ssh_exec
Execute shell commands on a remote host via SSH. Supports pipes, redirects, environment variables, and returns stdout, stderr, and exit code.
Instructions
Execute a command on a remote host via SSH. The command is interpreted by the remote login shell — pipes, redirects, globs, and other shell metacharacters work as expected. Returns stdout, stderr, and exit code. Use env to set environment variables for this call without modifying the command string. Subject to SSH_MCP_COMMAND_WHITELIST / SSH_MCP_COMMAND_BLACKLIST if configured (policy is checked against the env-prefixed command).
Input Schema
TableJSON Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| host | Yes | SSH hostname or IP address | |
| port | No | SSH port (default: 22) | |
| username | No | SSH username (default: current user) | |
| privateKeyPath | No | Path to SSH private key | |
| password | No | SSH password. STRONGLY prefer key-based auth (privateKeyPath or ssh-agent). Passwords pass through MCP protocol frames as plaintext and may be logged by the transport or host process. | |
| command | Yes | Shell command to execute on the remote host (interpreted by the remote login shell) | |
| env | No | Environment variables to set for this command. Injected as a `KEY='value' ...` prefix; works on any sshd regardless of AcceptEnv config. Values are POSIX-single-quoted, so any byte is safe. | |
| timeout | No | Command timeout in milliseconds (default: 30000) |