# MCP SSH Manager

> An MCP server with 37 tools that enables Claude Code and OpenAI Codex to manage multiple SSH connections for remote command execution, file transfers, database operations, backups, and DevOps automation.

MCP SSH Manager is an open-source Model Context Protocol (MCP) server published by GitHub user bvisible that lets AI coding assistants like Claude Code and OpenAI Codex control remote servers over SSH. It is available on npm as `mcp-ssh-manager` under the MIT license and is installed globally or via npx. The project has accumulated 434 stars and 52 forks on GitHub since its creation in August 2025.

## What It Is

MCP SSH Manager bridges AI assistants and remote infrastructure by exposing 37 MCP tools that cover the full DevOps lifecycle: executing shell commands, uploading and downloading files, syncing directories with rsync, managing persistent SSH sessions, running database operations, creating and restoring backups, monitoring server health, managing SSH tunnels, and executing commands across server groups. It supports `.env` and TOML configuration formats, making it compatible with both Claude Code and OpenAI Codex workflows simultaneously.

## Tool Architecture and Groups

The 37 tools are organized into six groups that can be enabled or disabled independently to reduce AI context consumption:

- **Core** (5 tools) — always-on: list servers, execute, upload, download, sync
- **Sessions** (4 tools) — persistent SSH sessions that maintain shell context across calls
- **Monitoring** (6 tools) — health checks (CPU, RAM, disk, network), service status, process management, configurable alert thresholds
- **Backup** (4 tools) — automated backups for MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and file systems with cron scheduling and retention policies
- **Database** (4 tools) — dump, import, schema exploration, and SELECT-only query execution with SQL injection prevention
- **Advanced** (14 tools) — deployment, sudo execution, SSH tunnels, server groups, aliases, hooks, and profiles

The README states that enabling only the Core group reduces context usage by approximately 92% (from ~43.5k tokens to ~3.5k tokens), which matters for AI assistants with limited context windows.

## Security Model

The server implements a layered security approach. Starting with v3.5.0, each server can be assigned one of three per-server security modes: `unrestricted` (default, zero overhead), `readonly` (blocks mutating tools and a built-in denylist of destructive shell commands), or `restricted` (every command must match at least one `ALLOW_PATTERNS` regex and no `DENY_PATTERNS` regex, with DENY winning). An opt-in JSONL audit log records tool invocations, arguments, policy decisions, and exit codes, with sensitive fields automatically redacted. Command aliases are expanded before policy evaluation to prevent bypass.

## Connectivity and Platform Support

The server handles complex network topologies through ProxyJump (bastion/jump host chaining with circular-reference detection), ProxyCommand (SOCKS5 and custom proxy commands), and per-server SSH agent forwarding. Authentication supports passwords, SSH keys, passphrase-protected keys via ssh-agent or inline configuration, and OpenSSH 9.x algorithm negotiation (curve25519-sha256, aes128/256-gcm, hmac-sha2-256/512-etm). Windows OpenSSH hosts are supported via a per-server `platform=windows` flag that bypasses Linux-specific command wrappers. The tool runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows and requires Node.js v18 or higher.

## Update: v3.8.0 (August 14, 2026)

The current release is v3.8.0, published August 14, 2026. Key changes include a new optional `group` field per server in `.env`/TOML that eliminates the need for a separate `.server-groups.json` file, a Windows `ssh_sync` path-conversion fix for MSYS2 rsync, a crash fix for `ssh_tunnel_create` on already-bound ports (previously took down the entire MCP server process), a security floor raise for `@modelcontextprotocol/sdk` to `^1.30.0` to clear three published advisories, and the addition of JSDoc type-checking in CI. The project has published 24 versions since launch, with active community contributions across security disclosures, Windows compatibility, and cross-platform fixes.

## Features
- 37 MCP tools for SSH remote server management
- Execute shell commands on remote servers with working directory support
- Upload and download files between local and remote systems
- Bidirectional file sync via rsync integration
- Persistent SSH sessions maintaining shell context across commands
- Automated backups for MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and file systems
- Cron-based backup scheduling with retention policies
- Real-time server health checks (CPU, RAM, disk, network, uptime)
- Service status monitoring for nginx, mysql, docker, and custom services
- Process management with CPU/RAM sorting and kill capabilities
- Configurable health alert thresholds with JSONL audit log
- Database dump, import, schema exploration, and SELECT-only queries
- SQL injection prevention via shell-quoting and heredoc delivery
- SSH tunnel management (local/remote port forwarding, SOCKS proxy)
- Server groups for parallel command execution
- ProxyJump / bastion host support with chained multi-hop and circular-reference detection
- ProxyCommand support for SOCKS5 and custom proxy commands
- Per-server SSH agent forwarding (opt-in)
- Per-server security modes: unrestricted, readonly, restricted
- ALLOW_PATTERNS / DENY_PATTERNS regex policy for restricted mode
- JSONL audit log with sensitive field redaction
- Live configuration hot reload without server restart
- Tool activation system with 6 groups for 92% context reduction
- Auto-approval configuration export for Claude Code
- Support for .env and TOML configuration formats
- Windows OpenSSH host support via platform=windows flag
- OpenSSH 9.x algorithm compatibility (curve25519-sha256, aes-gcm, hmac-sha2-etm)
- SSH key, password, passphrase, and ssh-agent authentication
- Interactive CLI wizard (ssh-manager) for server and tool management
- Configuration profiles for frappe, docker, nodejs, and default project types

## Integrations
Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, rsync, ssh-agent, SOCKS5 proxy, ncat, Docker, nginx, systemd, cron, Node.js, npm, npx

## Platforms
WINDOWS, MACOS, LINUX, WEB, API, CLI

## Pricing
Open Source

## Version
3.8.0

## Links
- Website: https://www.npmjs.com/package/mcp-ssh-manager
- Documentation: https://github.com/bvisible/mcp-ssh-manager#readme
- Repository: https://github.com/bvisible/mcp-ssh-manager
- EveryDev.ai: https://www.everydev.ai/tools/mcp-ssh-manager