GitHub - AiondaDotCom/mcp-ssh: A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for managing and controlling SSH connections. (original) (raw)

MCP SSH Agent

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for managing and controlling SSH connections. This server integrates seamlessly with Claude Desktop and other MCP-compatible clients to provide AI-powered SSH operations.

Overview

This MCP server provides SSH operations through a clean, standardized interface that can be used by MCP-compatible language models like Claude Desktop. The server automatically discovers SSH hosts from your ~/.ssh/config and ~/.ssh/known_hosts files and executes commands using native SSH tools for maximum reliability.

Quick Start

Installation via npx (Recommended)

npx @aiondadotcom/mcp-ssh

Integration with Claude Desktop

To use this MCP server with Claude Desktop, add the following configuration to your MCP settings file:

On macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json On Windows: %APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{ "mcpServers": { "mcp-ssh": { "command": "npx", "args": ["@aiondadotcom/mcp-ssh"] } } }

After adding this configuration, restart Claude Desktop. The SSH tools will be available for use in your conversations with Claude.

Alternative Installation Methods

Global Installation

npm install -g @aiondadotcom/mcp-ssh

Local Development

git clone https://github.com/aiondadotcom/mcp-ssh.git cd mcp-ssh npm install npm start

Example Usage

The screenshot above shows the MCP SSH Agent in action, demonstrating how it integrates with MCP-compatible clients to provide seamless SSH operations.

Integration with Claude

This screenshot demonstrates the MCP SSH Agent integrated with Claude, showing how the AI assistant can directly manage SSH connections and execute remote commands through the MCP protocol.

Key Features

• Reliable SSH: Uses native ssh/scp commands instead of JavaScript SSH libraries
• Automatic Discovery: Finds hosts from SSH config and known_hosts files
• Full SSH Support: Works with SSH agents, keys, and all authentication methods
• File Operations: Upload and download files using scp
• Batch Commands: Execute multiple commands in sequence
• Error Handling: Comprehensive error reporting with timeouts

Functions

The agent provides the following MCP tools:

1. listKnownHosts() - Lists all known SSH hosts, prioritizing entries from ~/.ssh/config first, then additional hosts from ~/.ssh/known_hosts
2. runRemoteCommand(hostAlias, command) - Executes a command on a remote host using ssh
3. getHostInfo(hostAlias) - Returns detailed configuration for a specific host
4. checkConnectivity(hostAlias) - Tests SSH connectivity to a host
5. uploadFile(hostAlias, localPath, remotePath) - Uploads a file to the remote host using scp
6. downloadFile(hostAlias, remotePath, localPath) - Downloads a file from the remote host using scp
7. runCommandBatch(hostAlias, commands) - Executes multiple commands sequentially

Configuration Examples

Claude Desktop Integration

Here's how your Claude Desktop configuration should look:

{ "mcpServers": { "mcp-ssh": { "command": "npx", "args": ["@aiondadotcom/mcp-ssh"] } } }

Manual Server Configuration

If you prefer to run the server manually or integrate it with other MCP clients:

{ "servers": { "mcp-ssh": { "command": "npx", "args": ["@aiondadotcom/mcp-ssh"] } } }

Requirements

• Node.js 18 or higher
• SSH client installed (ssh and scp commands available)
• SSH configuration files (~/.ssh/config and ~/.ssh/known_hosts)

Usage with Claude Desktop

Once configured, you can ask Claude to help you with SSH operations like:

• "List all my SSH hosts"
• "Check connectivity to my production server"
• "Run a command on my web server"
• "Upload this file to my remote server"
• "Download logs from my application server"

Claude will use the MCP SSH tools to perform these operations safely and efficiently.

Usage

The agent runs as a Model Context Protocol server over STDIO. When installed via npm, you can use it directly:

Run via npx (recommended)

npx @aiondadotcom/mcp-ssh

Or if installed globally

mcp-ssh

For development - run with debug output

npm start

The server communicates via clean JSON over STDIO, making it perfect for MCP clients like Claude Desktop.

Advanced Configuration

Environment Variables

• MCP_SILENT=true - Disable debug output (automatically set when used as MCP server)

SSH Configuration

The agent reads from standard SSH configuration files:

• ~/.ssh/config - SSH client configuration
• ~/.ssh/known_hosts - Known host keys

Make sure your SSH keys are properly configured and accessible via SSH agent or key files.

Example ~/.ssh/config

Here's an example SSH configuration file that demonstrates various connection scenarios:

Global settings - keep connections alive

ServerAliveInterval 55

Production server with jump host

Host prod Hostname 203.0.113.10 Port 22022 User deploy IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_prod_rsa

Root access to production (separate entry)

Host root@prod Hostname 203.0.113.10 Port 22022 User root IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_prod_rsa

Archive server accessed through production jump host

Host archive Hostname 2001:db8:1f0:cafe::1 Port 22077 User archive-user ProxyJump prod

Web servers with specific configurations

Host web1.example.com Hostname 198.51.100.15 Port 22022 User root IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Host web2.example.com Hostname 198.51.100.25 Port 22022 User root IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Database server with custom key

Host database Hostname 203.0.113.50 Port 22077 User dbadmin IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_database_rsa IdentitiesOnly yes

Mail servers

Host mail1 Hostname 198.51.100.88 Port 22078 User mailuser

Host root@mail1 Hostname 198.51.100.88 Port 22078 User root

Monitoring server

Host monitor Hostname 203.0.113.100 Port 22077 User monitoring IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_monitor_ed25519 IdentitiesOnly yes

Load balancers

Host lb-a Hostname 198.51.100.200 Port 22077 User root

Host lb-b Hostname 198.51.100.201 Port 22077 User root

This configuration demonstrates:

• Global settings: ServerAliveInterval to keep connections alive
• Custom ports: Non-standard SSH ports for security
• Multiple users: Different user accounts for the same host (e.g., prod and root@prod)
• Jump hosts: Using ProxyJump to access servers through bastion hosts
• IPv6 addresses: Modern networking support
• Identity files: Specific SSH keys for different servers
• Security options: IdentitiesOnly yes to use only specified keys

How MCP SSH Agent Uses Your Configuration

The MCP SSH agent automatically discovers and uses your SSH configuration:

1. Host Discovery: All hosts from ~/.ssh/config are automatically available
2. Native SSH: Uses your system's ssh command, so all config options work
3. Authentication: Respects your SSH agent, key files, and authentication settings
4. Jump Hosts: Supports complex proxy chains and bastion host setups
5. Port Forwarding: Can work with custom ports and connection options

Example Usage with Claude Desktop:

• "List my SSH hosts" → Shows all configured hosts including prod, archive, web1.example.com, etc.
• "Connect to archive server" → Uses the ProxyJump configuration automatically
• "Run 'df -h' on web1.example.com" → Connects with the correct user, port, and key
• "Upload file to database server" → Uses the specific identity file and port configuration

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Command not found: Ensure ssh and scp are installed and in your PATH
2. Permission denied: Check SSH key permissions and SSH agent
3. Host not found: Verify host exists in ~/.ssh/config or ~/.ssh/known_hosts
4. Connection timeout: Check network connectivity and firewall settings

Debug Mode

Run with debug output to see detailed operation logs:

Enable debug mode

MCP_SILENT=false npx @aiondadotcom/mcp-ssh

SSH Key Setup Guide

For the MCP SSH Agent to work properly, you need to set up SSH key authentication. Here's a complete guide:

1. Creating SSH Keys

Generate a new SSH key pair (use Ed25519 for better security):

Generate Ed25519 key (recommended)

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your-email@example.com"

Or generate RSA key (if Ed25519 is not supported)

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "your-email@example.com"

Important: When prompted for a passphrase, leave it empty (press Enter). The MCP SSH Agent cannot handle password-protected keys as it runs non-interactively.

Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase): [Press Enter]
Enter same passphrase again: [Press Enter]

This creates two files:

• ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 (private key) - Keep this secret!
• ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub (public key) - This gets copied to servers

2. Installing Public Key on Remote Servers

Copy your public key to the remote server's authorized_keys file:

Method 1: Using ssh-copy-id (easiest)

ssh-copy-id user@hostname

Method 2: Manual copy

cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub | ssh user@hostname "mkdir -p ~/.ssh && cat >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys"

Method 3: Copy and paste manually

cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Then SSH to the server and paste into ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

3. Server-Side SSH Configuration

To enable secure key-only authentication on your SSH servers, edit /etc/ssh/sshd_config:

Edit SSH daemon configuration

sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

Add or modify these settings:

Enable public key authentication

PubkeyAuthentication yes AuthorizedKeysFile .ssh/authorized_keys

Disable password authentication (security best practice)

PasswordAuthentication no ChallengeResponseAuthentication no UsePAM no

Root login options (choose one):

Option 1: Allow root login with SSH keys only (recommended for admin access)

PermitRootLogin prohibit-password

Option 2: Completely disable root login (most secure, but less flexible)

PermitRootLogin no

Optional: Restrict SSH to specific users

AllowUsers deploy root admin

Optional: Change default port for security

Port 22022

After editing, restart the SSH service:

On Ubuntu/Debian

sudo systemctl restart ssh

On CentOS/RHEL/Fedora

sudo systemctl restart sshd

On macOS

sudo launchctl unload /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/ssh.plist sudo launchctl load /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/ssh.plist

4. Setting Correct Permissions

SSH is very strict about file permissions. Set them correctly:

On your local machine:

chmod 700 ~/.ssh chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 chmod 644 ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub chmod 644 ~/.ssh/config chmod 644 ~/.ssh/known_hosts

On the remote server:

chmod 700 ~/.ssh chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

5. Testing SSH Key Authentication

Test your connection before using with MCP SSH Agent:

Test connection

ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 user@hostname

Test with verbose output for debugging

ssh -v -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 user@hostname

Test specific configuration

ssh -F ~/.ssh/config hostname

6. Multiple Keys for Different Servers

You can create different keys for different servers:

Create specific keys

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -f ~/.ssh/id_production -C "production-server" ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -f ~/.ssh/id_staging -C "staging-server"

Then configure them in ~/.ssh/config:

Host production Hostname prod.example.com User deploy IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_production IdentitiesOnly yes

Host staging Hostname staging.example.com User deploy IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_staging IdentitiesOnly yes

Security Best Practices

SSH Key Security

• Never use password-protected keys with MCP SSH Agent
• Never share private keys - they should stay on your machine only
• Use Ed25519 keys when possible (more secure than RSA)
• Create separate keys for different environments/purposes
• Regularly rotate keys (every 6-12 months)

Server Security

• Disable password authentication completely
• Use non-standard SSH ports to reduce automated attacks
• Limit SSH access to specific users with AllowUsers
• Choose appropriate root login policy:
  • PermitRootLogin prohibit-password - Allows root access with SSH keys only (recommended for admin tasks)
  • PermitRootLogin no - Completely disables root login (most secure, but requires sudo access)
• Enable SSH key-only authentication for all accounts
• Consider using jump hosts for additional security layers

Network Security

• Use VPN or bastion hosts for production servers
• Implement fail2ban to block brute force attempts
• Monitor SSH logs regularly
• Use SSH key forwarding carefully (disable when not needed)

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Project Structure

mcp-ssh/
├── server-simple.mjs          # Main MCP server implementation
├── package.json               # Dependencies and scripts
├── README.md                  # Documentation
├── LICENSE                    # MIT License
├── CHANGELOG.md               # Release history
├── PUBLISHING.md              # Publishing instructions
├── start.sh                   # Development startup script
├── start-silent.sh            # Silent startup script
├── doc/
│   ├── example.png            # Usage example screenshot
│   └── Claude.png             # Claude Desktop integration example
├── src/                       # TypeScript source files (development)
│   ├── ssh-client.ts          # SSH operations implementation
│   ├── ssh-config-parser.ts   # SSH configuration parsing
│   └── types.ts               # Type definitions
└── tsconfig.json              # TypeScript configuration

About

This project is maintained by aionda.com and provides a reliable bridge between AI assistants and SSH infrastructure through the Model Context Protocol.