Can't scp files with long/weird filenames: Invalid argument

Question

When I try to use scp to copy files with long filenames and containing non-alphanumeric characters, I get

scp: open local "[some capricious filename]": Invalid argument

I can copy them some places, but I can't copy them onto a USB thumb drive.

Why can I copy some files some places and not others?

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Aug 23 '23 at 10:42

The problem is that the USB thumb drive is formatted with a FAT file system that can't handle these file names. They're legal in a modern file system, but illegal in file systems that are commonly used for USB sticks. Scp tries to open the file for writing and the OS complains.

Can't scp files with long/weird filenames: Invalid argument

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