Safe SSH MCP

A secured scoped SSH MCP server for executing safe read-only diagnostic DevOps / SysOps commands. This MCP entry surfaces a curated ranking/list from the project README rather than a classic multi-tool integration surface. It still exposes 12 documented tools (including get_disk_free, get_disk_usage, get_dmesg) for browsing or selecting items from that list.

People who work with systemd and disk and want it reachable from Claude, Cursor, VS Code, or another MCP client. The project is written in Python.

VERIFIED ACTIVE

LAST COMMIT 2026-08-19 · ★ 7 · #44 OF 120 MAINTAINED DEVOPS & MONITORING · VERIFIED 2026-09-18

AGPL-3.0 · Python servers · how we verify → /methodology

01 · Install Safe SSH MCP

before you install - you'll need

SSH_KEY_PASSPHRASE is optional or environment-specific per the README.

Claude Code

claude mcp add areso-safe-ssh-mcp -- uvx safe-ssh-mcp

Claude Desktop / Cursor / VS Code - add to config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "areso-safe-ssh-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "safe-ssh-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Same JSON for Cursor. For VS Code, rename the top-level key from `mcpServers` to `servers`.

Using another client? Same JSON, different key

Claude Desktop · mcpServers

Cursor · mcpServers

VS Code · servers

Windsurf · mcpServers

Zed · context_servers

Cline · mcpServers

Roo Code · mcpServers

Continue · mcpServers

LibreChat · mcpServers

Gemini CLI · mcpServers

Codex CLI · mcp_servers

Full setup guides: every client.

02 · Evidence

Security posture

What to check before giving this server access to your agent - from the registry, GitHub, and our own probes. We don't score safety; we show what's verifiable.

runs as local process (stdio) - runs on your machine with your user's permissions

license AGPL-3.0 - declared in the repository

pypi package safe-ssh-mcp - check the name against the project README before installing (PyPI has no namespace ownership)

registry namespace io.github.Areso is GitHub-verified and matches the repo owner

03 · What Safe SSH MCP can do

Prose above is summarized from the project's README and registry record - no invented capabilities.

What you can build

An agent gets 12 documented tools spanning systemd, disk, including get_disk_free, get_disk_usage, get_dmesg, get_uptime.

Capability map

Tools grouped from the project's README - what Safe SSH MCP lets an agent do.

read & search

6 tools - e.g. dmesg; uptime; date

get_dmesg · get_uptime · get_current_datetime · get_distroname_version · get_crontab_tasks · get_top

Systemd

4 tools - e.g. systemctl list-units --all --no-pager; systemctl list-units --state=failed --no-pager; systemctl list-timers --no-pager

get_systemd_list_all · get_systemd_list_failed · get_systemd_list_timers · get_systemd_status

Disk

2 tools - e.g. df -h; find -mindepth 1 -maxdepth 1 -exec du -sh -- {} + 2>/dev/null | sort -rh | head -n 20

get_disk_free · get_disk_usage

Limitations (from the README)

Because MCP clients communicate with this server via standard Inter-Process Communication (IPC) or network protocols (like HTTP/SSE), the AGPL license does not "infect" or restrict the client applications connecting to it. You can safely connect proprietary, closed-source, or permissively licensed (e.g., MIT, Apache 2.0) AI agents to this server without violating the license terms.

Latest releases

v0.1.15 · 2026-08-19

introduced support for pass-protected SSH keys (use ENV_VAR or KEYCHAIN to unlock it)

v0.1.14 · 2026-06-04

moved out json-dev-logger to optional developer dependency · introduced structured logging · fixed prints-to-stdio bugs · added tools.md, CHANGELOG.md

v0.1.13 · 2026-06-03

added is_installed tool (very helpful for the agent/MCP server itself, so it could check whether a diagnostic tool actually present) · bumped Paramiko from 4.x to 5.x (RSA-1 dropped), bumped FastMCP to 3.2.x+ (a lot of…

04 · Who maintains Safe SSH MCP

safe-ssh-mcp is maintained by areso. It's the only MCP server we track from this author; the repo dates to Mar 2026.

05 · Facts

repository: github.com/areso/safe-ssh-mcp
category: DevOps & monitoring - ranked #44 of 120 actively-maintained DevOps & monitoring servers as of 2026-09-18.
release cadence: 1 release in the last 90 days (latest 2026-08-19)
registry: io.github.Areso/safe-ssh-mcp (active, first published 2026-03-18 · 10 versions)
packages: pypi:safe-ssh-mcp

06 · Safe SSH MCP FAQ

Is Safe SSH MCP still maintained?

Yes - as of 2026-09-18, its last commit was 2026-08-19 and it shipped 1 release in the last 90 days. We re-verify nightly.

What can Safe SSH MCP do?

An agent gets 12 documented tools spanning systemd, disk, including get_disk_free, get_disk_usage, get_dmesg, get_uptime.

How do I install Safe SSH MCP?

Run `uvx safe-ssh-mcp`. The README documents one environment variable (SSH_KEY_PASSPHRASE) to set first. SSH_KEY_PASSPHRASE is optional or environment-specific per the README. You can also paste the ready-made client config above.

Does Safe SSH MCP run locally?

Yes - it's a stdio server: it runs on your machine (via uvx) with your user's permissions. Your data stays local unless the server itself calls external APIs.

07 · Alternatives to Safe SSH MCP

Alternatives to Safe SSH MCP

Maintained DevOps & monitoring servers if Safe SSH MCP isn't the fit.

Pairs well with

Servers that cover what Safe SSH MCP doesn't - only shown when the pairing reason fits the companion.

More DevOps & monitoring MCP servers · Telemetry Server · Hefesto AI · Waitbus · Yapitalism · Gha Intel

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