Purple
Open-source terminal SSH manager that keeps ~/.ssh/config in sync with your cloud infra across 16 cloud providers. Spin up a VM, it shows up. Destroy it, it dims. Plus live tunnel monitoring, fleet-wide Docker and Podman, scp, Vault SSH certs and an
What is Purple?
Purple is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to open-source terminal ssh manager that keeps ~/.ssh/config in sync with your cloud infra across 16 cloud providers. spin up a vm, it shows up. destroy it, it dims. plus live tunnel monitoring, fleet-wi...
Open-source terminal SSH manager that keeps ~/.ssh/config in sync with your cloud infra across 16 cloud providers. Spin up a VM, it shows up. Destroy it, it dims. Plus live tunnel monitoring, fleet-wide Docker and Podman, scp, Vault SSH certs and an
This server falls under the Cloud Services category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- Open-source terminal SSH manager that keeps ~/.ssh/config in
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx purpleConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Purple
Purple is an open-source Rust-based terminal SSH manager and MCP server that keeps your ~/.ssh/config automatically synchronized with your live cloud infrastructure across 16 cloud providers including AWS, GCP, Azure, Hetzner, DigitalOcean, and Proxmox. When you spin up a VM it appears in the host list; when you destroy it, it dims out. Beyond SSH, Purple provides fleet-wide Docker and Podman container management, live tunnel monitoring, visual file transfer, Vault SSH certificate support, and credential integration with OS Keychain, 1Password, Bitwarden, and Proton Pass. The MCP server layer lets Claude Desktop query and navigate your infrastructure through natural language in read-only mode.
Prerequisites
- macOS, Linux, or Windows (WSL) with a supported shell
- Cloud provider credentials configured for at least one of the 16 supported providers (AWS, GCP, Azure, Hetzner, DigitalOcean, Proxmox, etc.)
- Claude Desktop or another MCP-compatible client for the MCP integration
- Optional: HashiCorp Vault, 1Password, Bitwarden, or Proton Pass for credential management integration
Install Purple
Choose the installation method that suits your platform. The curl one-liner works on most Unix systems; Homebrew is recommended for macOS.
# macOS (recommended)
brew install erickochen/purple/purple
# Universal (curl)
curl -fsSL getpurple.sh | sh
# Rust users
cargo install purple-ssh
# Arch Linux
paru -S purple-binConnect your cloud provider accounts
Launch the Purple TUI and add your cloud provider credentials. Purple supports multiple accounts per provider and stores credentials securely via your chosen credential manager.
purpleLet Purple sync your SSH config
Once providers are connected, Purple automatically writes host entries to ~/.ssh/config. New VMs appear immediately; destroyed instances dim and are cleaned up automatically.
Install the MCP bundle for Claude Desktop
Download the .mcpb bundle from the Purple GitHub releases page and double-click to install. This registers the Purple MCP server with Claude Desktop in one click.
Verify the MCP server is running in read-only mode
Open Claude Desktop and ask it to list your SSH hosts. The MCP server operates read-only by default, so Claude can query but not modify your infrastructure.
Purple Examples
Client configuration
Example Claude Desktop config for the Purple MCP server (adjust the path to the purple binary from 'which purple').
{
"mcpServers": {
"purple": {
"command": "/usr/local/bin/purple",
"args": ["mcp"]
}
}
}Prompts to try
Natural language prompts for querying your cloud infrastructure through the Purple MCP server.
- "List all my SSH hosts and show which cloud provider each one belongs to."
- "Which of my AWS EC2 instances are currently online?"
- "Show me all Docker containers running across my Hetzner servers."
- "Which hosts in my fleet are running Ubuntu 22.04?"
- "Find all DigitalOcean droplets in the fra1 region."Troubleshooting Purple
Purple does not detect newly created VMs
Trigger a manual sync from within the Purple TUI or wait for the next automatic poll cycle. Ensure the cloud provider credentials have read permissions for the compute/VM listing API (e.g. ec2:DescribeInstances for AWS).
Claude Desktop cannot connect to the Purple MCP server
Verify the path to the purple binary in your config by running 'which purple'. Make sure Purple is fully installed (not just the CLI one-liner preview) and that the 'mcp' subcommand is available by running 'purple mcp --help'.
SSH config entries are duplicated after a sync
Purple manages its own block within ~/.ssh/config delimited by markers. Check that you have not manually duplicated the block. If duplicates exist, remove all Purple-managed entries and let Purple regenerate them on next launch.
Frequently Asked Questions about Purple
What is Purple?
Purple is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that open-source terminal ssh manager that keeps ~/.ssh/config in sync with your cloud infra across 16 cloud providers. spin up a vm, it shows up. destroy it, it dims. plus live tunnel monitoring, fleet-wide docker and podman, scp, vault ssh certs and an It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Purple?
Follow the installation instructions on the Purple GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with Purple?
Purple works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Purple free to use?
Yes, Purple is open source and available under the MIT license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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Quick Config Preview
Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json
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