MCP Server SSH Client

What is MCP Server SSH Client?

A Model Context Protocol Server that acts as a remote SSH client, connecting to MCP servers over SSH. It enables accessing and utilizing MCP tools hosted on remote servers through a secure, encrypted channel.

How to use MCP Server SSH Client?

Install via uv add m2m-mcp-server-ssh-client or pip install m2m-mcp-server-ssh-client. Run with uv run m2m-mcp-server-ssh-client or uvx m2m-mcp-server-ssh-client along with command-line options such as --host, --port, --username, --client-key, --known-hosts, --passphrase, --disable-host-key-checking, --log-level, and --use-key-server. Integration examples for Claude Desktop and MCP Inspector are provided.

Key features of MCP Server SSH Client

• Connect to any MCP server over SSH.
• Proxy all MCP protocol commands through a secure SSH channel.
• Support for key-based authentication.
• Support for MCP capabilities including tools, prompts, and resources.

Use cases of MCP Server SSH Client

• Quick start with a public demo server featuring HackerNews, MLB Stats, and Formula 1 API tools.
• Local development testing with your own MCP tools.
• Remote server connection using existing SSH keys or a key server for automatic key exchange.

FAQ from MCP Server SSH Client

How do I connect to the public demo server?

Add the following to your Claude Desktop settings: "command": "uvx", "args": ["m2m-mcp-server-ssh-client", "--host", "mcp-beta.machinetomachine.ai", "--port", "8022", "--use-key-server"]. Or run directly: uv run m2m-mcp-server-ssh-client --host mcp-beta.machinetomachine.ai --use-key-server.

How does the key server integration work?

The client fetches the server's public key from http://host:key-server-port/server_pub_key, registers its own public key at http://host:key-server-port/register, and creates a temporary known_hosts file for the SSH connection. This feature is mutually exclusive with --known-hosts and --disable-host-key-checking.

What are the security considerations?

Always use host key verification in production. Use passphrase-protected SSH keys and dedicated keys for MCP connections. Set file permissions to 600 for SSH key files and use a dedicated, limited-privilege user on the remote server.

How can I troubleshoot common issues?

For connection refused, verify host/port and that the SSH service is running. For authentication failure, check the key file path and ensure the remote server has your public key. For host key verification failed, either add the host key to known_hosts or use --disable-host-key-checking (testing only).

What are the dependencies of MCP Server SSH Client?

The runtime dependencies are anyio (>=4.5.0), asyncssh (>=2.20.0), mcp (>=1.1.3), and pydantic (>=2.0.0).