Outcome

• Password-backed SSH to the configured cloudways host works from this workstation through the local vault-backed credentials.
• Local private-key ACLs were repaired for cloudways_ed25519 and a new cloudways_rsa keypair was generated for testing.
• Cloudways SSH daemon configuration was confirmed as:
  • PasswordAuthentication yes
  • PubkeyAuthentication yes
  • AuthorizedKeysFile %h/.openssh/authorized_keys
• Both local public keys were added to /home/admin/.openssh/authorized_keys, but native key-only SSH still failed with Permission denied (publickey,password).

Working Conclusion

• The remaining blocker appears to be on the Cloudways managed side rather than the local workstation.
• This host is usable as a password-backed remote WordPress shell.
• It is not yet a clean unattended SSH target for Codex automations.
• It is also not yet a good Litify runner host as-is because the shell exposes php, git, wp, and curl, but not python3, node, npm, or sf.

Durable Local Artifacts

• C:\Users\SAguiar\Documents\Codex\litify-remote-auth-2026-04-29\README.md
• C:\Users\SAguiar\Documents\Codex\litify-remote-auth-2026-04-29\cloudways_ed25519_acl_before.txt

Local Docs Updated

• docs/2026-04-24-stale-task-closeout-followup.md
• PROGRESS_LOG.md
• Active Litify handoff in Notion

Pending Approval Questions

1. Expand the saved 2025 Litify canvass into a reusable scripted export so future agents can refresh owner and subject slices without rebuilding them manually?

A (Recommended): Build the reusable export now and refresh the artifact.