diff --git a/commands.go b/commands.go
index a48f135..a3334cd 100644
--- a/commands.go
+++ b/commands.go
@@ -304,6 +304,17 @@ func runCommandDepth(line string, depth int) bool {
 		if !requireProject() {
 			break
 		}
+		// like `init`/`clone`/`show`, ask the server before acting on it —
+		// otherwise a missing repository surfaces as a raw `cp -r` failure
+		exists, err := serverEntryExists(".", PRJ+".git")
+		if err != nil {
+			errorln("could not reach the git server: " + err.Error())
+			break
+		}
+		if !exists {
+			errorln("no repository " + PRJ + " on the git server — run 'init' first")
+			break
+		}
 		comment := sanitizeComment(strings.Join(fields[1:], " "))
 		z := archiveStamp()
 		name := PRJ + "_" + z
diff --git a/git.go b/git.go
index 7449ab7..161084a 100644
--- a/git.go
+++ b/git.go
@@ -108,9 +108,29 @@ func shq(s string) string {
 	return "'" + strings.ReplaceAll(s, "'", `'\''`) + "'"
 }
 
+// sshExec runs one command on the git server. Every remote command mgsh issues
+// — including the `rm -rf` in `init` — funnels through here, which is why it is
+// a variable: tests replace it with a recorder and assert on exactly what would
+// reach the server. With capture set the output is returned, otherwise the
+// command inherits mgsh's stdio.
+var sshExec = func(remote string, capture bool) ([]byte, error) {
+	args := sshArgs(cfg.GitUser+"@"+cfg.GitHost, remote)
+	c := exec.Command("ssh", args...)
+	if !capture {
+		c.Stdin = os.Stdin
+		c.Stdout = os.Stdout
+		c.Stderr = os.Stderr
+		return nil, c.Run()
+	}
+	c.Stderr = os.Stderr
+	out, err := c.Output()
+	return out, err
+}
+
 // ssh runs a single remote command over ssh with inherited stdio.
 func ssh(remote string) error {
-	return runInDir("", "ssh", sshArgs(cfg.GitUser+"@"+cfg.GitHost, remote)...)
+	_, err := sshExec(remote, false)
+	return err
 }
 
 // sshOK runs a remote command and, on failure, prints a red summary.
@@ -124,9 +144,7 @@ func sshOK(remote string) bool {
 
 // sshOut runs a remote command and returns its stdout split into lines.
 func sshOut(remote string) ([]string, error) {
-	c := exec.Command("ssh", sshArgs(cfg.GitUser+"@"+cfg.GitHost, remote)...)
-	c.Stderr = os.Stderr
-	out, err := c.Output()
+	out, err := sshExec(remote, true)
 	lines := strings.Split(string(out), "\n")
 	for len(lines) > 0 && lines[len(lines)-1] == "" {
 		lines = lines[:len(lines)-1]
diff --git a/input.go b/input.go
index 59a15cd..4b5d96a 100644
--- a/input.go
+++ b/input.go
@@ -9,8 +9,11 @@ import (
 	"github.com/chzyer/readline"
 )
 
-// yesno asks a y/n question with a default. Reads a single keypress.
-func yesno(prompt string, def bool) bool {
+// yesno asks a y/n question with a default and reads a single keypress. It is a
+// variable because it guards the destructive operations: tests replace it to
+// drive those paths without a terminal, and to assert that the question was
+// asked at all.
+var yesno = func(prompt string, def bool) bool {
 	suffix := " y/N ? "
 	if def {
 		suffix = " Y/n ? "
diff --git a/remotecmd_test.go b/remotecmd_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..64ec74c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/remotecmd_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,331 @@
+package main
+
+// remotecmd_test.go — what mgsh actually sends to the git server.
+//
+// These are the only commands that can destroy data (`rm -rf` on the server),
+// and they are the hardest to check by reading: the remote command is a single
+// string handed to a login shell, so a missing quote silently changes which
+// paths it touches. sshExec and yesno are swapped for recorders, and the tests
+// assert on the exact command strings that would have been sent.
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"os"
+	"os/exec"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// fakeServer replaces the ssh transport for the duration of the test. reply
+// returns the stdout for a remote command (and optionally an error); a nil
+// reply answers every command with empty output and success.
+func fakeServer(t *testing.T, reply func(cmd string) (string, error)) *[]string {
+	t.Helper()
+	var sent []string
+	old := sshExec
+	sshExec = func(remote string, capture bool) ([]byte, error) {
+		sent = append(sent, remote)
+		if reply == nil {
+			return nil, nil
+		}
+		out, err := reply(remote)
+		return []byte(out), err
+	}
+	t.Cleanup(func() { sshExec = old })
+	return &sent
+}
+
+// fakeAnswers replaces the y/n prompt, recording the questions asked and
+// answering each one with answer.
+func fakeAnswers(t *testing.T, answer bool) *[]string {
+	t.Helper()
+	var asked []string
+	old := yesno
+	yesno = func(prompt string, def bool) bool {
+		asked = append(asked, prompt)
+		return answer
+	}
+	t.Cleanup(func() { yesno = old })
+	return &asked
+}
+
+// useProject points the globals at a fresh project directory under a temp base.
+func useProject(t *testing.T, name string) string {
+	t.Helper()
+	base := t.TempDir()
+	dir := filepath.Join(base, name)
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(dir, 0755); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	oldBase, oldPrj, oldDir, oldCfg := BASE, PRJ, DIR, cfg
+	t.Cleanup(func() { BASE, PRJ, DIR, cfg = oldBase, oldPrj, oldDir, oldCfg })
+
+	BASE, PRJ, DIR = base, name, dir
+	cfg = Config{
+		Base: base, GitHost: "git.example", GitPort: "22",
+		GitUser: "git", GitPath: "/home/git",
+	}
+	return dir
+}
+
+// findCmd returns the first recorded command containing sub, or "".
+func findCmd(sent []string, sub string) string {
+	for _, c := range sent {
+		if strings.Contains(c, sub) {
+			return c
+		}
+	}
+	return ""
+}
+
+// TestInitKeepsServerRepoWhenDeclined is the regression test for the worst bug
+// in this command set: `init` used the *local* remote.origin.url to decide
+// whether a server repository existed, so an unlinked project directory made it
+// skip the prompt and wipe the remote history.
+func TestInitKeepsServerRepoWhenDeclined(t *testing.T) {
+	useProject(t, "notes") // deliberately no .git, so there is no local origin
+	sent := fakeServer(t, func(cmd string) (string, error) {
+		if strings.HasPrefix(cmd, "/bin/ls") {
+			return "notes.git\nother.git\n", nil // the repo DOES exist there
+		}
+		return "", nil
+	})
+	asked := fakeAnswers(t, false) // ... and the user declines
+
+	runCommand("init")
+
+	if len(*asked) == 0 {
+		t.Fatal("init did not ask before overwriting an existing server repository")
+	}
+	if c := findCmd(*sent, "rm -rf"); c != "" {
+		t.Fatalf("init destroyed the server repository after the user declined: %q", c)
+	}
+	if c := findCmd(*sent, "git --bare init"); c != "" {
+		t.Fatalf("init re-created the repository after the user declined: %q", c)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestInitAbortsWhenServerUnreachable: an unreachable server must not be read
+// as "no repository there" — that would turn a network glitch into data loss.
+func TestInitAbortsWhenServerUnreachable(t *testing.T) {
+	useProject(t, "notes")
+	sent := fakeServer(t, func(cmd string) (string, error) {
+		return "", errors.New("ssh: connect to host git.example port 22: Network is unreachable")
+	})
+	asked := fakeAnswers(t, true) // even a "yes" must not get that far
+
+	runCommand("init")
+
+	if c := findCmd(*sent, "rm -rf"); c != "" {
+		t.Fatalf("init sent %q although the server could not be listed", c)
+	}
+	if len(*asked) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("init asked %q despite not knowing the server state", (*asked)[0])
+	}
+}
+
+// TestInitOnFreshProjectCreatesRepo: with nothing on the server, `init` goes
+// ahead without asking and builds the bare repository at the configured path.
+func TestInitOnFreshProjectCreatesRepo(t *testing.T) {
+	useProject(t, "notes")
+	sent := fakeServer(t, func(cmd string) (string, error) {
+		if strings.HasPrefix(cmd, "/bin/ls") {
+			return "other.git\n", nil // notes.git is not there
+		}
+		return "", nil
+	})
+	asked := fakeAnswers(t, false)
+
+	runCommand("init")
+
+	for _, prompt := range *asked {
+		if strings.Contains(prompt, "overwrite existing repository") {
+			t.Errorf("init asked about overwriting although nothing was there: %q", prompt)
+		}
+	}
+	if findCmd(*sent, "rm -rf "+shq("/home/git/notes.git")) == "" {
+		t.Errorf("init did not clear the target path, sent: %q", *sent)
+	}
+	if c := findCmd(*sent, "git --bare init"); !strings.Contains(c, shq("/home/git/notes.git")) {
+		t.Errorf("init did not create the bare repository at the configured path: %q", c)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestRemoteCommandsQuoteProjectNames covers the injection the review found: a
+// project name reaches the server inside a single shell string, so a space
+// turns one path into two arguments and a backtick runs on the server.
+func TestRemoteCommandsQuoteProjectNames(t *testing.T) {
+	const evil = "my 'weird' project"
+	useProject(t, evil)
+	sent := fakeServer(t, func(cmd string) (string, error) {
+		if strings.HasPrefix(cmd, "/bin/ls") {
+			return evil + ".git\n", nil
+		}
+		return "", nil
+	})
+	fakeAnswers(t, true) // confirm the overwrite
+
+	runCommand("init")
+	runCommand("push")
+	runCommand("archive")
+
+	if len(*sent) == 0 {
+		t.Fatal("no remote commands recorded")
+	}
+	for _, c := range *sent {
+		// the bare name must never appear outside single quotes: every
+		// occurrence has to be preceded by the quote shq() adds
+		for _, idx := range indexesOf(c, evil) {
+			if idx == 0 || c[idx-1] != '\'' {
+				t.Errorf("unquoted project name in remote command: %q", c)
+				break
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	// spot-check the destructive one in full
+	want := "rm -rf " + shq("/home/git/"+evil+".git")
+	if findCmd(*sent, want) == "" {
+		t.Errorf("expected %q among the sent commands, got %q", want, *sent)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestArchiveRequiresServerRepo: `archive` copies the server-side repository,
+// so a project that was never pushed must produce a clear message rather than a
+// raw `cp -r` failure.
+func TestArchiveRequiresServerRepo(t *testing.T) {
+	useProject(t, "notes")
+	sent := fakeServer(t, func(cmd string) (string, error) {
+		return "", nil // empty server
+	})
+
+	runCommand("archive")
+
+	if c := findCmd(*sent, "cp -r"); c != "" {
+		t.Errorf("archive copied although the server has no such repository: %q", c)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestArchiveNamesAndQuotesSnapshot checks the snapshot pipeline end to end:
+// the three remote commands, their order, and their quoting.
+func TestArchiveNamesAndQuotesSnapshot(t *testing.T) {
+	useProject(t, "notes")
+	sent := fakeServer(t, func(cmd string) (string, error) {
+		if strings.HasPrefix(cmd, "/bin/ls") {
+			return "notes.git\n", nil
+		}
+		return "", nil
+	})
+
+	runCommand("archive before rewrite")
+
+	if len(*sent) != 4 { // ls, cp, tar, rm
+		t.Fatalf("expected 4 remote commands, got %d: %q", len(*sent), *sent)
+	}
+	cp, tar, rm := (*sent)[1], (*sent)[2], (*sent)[3]
+
+	// name is <project>_<stamp>_<sanitised comment>
+	stamp := archiveStamp()
+	name := "notes_" + stamp + "_before_rewrite"
+	if !strings.HasPrefix(cp, "cp -r "+shq("notes.git")+" ") {
+		t.Errorf("cp command = %q", cp)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(cp, shq("archive/"+name+".git")) {
+		t.Errorf("cp target = %q, want it to contain %q", cp, name)
+	}
+	// `cd archive && tar`, not `cd archive;tar`: a failed cd must not let tar
+	// run in the login directory
+	if !strings.HasPrefix(tar, "cd archive && tar ") || !strings.Contains(tar, shq(name+".git.tar.gz")) {
+		t.Errorf("tar command = %q", tar)
+	}
+	if rm != "rm -rf "+shq("archive/"+name+".git") {
+		t.Errorf("cleanup command = %q", rm)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestCloneRefusesUnknownRepository: `clone` must not start a git clone for a
+// repository the server does not list.
+func TestCloneRefusesUnknownRepository(t *testing.T) {
+	useProject(t, "notes")
+	PRJ = ""
+	sent := fakeServer(t, func(cmd string) (string, error) {
+		return "other.git\n", nil
+	})
+
+	runCommand("clone notes")
+
+	if len(*sent) != 1 || !strings.HasPrefix((*sent)[0], "/bin/ls") {
+		t.Errorf("clone did more than look: %q", *sent)
+	}
+	if PRJ != "" {
+		t.Errorf("clone selected %q although nothing was cloned", PRJ)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestPushCommitsAndTouchesServerRepo drives the whole `push` sequence against
+// a real local bare repository: stage, commit, push, then bump the mtime of the
+// server-side repository so `list` can sort by last activity. The project name
+// contains a space, so the touch also has to be quoted.
+func TestPushCommitsAndTouchesServerRepo(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := useProject(t, "my project")
+	bare := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "origin.git")
+	mustGit(t, "", "init", "--bare", "-q", bare)
+	mustGit(t, dir, "init", "-q")
+	mustGit(t, dir, "config", "user.name", "t")
+	mustGit(t, dir, "config", "user.email", "t@e")
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(dir, "a.txt"), []byte("hi\n"), 0644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	mustGit(t, dir, "add", ".")
+	mustGit(t, dir, "commit", "-q", "-m", "first")
+	mustGit(t, dir, "remote", "add", "origin", bare)
+	mustGit(t, dir, "push", "-q", "-u", "origin", "HEAD")
+
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(dir, "b.txt"), []byte("more\n"), 0644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	sent := fakeServer(t, nil)
+
+	runCommand("push a second file")
+
+	want := "touch " + shq("/home/git/my project.git")
+	if findCmd(*sent, want) == "" {
+		t.Fatalf("expected %q among the sent commands, got %q", want, *sent)
+	}
+	// the new file really made it into the bare repository, with the
+	// "[user@host] comment" message mgsh builds
+	out, err := gitCapture(bare, "log", "-1", "--format=%s")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if subj := strings.TrimSpace(out); !strings.HasSuffix(subj, "] a second file") {
+		t.Errorf("commit subject = %q, want it to end in %q", subj, "] a second file")
+	}
+	if files, err := gitCapture(bare, "ls-tree", "--name-only", "HEAD"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	} else if !strings.Contains(files, "b.txt") {
+		t.Errorf("pushed tree = %q, want it to contain b.txt", files)
+	}
+}
+
+// indexesOf returns every start index of sub in s.
+func indexesOf(s, sub string) []int {
+	var out []int
+	for i := 0; ; {
+		j := strings.Index(s[i:], sub)
+		if j < 0 {
+			return out
+		}
+		out = append(out, i+j)
+		i += j + 1
+	}
+}
+
+// mustGit runs a git command in dir, failing the test on error.
+func mustGit(t *testing.T, dir string, args ...string) {
+	t.Helper()
+	out, err := exec.Command("git", append([]string{"-C", dir}, args...)...).CombinedOutput()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("git %v: %v\n%s", args, err, out)
+	}
+}