MCP SSH Agent

Name: MCP SSH Agent
Author: AiondaDotCom

@AiondaDotCom

Repository

About MCP SSH Agent

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for managing and controlling SSH connections.

#linux #ssh #mcp

Basic information

Config

Add this server to your MCP-compatible client using the configuration below.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-ssh": {
      "command": "/path/mcp-ssh/start.sh"
    }
  }
}

Tools

Returns a consolidated list of all known SSH hosts, prioritizing ~/.ssh/config entries first, then additional hosts from ~/.ssh/known_hosts

Executes a shell command on an SSH host

Returns all configuration details for an SSH host

Checks if an SSH connection to the host is possible

Uploads a local file to an SSH host

Downloads a file from an SSH host

Executes multiple shell commands sequentially on an SSH host

Overview

What is MCP SSH Agent?

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for managing and controlling SSH connections. It integrates seamlessly with Claude Desktop and other MCP-compatible clients to provide AI-powered SSH operations, automatically discovering hosts from ~/.ssh/config and ~/.ssh/known_hosts and executing commands using native SSH tools.

How to use MCP SSH Agent?

Install via the Desktop Extension (.dxt) file by double-clicking it, or run npx @aiondadotcom/mcp-ssh after adding the server configuration to Claude Desktop’s MCP settings file (e.g., ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json). Once configured, ask Claude to perform SSH tasks like listing hosts, running commands, or transferring files.

Key features of MCP SSH Agent

Uses native ssh/scp commands for reliability
Automatic host discovery from SSH config and known_hosts
Supports SSH agents, keys, and all authentication methods
Password authentication via @password annotation (local only)
File upload and download operations
Batch command execution with error handling and timeouts

Use cases of MCP SSH Agent

List all configured SSH hosts and their details
Check SSH connectivity to a remote server
Execute remote commands or run multiple commands sequentially
Upload or download files to/from remote hosts
Manage servers with jump hosts, custom ports, and different authentication methods

FAQ from MCP SSH Agent

What are the runtime requirements?

Node.js 20 or higher, plus an SSH client with ssh and scp commands available on the system.

How does password authentication work?

Store passwords in ~/.ssh/config using # @password:yourPassword annotations. The password is read locally by the MCP server and never sent to the AI model or any cloud provider. The SSH config file must have 600 permissions.

Does it support SSH Include directives?

Yes. The MCP SSH Agent correctly processes Include directives regardless of their placement, whereas SSH itself has a bug requiring them at the beginning of the file.

What transport protocol does the server use?

The server communicates over STDIO using clean JSON messages, making it compatible with MCP clients like Claude Desktop.

What authentication methods are supported?

All standard SSH authentication methods: keys, SSH agent, and password-based login (including key passphrases) stored in the config file.

Comments

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