SSH MCP Server

It uses the OpenSSH client already on your machine: your keys, your ~/.ssh/config, your jump hosts, your agent forwarding. Nothing bundled, nothing to compile, no native bindings.

Local serverstdioMIT

What is the SSH MCP Server?

ssh-mcp-server is an MCP project maintained in the hypnosis/ssh-mcp-server repository. The maintainer describes its purpose as “It uses the OpenSSH client already on your machine: your keys, your ~/.ssh/config, your jump hosts, your agent forwarding. Nothing bundled, nothing to compile, no…”. Read the project documentation for the complete scope.

Installation

The documented npm package is @hypnosis/ssh-mcp-server. The configuration below comes from the maintainer’s example; adapt its paths and account values to your environment.

Configuration values

The example declares SSH_PROFILES_FILE. Secret-looking values have been replaced with placeholders. Required and optional labels are shown only when the documentation states them.

Source

Project documentation · Repository · Discovery listing. This profile records the public documentation checked on 2026-10-08.

Recorded tools

Check the linked publisher documentation and your connected client's tool list. Names and availability can vary with the server version and account permissions.

Tool	What it does
ssh_exec	Run one command or a batch, with the destructive-command guard and optional detach
ssh_file_read	Read one or several files, text or binary
ssh_file_write	Write files with atomic rename and optional SHA-256 verification
ssh_file_list	List a directory, with optional glob and recursion
ssh_upload	Upload a file or directory over SSH, binary-safe with integrity checks; a directory replaces the target or merges into it
ssh_download	Download a file or directory over SSH, binary-safe with integrity checks
ssh_job_status	State of a background job: running, finished, or lost
ssh_job_output	Read accumulated output from a byte offset
ssh_job_list	List jobs, sweeping finished ones past their TTL
ssh_job_kill	Signal a job's whole process group
ssh_log_tail	Last N lines of one or several logs, glob supported; a container by name
ssh_log_search	Pattern search across logs, or through a container's log
ssh_snapshot	One-shot health snapshot: services, resources, Docker, network, errors
ssh_monitor	Transport control: stats, reload, test, list, close
ssh_audit_baseline	System, disk, memory, network, ssh, services, Docker, firewall, updates
ssh_tls_check	Certificate expiry, SAN, chain and renewal hook for a domain
ssh_disk_breakdown	Where the disk went: du top-N, Docker, journald, caches
ssh_service_status	systemctl status plus a journalctl tail for one unit

How to install the SSH MCP Server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ssh": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@hypnosis/ssh-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SSH_PROFILES_FILE": "~/.claude/ssh-profiles.json"
      }
    }
  }
}

From the project documentation. Replace placeholders and example paths before connecting.