SSH MCP — VS Code Extension

VS Code extension Simple SSH MCP VS Code extension for GitHub Copilot, providing AI-powered SSH/SFTP remote operations directly in your editor.

Requirements

VS Code 1.99.0 or later (MCP API support)
GitHub Copilot extension

Features

Automatic MCP server registration — The SSH MCP server starts automatically when VS Code launches
49 SSH/SFTP tools available to Copilot: sessions, commands, shells, file transfers, port forwarding, file search, server management, multi-host workflows, system snapshots, containers, and diagnostics
Settings-driven configuration — All server options exposed as VS Code settings
Config change detection — Prompts to restart the server when settings change

Settings

Open VS Code Settings (Cmd+, / Ctrl+,) and extension or search for "Simple SSH MCP Server":

Setting	Default	Description
`sshMcp.maxConnections`	`10`	Maximum concurrent SSH sessions
`sshMcp.defaultTerm`	`xterm-256color`	Default TERM variable for PTY shells
`sshMcp.defaultCols`	`220`	Default PTY width in columns
`sshMcp.defaultRows`	`50`	Default PTY height in rows
`sshMcp.execTimeoutMs`	`30000`	Default command execution timeout (ms)
`sshMcp.logDir`	`~/.ssh-mcp/logs`	NDJSON log file directory
`sshMcp.hostKeyMode`	`accept`	Host key verification: `accept`, `strict`, or `ask`
`sshMcp.env`	`development`	Server environment (`production` defaults host key to `strict`)

Commands

SSH MCP: Restart Server — Restart the MCP server process
SSH MCP: Open Log Directory — Open the audit log directory in your file manager

Usage

Open GitHub Copilot Chat
Ask Copilot to connect to a remote server:

"Connect to prod-web-1.example.com as deploy using my SSH key at ~/.ssh/id_ed25519"

"ssh to 24.736.125.847(root/somepass) and show me system cpu/disk info"
Copilot will use the SSH MCP tools to manage connections, run commands, transfer files, and more.

Tools (49)

Session Management

Tool	Description	What to Ask
`ssh_connect`	FIRST STEP: Connect to a remote server via SSH	"Connect to 10.0.1.50 as admin with password Passw0rd"
`ssh_disconnect`	Close and disconnect an active SSH session	"Disconnect from the server"
`ssh_list_sessions`	Show all active SSH connections	"Show me all active SSH sessions"
`ssh_session_ping`	Test if an SSH session is alive	"Ping the SSH session to check if it's alive"

Command Execution

Tool	Description	What to Ask
`ssh_exec`	Run a command on the connected server	"Run uptime and df -h on the server"
`ssh_sudo_exec`	Run a command with sudo privileges	"Restart nginx with sudo"

Background Jobs

Tool	Description	What to Ask
`ssh_exec_background`	Start a long-running command for async polling	"Start a backup of /opt/app in the background"
`ssh_exec_poll`	Fetch output from a background job	"Check the progress of that backup job"
`ssh_exec_poll_list`	List all active background jobs	"Show all running background jobs"
`ssh_exec_cancel`	Stop a background job (requires jobId)	"Cancel the backup job"

Interactive Shells

Tool	Description	What to Ask
`ssh_shell_open`	Open an interactive PTY terminal (mysql, python, top)	"Open an interactive shell session"
`ssh_shell_write`	Type text into an open PTY terminal	"Type 'mysql -u root -p' into the shell"
`ssh_shell_read`	Read output from an open PTY terminal	"Show me the shell output"
`ssh_shell_resize`	Change dimensions of a PTY terminal	"Resize the shell to 200 columns"
`ssh_shell_close`	Close an interactive PTY terminal	"Close the interactive shell"
`ssh_shell_list`	List open PTY terminals for a session	"How many shells are open?"

SFTP File Operations

Tool	Description	What to Ask
`ssh_sftp_list`	List directory contents (like ls -la)	"List files in /opt/app on the remote server"
`ssh_sftp_upload`	Upload a local file to the remote server	"Upload ./deploy.sh to /tmp/ on the server"
`ssh_sftp_download`	Download a file from the remote server	"Download /var/log/app.log from the server"
`ssh_sftp_read`	Read remote file content in-place	"Show me the contents of /etc/nginx/nginx.conf"
`ssh_sftp_write`	Create or overwrite a remote file with text	"Write 'key: value' to /tmp/config.yml on the server"
`ssh_sftp_delete`	Delete a file or directory on the remote server	"Delete /tmp/old-backup.tar.gz on the server"
`ssh_sftp_stat`	Get file metadata: size, permissions, timestamps	"Get the size and permissions of /var/log/syslog"

Port Forwarding

Tool	Description	What to Ask
`ssh_port_forward_local`	Create SSH tunnel: local port → remote host:port	"Forward local port 5432 to db-internal:5432 through the SSH session"
`ssh_port_forward_remote`	Create reverse tunnel: remote port → local host:port	"Expose my local port 3000 as port 8080 on the remote server"
`ssh_port_forward_list`	List all active SSH port forwards	"Show all active port forwards"
`ssh_port_forward_remove`	Close an SSH port forward by its ID	"Remove the port forward to the database"

File Search & Analysis

Tool	Description	What to Ask
`ssh_find`	Locate files by name pattern (like Linux find)	"Find all .war files on the server"
`ssh_grep`	Search text patterns inside remote files (grep)	"Search for ERROR or FATAL in /var/log"
`ssh_diff`	Show differences between two remote files	"Diff nginx.conf with nginx.conf.bak"
`ssh_tail`	Show last N lines of a remote file	"Show last 100 lines of syslog with errors"
`ssh_checksum`	Compute hash (md5/sha256/sha512) of a remote file	"Get the SHA256 checksum of release.tar.gz"

Server Management

Tool	Description	What to Ask
`ssh_service`	Manage systemd services: start/stop/restart/status/list	"What's the status of the nginx service?"
`ssh_process`	List, filter, or kill processes. Find by port	"What process is listening on port 8080?"
`ssh_cron`	View, add, or remove scheduled cron jobs	"Show all cron jobs for root"
`ssh_network`	Network diagnostics: ports, ping, DNS, routes	"Show all listening ports on the server"
`ssh_user`	User and group info: whoami, list, details	"Who am I logged in as and what groups am I in?"

Multi-Host & Workflow

Tool	Description	What to Ask
`ssh_broadcast`	Run same command on multiple servers at once	"Run 'uptime' on all connected servers"
`ssh_transfer`	Copy a file between two remote servers	"Copy /etc/app.conf from server A to server B"
`ssh_jump_connect`	SSH through a bastion/jump host	"Connect to 10.0.1.50 through the bastion server"
`ssh_script`	Upload and execute a script in one step	"Write and run this bash script on the server: ..."

Session Intelligence

Tool	Description	What to Ask
`ssh_snapshot`	Capture full system state snapshot	"Take a snapshot of the system state before I deploy"
`ssh_snapshot_diff`	Compare two snapshots to see what changed	"Compare the pre-deploy and post-deploy snapshots"
`ssh_bookmark`	Save/list/delete connection bookmarks (NOT for connecting)	"Save this connection as 'prod-web' so I can reconnect later"

Container Awareness

Tool	Description	What to Ask
`ssh_container_list`	List Docker/Podman containers with resource usage	"Show all Docker containers on the server"
`ssh_container_logs`	View Docker/Podman container logs	"Show the last 50 lines of the nginx container logs"
`ssh_container_exec`	Run a command inside a Docker/Podman container	"Run 'cat /etc/hosts' inside the app container"

Diagnostics

Tool	Description	What to Ask
`ssh_system_info`	Get remote server system information	"Show me the system info — CPU, memory, disk usage"
`ssh_get_logs`	Query audit logs with filters	"Show the last 50 command logs"

License

MIT

Simple SSH MCP Server

fazorboy