diff --git a/kittens/ssh/copy.py b/kittens/ssh/copy.py
index 9d908d972..f2ae3b63e 100644
--- a/kittens/ssh/copy.py
+++ b/kittens/ssh/copy.py
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ transferred. Useful when adding directories. Can
 be specified multiple times, if any of the patterns match the file will be
 excluded. To exclude a directory use a pattern like :code:`**/directory_name/**`.
 Based on standard wildcards with the addition that ``/**/`` matches any number of directories
-and patterns starting with a single :code:`*` (as opposed to two asterisks) match any prefix.
+and patterns starting with a single :code:`*` (as opposed to two asterisks) match any filename prefix.
 See the :link:`detailed syntax <https://github.com/bmatcuk/doublestar#patterns>`.
 
 
diff --git a/kitty_tests/ssh.py b/kitty_tests/ssh.py
index db1f4d283..4bccb6b14 100644
--- a/kitty_tests/ssh.py
+++ b/kitty_tests/ssh.py
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ copy s1
 copy --symlink-strategy=keep-path s2
 copy --dest=a/sfa simple-file
 copy --glob g.*
-copy --exclude */w.* d1
+copy --exclude **/w.* d1
 '''
                 self.check_bootstrap(
                     sh, remote_home, test_script='env; exit 0', SHELL_INTEGRATION_VALUE='', conf=conf, home=local_home,
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ env COLORTERM
             test_script = f'print("UNTAR_DONE", flush=True); {test_script}'
         else:
             test_script = f'echo "UNTAR_DONE"; {test_script}'
-        conf += '\nshell_integration ' + SHELL_INTEGRATION_VALUE or 'disabled'
+        conf += '\nshell_integration ' + (SHELL_INTEGRATION_VALUE or 'disabled')
         conf += '\ninterpreter ' + sh
         env = os.environ.copy()
         if home:
diff --git a/tools/cmd/ssh/config.go b/tools/cmd/ssh/config.go
index fcefb1e16..a84e0977d 100644
--- a/tools/cmd/ssh/config.go
+++ b/tools/cmd/ssh/config.go
@@ -247,12 +247,12 @@ func get_file_data(callback func(h *tar.Header, data []byte) error, seen map[fil
 	u, ok := s.Sys().(unix.Stat_t)
 	cb := func(h *tar.Header, data []byte) error {
 		h.Name = arcname
+		if h.Typeflag == tar.TypeDir {
+			h.Name = strings.TrimRight(h.Name, "/") + "/"
+		}
 		h.Size = int64(len(data))
-		h.Mode = int64(s.Mode())
-
+		h.Mode = int64(s.Mode().Perm())
 		h.ModTime = s.ModTime()
-		h.Uid, h.Gid = 0, 0
-		h.Uname, h.Gname = "", ""
 		h.Format = tar.FormatPAX
 		if ok {
 			h.AccessTime = time.Unix(0, u.Atim.Nano())
@@ -293,9 +293,9 @@ func get_file_data(callback func(h *tar.Header, data []byte) error, seen map[fil
 				}
 				if werr == nil {
 					rel, err := filepath.Rel(local_path, path)
-					if err != nil {
+					if err == nil {
 						aname := filepath.Join(arcname, rel)
-						return get_file_data(callback, seen, path, aname, nil, false)
+						return get_file_data(callback, seen, clean_path, aname, nil, false)
 					}
 				}
 				return nil
@@ -325,7 +325,7 @@ func get_file_data(callback func(h *tar.Header, data []byte) error, seen map[fil
 func (ci *CopyInstruction) get_file_data(callback func(h *tar.Header, data []byte) error, seen map[file_unique_id]string) (err error) {
 	ep := ci.exclude_patterns
 	for _, folder_name := range []string{"__pycache__", ".DS_Store"} {
-		ep = append(ep, "*/"+folder_name, "*/"+folder_name+"/*")
+		ep = append(ep, "**/"+folder_name, "**/"+folder_name+"/**")
 	}
 	return get_file_data(callback, seen, ci.local_path, ci.arcname, ep, true)
 }
diff --git a/tools/cmd/ssh/config_test.go b/tools/cmd/ssh/config_test.go
index dff66dbe3..ef2dd16da 100644
--- a/tools/cmd/ssh/config_test.go
+++ b/tools/cmd/ssh/config_test.go
@@ -23,10 +23,13 @@ func TestSSHConfigParsing(t *testing.T) {
 	cf := filepath.Join(tdir, "ssh.conf")
 	rt := func(expected_env ...string) {
 		os.WriteFile(cf, []byte(conf), 0o600)
-		c, err := load_config(hostname, username, nil, cf)
+		c, bad_lines, err := load_config(hostname, username, nil, cf)
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Fatal(err)
 		}
+		if len(bad_lines) != 0 {
+			t.Fatalf("Bad config line: %s with error: %s", bad_lines[0].Line, bad_lines[0].Err)
+		}
 		actual := final_env_instructions(for_python, func(key string) (string, bool) {
 			if key == "LOCAL_ENV" {
 				return "LOCAL_VAL", true
diff --git a/tools/cmd/ssh/main.go b/tools/cmd/ssh/main.go
index fc652f1ae..c3380cfaa 100644
--- a/tools/cmd/ssh/main.go
+++ b/tools/cmd/ssh/main.go
@@ -275,7 +275,10 @@ func make_tarfile(cd *connection_data, get_local_env func(string) (string, bool)
 		return
 	}
 	for _, ci := range cd.host_opts.Copy {
-		get_file_data(add, seen, ci.local_path, ci.arcname, ci.exclude_patterns, true)
+		err = get_file_data(add, seen, ci.local_path, ci.arcname, ci.exclude_patterns, true)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
 	}
 	type fe struct {
 		arcname string
diff --git a/tools/cmd/ssh/main_test.go b/tools/cmd/ssh/main_test.go
index ab859145c..e3fb09054 100644
--- a/tools/cmd/ssh/main_test.go
+++ b/tools/cmd/ssh/main_test.go
@@ -50,10 +50,13 @@ func basic_connection_data(overrides ...string) *connection_data {
 		script_type: "sh", request_id: "123-123", remote_args: []string{},
 		username: "testuser", hostname_for_match: "host.test",
 	}
-	opts, err := load_config(ans.hostname_for_match, ans.username, overrides, "")
+	opts, bad_lines, err := load_config(ans.hostname_for_match, ans.username, overrides, "")
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(err)
 	}
+	if len(bad_lines) != 0 {
+		panic(fmt.Sprintf("Bad config lines: %s with error: %s", bad_lines[0].Line, bad_lines[0].Err))
+	}
 	ans.host_opts = opts
 	return ans
 }
diff --git a/tools/cmd/ssh/utils.go b/tools/cmd/ssh/utils.go
index f0708994f..ef2514260 100644
--- a/tools/cmd/ssh/utils.go
+++ b/tools/cmd/ssh/utils.go
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ type KittyOpts struct {
 	Term, Shell_integration string
 }
 
-var RelevantKittyOpts = (&utils.Once[KittyOpts]{Run: func() KittyOpts {
+func read_relevant_kitty_opts(path string) KittyOpts {
 	ans := KittyOpts{Term: kitty.KittyConfigDefaults.Term, Shell_integration: kitty.KittyConfigDefaults.Shell_integration}
 	handle_line := func(key, val string) error {
 		switch key {
@@ -239,6 +239,10 @@ var RelevantKittyOpts = (&utils.Once[KittyOpts]{Run: func() KittyOpts {
 		return nil
 	}
 	cp := config.ConfigParser{LineHandler: handle_line}
-	cp.ParseFiles(filepath.Join(utils.ConfigDir(), "kitty.conf"))
+	cp.ParseFiles(path)
 	return ans
+}
+
+var RelevantKittyOpts = (&utils.Once[KittyOpts]{Run: func() KittyOpts {
+	return read_relevant_kitty_opts(filepath.Join(utils.ConfigDir(), "kitty.conf"))
 }}).Get
diff --git a/tools/cmd/ssh/utils_test.go b/tools/cmd/ssh/utils_test.go
index 36a010878..2d9990ca3 100644
--- a/tools/cmd/ssh/utils_test.go
+++ b/tools/cmd/ssh/utils_test.go
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@ import (
 	"path/filepath"
 	"testing"
 
-	"kitty/tools/utils"
 	"kitty/tools/utils/shlex"
 
 	"github.com/google/go-cmp/cmp"
@@ -57,14 +56,13 @@ func TestParseSSHArgs(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestRelevantKittyOpts(t *testing.T) {
 	tdir := t.TempDir()
-	orig := utils.ConfigDir
-	utils.ConfigDir = func() string { return tdir }
-	defer func() { utils.ConfigDir = orig }()
-	os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(tdir, "kitty.conf"), []byte("term XXX\nshell_integration changed\nterm abcd"), 0o600)
-	if RelevantKittyOpts().Term != "abcd" {
+	path := filepath.Join(tdir, "kitty.conf")
+	os.WriteFile(path, []byte("term XXX\nshell_integration changed\nterm abcd"), 0o600)
+	rko := read_relevant_kitty_opts(path)
+	if rko.Term != "abcd" {
 		t.Fatalf("Unexpected TERM: %s", RelevantKittyOpts().Term)
 	}
-	if RelevantKittyOpts().Shell_integration != "changed" {
+	if rko.Shell_integration != "changed" {
 		t.Fatalf("Unexpected shell_integration: %s", RelevantKittyOpts().Shell_integration)
 	}
 }