SSH Server
Enables seamless SSH operations including secure connections, file transfers, interactive shell sessions, and Docker container management on remote servers. Supports both password and SSH key authentication with credential management and connection p
What is SSH Server?
SSH Server is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to enables seamless ssh operations including secure connections, file transfers, interactive shell sessions, and docker container management on remote servers. supports both password and ssh key authenti...
Enables seamless SSH operations including secure connections, file transfers, interactive shell sessions, and Docker container management on remote servers. Supports both password and SSH key authentication with credential management and connection p
This server falls under the Cloud Services category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- Enables seamless SSH operations including secure connections
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx mcp-ssh-serverConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use SSH Server
The MCP SSH Server brings full remote server management capabilities into AI assistants like Claude, allowing you to open SSH connections, execute shell commands, transfer files, browse directories, and manage Docker containers on remote hosts—all from within a conversation. It supports both password and SSH key authentication and maintains persistent connection pools so you can reference the same session across multiple operations. Teams use it to automate DevOps tasks, run deployment scripts, and inspect remote infrastructure without leaving their AI workflow.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 18 or higher installed
- npm installed
- An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop or Cursor IDE
- SSH credentials (username/password or private key) for target remote servers
- Network access to the remote hosts you intend to connect to
Install the MCP SSH Server package
Install the mcp-ssh package globally via npm so it can be referenced from your MCP client configuration.
npm install -g mcp-sshLocate your MCP client configuration file
Find the claude_desktop_config.json file for Claude Desktop. On macOS it lives at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json; on Windows at %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json.
Add the server to your MCP configuration
Register the SSH server in your client config, specifying the port and log level via environment variables.
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-ssh-server": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["mcp-ssh-server"],
"env": {
"SSH_PORT": "8889",
"SSH_LOG_LEVEL": "info"
}
}
}
}Restart your MCP client
Quit and reopen Claude Desktop (or reload your IDE) so it picks up the new server configuration. Verify the SSH tools appear in the available tools list.
Connect to a remote server
Ask your AI assistant to connect to a remote server using either password or key-based authentication. The server creates a named connection you can reuse in subsequent commands.
SSH Server Examples
Client configuration
Example claude_desktop_config.json entry for the MCP SSH Server using default port and info logging.
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-ssh-server": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["mcp-ssh-server"],
"env": {
"SSH_PORT": "8889",
"SSH_LOG_LEVEL": "info"
}
}
}
}Prompts to try
Once connected, use these prompts to perform SSH operations through your AI assistant.
- "Connect to my server at 192.168.1.10 as user ubuntu using my private key at ~/.ssh/id_rsa"
- "Run `df -h` on the connected server and show me disk usage"
- "List all running Docker containers on the remote host"
- "Transfer the file /tmp/backup.tar.gz from the remote server to my local ~/Downloads folder"
- "Show me the contents of /etc/nginx/nginx.conf on the remote server"Troubleshooting SSH Server
Connection refused or timeout when connecting to remote host
Verify the remote host is reachable via `ssh user@host` from the terminal. Check that SSH_PORT matches the port where the MCP server is running (not the SSH daemon port on the remote host). Ensure firewall rules allow the connection.
Authentication fails with private key
Ensure the private key file has permissions 600 (`chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_rsa`). Pass the full absolute path to the key. If using an encrypted key, the server may require the passphrase to be provided at connection time.
Server not visible in Claude Desktop tools list
Confirm the package is installed (`npm list -g mcp-ssh`) and the config JSON is valid (no trailing commas). Check Claude Desktop logs for startup errors with SSH_LOG_LEVEL set to debug.
Frequently Asked Questions about SSH Server
What is SSH Server?
SSH Server is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables seamless ssh operations including secure connections, file transfers, interactive shell sessions, and docker container management on remote servers. supports both password and ssh key authentication with credential management and connection p It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install SSH Server?
Follow the installation instructions on the SSH Server GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with SSH Server?
SSH Server works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is SSH Server free to use?
Yes, SSH Server is open source and available under the MIT license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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