diff --git a/external/README.md b/external/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c4ed0b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/external/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+this folder contains the things that external people can access via ssh: join@tilde.town, welcome@tilde.town, and help@tilde.town
diff --git a/cmd/help/README.md b/external/cmd/help/README.md
similarity index 100%
rename from cmd/help/README.md
rename to external/cmd/help/README.md
diff --git a/cmd/help/email.go b/external/cmd/help/email.go
similarity index 100%
rename from cmd/help/email.go
rename to external/cmd/help/email.go
diff --git a/external/cmd/help/help b/external/cmd/help/help
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..9912b03
Binary files /dev/null and b/external/cmd/help/help differ
diff --git a/cmd/help/main.go b/external/cmd/help/main.go
similarity index 100%
rename from cmd/help/main.go
rename to external/cmd/help/main.go
diff --git a/external/cmd/helpers/appendkeyfile/appendkeyfile b/external/cmd/helpers/appendkeyfile/appendkeyfile
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..926d4d3
Binary files /dev/null and b/external/cmd/helpers/appendkeyfile/appendkeyfile differ
diff --git a/cmd/appendkeyfile/main.go b/external/cmd/helpers/appendkeyfile/main.go
similarity index 100%
rename from cmd/appendkeyfile/main.go
rename to external/cmd/helpers/appendkeyfile/main.go
diff --git a/external/cmd/helpers/createkeyfile/createkeyfile b/external/cmd/helpers/createkeyfile/createkeyfile
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..d5fdbf5
Binary files /dev/null and b/external/cmd/helpers/createkeyfile/createkeyfile differ
diff --git a/cmd/createkeyfile/main.go b/external/cmd/helpers/createkeyfile/main.go
similarity index 100%
rename from cmd/createkeyfile/main.go
rename to external/cmd/helpers/createkeyfile/main.go
diff --git a/external/cmd/helpers/emailtouser/emailtouser b/external/cmd/helpers/emailtouser/emailtouser
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..9d243ce
Binary files /dev/null and b/external/cmd/helpers/emailtouser/emailtouser differ
diff --git a/cmd/emailtouser/main.go b/external/cmd/helpers/emailtouser/main.go
similarity index 100%
rename from cmd/emailtouser/main.go
rename to external/cmd/helpers/emailtouser/main.go
diff --git a/cmd/registeruser/main.go b/external/cmd/helpers/registeruser/main.go
similarity index 100%
rename from cmd/registeruser/main.go
rename to external/cmd/helpers/registeruser/main.go
diff --git a/external/cmd/helpers/registeruser/registeruser b/external/cmd/helpers/registeruser/registeruser
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..b23402a
Binary files /dev/null and b/external/cmd/helpers/registeruser/registeruser differ
diff --git a/cmd/signup/README.md b/external/cmd/signup/README.md
similarity index 100%
rename from cmd/signup/README.md
rename to external/cmd/signup/README.md
diff --git a/cmd/signup/main.go b/external/cmd/signup/main.go
similarity index 100%
rename from cmd/signup/main.go
rename to external/cmd/signup/main.go
diff --git a/external/cmd/signup/signup b/external/cmd/signup/signup
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..2fdfd3b
Binary files /dev/null and b/external/cmd/signup/signup differ
diff --git a/cmd/signup/thoughts.md b/external/cmd/signup/thoughts.md
similarity index 100%
rename from cmd/signup/thoughts.md
rename to external/cmd/signup/thoughts.md
diff --git a/cmd/welcome/README.md b/external/cmd/welcome/README.md
similarity index 100%
rename from cmd/welcome/README.md
rename to external/cmd/welcome/README.md
diff --git a/cmd/welcome/form.go b/external/cmd/welcome/form.go
similarity index 100%
rename from cmd/welcome/form.go
rename to external/cmd/welcome/form.go
diff --git a/cmd/welcome/main.go b/external/cmd/welcome/main.go
similarity index 100%
rename from cmd/welcome/main.go
rename to external/cmd/welcome/main.go
diff --git a/external/cmd/welcome/welcome b/external/cmd/welcome/welcome
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..e031aa4
Binary files /dev/null and b/external/cmd/welcome/welcome differ
diff --git a/cmd/welcome/welcome.txt b/external/cmd/welcome/welcome.txt
similarity index 100%
rename from cmd/welcome/welcome.txt
rename to external/cmd/welcome/welcome.txt
diff --git a/external/lockingwriter/logger.go b/external/lockingwriter/logger.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ee87559
--- /dev/null
+++ b/external/lockingwriter/logger.go
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+package lockingwriter
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/gofrs/flock"
+)
+
+// for now this package defines a writer for use with log.New(). It it intended to be used from the external ssh applications. This logger uses a file lock to allow all the various ssh applications to log to the same file.
+
+type LockingWriter struct {
+	path string
+}
+
+const fp = "/town/var/log/external.log"
+
+func NewLockingWriter() *LockingWriter {
+	f, err := os.Create(fp)
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+	defer f.Close()
+
+	return &LockingWriter{
+		path: fp,
+	}
+}
+
+func (l *LockingWriter) Write(p []byte) (n int, err error) {
+	fl := flock.New(l.path)
+
+	var locked bool
+	for !locked {
+		locked, err = fl.TryLock()
+		if err != nil {
+			return
+		}
+		time.Sleep(time.Second)
+	}
+	var f *os.File
+	f, err = os.OpenFile(l.path, os.O_APPEND|os.O_WRONLY, 0600)
+	if err != nil {
+		return
+	}
+
+	defer f.Close()
+	defer fl.Unlock()
+
+	return f.Write(p)
+}
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index a175d22..fad1bb5 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/charmbracelet/glamour v0.5.0
 	github.com/charmbracelet/lipgloss v0.6.0
 	github.com/gdamore/tcell/v2 v2.5.3
+	github.com/gofrs/flock v0.8.1
 	github.com/mattn/go-sqlite3 v1.14.16
 	github.com/mattn/go-tty v0.0.5
 	github.com/rivo/tview v0.0.0-20230130130022-4a1b7a76c01c
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index 5ee8fbd..e946d2b 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@ github.com/gdamore/encoding v1.0.0 h1:+7OoQ1Bc6eTm5niUzBa0Ctsh6JbMW6Ra+YNuAtDBdk
 github.com/gdamore/encoding v1.0.0/go.mod h1:alR0ol34c49FCSBLjhosxzcPHQbf2trDkoo5dl+VrEg=
 github.com/gdamore/tcell/v2 v2.5.3 h1:b9XQrT6QGbgI7JvZOJXFNczOQeIYbo8BfeSMzt2sAV0=
 github.com/gdamore/tcell/v2 v2.5.3/go.mod h1:wSkrPaXoiIWZqW/g7Px4xc79di6FTcpB8tvaKJ6uGBo=
+github.com/gofrs/flock v0.8.1 h1:+gYjHKf32LDeiEEFhQaotPbLuUXjY5ZqxKgXy7n59aw=
+github.com/gofrs/flock v0.8.1/go.mod h1:F1TvTiK9OcQqauNUHlbJvyl9Qa1QvF/gOUDKA14jxHU=
 github.com/gorilla/css v1.0.0 h1:BQqNyPTi50JCFMTw/b67hByjMVXZRwGha6wxVGkeihY=
 github.com/gorilla/css v1.0.0/go.mod h1:Dn721qIggHpt4+EFCcTLTU/vk5ySda2ReITrtgBl60c=
 github.com/hinshun/vt10x v0.0.0-20220119200601-820417d04eec h1:qv2VnGeEQHchGaZ/u7lxST/RaJw+cv273q79D81Xbog=