The error read:
Couldn't display "sftp://user@hostname/public_html/path".
Error: DBus error org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.NoReply: Did not receive a reply. Possible causes include: the remote application did not send a reply, the message bus security policy blocked the reply, the reply timeout expired, or the network connection was broken.
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I have seen other posts on this issue- like this one - which people suggest to delete ~/.ssh/known_hosts and files in ~/.nautilus/metafiles then log out and log in.

This does fix it - but I can't be constantly logging in and out when i'm at work.

It usually disconnect/times out when I leave the nautilus window open for a period of time. I often need to work straight off the web server so it would be ideal to be able to stay open for long periods of time.

I tried to open it and get a file then close it and work on the file then save it to the webserver - but even doing that doesn't fix the issue.

The server was added using 'Places' > 'Connect to Server...'. When I open it in nautilus the Location bar reads: 'sftp://username@serveraddress/path'.

I have tried using IP addresses and putting the server name in my hosts file - to prevent DNS issues - but with no avail. ssh works fine using the terminal - but the seemless ssh connections was what attracted me to linux in the first place. In older versions (im not sure which one) I could stay connected to an ftp in nautilus for a full day - editing files directly off the web server.

Thanks in advance.

-Jamie