Add kate-admin-helper plugin for elevated file access

This plugin provides automatic privilege elevation for the Kate editor using the `admin://` KIO protocol. It ensures secure handling of files requiring root permissions and prevents running Kate as root, adhering to KDE security practices.
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Javier Rubio 2025-04-25 19:12:05 +02:00
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# kate-admin-helper
This plugin provides an automatic privilege elevation helper for **Kate** (KDE text editor) when opening files in zsh.
When opening files that the user does not have write access to, the plugin automatically uses the `admin://` KIO protocol, allowing **Kate** to request privilege elevation via Polkit.
This avoids running the entire **Kate** process as root and follows modern KDE security practices.
If privilege elevation is needed, a message will be shown, and the user will be prompted to authenticate with their password through Polkit.
## Installation
Add `kate-admin-helper` to your plugin list in `~/.zshrc`:
```zsh
plugins=(
...
kate-admin-helper
)
```
## Usage
Open files as usual:
```zsh
kate /etc/hosts
kt /etc/fstab /etc/ssh/sshd_config
```
If the file requires elevated privileges to edit, it will be opened automatically with `admin://`.
A colored message will inform you that privilege elevation is needed, and a Polkit prompt will ask for your password.
The `kt` command is also available and behaves the same way.
## Requirements
- **Kate** installed
- **kio-admin** installed
- A running **Polkit authentication agent** (e.g., `polkit-kde-agent-5` or `polkit-kde-agent-6`)
- `pkexec` available to create new files if needed