diff --git a/kittens/ssh/main.py b/kittens/ssh/main.py
index 7f7f6a08a..323ca6ffa 100644
--- a/kittens/ssh/main.py
+++ b/kittens/ssh/main.py
@@ -39,7 +39,6 @@ def make_tarfile(hostname: str = '', shell_integration_dest: str = DEFAULT_SHELL
 
 
 def get_ssh_data(msg: str, shell_integration_dest: str = DEFAULT_SHELL_INTEGRATION_DEST) -> Iterator[bytes]:
-    yield b"KITTY_SSH_DATA_START\n"
     try:
         hostname, pwfilename, pw = msg.split(':', 2)
     except Exception:
@@ -58,12 +57,9 @@ def get_ssh_data(msg: str, shell_integration_dest: str = DEFAULT_SHELL_INTEGRATI
             yield b' error while gathering ssh data\n'
         else:
             from base64 import standard_b64encode
-            encoded_data = memoryview(standard_b64encode(data))
-            while encoded_data:
-                yield encoded_data[:2048]
-                yield b'\n'
-                encoded_data = encoded_data[2048:]
-    yield b"KITTY_SSH_DATA_END\n"
+            encoded_data = standard_b64encode(data)
+            yield f"{len(encoded_data)}\n".encode('ascii')
+            yield encoded_data
 
 
 def safe_remove(x: str) -> None:
diff --git a/kitty_tests/ssh.py b/kitty_tests/ssh.py
index 050365537..39469f140 100644
--- a/kitty_tests/ssh.py
+++ b/kitty_tests/ssh.py
@@ -42,6 +42,10 @@ print(' '.join(map(str, buf)))'''), lines=13, cols=77)
         t('ssh -p 33 main', port=33)
 
     def test_ssh_bootstrap_script(self):
+        # test simple untar with only sh
+        with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as tdir:
+            self.check_bootstrap('sh', tdir, 'sh', SHELL_INTEGRATION_VALUE='')
+
         ok_login_shell = ''
         for sh in ('dash', 'zsh', 'bash', 'posh', 'sh'):
             q = shutil.which(sh)
diff --git a/shell-integration/ssh/bootstrap.sh b/shell-integration/ssh/bootstrap.sh
index bfb343a99..90a71945b 100644
--- a/shell-integration/ssh/bootstrap.sh
+++ b/shell-integration/ssh/bootstrap.sh
@@ -3,18 +3,17 @@
 # Distributed under terms of the GPLv3 license.
 
 # read the transmitted data from STDIN
-saved_tty_settings=$(command stty -g)
-command stty raw -echo
-encoded_data_file=$(mktemp)
-
 cleanup_on_bootstrap_exit() {
-    [ ! -z "$encoded_data_file" ] && command rm -f "$encoded_data_file"
     [ ! -z "$saved_tty_settings" ] && command stty "$saved_tty_settings"
 }
-trap 'cleanup_on_bootstrap_exit' EXIT
+
 die() { echo "$*" >/dev/stderr; cleanup_on_bootstrap_exit; exit 1; }
 debug() { printf "\033P@kitty-print|%s\033\\" "$(printf "%s" "debug: $1" | base64)"; }
 
+saved_tty_settings=$(command stty -g)
+command stty raw min 1 time 0 || die "stty not available"
+trap 'cleanup_on_bootstrap_exit' EXIT
+
 data_started="n"
 data_complete="n"
 pending_data=""
@@ -34,38 +33,25 @@ data_password="DATA_PASSWORD"
 password_filename="PASSWORD_FILENAME"
 pending_data=""
 data_complete="n"
-printf "\033P@kitty-ssh|%s:%s:%s\033\\" "$hostname" "$password_filename" "$data_password"
 
-while [ "$data_complete" = "n" ]; do
-    IFS= read -r line || die "Incomplete ssh data";
-    case "$line" in
-        *"KITTY_SSH_DATA_START")
-            prefix=$(command expr "$line" : "\(.*\)KITTY_SSH_DATA_START")
-            pending_data="$pending_data$prefix"
-            data_started="y";
-            ;;
-        "KITTY_SSH_DATA_END")
-            data_complete="y";
-            ;;
-        *)
-            if [ "$data_started" = "y" ]; then
-                printf "%s" "$line" >> "$encoded_data_file"
-            else
-                pending_data="$pending_data$line\n"
-            fi
-            ;;
-    esac
-done
+printf "\033P@kitty-ssh|%s:%s:%s\033\\" "$hostname" "$password_filename" "$data_password"
+IFS= read -r size || die "Failed to read data size";
+case "$size" in
+    " "*) 
+        die "$size";
+        ;;
+    "") 
+        die "Got empty size";
+        ;;
+esac
+command head -c "$size" < /dev/stdin | command base64 -d | command tar xjf - --no-same-owner -C "$HOME" 
+rc="$?"
 command stty "$saved_tty_settings"
 saved_tty_settings=""
+if [ "$rc" != "0" ]; then die "Failed to extract data transmitted by ssh kitten over the TTY device"; fi
 if [ -n "$pending_data" ]; then
     printf "\033P@kitty-echo|%s\033\\" "$(printf "%s" "$pending_data" | base64)"
 fi
-command base64 -d < "$encoded_data_file" | command tar xjf - --no-same-owner -C "$HOME"
-rc=$?
-command rm -f "$encoded_data_file"
-encoded_data_file=""
-if [ "$rc" != "0" ]; then die "Failed to extract data transmitted by ssh kitten over the TTY device"; fi
 if [ ! -f "$HOME/.terminfo/kitty.terminfo" ]; then die "Extracted data transmitted by ssh kitten is incomplete"; fi
 
 # export TERMINFO