SSH MCP Server (yawlabs) - install & status [2026]

01 · Install SSH MCP Server (yawlabs)

before you install - you'll need

Set SSH_MCP_RUNTIME, SSH_MCP_COMMAND_WHITELIST, SSH_MCP_COMMAND_BLACKLIST before connecting.

Claude Code

claude mcp add yawlabs-ssh-mcp -- npx -y @yawlabs/ssh-mcp

Claude Desktop / Cursor / VS Code - add to config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "yawlabs-ssh-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@yawlabs/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 MIT - declared in the repository

npm package @yawlabs/ssh-mcp - published under the repo owner's npm scope (@yawlabs)

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

03 · What SSH MCP Server (yawlabs) can do

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

What you can build

With this server connected, an agent can list all SSH keys in ~/.ssh/ with type, fingerprint, and agent status, load a key into the running agent. Ensures the agent is started first, resolve the effective SSH config for a host (hostname, user, port, proxy, identity files), and remove a stale host key and re-scan. Fixes "host key verification failed" errors.

The 23 tools it gives your agent

Extracted from the project's README - what SSH MCP Server lets an agent do.

ssh_agent_ensure: - Ensure ssh-agent is running. Starts one if needed and sets env vars for the session.
ssh_key_list: - List all SSH keys in ~/.ssh/ with type, fingerprint, and agent status.
ssh_key_load: - Load a key into the running agent. Ensures the agent is started first.
ssh_config_lookup: - Resolve the effective SSH config for a host (hostname, user, port, proxy, identity files).
ssh_known_hosts_fix: - Remove a stale host key and re-scan. Fixes "host key verification failed" errors.
ssh_git_check: - Test Git-over-SSH auth to GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, etc.
ssh_test: - Quick connectivity test with timing and actionable error details.
ssh_diagnose: - Full SSH environment diagnostic. Checks agent, keys, config, known_hosts, and connectivity. Returns exact fix commands for every failure.
ssh_exec: - Execute a command on a remote host. Returns stdout, stderr, and exit code (or [signal: NAME] and code: -1 when the channel closed signal-only). Optional env par
ssh_read_file: - Read a file from a remote host via SFTP.
ssh_write_file: - Write content to a file on a remote host via SFTP.
ssh_upload: - Upload a local file to a remote host via SFTP.

show all 23 tools

ssh_download: - Download a file from a remote host to local filesystem.
ssh_ls: - List files in a directory on a remote host.
ssh_stat: - Get metadata for a file or directory (size, mode in octal, uid/gid, mtime/atime, isFile/isDirectory/isSymbolicLink). Use instead of parsing ls -la.
ssh_mkdir: - Create a directory via SFTP. Set recursive: true for mkdir -p behavior. Unlike the other SFTP tools, the path may be relative - it resolves against the SFTP wor
ssh_delete: - Delete a file or empty directory via SFTP. Auto-dispatches unlink vs rmdir based on the path's own type (lstat), so a symlink is always unlinked - never followe
ssh_multi_exec: - Run a command on multiple hosts in parallel. Returns results per host. Optional env param sets per-call environment variables (same POSIX-safe prefix as ssh_exe
ssh_find: - Search for files remotely with structured parameters (name, type, size, depth, newer - match files modified more recently than a reference path).
ssh_tail: - Read the last N lines of a file, optionally filtered by a grep pattern.
ssh_service_status: - Check systemd service status (active, PID, uptime, description). Flags isError only when the unit could not be found / queried, not when an existing unit is int
SSH_MCP_COMMAND_WHITELIST: - if set, the command must match at least one pattern, else it's blocked.
SSH_MCP_COMMAND_BLACKLIST: - if set, the command must not match any pattern, else it's blocked.

Latest releases

v0.17.0 · 2026-09-14

Added · Library API: acquire() now rejects a full pool with a PoolFullError carrying code: "ERR_SSH_MCP_POOL_FULL" (POOL_FULL_ERROR_CODE, matched by isPoolFullError()), and ConnectionPool.waitForCapacity(timeoutMs…

v0.16.1 · 2026-09-14

Changed · npm and MCP Registry listing metadata: bugs URL, core keywords, and server.json title/repository/websiteUrl · release.sh writes a ## [x.y.z] changelog entry for every release - promoting [Unreleased] when it…

v0.16.0 · 2026-09-14

Release tooling and README only; no change to the published server. · Changed · release.sh waits for npm to serve the new version before publishing to the MCP Registry. npm publish returns as soon as the registry…

04 · Who maintains SSH MCP Server (yawlabs)

SSH MCP Server is maintained by yawlabs. We track 12 MCP servers from yawlabs - 12 actively maintained, 77 combined GitHub stars, oldest repo from Apr 2026. Full record: all servers from yawlabs.

05 · Facts

repository: github.com/yawlabs/ssh-mcp
website: https://yaw.sh/mcp-servers/ssh-mcp/
category: other - actively maintained as of 2026-09-18.
release cadence: 10+ releases in the last 90 days (latest 2026-09-14)
registry: io.github.YawLabs/ssh-mcp (active, first published 2026-05-15 · 15 versions)
packages: npm:@yawlabs/ssh-mcp

06 · SSH MCP Server (yawlabs) FAQ

Is SSH MCP Server (yawlabs) still maintained?

Yes - as of 2026-09-18, its last commit was 2026-09-14 and it shipped 10+ releases in the last 90 days. We re-verify nightly.

What can SSH MCP Server (yawlabs) do?

With this server connected, an agent can list all SSH keys in ~/.ssh/ with type, fingerprint, and agent status, load a key into the running agent. Ensures the agent is started first, resolve the effective SSH config for a host (hostname, user, port, proxy, identity files), and remove a stale host key and re-scan. Fixes "host key verification failed" errors.

How do I install SSH MCP Server (yawlabs)?

Run `npx -y @yawlabs/ssh-mcp`. The README documents 3 environment variables (SSH_MCP_RUNTIME, SSH_MCP_COMMAND_WHITELIST, SSH_MCP_COMMAND_BLACKLIST) to set first. Set SSH_MCP_RUNTIME, SSH_MCP_COMMAND_WHITELIST, SSH_MCP_COMMAND_BLACKLIST before connecting. You can also paste the ready-made client config above.

Does SSH MCP Server (yawlabs) run locally?

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

07 · Alternatives to SSH MCP Server (yawlabs)

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