🐧 Linux SSH MCP Server

A powerful Python-based Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables AI assistants to manage remote Linux machines over SSH — directly from your chat interface.

📋 Table of Contents

• Overview

• Key Features

• Architecture

• Prerequisites

• Installation & Setup

• Configuring Your AI IDE

  • Cursor

  • Claude Desktop

  • Antigravity (Google DeepMind)

  • VS Code with Continue / Cline

  • Windsurf

• How It Works

• Environment Variables

• Complete Tool Reference

  • Session & Authentication (6 tools)

  • Command Execution (3 tools)

  • File & Directory Operations (12 tools)

  • Log & Search (5 tools)

  • System Monitoring (8 tools)

  • Network (5 tools)

  • Docker Operations (7 tools)

  • Package Management (4 tools)

  • User Management (4 tools)

  • Cron Jobs (3 tools)

  • Archive & Compression (2 tools)

  • Security & Audit (3 tools)

• Multi-Session Usage Examples

• Security Best Practices

• Troubleshooting

• License

Related MCP server: SSH MCP Server

🌐 Overview

Linux SSH MCP Server is a Python application built with FastMCP and Paramiko that exposes 50+ tools across 12 categories to any MCP-compatible AI assistant. Once connected, your AI can execute commands, manage files, monitor systems, control Docker containers, and much more — all on remote Linux servers, all through natural language in your chat.

How is this different from just "running commands"?

Traditional AI code assistants can run commands on your local machine. This MCP server lets them operate on remote Linux servers — your production boxes, staging environments, cloud VMs, Raspberry Pis, or any machine reachable via SSH. The AI gets structured, typed tools (not raw shell access), meaning it can reason about parameters, handle errors gracefully, and chain operations intelligently.

✨ Key Features

🏗 Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                     AI IDE (Client)                     │
│          Cursor / Claude Desktop / Antigravity          │
│                  VS Code / Windsurf                     │
└──────────────────────┬──────────────────────────────────┘
                       │  stdio (stdin/stdout)
                       │
┌──────────────────────▼──────────────────────────────────┐
│                  MCP Server (server.py)                 │
│               Built with FastMCP + Python               │
│                                                         │
│  ┌─────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐  ┌───────────────┐  │
│  │  Session     │  │  Credential  │  │  Tool         │  │
│  │  Manager     │  │  Cache       │  │  Registry     │  │
│  │  (multi-host)│  │  (mem+disk)  │  │  (50+ tools)  │  │
│  └──────┬──────┘  └──────────────┘  └───────────────┘  │
└─────────┼───────────────────────────────────────────────┘
          │  SSH (Paramiko)
          │
┌─────────▼───────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│              Remote Linux Server(s)                     │
│         Ubuntu / Debian / CentOS / Arch / etc.          │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

📦 Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following installed on your local machine (the machine running the AI IDE):

1. Python 3.10 or higher

Verify your Python version:

python --version
# Should output: Python 3.10.x or higher

If you don't have Python 3.10+, download it from python.org.

2. uv (Python Package Manager by Astral)

uv is a blazing-fast Python package manager that replaces pip, venv, and more. Install it:

# Using pip
pip install uv

# Or using the standalone installer (recommended)
powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"

Verify the installation:

uv --version

Why uv? MCP servers launched by AI IDEs use uv run to automatically create virtual environments, install dependencies, and start the server — all in one command. It's the de facto standard for MCP server management.

3. A Remote Linux Server with SSH Access

You need at least one Linux machine you can SSH into. This can be:

• A cloud VM (AWS EC2, GCP, Azure, DigitalOcean, etc.)

• A local VM (VirtualBox, VMware, WSL2, etc.)

• A Raspberry Pi or any other Linux device

• A container with SSH enabled

Make sure you have:

• The server's hostname or IP address

• A valid username and password (or SSH private key)

• SSH port (default: 22) is open and accessible from your machine

🚀 Installation & Setup

Step 1: Navigate to the project directory

cd C:\AI_Workspaces\Anti_Workspace\linux-ssh-mcp

Step 2: Install dependencies

uv sync

This single command will:

1. Create a virtual environment (.venv/) if one doesn't exist

2. Read pyproject.toml for dependency declarations

3. Install all required packages (FastMCP, Paramiko, etc.)

4. Lock dependency versions in uv.lock

Step 3: Verify the installation

uv run python -c "import mcp; import paramiko; print('All dependencies installed successfully!')"

Step 4 (Optional): Test with MCP Inspector

The MCP Inspector is a browser-based debugging tool that lets you test your server's tools interactively:

uv run mcp dev server.py

This opens a web UI where you can invoke any tool, inspect inputs/outputs, and debug issues before connecting to your AI IDE.

🔌 Configuring Your AI IDE

Each AI IDE reads MCP server configurations from a JSON file. The server is launched automatically when the IDE starts — you do not need to start it manually.

Understanding the Configuration

Every IDE uses the same core JSON structure:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linux-ssh": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--directory",
        "C:\\AI_Workspaces\\Anti_Workspace\\linux-ssh-mcp",
        "server.py"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SSH_HOST": "your-host",
        "SSH_PORT": "22",
        "SSH_USERNAME": "your-username",
        "SSH_PASSWORD": "your-password"
      }
    }
  }
}

💡 The env section is entirely optional. If you omit it, the server will interactively ask for credentials in the chat when you first try to connect. This is the recommended approach for security-sensitive environments.

1. 🖱 Cursor

Cursor supports both project-level and global MCP configurations.

Project-Level Configuration (Recommended)

Create the file .cursor/mcp.json in your project root:

your-project/
├── .cursor/
│   └── mcp.json        ← Create this file
├── src/
└── ...

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linux-ssh": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--directory",
        "C:\\AI_Workspaces\\Anti_Workspace\\linux-ssh-mcp",
        "server.py"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SSH_HOST": "your-host",
        "SSH_PORT": "22",
        "SSH_USERNAME": "your-username",
        "SSH_PASSWORD": "your-password"
      }
    }
  }
}

Global Configuration

To make the MCP server available across all Cursor projects, add it to your global configuration:

~/.cursor/mcp.json

The JSON format is identical to the project-level config above.

Without Environment Variables (Interactive Mode)

If you prefer the server to ask for credentials in the chat:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linux-ssh": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--directory",
        "C:\\AI_Workspaces\\Anti_Workspace\\linux-ssh-mcp",
        "server.py"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Verifying in Cursor

1. Open Cursor

2. Go to Settings → MCP (or press Ctrl+Shift+P → "MCP")

3. You should see linux-ssh listed with a green status indicator

4. If red, check the logs for error details

2. 🤖 Claude Desktop

Configuration File Location

Configuration

Open (or create) the config file and add the MCP server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linux-ssh": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--directory",
        "C:\\AI_Workspaces\\Anti_Workspace\\linux-ssh-mcp",
        "server.py"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Note for macOS users: Replace the Windows path in --directory with the equivalent macOS path where the project is located.

Verifying in Claude Desktop

1. Restart Claude Desktop after saving the config

2. Look for the 🔧 (tools) icon in the chat input area

3. Click it to see the list of available tools from linux-ssh

3. 🌀 Antigravity (Google DeepMind)

Antigravity can be configured via the MCP settings panel within the application.

Configuration

Use the same JSON format as Cursor:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linux-ssh": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--directory",
        "C:\\AI_Workspaces\\Anti_Workspace\\linux-ssh-mcp",
        "server.py"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SSH_HOST": "your-host",
        "SSH_USERNAME": "your-username",
        "SSH_PASSWORD": "your-password"
      }
    }
  }
}

Steps

1. Open Antigravity

2. Navigate to the MCP settings panel

3. Add a new MCP server configuration

4. Paste the JSON above (adjust credentials as needed)

5. Save and restart if prompted

4. 💻 VS Code with Continue / Cline

Continue Extension

Add the MCP server to .continue/config.json in your project or home directory:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linux-ssh": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--directory",
        "C:\\AI_Workspaces\\Anti_Workspace\\linux-ssh-mcp",
        "server.py"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Cline Extension

1. Open VS Code

2. Open Cline's settings (click the gear icon in the Cline sidebar)

3. Navigate to the MCP Servers section

4. Add a new server with the same command and args format

5. 🏄 Windsurf

Configuration File Location

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

Configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linux-ssh": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--directory",
        "C:\\AI_Workspaces\\Anti_Workspace\\linux-ssh-mcp",
        "server.py"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SSH_HOST": "your-host",
        "SSH_USERNAME": "your-username",
        "SSH_PASSWORD": "your-password"
      }
    }
  }
}

Steps

1. Open (or create) the file at ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

2. Add the configuration above

3. Restart Windsurf to pick up the changes

⚡ How It Works

Startup Flow

1. AI IDE starts
        │
2. Reads mcp.json / config file
        │
3. Runs: uv run --directory <path> server.py
        │
4. uv automatically:
   ├── Creates .venv if needed
   ├── Installs dependencies from pyproject.toml
   └── Launches server.py
        │
5. server.py initializes FastMCP
   ├── Registers all 50+ tools
   ├── Reads SSH_* environment variables (if set)
   └── Loads cached credentials (if available)
        │
6. Server communicates via stdio (stdin/stdout)
        │
7. AI IDE discovers tools and makes them available in chat

Connection Flow

User: "Connect to my production server at 10.0.1.50"
        │
AI calls: ssh_connect(host='10.0.1.50')
        │
        ├── ENV vars set? → Uses SSH_USERNAME / SSH_PASSWORD
        ├── Cached creds? → Uses saved credentials
        └── Neither?      → Prompts user in chat for username/password
                │
        SSH connection established → Session "default" created
        │
User: "Show me disk usage"
        │
AI calls: ssh_disk_usage(session_name='default')
        │
Returns: Formatted df -h output

For Manual Testing / Debugging

# Open the MCP Inspector (browser-based tool debugger)
uv run mcp dev server.py

The Inspector lets you:

• See all registered tools and their schemas

• Invoke tools with custom parameters

• Inspect raw JSON responses

• Debug connection issues

🔐 Environment Variables

All environment variables are optional. If not set, the server will either use defaults or prompt interactively.

Authentication Priority

When connecting, the server checks for credentials in this order:

1. Explicit parameters passed to ssh_connect (highest priority)

2. Environment variables (SSH_HOST, SSH_USERNAME, etc.)

3. Cached credentials from ~/.ssh-mcp-cache/credentials.json

4. Interactive prompt — asks the user in chat (lowest priority / fallback)

📖 Complete Tool Reference

This section documents every tool exposed by the MCP server. All tools return structured responses with clear success/error indicators.

Category 1: Session & Authentication (6 tools)

These tools manage SSH connections, sessions, and credential storage.

🔧 ssh_connect

Connect to a remote Linux host and create a named session.

Establishes an SSH connection to the specified host. Multiple simultaneous connections are supported via named sessions. If credentials are not provided as parameters, the server falls back to environment variables, then cached credentials, then interactive prompting.

Examples:

# Basic connection with password
ssh_connect(host='192.168.1.100', username='admin', password='s3cret')

# Connection with SSH key
ssh_connect(host='10.0.1.50', username='deploy', key_path='/home/user/.ssh/id_rsa')

# Named session for production server
ssh_connect(host='prod.example.com', username='admin', password='s3cret', session_name='prod')

# Named session for staging server (simultaneously)
ssh_connect(host='staging.example.com', username='admin', password='s3cret', session_name='staging')

# Using non-standard port
ssh_connect(host='bastion.example.com', port=2222, username='jump', key_path='/keys/bastion.pem')

Returns: Confirmation message with session name, connected host, and server OS info.

🔧 ssh_disconnect

Disconnect a specific SSH session.

Gracefully closes the SSH connection for the named session and frees associated resources.

Examples:

# Disconnect the default session
ssh_disconnect()

# Disconnect a named session
ssh_disconnect(session_name='prod')

Returns: Confirmation that the session was disconnected.

🔧 ssh_disconnect_all

Disconnect all active SSH sessions.

Iterates through all active sessions and disconnects each one. Useful for cleanup.

Example:

ssh_disconnect_all()

Returns: Summary of how many sessions were disconnected and their names.

🔧 ssh_list_sessions

List all active SSH sessions with connection details.

Provides a comprehensive overview of all currently active sessions including connection status, hostname, uptime, and the number of commands executed in each session.

Example:

ssh_list_sessions()

Returns: A formatted table/list with:

• Session name

• Connected host and port

• Username

• Connection status (active/disconnected)

• Uptime (how long the session has been active)

• Number of commands executed

🔧 ssh_save_credentials

Save SSH credentials for future reuse.

Persists credentials to disk at ~/.ssh-mcp-cache/credentials.json. Saved credentials are automatically loaded on server startup and can be used when connecting to a host without explicitly providing credentials. The credential file is created with restricted permissions (600) for security.

Example:

ssh_save_credentials(
    session_name='prod',
    host='prod.example.com',
    username='deploy',
    key_path='/home/user/.ssh/prod_key',
    port=22
)

Returns: Confirmation that credentials were saved and the file path.

🔧 ssh_list_saved_credentials

List all saved credentials.

Displays all credentials stored in the cache file. Passwords are masked for security (only the first and last characters are shown).

Example:

ssh_list_saved_credentials()

Returns: A formatted list of saved credentials with:

• Session/credential name

• Host and port

• Username

• Password (masked, e.g., s****t)

• Key path (if set)

Category 2: Command Execution (3 tools)

General-purpose command execution tools for running anything on the remote host.

🔧 ssh_execute

Execute any shell command on the remote host.

The most versatile tool — runs a single shell command and returns stdout, stderr, and the exit code. Use this for any command not covered by a specialized tool.

Examples:

# Simple command
ssh_execute(command='whoami')

# Command with timeout
ssh_execute(command='find / -name "*.log" -size +100M', timeout=120)

# Execute on a specific session
ssh_execute(command='uptime', session_name='prod')

# Piped commands
ssh_execute(command='cat /var/log/syslog | grep ERROR | tail -20')

Returns: An object containing:

• stdout — Standard output of the command

• stderr — Standard error output (if any)

• exit_code — Exit code (0 = success)

🔧 ssh_execute_script

Execute a multi-line bash script on the remote host.

Uploads and runs a complete bash script. Useful for complex operations that span multiple commands with control flow (if/else, loops, etc.).

Example:

ssh_execute_script(script="""
#!/bin/bash
set -e

echo "=== System Health Check ==="
echo ""
echo "Hostname: $(hostname)"
echo "Uptime: $(uptime -p)"
echo "Kernel: $(uname -r)"
echo ""
echo "=== Disk Usage ==="
df -h | grep -E '^/dev'
echo ""
echo "=== Memory ==="
free -h
echo ""
echo "=== Top 5 CPU Processes ==="
ps aux --sort=-%cpu | head -6
""", timeout=60)

Returns: Combined output from the script execution with exit code.

🔧 ssh_execute_background

Run a command in the background using nohup.

Launches a long-running command that persists even after the SSH session ends. Output is redirected to a log file.

Examples:

# Run a backup in the background
ssh_execute_background(
    command='tar czf /backups/full-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz /var/www',
    log_file='/var/log/backup.log'
)

# Start a long-running data processing job
ssh_execute_background(command='python3 /scripts/process_data.py --all')

Returns: Confirmation with the PID of the background process and the log file path.

Category 3: File & Directory Operations (12 tools)

Comprehensive file management capabilities — browse, read, write, copy, move, delete, search, and manage permissions.

🔧 ssh_list_directory

List the contents of a directory (equivalent to ls -la).

Examples:

# List root directory
ssh_list_directory(path='/')

# List home directory without hidden files
ssh_list_directory(path='/home/admin', show_hidden=False)

# List on a specific session
ssh_list_directory(path='/var/www', session_name='prod')

Returns: Formatted directory listing with permissions, owner, group, size, modification date, and filename.

🔧 ssh_create_directory

Create a directory, including any necessary parent directories (equivalent to mkdir -p).

Example:

# Creates /var/www/myapp/static/images and all parents
ssh_create_directory(path='/var/www/myapp/static/images')

🔧 ssh_read_file

Read the contents of a file on the remote server.

Examples:

# Read entire file
ssh_read_file(path='/etc/nginx/nginx.conf')

# Read first 50 lines of a large file
ssh_read_file(path='/var/log/syslog', max_lines=50)

🔧 ssh_write_file

Write content to a file. Creates the file if it doesn't exist, or overwrites/appends to it.

Examples:

# Write a new config file
ssh_write_file(path='/etc/myapp/config.yml', content="""
database:
  host: localhost
  port: 5432
  name: myapp_prod
""")

# Append a line to a file
ssh_write_file(path='/etc/hosts', content='10.0.1.50 api.internal\n', append=True)

🔧 ssh_delete

Delete a file or directory.

Examples:

# Delete a single file
ssh_delete(path='/tmp/old-backup.tar.gz')

# Delete a directory and all its contents
ssh_delete(path='/var/www/old-site', recursive=True)

⚠️ Warning: Recursive delete is permanent. There is no recycle bin on Linux.

🔧 ssh_move

Move or rename a file or directory.

Example:

# Rename a file
ssh_move(source='/var/www/index.html', destination='/var/www/index.html.bak')

# Move a directory
ssh_move(source='/tmp/release-v2', destination='/var/www/app')

🔧 ssh_copy

Copy a file or directory.

Example:

# Copy a file
ssh_copy(source='/etc/nginx/nginx.conf', destination='/etc/nginx/nginx.conf.bak')

# Copy a directory
ssh_copy(source='/var/www/app', destination='/var/www/app-backup', recursive=True)

🔧 ssh_file_info

Get detailed information about a file or directory (equivalent to stat).

Example:

ssh_file_info(path='/var/log/syslog')

Returns: File type, size, permissions, owner, group, creation time, modification time, access time, inode, and link count.

🔧 ssh_file_permissions

Change file or directory permissions (equivalent to chmod).

Examples:

# Make a script executable
ssh_file_permissions(path='/opt/scripts/deploy.sh', permissions='755')

# Secure a private key file
ssh_file_permissions(path='/home/admin/.ssh/id_rsa', permissions='600')

# Recursively set directory permissions
ssh_file_permissions(path='/var/www/html', permissions='755', recursive=True)

🔧 ssh_change_owner

Change file or directory ownership (equivalent to chown).

Examples:

# Change owner
ssh_change_owner(path='/var/www/html', owner='www-data')

# Change owner and group
ssh_change_owner(path='/var/www/html', owner='www-data', group='www-data', recursive=True)

🔧 ssh_find_files

Search for files and directories with flexible filters (equivalent to find).

Examples:

# Find all .log files in /var/log
ssh_find_files(path='/var/log', name='*.log', type='f')

# Find large files over 500MB
ssh_find_files(path='/', size='+500M', type='f')

# Find recently modified config files
ssh_find_files(path='/etc', name='*.conf', modified_within='7')

# Find empty directories
ssh_find_files(path='/tmp', type='d')

🔧 ssh_disk_file_usage

Show disk usage for a specific file or directory (equivalent to du -sh).

Example:

ssh_disk_file_usage(path='/var/log')
# Returns: "2.3G    /var/log"

Category 4: Log & Search (5 tools)

Tools for searching through files, viewing logs, and performing text replacements.

🔧 ssh_search_in_files

Search for text patterns within files (equivalent to grep).

Examples:

# Search for errors in a log file
ssh_search_in_files(pattern='ERROR', path='/var/log/app.log')

# Case-insensitive search across a directory
ssh_search_in_files(pattern='database', path='/etc/myapp/', case_insensitive=True)

# Regex search for IP addresses
ssh_search_in_files(pattern=r'\d{1,3}\.\d{1,3}\.\d{1,3}\.\d{1,3}', path='/var/log/auth.log', regex=True)

🔧 ssh_tail_file

View the last N lines of a file (equivalent to tail -n).

Ideal for checking recent log entries.

Example:

# View last 100 lines of syslog
ssh_tail_file(path='/var/log/syslog', lines=100)

🔧 ssh_head_file

View the first N lines of a file (equivalent to head -n).

Useful for inspecting file headers, CSV column names, or configuration file structures.

Example:

# View first 20 lines of a CSV file
ssh_head_file(path='/data/export.csv', lines=20)

🔧 ssh_search_logs

Search through system logs using journalctl or grep.

Provides a higher-level interface for log searching that works with both systemd journal and traditional log files.

Examples:

# Search systemd journal for SSH errors
ssh_search_logs(pattern='sshd', since='1 hour ago')

# Search a specific log file
ssh_search_logs(pattern='OutOfMemory', log_path='/var/log/app/error.log')

# Search for recent kernel errors
ssh_search_logs(pattern='error', since='today')

🔧 ssh_sed_replace

Find and replace text in a file using sed.

Examples:

# Update a port in a config file
ssh_sed_replace(
    file_path='/etc/myapp/config.yml',
    find='port: 3000',
    replace='port: 8080'
)

# Replace without backup
ssh_sed_replace(
    file_path='/tmp/test.txt',
    find='old_value',
    replace='new_value',
    backup=False
)

Category 5: System Monitoring (8 tools)

Monitor system resources, processes, and performance metrics.

🔧 ssh_system_info

Get a comprehensive system summary.

Returns a consolidated overview of the entire system in one call.

Example:

ssh_system_info()

Returns: Hostname, OS/distro, kernel version, architecture, CPU info, total/used memory, disk usage, uptime, load averages, and network interfaces.

🔧 ssh_disk_usage

Show disk space usage for all mounted filesystems (equivalent to df -h).

Example:

ssh_disk_usage()

Returns: Formatted table with filesystem, size, used, available, use%, and mount point for each partition.

🔧 ssh_memory_usage

Show memory and swap usage (equivalent to free -h).

Example:

ssh_memory_usage()

Returns: Total, used, free, shared, buff/cache, and available memory along with swap usage.

🔧 ssh_cpu_info

Get CPU details and current load.

Example:

ssh_cpu_info()

Returns: CPU model, number of cores/threads, clock speed, architecture, and current load averages (1/5/15 minutes).

🔧 ssh_process_list

List running processes (equivalent to ps aux) with optional filtering and sorting.

Examples:

# List all processes
ssh_process_list()

# Find all Python processes
ssh_process_list(filter_pattern='python')

# List processes sorted by memory usage
ssh_process_list(sort_by='mem')

🔧 ssh_top_processes

Show the top N processes by CPU or memory consumption.

Example:

# Top 5 memory-hungry processes
ssh_top_processes(count=5, sort_by='mem')

🔧 ssh_kill_process

Kill a process by its PID.

Examples:

# Gracefully terminate a process
ssh_kill_process(pid=12345)

# Force kill a stuck process
ssh_kill_process(pid=12345, signal='KILL')

# Send HUP to reload config (e.g., nginx)
ssh_kill_process(pid=9876, signal='HUP')

🔧 ssh_system_load

Get current system load averages.

Example:

ssh_system_load()

Returns: 1-minute, 5-minute, and 15-minute load averages along with the number of CPU cores for context.

Category 6: Network (5 tools)

Network diagnostics and information tools.

🔧 ssh_network_info

Show all network interfaces and their IP addresses.

Example:

ssh_network_info()

Returns: Interface names, IPv4/IPv6 addresses, MAC addresses, and status (UP/DOWN).

🔧 ssh_open_ports

List all open/listening ports (equivalent to ss -tlnp).

Example:

ssh_open_ports()

Returns: Protocol, local address, port, and the process/PID listening on each port.

🔧 ssh_check_port

Test if a specific port is reachable from the remote server.

Useful for verifying firewall rules, checking if a service is accessible, or testing connectivity between servers.

Example:

# Check if database port is reachable
ssh_check_port(host='db.internal', port=5432)

# Check if external API is accessible
ssh_check_port(host='api.example.com', port=443)

🔧 ssh_ping

Ping a host from the remote server.

Example:

ssh_ping(target='8.8.8.8', count=3)

Returns: Ping statistics including round-trip times (min/avg/max) and packet loss percentage.

🔧 ssh_dns_lookup

Perform DNS lookup for a domain (equivalent to dig or nslookup).

Example:

ssh_dns_lookup(domain='example.com')

Returns: DNS records including A, AAAA, MX, NS, and CNAME records (where available).

Category 7: Docker Operations (7 tools)

Manage Docker containers, images, and compose stacks on the remote host.

🔧 ssh_docker_ps

List Docker containers.

Examples:

# List running containers
ssh_docker_ps()

# List all containers (including stopped)
ssh_docker_ps(all=True)

🔧 ssh_docker_logs

View logs from a Docker container.

Example:

ssh_docker_logs(container='nginx-proxy', lines=50)

🔧 ssh_docker_exec

Execute a command inside a running Docker container.

Examples:

# Check nginx config inside container
ssh_docker_exec(container='nginx', command='nginx -t')

# List files in a container
ssh_docker_exec(container='myapp', command='ls -la /app')

# Check environment variables
ssh_docker_exec(container='myapp', command='env')

🔧 ssh_docker_images

List all Docker images on the remote host.

Example:

ssh_docker_images()

Returns: Repository, tag, image ID, creation date, and size for each image.

🔧 ssh_docker_stats

Show real-time resource usage statistics for running containers.

Example:

ssh_docker_stats()

Returns: CPU %, memory usage/limit, memory %, network I/O, and block I/O for each running container.

🔧 ssh_docker_compose

Run Docker Compose commands on a compose project.

Examples:

# Start services in detached mode
ssh_docker_compose(action='up', path='/opt/myapp/docker-compose.yml')

# Check running services
ssh_docker_compose(action='ps', path='/opt/myapp/')

# Restart all services
ssh_docker_compose(action='restart', path='/opt/myapp/')

# Bring everything down
ssh_docker_compose(action='down', path='/opt/myapp/')

# View compose logs
ssh_docker_compose(action='logs', path='/opt/myapp/')

🔧 ssh_docker_inspect

Inspect a Docker container's configuration and state.

Example:

ssh_docker_inspect(container='redis-cache')

Returns: Detailed JSON output including container config, network settings, mount points, environment variables, and state information.

Category 8: Package Management (4 tools)

Install, remove, and manage system packages. Auto-detects the package manager on the remote system:

🔧 ssh_install_package

Install a system package.

Example:

ssh_install_package(package='nginx')
# Auto-detects: runs "apt install -y nginx" on Ubuntu, "yum install -y nginx" on CentOS, etc.

🔧 ssh_remove_package

Remove/uninstall a system package.

Example:

ssh_remove_package(package='apache2')

🔧 ssh_list_packages

List installed packages with optional filtering.

Examples:

# List all installed packages
ssh_list_packages()

# List only Python-related packages
ssh_list_packages(filter='python')

🔧 ssh_check_updates

Check for available package updates.

Example:

ssh_check_updates()

Returns: List of packages with available updates, including current and available versions.

Category 9: User Management (4 tools)

View and inspect user accounts and login history.

🔧 ssh_list_users

List all user accounts on the system.

Example:

ssh_list_users()

Returns: Username, UID, GID, home directory, and shell for each user.

🔧 ssh_user_info

Get detailed information about a specific user.

Example:

ssh_user_info(username='deploy')

Returns: Username, UID, GID, groups (primary and supplementary), home directory, shell, account status, and last login.

🔧 ssh_whoami

Show the current authenticated user on the remote session.

Example:

ssh_whoami()

Returns: The username of the currently authenticated SSH user.

🔧 ssh_last_logins

Show recent login history.

Example:

ssh_last_logins()

Returns: Recent login records including username, terminal, source IP/hostname, and login/logout times.

Category 10: Cron Jobs (3 tools)

Manage scheduled tasks (cron jobs) on the remote server.

🔧 ssh_list_cron

List all cron jobs for the current user (or root).

Example:

ssh_list_cron()

Returns: All crontab entries with their schedule expressions and commands.

🔧 ssh_add_cron

Add a new cron job.

Examples:

# Daily backup at 2 AM
ssh_add_cron(schedule='0 2 * * *', command='/opt/scripts/backup.sh >> /var/log/backup.log 2>&1')

# Every 5 minutes health check
ssh_add_cron(schedule='*/5 * * * *', command='curl -s http://localhost:8080/health > /dev/null')

# Weekly log rotation on Sunday at midnight
ssh_add_cron(schedule='0 0 * * 0', command='/usr/sbin/logrotate /etc/logrotate.conf')

Cron Schedule Quick Reference:

┌───────────── minute (0 - 59)
│ ┌───────────── hour (0 - 23)
│ │ ┌───────────── day of month (1 - 31)
│ │ │ ┌───────────── month (1 - 12)
│ │ │ │ ┌───────────── day of week (0 - 7, where 0 and 7 = Sunday)
│ │ │ │ │
* * * * *  command

🔧 ssh_remove_cron

Remove a cron job matching a pattern.

Example:

# Remove the backup cron job
ssh_remove_cron(pattern='backup.sh')

Category 11: Archive & Compression (2 tools)

Create and extract compressed archives.

🔧 ssh_compress

Create a compressed archive (tar.gz or zip).

Examples:

# Create a tar.gz archive
ssh_compress(source='/var/www/html', destination='/backups/site-backup.tar.gz')

# Create a zip archive
ssh_compress(source='/home/admin/documents', destination='/tmp/documents.zip')

The archive format is automatically determined by the file extension of destination.

🔧 ssh_extract

Extract a compressed archive.

Examples:

# Extract a tar.gz
ssh_extract(source='/backups/site-backup.tar.gz', destination='/var/www/html')

# Extract a zip
ssh_extract(source='/tmp/release-v2.zip', destination='/opt/app')

Supports .tar.gz, .tgz, .tar.bz2, .tar.xz, .zip, and .tar formats.

Category 12: Security & Audit (3 tools)

Service management and security auditing tools.

🔧 ssh_check_service

Check the status of a systemd service (equivalent to systemctl status).

Example:

ssh_check_service(service='nginx')

Returns: Service active/inactive status, enabled/disabled state, PID, memory usage, and recent log entries.

🔧 ssh_manage_service

Start, stop, restart, enable, or disable a systemd service.

Examples:

# Restart nginx after config change
ssh_manage_service(service='nginx', action='restart')

# Enable a service to start on boot
ssh_manage_service(service='docker', action='enable')

# Stop a service
ssh_manage_service(service='apache2', action='stop')

🔧 ssh_failed_logins

Show failed SSH login attempts (checks auth logs and/or lastb).

Useful for security auditing — detect brute-force attempts, unauthorized access, and suspicious login activity.

Example:

ssh_failed_logins()

Returns: Recent failed login attempts with timestamp, username attempted, source IP address, and authentication method.

🔀 Multi-Session Usage Examples

One of the most powerful features of this MCP server is the ability to manage multiple Linux servers simultaneously through named sessions.

Example: Managing Production + Staging

You: "Connect to my production server at prod.example.com and staging at staging.example.com"

→ AI calls: ssh_connect(host='prod.example.com', username='admin', password='...', session_name='prod')
→ AI calls: ssh_connect(host='staging.example.com', username='admin', password='...', session_name='staging')

You: "Show disk usage on both servers"

→ AI calls: ssh_disk_usage(session_name='prod')
→ AI calls: ssh_disk_usage(session_name='staging')

→ AI presents a comparison table of disk usage across both environments

Example: Rolling Deployment Across Multiple Servers

You: "Connect to all three web servers"

→ ssh_connect(host='web1.internal', session_name='web1')
→ ssh_connect(host='web2.internal', session_name='web2')
→ ssh_connect(host='web3.internal', session_name='web3')

You: "Deploy the latest version to each server one at a time"

→ For each server:
   1. ssh_manage_service(service='nginx', action='stop', session_name='web1')
   2. ssh_execute(command='cd /var/www && git pull origin main', session_name='web1')
   3. ssh_manage_service(service='nginx', action='start', session_name='web1')
   4. ssh_check_service(service='nginx', session_name='web1')  # verify healthy
   → Repeat for web2, web3...

Example: Comparing Configurations Across Environments

You: "Compare the nginx config between prod and staging"

→ ssh_read_file(path='/etc/nginx/nginx.conf', session_name='prod')
→ ssh_read_file(path='/etc/nginx/nginx.conf', session_name='staging')

→ AI shows a diff of the two configurations

Session Management

You: "Show me all my active sessions"

→ ssh_list_sessions()

Result:
┌──────────┬──────────────────┬──────────┬────────┬──────────┐
│ Session  │ Host             │ Username │ Uptime │ Commands │
├──────────┼──────────────────┼──────────┼────────┼──────────┤
│ prod     │ prod.example.com │ admin    │ 45m    │ 23       │
│ staging  │ stg.example.com  │ admin    │ 42m    │ 18       │
│ web1     │ web1.internal    │ deploy   │ 12m    │ 8        │
└──────────┴──────────────────┴──────────┴────────┴──────────┘

You: "Disconnect from all servers"

→ ssh_disconnect_all()

🛡 Security Best Practices

1. Use SSH Key Authentication in Production

Password-based authentication is convenient for development but less secure. For production servers:

ssh_connect(host='prod.example.com', username='deploy', key_path='C:\\Users\\pawan\\.ssh\\prod_key')

Generate a key pair if you don't have one:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "mcp-server"
ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub user@remote-host

2. Credential Cache File Permissions

The credential cache at ~/.ssh-mcp-cache/credentials.json is created with restricted permissions (600 — owner read/write only). Verify this:

ls -la ~/.ssh-mcp-cache/credentials.json
# Should show: -rw------- 1 user user ... credentials.json

3. Don't Commit Credentials to Git

Never commit mcp.json files containing passwords to version control.

Add to your .gitignore:

# MCP configuration with credentials
.cursor/mcp.json
mcp.json

# SSH MCP credential cache
.ssh-mcp-cache/

4. Use Environment Variables or Interactive Mode

Instead of hardcoding passwords in config files:

• Option A: Set environment variables in your shell profile (they won't be in any file checked into git)

• Option B: Omit the env section entirely and let the server prompt you in chat

5. Principle of Least Privilege

Create a dedicated SSH user for MCP operations with only the permissions needed:

# On the remote server
sudo useradd -m -s /bin/bash mcp-user
sudo usermod -aG docker mcp-user  # if Docker access is needed
# Avoid giving root access unless absolutely necessary

6. Network Security

• Use a VPN or SSH bastion host for accessing production servers

• Configure firewall rules to restrict SSH access to known IP addresses

• Consider using fail2ban to block brute-force attempts

🔧 Troubleshooting

Server Not Loading in AI IDE

Symptom: The MCP server shows as disconnected or doesn't appear in the tools list.

Solutions:

1. Verify uv is in your PATH:

   uv --version

   If not found, reinstall uv or add it to your system PATH.

2. Check the config file path: Ensure your mcp.json is in the correct location for your IDE (see Configuring Your AI IDE).

3. Validate JSON syntax: A single missing comma or bracket will break the config. Use a JSON validator.

4. Check the --directory path: Make sure the path in args points to the actual project directory containing server.py.

5. Restart the IDE: Some IDEs only read MCP configs on startup.

Connection Refused

Symptom: ssh_connect fails with "Connection refused."

Solutions:

1. Verify the host is reachable:

   ping your-host

2. Check SSH is running on the remote host:

   sudo systemctl status sshd

3. Verify the port:

   Test-NetConnection -ComputerName your-host -Port 22

4. Check firewall rules on both the remote server and your local network.

Authentication Failed

Symptom: ssh_connect fails with "Authentication failed."

Solutions:

1. Verify credentials manually:

   ssh username@host

2. Check username/password: Ensure no typos, especially with special characters.

3. SSH key permissions: Private key files must have restricted permissions:

   chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_rsa

4. Server allows password auth: Check /etc/ssh/sshd_config on the remote host:

   PasswordAuthentication yes

Command Timeout

Symptom: Commands fail with a timeout error.

Solutions:

1. Increase the timeout parameter:

   ssh_execute(command='find / -name "*.log"', timeout=120)

2. Use background execution for long-running commands:

   ssh_execute_background(command='tar czf /backup/full.tar.gz /')

3. Check network latency between your machine and the remote host.

Debugging with MCP Inspector

For any issue, the MCP Inspector provides detailed insight:

cd C:\AI_Workspaces\Anti_Workspace\linux-ssh-mcp
uv run mcp dev server.py

This opens a browser-based UI where you can:

• See all registered tools and their schemas

• Test individual tools with custom inputs

• View raw JSON requests and responses

• Check server logs for errors

Common Error Messages

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2025

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.

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