What is the key difference between Ssh MCP and MCP Shell?

Ssh MCP belongs to the Coding Agents category with local stdio execution, while MCP Shell belongs to the Coding Agents category with local stdio execution.

How do I install Ssh MCP or MCP Shell in Claude Desktop or Cursor?

Copy the mcpServers JSON configuration snippet provided on this page into your claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json file and restart your AI client.

Are Ssh MCP and MCP Shell free or paid?

Ssh MCP operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required). MCP Shell operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Ssh MCP lists 14 tools with 2 views and 740 GitHub stars. MCP Shell lists 29 tools with 4 views and 106 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Ssh MCP and MCP Shell together in the same MCP host?

Yes! MCP hosts like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and VS Code support configuring multiple servers under the mcpServers object simultaneously.

Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison

Ssh MCP vs MCP Shell

In-depth architectural comparison of the Ssh MCP and MCP Shell MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.

At a Glance & Executive Verdict

Ssh MCP

Coding Agents · Local stdio

Quality: 68/100 (Great) | Auth: No auth required

MCP Shell

Coding Agents · Local stdio

Quality: 56/100 (Good) | Auth: No auth required

Verdict Summary: Choose Ssh MCP if you need specialized Coding Agents tools running via a local process. Choose MCP Shell if your workspace requires Coding Agents integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Ssh MCP when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Coding Agents domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
You have access to required keys: HOST, USER, PASSWORD, KEY, SUDOPASSWORD, SUPASSWORD, TIMEOUT, MAXCHARS.
Primary tools included: list-connections, list-sessions, open-session.

Explore Ssh MCP Details

Choose MCP Shell when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Coding Agents domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
Primary tools included: read_file, list_dir, glob.

Explore MCP Shell Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Ssh MCP tufantunc Coding Agents	MCP Shell sonirico Coding Agents
Summary	MCP server exposing SSH control for Linux and Windows servers via Model Context Protocol. Securely execute remote shell commands with password or SSH key authentication.	Give hands to AI. MCP server to run shell commands securely, auditably, and on demand on isolated environments like docker.
Category & Scope	Coding Agents

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Ssh MCP Tools (14)

list-connections

Discover available hosts and connection status

list-sessions

List active sessions per host

open-session

Create a named interactive (stateful) or background session

close-session

Close a session. A background session's command is signalled (INT/TERM/KILL) before its channel is dropped

read-session-output

Read output from background sessions (e.g., `tail -f`)

read-command

Execute allowlisted read-only commands (`ls`, `cat`, `grep`, ...)

Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations

Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).

Ssh MCP Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tufantunc-ssh-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "ssh-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "HOST": "YOUR_HOST_HERE",
        "USER": "YOUR_USER_HERE",
        "PASSWORD": "YOUR_PASSWORD_HERE",
        "KEY": "YOUR_KEY_HERE",
        "SUDOPASSWORD": "YOUR_SUDOPASSWORD_HERE",
        "SUPASSWORD": "YOUR_SUPASSWORD_HERE",
        "TIMEOUT": "YOUR_TIMEOUT_HERE",
        "MAXCHARS": "YOUR_MAXCHARS_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

MCP Shell Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sonirico-mcp-shell": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "sonirico-mcp-shell"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Ssh MCP is categorized under Coding Agents and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, MCP Shell belongs to Coding Agents using local stdio subprocess. Select Ssh MCP when you need capabilities focused on coding agents and MCP Shell when you require tools for coding agents.

More alternatives to Ssh MCP More alternatives to MCP Shell Coding Agents category hub Canonical compare URL