diff --git a/navigator/components/NavFile.js b/navigator/components/NavFile.js
index c40ecbb..e7a9d5a 100644
--- a/navigator/components/NavFile.js
+++ b/navigator/components/NavFile.js
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 import { NavEntry } from "./NavEntry.js";
 import { NavDownloader } from "./NavDownloader.js";
 import { NavWindow } from "./NavWindow.js";
-import { property_entry_html } from "../functions.js";
+import { property_entry_html, simple_spawn } from "../functions.js";
 
 export class NavFile extends NavEntry {
 	/**
@@ -128,12 +128,9 @@ export class NavFile extends NavEntry {
 	async write_to_file() {
 		var new_contents = document.getElementById("nav-edit-contents-textarea").value;
 		try {
-			if (new_contents.length)
-				await cockpit.file(this.path_str(), {superuser: "try"}).replace(new_contents);
-			else
-				await cockpit.script("echo -n > $1", [this.path_str()], {superuser: "try"});
+			await simple_spawn(["/usr/share/cockpit/navigator/scripts/write-to-file.py3", this.path_str()], new_contents);
 		} catch (e) {
-			this.nav_window_ref.modal_prompt.alert(e.message);
+			this.nav_window_ref.modal_prompt.alert(e);
 		}
 		this.nav_window_ref.refresh();
 		this.hide_edit_file_contents();
@@ -229,9 +226,9 @@ export class NavFileLink extends NavFile{
 		var target_path = this.get_link_target_path();
 		var new_contents = document.getElementById("nav-edit-contents-textarea").value;
 		try {
-			await cockpit.file(target_path, {superuser: "try"}).replace(new_contents);
+			await simple_spawn(["/usr/share/cockpit/navigator/scripts/write-to-file.py3", target_path], new_contents);
 		} catch (e) {
-			this.nav_window_ref.modal_prompt.alert(e.message);
+			this.nav_window_ref.modal_prompt.alert(e);
 		}
 		this.nav_window_ref.refresh();
 		this.hide_edit_file_contents();