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SSH MCP Server

Runs guarded commands, transfers files, reads logs, and performs health checks on remote machines through SSH.

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Install SSH MCP Server

Pick your client, then add it in one click or paste the config.

STDIONode.js
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ssh-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@hypnosis/ssh-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SSH_PROFILES_FILE": "YOUR_VALUE_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Settings → Developer → Edit Config, merge this into mcpServers, then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop.

Values are written into the snippet above so you can paste it as is. They never leave your browser.

Automated check passed— started and listed 18 tools correctly (2d ago).

Overview

SSH MCP Server MCP server gives AI agents structured access to remote machines through the OpenSSH client already installed on the host. It supports command execution, file operations, background jobs, logs, service checks, audits, TLS checks, disk analysis, and connection management across cloud servers, routers, NAS devices, and other SSH hosts. Reach for it when an agent needs repeatable server inspection or maintenance without exposing an unrestricted raw shell.

Use cases

  • Inspect a remote server after a deployment
  • Transfer application files to an SSH host
  • Search service or container logs
  • Audit system resources and services
  • Track a detached maintenance command

Key features

  • Guarded remote command execution
  • Binary-safe file and directory transfer
  • Background job tracking and control
  • Structured logs and health checks
  • System, disk, TLS, and service diagnostics
  • OpenSSH configuration and jump-host support

Tools18

What SSH MCP Server lets your agent do. Expand a tool for its parameters.

Verified live~5.2k tokens of context

Security & health

What it can reach and how reliably it runs — from our own checks, not the maintainer’s claims.

ActiveLast checked Today

Recent health check succeeded.

9/9 checks healthy over the last 47d

What it can do

From the 18 tools this server returned when we ran it; 18 declare their own safety hints.

Runs commands · 1Can delete or modify data · 5Handles credentials · 18Makes network requests · 1Read-only tools · 13
Network at startup3 connections
Files written at startupNone
Install scriptsprepare
npm provenanceSigned build
Package age283 days
Maintainers1

Observed 2026-10-22 in an isolated sandbox. A description of reach, not a security audit.

Supply-chain signal

No high-severity advisories surfaced by our automated scan.

Critical 0High 0Medium 0Low 0

Scanned 15d ago via OSV.dev · @hypnosis/ssh-mcp-server (npm)

Adoption & maintenance

Factual signals from GitHub, npm, and our automated checks — not a rating.

GitHub stars6Stargazers on the source repository.
npm downloads778Package downloads in the last 30 days.
Last commit2d agoMost recent push to the default branch.
Availability100%Our rolling endpoint + install checks that succeeded.
Install checkPassedOur sandbox started it and listed its tools.
Tools exposed18Callable tools this server registers over MCP.
Directory activity6 viewsConfig copies, upvotes, and views on AllMCPs.

How SSH MCP Server works

What the SSH MCP Server MCP server does

SSH MCP Server MCP server exposes remote administration tasks through MCP tools. It can execute one command or a batch, read and write text or binary files, list directories, and upload or download files and directories. File transfers include integrity checks where supported, and writes use an atomic rename.

The server also covers operational inspection. Agents can request health snapshots, audit baselines, service status, log tails, log searches, TLS certificate details, disk-usage breakdowns, and Docker-related information. Background commands can be detached and then tracked, inspected, or terminated as process groups.

A destructive-command guard applies to command execution. This makes the tool set suitable for workflows where an agent needs server access but should not receive an entirely unrestricted shell interface.

How it works

SSH MCP Server MCP server delegates connections to the system OpenSSH client rather than bundling its own SSH implementation. Existing keys, SSH configuration, jump hosts, and agent forwarding can therefore be used. When possible, it reuses a multiplexed connection for a destination; older systems may instead require a new connection for each command.

Profiles identify remote machines by host, username, and private-key path. The implementation also accommodates older SSH environments. File transfer can fall back when a remote device does not support the newer transfer protocol, which is relevant for BusyBox routers, NAS devices, and other constrained systems. If a remote machine lacks a hashing utility, the result reports that verification could not be performed rather than asserting a successful check.

Setup and configuration

The documented runtime requires Node.js 18 or newer and a system ssh executable available on PATH. The package can be launched with npx -y @hypnosis/ssh-mcp-server, or installed globally and started with ssh-mcp-server.

Configure the MCP client to run the package over standard input and output. Set SSH_PROFILES_FILE to the JSON profile file when it is not using the default location. A profile file contains a profiles object; each entry can specify a host, username, and private key path. The example configuration uses ~/.claude/ssh-profiles.json and a profile named production.

Claude Code also supports installing the project as a plugin.

Tools and capabilities

The available tools include:

  • ssh_exec for guarded commands, batches, and optional detached jobs.
  • ssh_file_read, ssh_file_write, and ssh_file_list for file access and directory listing.
  • ssh_upload and ssh_download for binary-safe file or directory transfers.
  • ssh_job_status, ssh_job_output, ssh_job_list, and ssh_job_kill for background processes.
  • ssh_log_tail and ssh_log_search for local or container logs.
  • ssh_snapshot, ssh_audit_baseline, ssh_disk_breakdown, and ssh_service_status for operations checks.
  • ssh_tls_check for certificate expiry, SAN, chain, and renewal-hook information.
  • ssh_monitor for connection statistics, reload, testing, listing, and closing transports.

Glob patterns are supported by directory and log operations where documented. Job output can be read from a byte offset, and completed jobs are removed after their configured lifetime.

Limitations and notes

This tool depends on SSH access and the capabilities of the target machine. Results may be marked as unavailable when a remote utility is missing, and integrity verification is not possible on every host. Modern transfer behavior is not universal, so compatibility fallbacks may open fresh connections or use older protocols.

The material does not describe password-based authentication for Windows profiles, and it does not identify a separate bundled SSH implementation. Operators should therefore ensure that the host OpenSSH client, keys, configuration, and remote permissions are ready before connecting.

Read the full README View source on GitHub

Reviews

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Frequently Asked Questions about SSH MCP Server

SSH MCP Server is an MCP server that connects AI agents to remote machines through the system OpenSSH client. Its main tools execute guarded commands, read and write files, transfer files and directories, inspect logs, track background jobs, and run health, audit, TLS, disk, and service checks.

Install it by running `npx -y @hypnosis/ssh-mcp-server` in the MCP client configuration. The documented requirements are Node.js 18 or newer and a system `ssh` executable on `PATH`. You can also install the package globally and use `ssh-mcp-server` as the command.

Configure hosts in a JSON profile file containing a `profiles` object with values such as `host`, `username`, and `privateKeyPath`. Set `SSH_PROFILES_FILE` to that file when needed; the example uses `~/.claude/ssh-profiles.json`.

Yes, SSH MCP Server works with Claude Code. Add it with Claude Code's MCP command or install it as a Claude Code plugin. The README also names Codex CLI, Cline, Gemini CLI, Qwen Code, opencode, and Hermes as compatible MCP clients.

Yes, it is intended to work with BusyBox routers and other older SSH systems when they provide usable SSH access. File transfers can fall back to an older protocol when the modern method is unavailable, and missing remote utilities are reported as unavailable rather than treated as successful checks.

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