How do I install the sshmcp MCP server?

Add the following block to your claude_desktop_config.json under mcpServers: "mcpServers": { "sshmcp": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "sshmcp"] } }

SSH server management with zero-token SFTP file transfer and SOCKS proxy support

Is the sshmcp MCP server free to use?

Yes. sshmcp is listed on AllMCPs as a free, open Model Context Protocol server you can install into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client.

How do I install the sshmcp MCP server?

Add the following block to your claude_desktop_config.json under mcpServers: "mcpServers": { "sshmcp": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "sshmcp"] } }

SSH server management with zero-token SFTP file transfer and SOCKS proxy support

Is the sshmcp MCP server free to use?

Yes. sshmcp is listed on AllMCPs as a free, open Model Context Protocol server you can install into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client.

@nl4ever/sshmcp

中文文档

Let AI manage your remote servers. A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that gives AI assistants full SSH access — execute commands, transfer files, manage multiple servers simultaneously, all through natural conversation.

Code

You:   "Deploy the latest build to production server"
AI:    connects → uploads build → restarts service → verifies status

Features

21 Tools — Connect, execute, upload, download, write files, and more
Connection Pool — Operate multiple servers simultaneously, each command tagged with server_id
Zero-Token File Transfer — SFTP path-based transfer, file content never enters AI context
Directory Upload — Auto tar.gz compress → upload → remote decompress (fast for many small files)
Async Transfer + Progress — Background transfer for large files with real-time progress tracking
Quick Connect — Temporary connections without saving config, returns host:port as temp ID
SOCKS4/5 Proxy — Per-connection proxy support
Jump Host — SSH ProxyJump for bastion/gateway access
Multi-Auth — Password, private key, ssh-agent, keyboard-interactive (OTP/2FA)

Quick Start

Install globally

Terminal

npm install -g @nl4ever/sshmcp

Add to Claude Code

Terminal

claude mcp add sshmcp sshmcp

Add to Claude Desktop

Edit claude_desktop_config.json:

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sshmcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@nl4ever/sshmcp"]
    }
  }
}

Add to Cursor

Go to Settings → MCP Servers → Add:

config.json

{
  "sshmcp": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["-y", "@nl4ever/sshmcp"]
  }
}

Tools Overview

Connection Management

Tool	Description
`list_servers`	List all configured servers and active connections
`get_server`	View server config details
`add_server`	Add/update server config (password, key, agent, OTP)
`update_server`	Modify server config (only pass fields you want to change)
`delete_server`	Remove a server
`rename_server`	Rename a server ID
`connect`	Manually connect (usually not needed, tools auto-connect)
`quick_connect`	Temporary connection, returns `host:port` as ID
`disconnect`	Disconnect specific server or all connections
`test_connection`	Test connectivity without affecting existing connections

Command Execution

Tool	Description
`execute`	Run shell commands on remote server (with configurable timeout)

File Operations

Tool	Description
`read_file`	Read remote file content (with optional line range)
`write_file`	Write text content to remote file
`upload_file`	Upload local file to remote (supports async mode)
`upload_directory`	Upload directory with auto compress → transfer → decompress
`download_file`	Download remote file to local (supports async mode)
`download_directory`	Download directory with remote compress → transfer → local decompress
`transfer_status`	Check progress of async transfers (size/speed/ETA)

Proxy Management

Tool	Description
`list_proxies`	List all SOCKS proxy presets
`add_proxy`	Add SOCKS4/5 proxy preset
`delete_proxy`	Remove a proxy preset

Connection Pool: Multi-Server Operations

All operation tools take a server_id parameter. The connection pool auto-manages connections — no manual connect/disconnect needed:

Code

AI: execute(server_id="prod", command="nginx -s reload")         ← auto-connects to prod
AI: execute(server_id="dev", command="tail -f /var/log/app.log") ← auto-connects to dev, prod stays
AI: execute(server_id="prod", command="curl localhost")           ← reuses prod connection

For temporary servers, use quick_connect which returns host:port as the ID:

Code

AI: quick_connect(host="1.2.3.4", username="root", password="***")
→ "Connected: root@1.2.3.4:22, use server_id="1.2.3.4:22""

AI: execute(server_id="1.2.3.4:22", command="df -h")
AI: disconnect(server_id="1.2.3.4:22")

Async Transfer (Large Files)

For large files, enable background transfer mode to avoid blocking:

Code

AI: upload_file(server_id="prod", local_path="big.tar.gz", remote_path="/data/", async_transfer=true)
→ "Background upload started: tf_1"

AI: transfer_status("tf_1")
→ "🔄 Uploading: 638.2 MB / 1.2 GB (53.2%) — 12.4 MB/s, ETA 46s"

AI: transfer_status("tf_1")
→ "✅ Upload complete: 1.2 GB, 98s, 12.3 MB/s"

Small files use synchronous mode by default — no config needed.

Connection Examples

Password authentication

Code

AI: add_server(server_id="prod", name="Production", host="10.0.0.1", username="deploy", password="***")
AI: execute(server_id="prod", command="systemctl status nginx")

Private key authentication

Code

AI: add_server(server_id="aws", name="AWS EC2", host="ec2-xx.compute.amazonaws.com", username="ubuntu", private_key="~/.ssh/id_rsa")

Quick connect (no config saved)

Code

AI: quick_connect(host="192.168.1.100", username="root", password="***")
→ server_id="192.168.1.100:22"

AI: execute(server_id="192.168.1.100:22", command="df -h")
AI: disconnect(server_id="192.168.1.100:22")

Via SOCKS5 proxy

Code

AI: add_proxy(proxy_id="tunnel", name="SSH Tunnel", host="127.0.0.1", port=1080, type="5")
AI: add_server(server_id="internal", ..., proxy="tunnel")

Via jump host

Code

AI: add_server(server_id="bastion", name="Bastion", host="bastion.example.com", username="admin", private_key="~/.ssh/id_rsa")
AI: add_server(server_id="internal", name="Internal DB", host="10.0.0.5", username="dbadmin", password="***", jump_host="bastion")

Config Location

Server and proxy configurations are stored in:

Code

~/.ssh-mcp/config.json

Passwords are stored in plaintext. For production use, prefer private key authentication.

Requirements

Node.js >= 18
An MCP-compatible client (Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.)
Remote server with SSH access

License

MIT

@nl4ever/sshmcp

中文文档

Code

You:   "Deploy the latest build to production server"
AI:    connects → uploads build → restarts service → verifies status

Features

21 Tools — Connect, execute, upload, download, write files, and more
Connection Pool — Operate multiple servers simultaneously, each command tagged with server_id
Zero-Token File Transfer — SFTP path-based transfer, file content never enters AI context
Directory Upload — Auto tar.gz compress → upload → remote decompress (fast for many small files)
Async Transfer + Progress — Background transfer for large files with real-time progress tracking
Quick Connect — Temporary connections without saving config, returns host:port as temp ID
SOCKS4/5 Proxy — Per-connection proxy support
Jump Host — SSH ProxyJump for bastion/gateway access
Multi-Auth — Password, private key, ssh-agent, keyboard-interactive (OTP/2FA)

Quick Start

Install globally

Terminal

npm install -g @nl4ever/sshmcp

Add to Claude Code

Terminal

claude mcp add sshmcp sshmcp

Add to Claude Desktop

Edit claude_desktop_config.json:

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sshmcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@nl4ever/sshmcp"]
    }
  }
}

Add to Cursor

Go to Settings → MCP Servers → Add:

config.json

{
  "sshmcp": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["-y", "@nl4ever/sshmcp"]
  }
}

Tools Overview

Connection Management

Tool	Description
`list_servers`	List all configured servers and active connections
`get_server`	View server config details
`add_server`	Add/update server config (password, key, agent, OTP)
`update_server`	Modify server config (only pass fields you want to change)
`delete_server`	Remove a server
`rename_server`	Rename a server ID
`connect`	Manually connect (usually not needed, tools auto-connect)
`quick_connect`	Temporary connection, returns `host:port` as ID
`disconnect`	Disconnect specific server or all connections
`test_connection`	Test connectivity without affecting existing connections

Command Execution

Tool	Description
`execute`	Run shell commands on remote server (with configurable timeout)

File Operations

Tool	Description
`read_file`	Read remote file content (with optional line range)
`write_file`	Write text content to remote file
`upload_file`	Upload local file to remote (supports async mode)
`upload_directory`	Upload directory with auto compress → transfer → decompress
`download_file`	Download remote file to local (supports async mode)
`download_directory`	Download directory with remote compress → transfer → local decompress
`transfer_status`	Check progress of async transfers (size/speed/ETA)

Proxy Management

Tool	Description
`list_proxies`	List all SOCKS proxy presets
`add_proxy`	Add SOCKS4/5 proxy preset
`delete_proxy`	Remove a proxy preset

Connection Pool: Multi-Server Operations

All operation tools take a server_id parameter. The connection pool auto-manages connections — no manual connect/disconnect needed:

Code

AI: execute(server_id="prod", command="nginx -s reload")         ← auto-connects to prod
AI: execute(server_id="dev", command="tail -f /var/log/app.log") ← auto-connects to dev, prod stays
AI: execute(server_id="prod", command="curl localhost")           ← reuses prod connection

For temporary servers, use quick_connect which returns host:port as the ID:

Code

AI: quick_connect(host="1.2.3.4", username="root", password="***")
→ "Connected: root@1.2.3.4:22, use server_id="1.2.3.4:22""

AI: execute(server_id="1.2.3.4:22", command="df -h")
AI: disconnect(server_id="1.2.3.4:22")

Async Transfer (Large Files)

For large files, enable background transfer mode to avoid blocking:

Code

AI: upload_file(server_id="prod", local_path="big.tar.gz", remote_path="/data/", async_transfer=true)
→ "Background upload started: tf_1"

AI: transfer_status("tf_1")
→ "🔄 Uploading: 638.2 MB / 1.2 GB (53.2%) — 12.4 MB/s, ETA 46s"

AI: transfer_status("tf_1")
→ "✅ Upload complete: 1.2 GB, 98s, 12.3 MB/s"

Small files use synchronous mode by default — no config needed.

Connection Examples

Password authentication

Code

AI: add_server(server_id="prod", name="Production", host="10.0.0.1", username="deploy", password="***")
AI: execute(server_id="prod", command="systemctl status nginx")

Private key authentication

Code

AI: add_server(server_id="aws", name="AWS EC2", host="ec2-xx.compute.amazonaws.com", username="ubuntu", private_key="~/.ssh/id_rsa")

Quick connect (no config saved)

Code

AI: quick_connect(host="192.168.1.100", username="root", password="***")
→ server_id="192.168.1.100:22"

AI: execute(server_id="192.168.1.100:22", command="df -h")
AI: disconnect(server_id="192.168.1.100:22")

Via SOCKS5 proxy

Code

AI: add_proxy(proxy_id="tunnel", name="SSH Tunnel", host="127.0.0.1", port=1080, type="5")
AI: add_server(server_id="internal", ..., proxy="tunnel")

Via jump host

Code

AI: add_server(server_id="bastion", name="Bastion", host="bastion.example.com", username="admin", private_key="~/.ssh/id_rsa")
AI: add_server(server_id="internal", name="Internal DB", host="10.0.0.5", username="dbadmin", password="***", jump_host="bastion")

Config Location

Server and proxy configurations are stored in:

Code

~/.ssh-mcp/config.json

Passwords are stored in plaintext. For production use, prefer private key authentication.

Requirements

Node.js >= 18
An MCP-compatible client (Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.)
Remote server with SSH access

License

MIT

Sshmcp

Quick Install

Install Config Generator

Documentation Overview

@nl4ever/sshmcp

Features

Quick Start

Install globally

Add to Claude Code

Add to Claude Desktop

Add to Cursor

Tools Overview

Connection Management

Command Execution

File Operations

Proxy Management

Connection Pool: Multi-Server Operations

Async Transfer (Large Files)

Connection Examples

Password authentication

Private key authentication

Quick connect (no config saved)

Via SOCKS5 proxy

Via jump host

Config Location

Requirements

License

Related MCP Servers

Frequently Asked Questions about Sshmcp

AllMCPs Directory Badge

Technical Specs & Signals

Feature Your MCP Server

Own this project?

Share & Embed

Explore more

Sshmcp

Quick Install

Install Config Generator

Documentation Overview

@nl4ever/sshmcp

Features

Quick Start

Install globally

Add to Claude Code

Add to Claude Desktop

Add to Cursor

Tools Overview

Connection Management

Command Execution

File Operations

Proxy Management

Connection Pool: Multi-Server Operations

Async Transfer (Large Files)

Connection Examples

Password authentication

Private key authentication

Quick connect (no config saved)

Via SOCKS5 proxy

Via jump host

Config Location

Requirements

License

Related MCP Servers

Frequently Asked Questions about Sshmcp

AllMCPs Directory Badge

Technical Specs & Signals

Feature Your MCP Server

Own this project?

Share & Embed

Explore more