Sshmcp

A stateful SSH MCP server for Claude Code. Gives Claude persistent shell sessions over SSH — commands preserve working directory, environment variables, and state across calls.

Features

• Stateful sessions: tmux-backed shells that persist cwd, env, shell state
• Multiple sessions: connect to multiple hosts simultaneously, switch between them
• File operations: upload, download, and write files via SFTP
• Output management: automatic truncation with head/tail preservation
• Background processes: supports & for long-running commands

Install

pip install -e .

Claude Code config

Add to ~/.claude/claude_desktop_config.json or your MCP settings:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ssh": {
      "command": "sshmcp",
      "args": []
    }
  }
}

Tools

Tool	Description
ssh_connect	Connect to a host via SSH (password, key, or agent)
ssh_exec	Run a command in the persistent shell
ssh_read_output	Read recent terminal output
ssh_upload	Upload a local file via SFTP
ssh_download	Download a remote file via SFTP
ssh_write_file	Write content to a remote file
ssh_list_sessions	List all active sessions
ssh_switch_session	Switch active session
ssh_close	Close a session

Usage

Once configured, Claude can:

ssh_connect(host="myserver.com", username="user", key_path="~/.ssh/id_ed25519")
ssh_exec(command="cd /opt/app && cat config.yaml")
ssh_exec(command="grep -r 'ERROR' /var/log/app/")  # still in /opt/app context
ssh_upload(local_path="./exploit.py", remote_path="/tmp/exploit.py")