a.txt,tests/b.txt"
-        target: "test"
+      - name: copy file via ssh password
+        uses: ./
+        with:
+          host: ${{ secrets.HOST }}
+          username: ${{ secrets.USERNAME }}
+          password: ${{ secrets.PASSWORD }}
+          port: ${{ secrets.PORT }}
+          source: "tests/a.txt,tests/b.txt"
+          target: "test"
 
-    - name: remove the specified number of leading path elements
-      uses: appleboy/scp-action@master
-      with:
-        host: ${{ secrets.HOST }}
-        username: ${{ secrets.USERNAME }}
-        key: ${{ secrets.KEY }}
-        port: ${{ secrets.PORT }}
-        source: "tests/a.txt,tests/b.txt"
-        target: "foobar"
-        strip_components: 1
+      - name: copy file via ssh key
+        uses: ./
+        with:
+          host: ${{ secrets.HOST }}
+          username: ${{ secrets.USERNAME }}
+          key: ${{ secrets.KEY }}
+          port: ${{ secrets.PORT }}
+          source: "tests/a.txt,tests/b.txt"
+          target: "test"
+
+      - name: remove the specified number of leading path elements
+        uses: ./
+        with:
+          host: ${{ secrets.HOST }}
+          username: ${{ secrets.USERNAME }}
+          key: ${{ secrets.KEY }}
+          port: ${{ secrets.PORT }}
+          source: "tests/a.txt,tests/b.txt"
+          target: "foobar"
+          strip_components: 1
+
+      - name: ssh key with passphrase
+        uses: ./
+        with:
+          host: ${{ secrets.HOST }}
+          username: ${{ secrets.USERNAME }}
+          key: ${{ secrets.SSH2 }}
+          passphrase: ${{ secrets.PASSPHRASE }}
+          port: ${{ secrets.PORT }}
+          source: "tests/a.txt,tests/b.txt"
+          target: "test"
+
+      - name: use insecure cipher
+        uses: ./
+        with:
+          host: ${{ secrets.HOST }}
+          username: ${{ secrets.USERNAME }}
+          key: ${{ secrets.SSH2 }}
+          passphrase: ${{ secrets.PASSPHRASE }}
+          port: ${{ secrets.PORT }}
+          source: "tests/a.txt,tests/b.txt"
+          target: "test"
+          use_insecure_cipher: true
+
+  deploy:
+    name: test deploy artifact
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - run: echo hello > world.txt
+
+      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: my-artifact
+          path: world.txt
+
+      - uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: my-artifact
+          path: distfiles
+
+      - name: copy file to server
+        uses: ./
+        with:
+          host: ${{ secrets.HOST }}
+          username: ${{ secrets.USERNAME }}
+          key: ${{ secrets.KEY }}
+          port: ${{ secrets.PORT }}
+          source: distfiles/*
+          target: test
+
+  changes:
+    name: test changed-files
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Get changed files
+        id: changed-files
+        uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
+        with:
+          since_last_remote_commit: true
+          separator: ","
+
+      - name: copy file to server
+        uses: ./
+        with:
+          host: ${{ secrets.HOST }}
+          username: ${{ secrets.USERNAME }}
+          key: ${{ secrets.KEY }}
+          port: ${{ secrets.PORT }}
+          source: ${{ steps.changed-files.outputs.all_changed_files }}
+          target: test
+
+  target:
+    name: test target folder
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: copy file to server
+        uses: ./
+        with:
+          host: ${{ secrets.HOST }}
+          username: ${{ secrets.USERNAME }}
+          key: ${{ secrets.KEY }}
+          port: ${{ secrets.PORT }}
+          source: tests/a.txt,tests/b.txt
+          target: foobar foobar   1234
+
+  multipleHost:
+    name: test Multiple Host
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: copy file to server
+        uses: ./
+        with:
+          host: ${{ secrets.HOST }}:${{ secrets.PORT }},${{ secrets.HOST }}:${{ secrets.PORT }}
+          username: ${{ secrets.USERNAME }}
+          key: ${{ secrets.KEY }}
+          port: 1024
+          source: tests/a.txt,tests/b.txt
+          target: foobar

.github/workflows/goreleaser.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+name: Goreleaser
+
+on:
+  push:
+    tags:
+      - "*"
+
+permissions:
+  contents: write
+
+jobs:
+  goreleaser:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+
+      - name: Setup go
+        uses: actions/setup-go@v5
+        with:
+          go-version: "^1"
+
+      - name: Run GoReleaser
+        uses: goreleaser/goreleaser-action@v6
+        with:
+          # either 'goreleaser' (default) or 'goreleaser-pro'
+          distribution: goreleaser
+          version: latest
+          args: release --clean
+        env:
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

.goreleaser.yaml

@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+builds:
+  - # If true, skip the build.
+    # Useful for library projects.
+    # Default is false
+    skip: true
+
+changelog:
+  use: github
+  groups:
+    - title: Features
+      regexp: "^.*feat[(\\w)]*:+.*$"
+      order: 0
+    - title: "Bug fixes"
+      regexp: "^.*fix[(\\w)]*:+.*$"
+      order: 1
+    - title: "Enhancements"
+      regexp: "^.*chore[(\\w)]*:+.*$"
+      order: 2
+    - title: "Refactor"
+      regexp: "^.*refactor[(\\w)]*:+.*$"
+      order: 3
+    - title: "Build process updates"
+      regexp: ^.*?(build|ci)(\(.+\))??!?:.+$
+      order: 4
+    - title: "Documentation updates"
+      regexp: ^.*?docs?(\(.+\))??!?:.+$
+      order: 4
+    - title: Others

Dockerfile

@@ -1,5 +0,0 @@
-FROM appleboy/drone-scp:1.5.3-linux-amd64
-
-ADD entrypoint.sh /entrypoint.sh
-RUN chmod +x /entrypoint.sh
-ENTRYPOINT ["/entrypoint.sh"]

README.md

@@ -2,143 +2,344 @@
 
 [GitHub Action](https://github.com/features/actions) for copying files and artifacts via SSH.
 
-![ssh key](./images/copy-multiple-file.png)
-
 [![Actions Status](https://github.com/appleboy/scp-action/workflows/scp%20files/badge.svg)](https://github.com/appleboy/scp-action/actions)
 
-## Usage
+> **Note:** Only supports **Linux** [docker](https://www.docker.com/) containers.
 
-copy files and artifacts via SSH as blow.
+---
+
+## ✨ Features
+
+- ✅ Copy files and artifacts to one or multiple remote servers via SSH
+- ✅ Supports both SSH key and password authentication
+- ✅ Full SSH Proxy (jump host) support
+- ✅ Handles Linux ↔ Windows path conversion
+- ✅ Integrates with GitHub Artifacts workflow
+- ✅ Incremental and differential file transfer
+- ✅ Rich configuration options for advanced use cases
+
+---
+
+## 📦 Table of Contents
+
+- [🚀 SCP for GitHub Actions](#-scp-for-github-actions)
+  - [✨ Features](#-features)
+  - [📦 Table of Contents](#-table-of-contents)
+  - [🚀 Quick Start](#-quick-start)
+  - [⚙️ Configuration](#️-configuration)
+    - [🔌 Connection Settings](#-connection-settings)
+    - [📁 File Transfer Settings](#-file-transfer-settings)
+    - [🌐 Proxy Settings](#-proxy-settings)
+  - [🛡️ Best Practices \& Security](#️-best-practices--security)
+  - [🖥️ Cross-Platform Notes](#️-cross-platform-notes)
+  - [💡 Usage Examples](#-usage-examples)
+    - [🧩 Scenario Guide](#-scenario-guide)
+      - [Example 1: Basic SSH Password](#example-1-basic-ssh-password)
+      - [Example 2: Multi-server](#example-2-multi-server)
+      - [Example 3: Changed Files Only](#example-3-changed-files-only)
+      - [Example 4: Artifacts Integration](#example-4-artifacts-integration)
+      - [Example 5: Windows Server](#example-5-windows-server)
+  - [🗝️ SSH Key Setup](#️-ssh-key-setup)
+  - [🧰 Common Error Codes](#-common-error-codes)
+  - [🔄 Workflow Diagram](#-workflow-diagram)
+  - [FAQ \& Troubleshooting](#faq--troubleshooting)
+  - [📝 License](#-license)
+
+---
+
+## 🚀 Quick Start
+
+Copy files and artifacts via SSH in your GitHub Actions workflow:
 
 ```yaml
 name: scp files
 on: [push]
 jobs:
-
   build:
-    name: Build
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
-    - uses: actions/checkout@master
-    - name: copy file via ssh password
-      uses: appleboy/scp-action@master
-      with:
-        host: ${{ secrets.HOST }}
-        username: ${{ secrets.USERNAME }}
-        password: ${{ secrets.PASSWORD }}
-        port: ${{ secrets.PORT }}
-        source: "tests/a.txt,tests/b.txt"
-        target: "test"
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - name: Copy files via SSH
+        uses: appleboy/scp-action@v0.1.7
+        with:
+          host: ${{ secrets.HOST }}
+          username: ${{ secrets.USERNAME }}
+          password: ${{ secrets.PASSWORD }}
+          port: ${{ secrets.PORT }}
+          source: "tests/a.txt,tests/b.txt"
+          target: your_server_target_folder_path
 ```
 
-## Input variables
+---
 
-see the [action.yml](./action.yml) file for more detail imformation.
+## ⚙️ Configuration
 
-* host - scp remote host
-* port - scp remote port
-* username - scp username
-* password - scp password
-* timeout - timeout for ssh to remote host, default is `30s`
-* command_timeout - timeout for scp command, default is `1m`
-* key - content of ssh private key. ex raw content of ~/.ssh/id_rsa
-* key_path - path of ssh private key
-* target - target path on the server
-* source - scp file list
-* rm - remove target folder before upload data
-* strip_components - remove the specified number of leading path elements.
-* overwrite - use `--overwrite` flag with tar
-* tar_tmp_path - temporary path for tar file on the dest host
+### 🔌 Connection Settings
 
-### Example
+| Variable        | Description                                  | Default | Required |
+| --------------- | -------------------------------------------- | ------- | -------- |
+| host            | Remote host(s), comma-separated for multiple | -       | ✓        |
+| port            | SSH port                                     | 22      |          |
+| username        | SSH username                                 | -       | ✓        |
+| password        | SSH password (prefer SSH key for security)   | -       |          |
+| key             | SSH private key content                      | -       |          |
+| key_path        | Path to SSH private key file                 | -       |          |
+| passphrase      | Passphrase for SSH private key               | -       |          |
+| fingerprint     | SHA256 fingerprint for host key verification | -       |          |
+| protocol        | IP protocol: 'tcp', 'tcp4', or 'tcp6'        | tcp     |          |
+| timeout         | SSH connection timeout                       | 30s     |          |
+| command_timeout | SCP command timeout                          | 10m     |          |
 
-Copy file via ssh password
+### 📁 File Transfer Settings
+
+| Variable         | Description                                             | Default | Security Note          |
+| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- | ------- | ---------------------- |
+| source           | Local files/directories to transfer (comma-separated)   | -       | Use explicit paths     |
+| target           | Target directory on remote server (must be a directory) | -       | Avoid root directories |
+| rm               | Remove target directory before upload                   | -       | Use with caution       |
+| strip_components | Remove leading path elements when extracting            | -       |                        |
+| overwrite        | Overwrite existing files with tar                       | -       |                        |
+| tar_dereference  | Follow symlinks with tar                                | -       |                        |
+| tar_tmp_path     | Temp path for tar file on destination                   | -       |                        |
+| tar_exec         | Path to tar executable on destination                   | tar     |                        |
+| debug            | Enable debug output                                     | -       |                        |
+| curl_insecure    | Use --insecure with curl                                | false   | Not recommended        |
+| capture_stdout   | Capture command stdout as action output                 | false   |                        |
+| version          | Version of drone-scp to use                             | -       |                        |
+
+### 🌐 Proxy Settings
+
+| Variable                  | Description                          | Default | Required |
+| ------------------------- | ------------------------------------ | ------- | -------- |
+| proxy_host                | SSH proxy host                       | -       |          |
+| proxy_port                | SSH proxy port                       | 22      |          |
+| proxy_username            | SSH proxy username                   | -       |          |
+| proxy_password            | SSH proxy password                   | -       |          |
+| proxy_key                 | SSH proxy private key content        | -       |          |
+| proxy_key_path            | Path to SSH proxy private key file   | -       |          |
+| proxy_passphrase          | Passphrase for SSH proxy private key | -       |          |
+| proxy_fingerprint         | SHA256 fingerprint for proxy host    | -       |          |
+| proxy_use_insecure_cipher | Enable less secure ciphers for proxy | -       |          |
+| proxy_timeout             | SSH proxy connection timeout         | 30s     |          |
+
+---
+
+## 🛡️ Best Practices & Security
+
+- **Prefer SSH key authentication** over passwords for better security.
+- Store all sensitive values (host, username, password, key) in **GitHub Secrets**.
+- Regularly **rotate deployment keys** (suggested every 90 days).
+- Restrict write permissions on the target server directory.
+- Enable host key fingerprint verification to prevent MITM attacks.
+- Avoid using root as the SSH user.
+
+---
+
+## 🖥️ Cross-Platform Notes
+
+| Scenario         | Linux Server   | Windows Server          |
+| ---------------- | -------------- | ----------------------- |
+| Path Format      | `/path/to/dir` | `/c/path/to/dir`        |
+| Required Setting | None           | `tar_dereference: true` |
+| Permissions      | Preserved      | May require manual ACL  |
+| Shell            | bash (default) | Git Bash via OpenSSH    |
+
+> 🚩 **Important:**  
+> When copying to Windows servers:
+>
+> - Install Git for Windows and set OpenSSH default shell to Git Bash
+> - Use Unix-style target paths (e.g., `/c/Users/...`)
+> - Enable `tar_dereference` for symlink handling
+
+---
+
+## 💡 Usage Examples
+
+### 🧩 Scenario Guide
+
+- **Basic file transfer** → [Example 1](#example-1-basic-ssh-password)
+- **Multi-server deployment** → [Example 2](#example-2-multi-server)
+- **Incremental/changed files only** → [Example 3](#example-3-changed-files-only)
+- **Artifacts integration** → [Example 4](#example-4-artifacts-integration)
+- **Windows server setup** → [Example 5](#example-5-windows-server)
+
+---
+
+#### Example 1: Basic SSH Password
 
 ```yaml
-- name: copy file via ssh password
-  uses: appleboy/scp-action@master
+- name: Copy file via SSH password
+  uses: appleboy/scp-action@v0.1.7
   with:
     host: example.com
     username: foo
     password: bar
     port: 22
     source: "tests/a.txt,tests/b.txt"
-    target: "test"
+    target: your_server_target_folder_path
 ```
 
-Copy file via ssh key
+#### Example 2: Multi-server
 
 ```yaml
-- name: copy file via ssh key
-  uses: appleboy/scp-action@master
-  env:
-    HOST: ${{ secrets.HOST }}
-    USERNAME: ${{ secrets.USERNAME }}
-    PORT: ${{ secrets.PORT }}
-    KEY: ${{ secrets.KEY }}
+- name: Copy to multiple servers
+  uses: appleboy/scp-action@v0.1.7
   with:
-    source: "tests/a.txt,tests/b.txt"
-    target: "test"
-```
-
-Example configuration for ignore list:
-
-```yaml
-- name: copy file via ssh key
-  uses: appleboy/scp-action@master
-  env:
-    HOST: ${{ secrets.HOST }}
-    USERNAME: ${{ secrets.USERNAME }}
-    PORT: ${{ secrets.PORT }}
-    KEY: ${{ secrets.KEY }}
-  with:
-    source: "tests/*.txt,!tests/a.txt"
-    target: "test"
-```
-
-Example configuration for multiple server
-
-```diff
-- name: copy file via ssh password
-  uses: appleboy/scp-action@master
-  with:
--   host: "example.com"
-+   host: "foo.com,bar.com"
+    host: "foo.com,bar.com"
     username: foo
     password: bar
     port: 22
     source: "tests/a.txt,tests/b.txt"
-    target: "test"
+    target: your_server_target_folder_path
 ```
 
-remove the specified number of leading path elements
+#### Example 3: Changed Files Only
 
 ```yaml
-- name: remove the specified number of leading path elements
-  uses: appleboy/scp-action@master
+- name: Get changed files
+  id: changed-files
+  uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v35
+  with:
+    since_last_remote_commit: true
+    separator: ","
+
+- name: Copy changed files to server
+  uses: appleboy/scp-action@v0.1.7
   with:
     host: ${{ secrets.HOST }}
     username: ${{ secrets.USERNAME }}
     key: ${{ secrets.KEY }}
     port: ${{ secrets.PORT }}
-    source: "tests/a.txt,tests/b.txt"
-    target: "foobar"
-    strip_components: 1
+    source: ${{ steps.changed-files.outputs.all_changed_files }}
+    target: your_server_target_folder_path
 ```
 
-old target structure:
+#### Example 4: Artifacts Integration
+
+```yaml
+- uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+  with:
+    name: my-artifact
+    path: world.txt
+
+- uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+  with:
+    name: my-artifact
+    path: distfiles
+
+- name: Copy artifact to server
+  uses: appleboy/scp-action@v0.1.7
+  with:
+    host: ${{ secrets.HOST }}
+    username: ${{ secrets.USERNAME }}
+    key: ${{ secrets.KEY }}
+    port: ${{ secrets.PORT }}
+    source: distfiles/*
+    target: your_server_target_folder_path
+```
+
+#### Example 5: Windows Server
+
+```yaml
+- name: Copy to Windows
+  uses: appleboy/scp-action@v0.1.7
+  with:
+    host: ${{ secrets.HOST }}
+    username: ${{ secrets.USERNAME }}
+    key: ${{ secrets.SSH_PRIVATE_KEY }}
+    port: 22
+    source: "your_source_path"
+    target: "/c/path/to/target/"
+    tar_dereference: true
+    rm: true
+```
+
+---
+
+## 🗝️ SSH Key Setup
+
+1. **Generate SSH Key** (on your local machine):
+
+   ```bash
+   # RSA
+   ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "your_email@example.com"
+   # ED25519
+   ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -a 200 -C "your_email@example.com"
+   ```
+
+2. **Add Public Key to Server**:
+
+   ```bash
+   cat .ssh/id_rsa.pub | ssh user@host 'cat >> .ssh/authorized_keys'
+   # or for ed25519
+   cat .ssh/id_ed25519.pub | ssh user@host 'cat >> .ssh/authorized_keys'
+   ```
+
+3. **Copy Private Key Content to GitHub Secrets**:
+
+   ```bash
+   clip < ~/.ssh/id_rsa
+   # or
+   clip < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
+   ```
+
+> See [SSH login without password](http://www.linuxproblem.org/art_9.html) for more details.
+
+**OpenSSH Note:**  
+If you see `ssh: handshake failed: ssh: unable to authenticate, attempted methods [none publickey]`, ensure your key algorithm is supported.  
+On Ubuntu 20.04+, add to `/etc/ssh/sshd_config` or `/etc/ssh/sshd_config.d/`:
 
 ```sh
-foobar
-  └── tests
-    ├── a.txt
-    └── b.txt
+CASignatureAlgorithms +ssh-rsa
 ```
 
-new target structure:
+Or use ed25519 keys, which are accepted by default.
 
-```sh
-foobar
-  ├── a.txt
-  └── b.txt
+---
+
+## 🧰 Common Error Codes
+
+| Error Code     | Possible Cause               | Solution                                      |
+| -------------- | ---------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
+| `ECONNREFUSED` | Wrong port / firewall blocks | Check port and firewall settings              |
+| `ENOENT`       | Source file not found        | Use absolute path or check checkout step      |
+| `EAUTH`        | Authentication failed        | Check key format and permissions (PEM format) |
+
+---
+
+## 🔄 Workflow Diagram
+
+```mermaid
+sequenceDiagram
+    participant G as GitHub Runner
+    participant S as Target Server
+    G->>S: Establish SSH connection
+    S-->>G: Authenticate credentials
+    G->>S: (Optional) Remove target directory
+    G->>G: Archive source files
+    G->>S: Transfer archive
+    S->>S: Extract and process files
+    S-->>G: Return result
 ```
+
+---
+
+## FAQ & Troubleshooting
+
+- **Q: Why does authentication fail?**  
+  A: Check SSH key format, permissions, and that the key is added to the server.
+
+- **Q: How do I copy only changed files?**  
+  A: Use `tj-actions/changed-files` to get changed files and pass to `source`.
+
+- **Q: How to deploy to multiple servers?**  
+  A: Use comma-separated host list: `host: "foo.com,bar.com"`
+
+- **Q: How to copy to Windows?**  
+  A: Set up Git Bash, use Unix-style paths, and enable `tar_dereference`.
+
+---
+
+## 📝 License
+
+MIT License

action.yml

@@ -1,44 +1,142 @@
-name: 'SCP Command to Transfer Files'
-description: 'How to Use SCP Command to Transfer Files/Folders in Linux'
-author: 'Bo-Yi Wu'
+name: "SCP Command to Transfer Files"
+description: "Easily transfer files and folders using the SCP command in Linux."
+author: "Bo-Yi Wu"
 inputs:
   host:
-    description: 'scp remote host'
+    description: "Remote host address for SCP (e.g., example.com or 192.168.1.1)."
   port:
-    description: 'scp remote port'
-    default: 22
+    description: "Remote SSH port for SCP. Default: 22."
+    default: "22"
   username:
-    description: 'scp username'
+    description: "Username for SSH authentication."
   password:
-    description: 'scp password'
+    description: "Password for SSH authentication (not recommended; use SSH keys if possible)."
+  protocol:
+    description: "IP protocol to use. Valid values: 'tcp', 'tcp4', or 'tcp6'. Default: tcp."
+    default: "tcp"
   timeout:
-    description: 'timeout for ssh to remote host'
+    description: "Timeout for establishing SSH connection to the remote host. Default: 30s."
     default: "30s"
   command_timeout:
-    description: 'timeout for scp command'
-    default: "1m"
+    description: "Timeout for the SCP command execution. Default: 10m."
+    default: "10m"
   key:
-    description: 'content of ssh private key. ex raw content of ~/.ssh/id_rsa'
+    description: "Content of the SSH private key (e.g., the raw content of ~/.ssh/id_rsa)."
   key_path:
-    description: 'path of ssh private key'
+    description: "Path to the SSH private key file."
+  passphrase:
+    description: "Passphrase for the SSH private key, if required."
+  fingerprint:
+    description: "SHA256 fingerprint of the host's public key. If not set, host key verification is skipped (not recommended for production)."
+  use_insecure_cipher:
+    description: "Enable additional, less secure ciphers for compatibility. Not recommended unless required."
   target:
-    description: 'target path on the server'
+    description: "Target directory path on the remote server. Must be a directory."
   source:
-    description: 'scp file list'
+    description: "List of files or directories to transfer (local paths)."
   rm:
-    description: 'remove target folder before upload data'
+    description: "Remove the target directory on the server before uploading new data."
+  debug:
+    description: "Enable debug messages for troubleshooting."
   strip_components:
-    description: 'remove the specified number of leading path elements'
-    default: 0
+    description: "Remove the specified number of leading path elements when extracting files."
   overwrite:
-    description: 'use `--overwrite` flag with tar'
-    default: false
+    description: "Use the --overwrite flag with tar to overwrite existing files."
+  tar_dereference:
+    description: "Use the --dereference flag with tar to follow symlinks."
   tar_tmp_path:
-    description: 'temporary path for tar file on the dest host'
+    description: "Temporary path for the tar file on the destination host."
+  tar_exec:
+    description: "Path to the tar executable on the destination host. Default: tar."
+    default: "tar"
+  proxy_host:
+    description: "Remote host address for SSH proxy."
+  proxy_port:
+    description: "SSH proxy port. Default: 22."
+    default: "22"
+  proxy_username:
+    description: "Username for SSH proxy authentication."
+  proxy_password:
+    description: "Password for SSH proxy authentication."
+  proxy_passphrase:
+    description: "Passphrase for the SSH proxy private key, if required."
+  proxy_timeout:
+    description: "Timeout for establishing SSH connection to the proxy host. Default: 30s."
+    default: "30s"
+  proxy_key:
+    description: "Content of the SSH proxy private key (e.g., the raw content of ~/.ssh/id_rsa)."
+  proxy_key_path:
+    description: "Path to the SSH proxy private key file."
+  proxy_fingerprint:
+    description: "SHA256 fingerprint of the proxy host's public key. If not set, host key verification is skipped (not recommended for production)."
+  proxy_use_insecure_cipher:
+    description: "Enable additional, less secure ciphers for the proxy connection. Not recommended unless required."
+  curl_insecure:
+    description: "When true, uses the --insecure option with curl for insecure downloads."
+    default: "false"
+  capture_stdout:
+    description: "When true, captures and returns standard output from the commands as action output."
+    default: "false"
+  version:
+    description: |
+      The version of drone-scp to use.
+
+outputs:
+  stdout:
+    description: "Standard output of the executed commands when capture_stdout is enabled."
+    value: ${{ steps.entrypoint.outputs.stdout }}
+
 runs:
-  using: 'docker'
-  image: 'Dockerfile'
+  using: "composite"
+  steps:
+    - name: Set GitHub Path
+      run: echo "$GITHUB_ACTION_PATH" >> $GITHUB_PATH
+      shell: bash
+      env:
+        GITHUB_ACTION_PATH: ${{ github.action_path }}
+    - id: entrypoint
+      name: Run entrypoint.sh
+      run: entrypoint.sh
+      shell: bash
+      env:
+        GITHUB_ACTION_PATH: ${{ github.action_path }}
+        INPUT_HOST: ${{ inputs.host }}
+        INPUT_PORT: ${{ inputs.port }}
+        INPUT_PROTOCOL: ${{ inputs.protocol }}
+        INPUT_USERNAME: ${{ inputs.username }}
+        INPUT_PASSWORD: ${{ inputs.password }}
+        INPUT_PASSPHRASE: ${{ inputs.passphrase }}
+        INPUT_KEY: ${{ inputs.key }}
+        INPUT_KEY_PATH: ${{ inputs.key_path }}
+        INPUT_FINGERPRINT: ${{ inputs.fingerprint }}
+        INPUT_PROXY_HOST: ${{ inputs.proxy_host }}
+        INPUT_PROXY_PORT: ${{ inputs.proxy_port }}
+        INPUT_PROXY_USERNAME: ${{ inputs.proxy_username }}
+        INPUT_PROXY_PASSWORD: ${{ inputs.proxy_password }}
+        INPUT_PROXY_PASSPHRASE: ${{ inputs.proxy_passphrase }}
+        INPUT_PROXY_KEY: ${{ inputs.proxy_key }}
+        INPUT_PROXY_KEY_PATH: ${{ inputs.proxy_key_path }}
+        INPUT_PROXY_FINGERPRINT: ${{ inputs.proxy_fingerprint }}
+        INPUT_USE_INSECURE_CIPHER: ${{ inputs.use_insecure_cipher }}
+        INPUT_CIPHER: ${{ inputs.cipher }}
+        INPUT_PROXY_USE_INSECURE_CIPHER: ${{ inputs.proxy_use_insecure_cipher }}
+        INPUT_PROXY_CIPHER: ${{ inputs.proxy_cipher }}
+        INPUT_DEBUG: ${{ inputs.debug }}
+        INPUT_TIMEOUT: ${{ inputs.timeout }}
+        INPUT_COMMAND_TIMEOUT: ${{ inputs.command_timeout }}
+        INPUT_TARGET: ${{ inputs.target }}
+        INPUT_SOURCE: ${{ inputs.source }}
+        INPUT_RM: ${{ inputs.rm }}
+        INPUT_STRIP_COMPONENTS: ${{ inputs.strip_components }}
+        INPUT_OVERWRITE: ${{ inputs.overwrite }}
+        INPUT_TAR_DEREFERENCE: ${{ inputs.tar_dereference }}
+        INPUT_TAR_TMP_PATH: ${{ inputs.tar_tmp_path }}
+        INPUT_TAR_EXEC: ${{ inputs.tar_exec }}
+        INPUT_PROXY_TIMEOUT: ${{ inputs.proxy_timeout }}
+        INPUT_CAPTURE_STDOUT: ${{ inputs.capture_stdout }}
+        INPUT_CURL_INSECURE: ${{ inputs.curl_insecure }}
+        DRONE_SCP_VERSION: ${{ inputs.version }}
 
 branding:
-  icon: 'copy'
-  color: 'gray-dark'
+  icon: "copy"
+  color: "gray-dark"

entrypoint.sh

@@ -1,9 +1,56 @@
-#!/bin/sh
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
 
-set -eu
+set -euo pipefail
 
 export GITHUB="true"
 
-[ -n "$INPUT_STRIP_COMPONENTS" ] && export INPUT_STRIP_COMPONENTS=$((INPUT_STRIP_COMPONENTS + 0))
+GITHUB_ACTION_PATH="${GITHUB_ACTION_PATH%/}"
+DRONE_SCP_RELEASE_URL="${DRONE_SCP_RELEASE_URL:-https://github.com/appleboy/drone-scp/releases/download}"
+DRONE_SCP_VERSION="${DRONE_SCP_VERSION:-1.7.0}"
 
-sh -c "/bin/drone-scp $*"
+function log_error() {
+  echo "$1" >&2
+  exit "$2"
+}
+
+function detect_client_info() {
+  CLIENT_PLATFORM="${SCP_CLIENT_OS:-$(uname -s | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')}"
+  CLIENT_ARCH="${SCP_CLIENT_ARCH:-$(uname -m)}"
+
+  case "${CLIENT_PLATFORM}" in
+  darwin | linux | windows) ;;
+  *) log_error "Unknown or unsupported platform: ${CLIENT_PLATFORM}. Supported platforms are Linux, Darwin, and Windows." 2 ;;
+  esac
+
+  case "${CLIENT_ARCH}" in
+  x86_64* | i?86_64* | amd64*) CLIENT_ARCH="amd64" ;;
+  aarch64* | arm64*) CLIENT_ARCH="arm64" ;;
+  *) log_error "Unknown or unsupported architecture: ${CLIENT_ARCH}. Supported architectures are x86_64, i686, and arm64." 3 ;;
+  esac
+}
+
+detect_client_info
+DOWNLOAD_URL_PREFIX="${DRONE_SCP_RELEASE_URL}/v${DRONE_SCP_VERSION}"
+CLIENT_BINARY="drone-scp-${DRONE_SCP_VERSION}-${CLIENT_PLATFORM}-${CLIENT_ARCH}"
+TARGET="${GITHUB_ACTION_PATH}/${CLIENT_BINARY}"
+echo "Downloading ${CLIENT_BINARY} from ${DOWNLOAD_URL_PREFIX}"
+INSECURE_OPTION=""
+if [[ "${INPUT_CURL_INSECURE}" == 'true' ]]; then
+  INSECURE_OPTION="--insecure"
+fi
+
+curl -fsSL --retry 5 --keepalive-time 2 ${INSECURE_OPTION} "${DOWNLOAD_URL_PREFIX}/${CLIENT_BINARY}" -o "${TARGET}"
+chmod +x "${TARGET}"
+
+echo "======= CLI Version Information ======="
+"${TARGET}" --version
+echo "======================================="
+if [[ "${INPUT_CAPTURE_STDOUT}" == 'true' ]]; then
+  {
+    echo 'stdout<<EOF'
+    "${TARGET}" "$@" | tee -a "${GITHUB_OUTPUT}"
+    echo 'EOF'
+  } >>"${GITHUB_OUTPUT}"
+else
+  "${TARGET}" "$@"
+fi

tests/a.txt

@@ -1 +1,2 @@
 foo
+foobar

tests/b.txt

@@ -1 +1,2 @@
 bar
+foobar

tests/c.txt

@@ -1 +1,3 @@
 c
+foobar
+test1234

tests/d.txt

@@ -1 +1,3 @@
 d
+foobar
+foobar