Cssh

Installation(macOS & Linux; Windows coming later)

One-line install (recommended)

curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Zero-noise/Cssh/main/scripts/install.sh | bash

Installs the latest release binary for your platform from GitHub Releases.

Developer install

git clone https://github.com/Zero-noise/Cssh.git && cd Cssh && ./scripts/install.sh

Builds cssh-mcp and csshctl from the local checkout with your installed Go toolchain.

The installer places binaries in ~/.csbridge/bin/, adds them to your PATH, registers the MCP server with Claude Code, and auto-approves tool permissions.

Open Claude Code and tell the AI: "Help me connect to my SSH server", and it will guide you through profile setup and connection.

Uninstall

curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Zero-noise/Cssh/main/scripts/uninstall.sh | bash
# or, from repo checkout:
./scripts/uninstall.sh

Verify installation

csshctl --help          # CLI tool works
claude mcp list         # cssh is registered (Claude Code)

If claude mcp list does not show cssh, register manually:

claude mcp add --transport stdio --scope user cssh -- ~/.csbridge/bin/cssh-mcp

Other MCP Clients

The install script registers cssh with Claude Code automatically. For other clients, add the config manually.

Binary path: ~/.csbridge/bin/cssh-mcp. Some clients don't expand ~ — get your absolute path with:

echo ~/.csbridge/bin/cssh-mcp

~/.cursor/mcp.json (global) or .cursor/mcp.json (project):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cssh": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "~/.csbridge/bin/cssh-mcp"
    }
  }
}

.vscode/mcp.json (workspace) or command palette → MCP: Open User Configuration:

{
  "servers": {
    "cssh": {
      "command": "${userHome}/.csbridge/bin/cssh-mcp"
    }
  }
}

VS Code uses "servers" as the root key, not "mcpServers". Use ${userHome} instead of ~.

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json — use an absolute path for the command:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cssh": {
      "command": "/Users/you/.csbridge/bin/cssh-mcp"
    }
  }
}

~/.codex/config.toml (global) or .codex/config.toml (project):

[mcp_servers.cssh]
command = ["~/.csbridge/bin/cssh-mcp"]

Or: codex mcp add cssh -- ~/.csbridge/bin/cssh-mcp

~/.config/amp/settings.json (global) or .amp/settings.json (project):

{
  "amp.mcpServers": {
    "cssh": {
      "command": "~/.csbridge/bin/cssh-mcp"
    }
  }
}

Or: amp mcp add cssh -- ~/.csbridge/bin/cssh-mcp

Settings → Tools → AI Assistant → Model Context Protocol (MCP) → + → add stdio server with command ~/.csbridge/bin/cssh-mcp.

Features

• Managed SSH master lifecycle — master processes run with -MN; Cssh tracks process health and detects death automatically
• Auto-reconnect — if an SSH master dies unexpectedly, Cssh reconnects transparently and notifies the AI agent
• Exec progress streaming — real-time output via MCP progress notifications during long-running commands
• Per-profile Cnote — persistent AI-facing notes per profile (e.g. "download to /mnt/ssd", "don't restart during business hours"); returned automatically on ssh_connect
• File transfer with verification — scp transport with automatic SFTP/legacy-SCP fallback, SHA-256 checksums for files, and file-count verification for directories
• Credential storage — passwords and key passphrases stored in OS keychain (macOS Keychain / Linux Secret Service), never in config files
• Tool annotations — all tools annotated with MCP spec hints (readOnlyHint, destructiveHint, etc.)

How It Works

Cssh follows a simple five-step loop:

1. Setup → create profile, store credentials securely
2. Connect → establish and verify the SSH session
3. Operate → read, write, patch, transfer, execute
4. Evaluate risk → classify the action as safe or sensitive
5. Resolve → allow, deny, or require explicit approval

Security Model

Two built-in security profiles control command approval:

Additional controls: profile-only connections, workspace_roots write restrictions, limit_dir runtime narrowing, allow_root_user policy, public-host OR-precedence.

Full details: docs/security-model.md

Tools

Core — daily operations

Session & connection management

First-time setup flow

These tools are used once per profile. After setup, only ssh_connect is needed.

Profile & privilege management

Build

go build -o cssh-mcp ./cmd/cssh-mcp && go build -o csshctl ./cmd/csshctl

After modifying .go source files, re-run go build to regenerate the binary.

CLI Reference

# Add a profile
csshctl profile add \
  --id devbox \
  --name rayna-dev \
  --host 100.88.0.10 \
  --user ubuntu \
  --workspace-roots / \
  --auth-priority key,password \
  --key-path ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 \
  --security-profile easy_safe

# Edit a profile
csshctl profile edit --id devbox --host 10.0.0.5 --workspace-roots /home/ubuntu/app

# Scan for SSH keys
csshctl key scan --dir ~/.ssh/

# Store credentials
csshctl secret set-password --profile devbox
csshctl secret set-key-passphrase --profile devbox
csshctl secret set-sudo-password --profile devbox

# Manage approvals
csshctl approvals list --status pending
csshctl approve apr_xxx --by yourname

Approval Flow

High-risk commands (reboot, mkfs, sudo in ops_strict, etc.) require human approval. When the AI hits one, it pauses and shows an approval_id — you approve it in another terminal:

  ssh_exec("reboot")
    → approval_required (id: apr_abc123)

  ┌─ You, in another terminal ───────────────────────┐
  │  $ csshctl approve apr_abc123 --by yourname      │
  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

  AI retries automatically → ✓ command executes

AI Workflow

Full setup flow: docs/setup-flow.md · Runtime paths: docs/runtime.md

1. ssh_profile_setup(step=template|save) — create a profile
2. ssh_key_setup(profile_id=...) — select SSH key and store passphrase (if key auth)
3. ssh_credentials_prompt(profile_id=...) — store password/sudo credentials if needed
4. ssh_connect(profile_id=...) — connect (Cnote is returned automatically)
5. ssh_exec / ssh_read_file / ssh_write_file / ssh_transfer — work on the remote host
6. When a call returns approval_required, run csshctl approve <id> in a separate terminal, then retry with approval_token

Notes

• Tell the AI to "record this in the Cnote" to persist profile-level rules.
• Password auth uses SSH_ASKPASS flow.
• ssh_apply_patch requires patch and base64 on the remote host.
• Default config path: ~/.csbridge/config.toml (auto-created on first run).