From 90bc58fef327bf69e644dfab8dcc9be0d74289fc Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Javier Rubio <javi.rubio.roca@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2025 19:12:05 +0200
Subject: [PATCH] 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.
---
 plugins/kate-admin-helper/README.md           | 40 +++++++++++++
 .../kate-admin-helper.plugin.zsh              | 60 +++++++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 100 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 plugins/kate-admin-helper/README.md
 create mode 100644 plugins/kate-admin-helper/kate-admin-helper.plugin.zsh

diff --git a/plugins/kate-admin-helper/README.md b/plugins/kate-admin-helper/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..cfed74511
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/kate-admin-helper/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+# 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
diff --git a/plugins/kate-admin-helper/kate-admin-helper.plugin.zsh b/plugins/kate-admin-helper/kate-admin-helper.plugin.zsh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..28526d92d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/kate-admin-helper/kate-admin-helper.plugin.zsh
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+# Kate admin helper
+
+# Color definitions (standard and portable)
+RED="$(printf '\033[0;31m')"
+GREEN="$(printf '\033[0;32m')"
+YELLOW="$(printf '\033[1;33m')"
+RESET="$(printf '\033[0m')"
+
+kt_internal() {
+  if [[ $# -eq 0 ]]; then
+    echo -e "${RED}Usage: kt <file1> [file2 ...]${RESET}"
+    return 1
+  fi
+
+  for file in "$@"; do
+    local abs_path
+    abs_path="$(realpath -m "$file")"
+
+    if [[ -e "$file" ]]; then
+      # File exists
+      if [[ -w "$file" ]]; then
+        echo -e "${GREEN}Opening '$file' normally...${RESET}"
+        command kate "$file"
+      else
+        echo -e "${YELLOW}No write permission for '$file', opening with admin://...${RESET}"
+        command kate "admin://$abs_path"
+      fi
+    else
+      # File does not exist, check parent directory
+      local parent_dir
+      parent_dir="$(dirname "$abs_path")"
+
+      if [[ -w "$parent_dir" ]]; then
+        echo -e "${GREEN}Opening new file '$file' normally...${RESET}"
+        command kate "$file"
+      else
+        echo -e "${YELLOW}File '$file' does not exist and no write permission for directory '$parent_dir', creating it with sudo...${RESET}"
+        if pkexec touch "$abs_path"; then
+          echo -e "${GREEN}File '$file' created successfully.${RESET}"
+          command kate "admin://$abs_path"
+        else
+          echo -e "${RED}Failed to create file '$file'.${RESET}"
+        fi
+      fi
+    fi
+  done
+}
+
+# Allow kt command: calls the internal logic
+kt() {
+  kt_internal "$@"
+}
+
+# Allow kate command: uses the same internal logic as kt
+kate() {
+  kt_internal "$@"
+}
+
+# Remove any previous alias for kate to avoid conflicts
+unalias kate 2>/dev/null