SSH MCP Server

Let AI manage your servers — with zero-token file transfers.

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that gives AI the power to manage remote servers via SSH — execute commands, transfer files, and manage multi-server environments with per-connection proxy support.

Features

• 🚀 Remote Command Execution — Run any shell command on your servers
• 📦 SFTP File Transfer — Upload / download files and directories with zero token cost
• 🌐 Per-Connection SOCKS Proxy — Route each server through its own SOCKS4/5 proxy
• 🖥️ Multi-Server Management — Save and switch between unlimited server configs
• 🔗 Jump Host / Bastion Support — Reach servers behind firewalls
• 🔑 Flexible Auth — Password, private key, SSH agent, keyboard-interactive
• 💾 Persistent Configuration — Configure once, use across all sessions

Zero-Token File Transfer

File transfers go directly through SFTP between your machine and the server. The AI only sends a file path — it never sees or processes the file content. Transfer a 10GB database dump at the same token cost as a 1KB config file: near zero.

You: "Deploy the build to production"

AI:  upload_directory("./dist", "/var/www/app")  ← just the path
                     |
     MCP Server: local disk --SFTP--> remote server  ← direct transfer
                     |
AI:  "Deployed successfully (142 files, 38MB)"  ← only the result

Quick Start

One command. No config files to edit.

# Claude Code
claude mcp add sshmcp npx -- -y @nl4ever/sshmcp

# Or install globally first
npm install -g @nl4ever/sshmcp
claude mcp add sshmcp sshmcp

Then just tell Claude:

"Connect to my server 192.168.1.100 as root and check disk usage"

Claude will call add_server + connect + execute("df -h") automatically.

Installation

npx (No Install)

npx @nl4ever/sshmcp

Global Install (Recommended)

npm install -g @nl4ever/sshmcp

From Source

git clone https://github.com/NikolaNddTesla/ssh-mcp-server.git
cd ssh-mcp-server
npm install && npm run build
node dist/index.js

Integration

claude mcp add sshmcp sshmcp

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sshmcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@nl4ever/sshmcp"]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sshmcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@nl4ever/sshmcp"]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sshmcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@nl4ever/sshmcp"]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sshmcp": {
      "command": "sshmcp"
    }
  }
}

What Can It Do?

15 Tools at AI's Fingertips

Connection & Servers | Tool | What it does | |------|-------------| | connect | Connect to a server | | disconnect | End current session | | test_connection | Test connectivity without switching active connection | | list_servers | Show all configured servers | | get_server | View server details (passwords auto-masked) | | add_server | Add or update a server | | delete_server | Remove a server |

Remote Execution | Tool | What it does | |------|-------------| | execute | Run any shell command (with configurable timeout) | | write_file | Write text content to a remote file |

File Transfer (Zero Token Cost) | Tool | What it does | |------|-------------| | upload_file | Upload a local file to the server | | upload_directory | Recursively upload an entire directory | | download_file | Download a file from the server |

Proxy Management | Tool | What it does | |------|-------------| | list_proxies | Show all configured SOCKS proxies | | add_proxy | Add a SOCKS4/5 proxy | | delete_proxy | Remove a proxy |

Configuration

All settings persist in ~/.ssh-mcp/config.json. Configure once, use across all sessions.

Server with Password

add_server({
  server_id: "prod",
  name: "Production",
  host: "192.168.1.100",
  port: 22,
  username: "root",
  password: "your-password"
})

Server with Proxy (for restricted networks)

add_proxy({ proxy_id: "us", name: "US Proxy", host: "proxy.example.com", port: 1080 })

add_server({
  server_id: "overseas",
  name: "Overseas Server",
  host: "1.2.3.4",
  port: 22,
  username: "root",
  password: "your-password",
  proxy: "us"
})

All Authentication Methods

| Method | Parameter | Use Case | |--------|-----------|----------| | Password | password | Most common | | Private Key File | private_key | .pem / id_rsa on your machine | | Private Key Inline | private_key_content | Paste key directly (CI/CD friendly) | | SSH Agent | use_agent: true | Use system ssh-agent, no password needed | | Keyboard Interactive | keyboard_interactive: true | OTP / 2FA | | Jump Host | jump_host | Connect through a bastion server |

Requirements

• Node.js >= 18.0.0
• SSH access to target servers

Contributing

Issues and PRs are welcome! If you find a bug or have a feature request, please open an issue.

License

MIT