SSH MCP Server
SSH server management with zero-token SFTP file transfer and SOCKS proxy support
@nl4ever/sshmcp
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.
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:portas 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
npm install -g @nl4ever/sshmcp
Add to Claude Code
claude mcp add sshmcp sshmcp
Add to Claude Desktop
Edit claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"sshmcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@nl4ever/sshmcp"]
}
}
}
Add to Cursor
Go to Settings → MCP Servers → Add:
{
"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:
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:
AI: quick_connect(host="1.2.3.4", username="root", password="***")
→ "Connected: [email protected]: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:
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
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
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)
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
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
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:
~/.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
Verwandte Server
Scout Monitoring MCP
SponsorPut performance and error data directly in the hands of your AI assistant.
Alpha Vantage MCP Server
SponsorAccess financial market data: realtime & historical stock, ETF, options, forex, crypto, commodities, fundamentals, technical indicators, & more
WSL Exec
Execute commands securely in Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).
MCP Google Apps Script Server
A server for seamless integration with Google Apps Script, enabling automation and extension of Google Workspace applications.
zeuxis
Let AI agents capture screenshots themselves
Multiverse MCP Server
A middleware server for running multiple, isolated instances of MCP servers with unique namespaces and configurations.
ActionKit MCP Starter
A demonstration server for ActionKit, providing access to Slack actions via Claude Desktop.
Windows API
An MCP server for interacting with the native Windows API, enabling control over system functions and resources.
FMP MCP Server
Provides tools, resources, and prompts for financial analysis using the Financial Modelling Prep API.
sep-mpc-server
A server for processing semantic embeddings, requiring external data files mounted via a Docker volume.
Ionhour
Let AI agents monitor and manage your infrastructure through the Model Context Protocol. Query, create, and resolve — all in natural language.
LLMKit
AI cost tracking MCP server with 11 tools for spend analytics, budget enforcement, and session costs across Claude Code, Cursor, and Cline.