diff --git a/frontend/app/store/wshrpc.ts b/frontend/app/store/wshrpc.ts
index 32be95b00..653820f07 100644
--- a/frontend/app/store/wshrpc.ts
+++ b/frontend/app/store/wshrpc.ts
@@ -103,6 +103,14 @@ function handleIncomingRpcMessage(msg: RpcMessage, eventHandlerFn: (event: WaveE
             }
             return;
         }
+        if (msg.command == "message") {
+            if (msg.data?.oref != null) {
+                console.log("rpc:message", msg.data?.oref, msg.data?.message);
+            } else {
+                console.log("rpc:message", msg.data?.message);
+            }
+            return;
+        }
 
         console.log("rpc command not supported", msg);
         return;
diff --git a/frontend/app/store/wshserver.ts b/frontend/app/store/wshserver.ts
index c27e5d777..63d57113c 100644
--- a/frontend/app/store/wshserver.ts
+++ b/frontend/app/store/wshserver.ts
@@ -107,6 +107,11 @@ class WshServerType {
         return WOS.wshServerRpcHelper_call("remotefileinfo", data, opts);
     }
 
+    // command "remotefilejoin" [call]
+    RemoteFileJoinCommand(data: string[], opts?: RpcOpts): Promise<FileInfo> {
+        return WOS.wshServerRpcHelper_call("remotefilejoin", data, opts);
+    }
+
     // command "remotestreamcpudata" [responsestream]
 	RemoteStreamCpuDataCommand(opts?: RpcOpts): AsyncGenerator<TimeSeriesData, void, boolean> {
         return WOS.wshServerRpcHelper_responsestream("remotestreamcpudata", null, opts);
diff --git a/frontend/app/view/preview/preview.tsx b/frontend/app/view/preview/preview.tsx
index 45682114e..ee979b34a 100644
--- a/frontend/app/view/preview/preview.tsx
+++ b/frontend/app/view/preview/preview.tsx
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 import { TypeAheadModal } from "@/app/modals/typeaheadmodal";
 import { ContextMenuModel } from "@/app/store/contextmenu";
 import { tryReinjectKey } from "@/app/store/keymodel";
+import { WshServer } from "@/app/store/wshserver";
 import { Markdown } from "@/element/markdown";
 import { NodeModel } from "@/layout/index";
 import { createBlock, globalStore, refocusNode } from "@/store/global";
@@ -42,6 +43,13 @@ const SpecializedViewMap: { [view: string]: ({ model }: SpecializedViewProps) =>
     directory: DirectoryPreview,
 };
 
+function makeConnRoute(conn: string): string {
+    if (util.isBlank(conn)) {
+        return "conn:local";
+    }
+    return "conn:" + conn;
+}
+
 function isTextFile(mimeType: string): boolean {
     if (mimeType == null) {
         return false;
@@ -484,13 +492,18 @@ export class PreviewModel implements ViewModel {
             this.updateOpenFileModalAndError(false);
             return true;
         }
-        const newPath = fileInfo.dir + "/" + filePath;
-        const conn = globalStore.get(this.connection) ?? "";
-        const newFileInfo = await services.FileService.StatFile(conn, newPath);
-        this.updateOpenFileModalAndError(false);
-        this.goHistory(newFileInfo.path);
-        refocusNode(this.blockId);
-        return true;
+        const conn = globalStore.get(this.connection);
+        try {
+            const newFileInfo = await WshServer.RemoteFileJoinCommand([fileInfo.dir, filePath], {
+                route: makeConnRoute(conn),
+            });
+            this.updateOpenFileModalAndError(false);
+            this.goHistory(newFileInfo.path);
+            refocusNode(this.blockId);
+        } catch (e) {
+            globalStore.set(this.openFileError, e.message);
+            console.error("Error opening file", fileInfo.dir, filePath, e);
+        }
     }
 
     isSpecializedView(sv: string): boolean {
diff --git a/pkg/wshrpc/wshclient/wshclient.go b/pkg/wshrpc/wshclient/wshclient.go
index b2adb1401..cfc65028d 100644
--- a/pkg/wshrpc/wshclient/wshclient.go
+++ b/pkg/wshrpc/wshclient/wshclient.go
@@ -132,6 +132,12 @@ func RemoteFileInfoCommand(w *wshutil.WshRpc, data string, opts *wshrpc.RpcOpts)
 	return resp, err
 }
 
+// command "remotefilejoin", wshserver.RemoteFileJoinCommand
+func RemoteFileJoinCommand(w *wshutil.WshRpc, data []string, opts *wshrpc.RpcOpts) (*wshrpc.FileInfo, error) {
+	resp, err := sendRpcRequestCallHelper[*wshrpc.FileInfo](w, "remotefilejoin", data, opts)
+	return resp, err
+}
+
 // command "remotestreamcpudata", wshserver.RemoteStreamCpuDataCommand
 func RemoteStreamCpuDataCommand(w *wshutil.WshRpc, opts *wshrpc.RpcOpts) chan wshrpc.RespOrErrorUnion[wshrpc.TimeSeriesData] {
 	return sendRpcRequestResponseStreamHelper[wshrpc.TimeSeriesData](w, "remotestreamcpudata", nil, opts)
diff --git a/pkg/wshrpc/wshremote/wshremote.go b/pkg/wshrpc/wshremote/wshremote.go
index e02baa97e..28c6a6280 100644
--- a/pkg/wshrpc/wshremote/wshremote.go
+++ b/pkg/wshrpc/wshremote/wshremote.go
@@ -279,6 +279,27 @@ func (*ServerImpl) fileInfoInternal(path string, extended bool) (*wshrpc.FileInf
 	return rtn, nil
 }
 
+func resolvePaths(paths []string) string {
+	if len(paths) == 0 {
+		return wavebase.ExpandHomeDir("~")
+	}
+	var rtnPath = wavebase.ExpandHomeDir(paths[0])
+	for _, path := range paths[1:] {
+		path = wavebase.ExpandHomeDir(path)
+		if filepath.IsAbs(path) {
+			rtnPath = path
+			continue
+		}
+		rtnPath = filepath.Join(rtnPath, path)
+	}
+	return rtnPath
+}
+
+func (impl *ServerImpl) RemoteFileJoinCommand(ctx context.Context, paths []string) (*wshrpc.FileInfo, error) {
+	rtnPath := resolvePaths(paths)
+	return impl.fileInfoInternal(rtnPath, true)
+}
+
 func (impl *ServerImpl) RemoteFileInfoCommand(ctx context.Context, path string) (*wshrpc.FileInfo, error) {
 	return impl.fileInfoInternal(path, true)
 }
diff --git a/pkg/wshrpc/wshrpctypes.go b/pkg/wshrpc/wshrpctypes.go
index b26b8723b..4c780c4d3 100644
--- a/pkg/wshrpc/wshrpctypes.go
+++ b/pkg/wshrpc/wshrpctypes.go
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ const (
 	Command_RemoteFileInfo    = "remotefileinfo"
 	Command_RemoteWriteFile   = "remotewritefile"
 	Command_RemoteFileDelete  = "remotefiledelete"
+	Command_RemoteFileJoiin   = "remotefilejoin"
 )
 
 type RespOrErrorUnion[T any] struct {
@@ -105,6 +106,7 @@ type WshRpcInterface interface {
 	RemoteFileInfoCommand(ctx context.Context, path string) (*FileInfo, error)
 	RemoteFileDeleteCommand(ctx context.Context, path string) error
 	RemoteWriteFileCommand(ctx context.Context, data CommandRemoteWriteFileData) error
+	RemoteFileJoinCommand(ctx context.Context, paths []string) (*FileInfo, error)
 	RemoteStreamCpuDataCommand(ctx context.Context) chan RespOrErrorUnion[TimeSeriesData]
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/wshutil/wshrouter.go b/pkg/wshutil/wshrouter.go
index ccb849451..af5a5ef03 100644
--- a/pkg/wshutil/wshrouter.go
+++ b/pkg/wshutil/wshrouter.go
@@ -111,12 +111,11 @@ func (router *WshRouter) handleNoRoute(msg RpcMessage) {
 	}
 	// send error response
 	response := RpcMessage{
-		Route: msg.Source,
 		ResId: msg.ReqId,
 		Error: nrErr.Error(),
 	}
 	respBytes, _ := json.Marshal(response)
-	router.InputCh <- msgAndRoute{msgBytes: respBytes, fromRouteId: SysRoute}
+	router.sendRoutedMessage(respBytes, msg.Source)
 }
 
 func (router *WshRouter) registerRouteInfo(rpcId string, sourceRouteId string, destRouteId string) {