diff --git a/backend/src/terminal/sftp.gateway.ts b/backend/src/terminal/sftp.gateway.ts
index 52bac06..c6115ac 100644
--- a/backend/src/terminal/sftp.gateway.ts
+++ b/backend/src/terminal/sftp.gateway.ts
@@ -39,11 +39,30 @@ export class SftpGateway {
       return this.send(client, { type: 'error', message: 'sessionId required' });
     }
 
-    const sftp = await this.ssh.getSftpChannel(sessionId);
+    this.logger.log(`[SFTP] Getting SFTP channel for session ${sessionId}...`);
+    let sftp: any;
+    try {
+      sftp = await this.ssh.getSftpChannel(sessionId);
+      this.logger.log(`[SFTP] Got SFTP channel OK — type: ${typeof sftp}, constructor: ${sftp?.constructor?.name}`);
+    } catch (err: any) {
+      this.logger.error(`[SFTP] Failed to get SFTP channel: ${err.message}`);
+      return this.send(client, { type: 'error', message: `SFTP channel failed: ${err.message}` });
+    }
+
+    // Listen for SFTP channel errors
+    sftp.on('error', (err: any) => {
+      this.logger.error(`[SFTP] Channel error event: ${err.message}`);
+    });
+    sftp.on('close', () => {
+      this.logger.warn(`[SFTP] Channel closed`);
+    });
 
     switch (msg.type) {
       case 'list': {
-        sftp.readdir(msg.path, (err: any, list: any[]) => {
+        this.logger.log(`[SFTP] readdir starting for path: "${msg.path}"`);
+        try {
+          sftp.readdir(msg.path, (err: any, list: any[]) => {
+            this.logger.log(`[SFTP] readdir callback fired, err=${err?.message || 'null'}, entries=${list?.length || 0}`);
           if (err) return this.send(client, { type: 'error', message: err.message });
           const entries = list.map((f: any) => ({
             name: f.filename,
@@ -53,8 +72,13 @@ export class SftpGateway {
             permissions: (f.attrs.mode & 0o7777).toString(8),
             modified: new Date(f.attrs.mtime * 1000).toISOString(),
           }));
+          this.logger.log(`[SFTP] Sending list response with ${entries.length} entries, client.readyState=${client.readyState}`);
           this.send(client, { type: 'list', path: msg.path, entries });
-        });
+          });
+        } catch (syncErr: any) {
+          this.logger.error(`[SFTP] readdir threw synchronously: ${syncErr.message}`);
+          this.send(client, { type: 'error', message: syncErr.message });
+        }
         break;
       }
       case 'read': {
diff --git a/backend/src/terminal/ssh-connection.service.ts b/backend/src/terminal/ssh-connection.service.ts
index 1867772..2cb391d 100644
--- a/backend/src/terminal/ssh-connection.service.ts
+++ b/backend/src/terminal/ssh-connection.service.ts
@@ -171,11 +171,20 @@ export class SshConnectionService {
   }
 
   getSftpChannel(sessionId: string): Promise<any> {
+    const logger = this.logger;
     return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
       const session = this.sessions.get(sessionId);
-      if (!session) return reject(new Error('Session not found'));
+      if (!session) {
+        logger.error(`[SFTP] Session ${sessionId} not found in sessions map (${this.sessions.size} active sessions)`);
+        return reject(new Error('Session not found'));
+      }
+      logger.log(`[SFTP] Requesting SFTP subsystem on session ${sessionId}, client connected: ${(session.client as any)._sock?.readable ?? 'unknown'}`);
       session.client.sftp((err, sftp) => {
-        if (err) return reject(err);
+        if (err) {
+          logger.error(`[SFTP] client.sftp() callback error: ${err.message}`);
+          return reject(err);
+        }
+        logger.log(`[SFTP] SFTP subsystem opened successfully for session ${sessionId}`);
         resolve(sftp);
       });
     });