Cygnus SSH MCP server

Read from the package source without running it. The installed server may list more.

• list_tools

  Retrieves a list of all available tools on this MCP server, along with their descriptions.

• ssh_archive_createwrite action

  Create a compressed archive from a directory.

• ssh_archive_extract

  Extract an archive to a directory. The accepted format is platform-specific and determined purely by `archive_path`'s file extension (not by inspecting the archive's actual content): - Linux/macOS: `.tar.gz`, `.tgz`, or `.tar` only. A `.zip` file (e.g. created by ssh_archive_create on Windows) will fail here with an unsupported-format error. - Windows: `.zip` only. A `.tar`/`.tar.gz` file (e.g. cr

• ssh_cmd_check_status

  Wait for the specified duration, then check the status of a command started with ssh_cmd_run. Call this repeatedly - it's designed to be polled - after ssh_cmd_run returns status='io_timeout' or 'wait_timeout' (the remote command is still genuinely running in both cases - background monitoring keeps collecting its output/exit code), until you get a TERMINAL status below. Do not rerun the original

• ssh_cmd_clear_history

  Clear the command history for the current SSH connection.

• ssh_cmd_history

  Retrieve command execution history with optional output snippets.

• ssh_cmd_killwrite action

  Terminate a currently running command by its handle ID (the `id` field from ssh_cmd_run's response).

• ssh_cmd_output

  Retrieve captured output from a command started with ssh_cmd_run, identified by its handle_id. Useful after an io_timeout/wait_timeout to see progress so far - including output produced after that call returned, since background monitoring keeps collecting it - or any time to re-inspect an earlier command's output without rerunning it.

• ssh_cmd_runwrite action
• ssh_conn_add_host
• ssh_conn_connect

  Establish an SSH connection using a pre-configured host. The host can be specified by its 'user@hostname' key or by its alias.

• ssh_conn_host_info

  Get detailed SSH connection status and system information.

• ssh_conn_is_connected

  Check if there is an active SSH connection.

• ssh_conn_status

  Get essential SSH connection status information.

• ssh_conn_verify_sudo

  Check whether elevated access is available on the remote system, without running any privileged command. Call this before using `use_sudo=True` on other tools if you're not sure elevation will succeed.

• ssh_dir_batch_delete_fileswrite action

  Recursively find and delete files matching a filename glob pattern (same pattern syntax as ssh_dir_search_glob, e.g. `*.tmp`) under a directory. `dry_run` DEFAULTS TO `True` - calling this with no arguments other than `path`/`pattern` only PREVIEWS which files would be deleted and deletes NOTHING; you must explicitly pass `dry_run=False` to actually delete.

• ssh_dir_calc_size

  Calculate the total size of a directory recursively (sum of all file sizes under it).

• ssh_dir_copy

  Copy a directory recursively (remote-to-remote; for local<->remote use ssh_dir_transfer instead).

• ssh_dir_deletewrite action

  Delete a directory and all its contents recursively. `dry_run` DEFAULTS TO `True` - calling this with no arguments other than `path` only PREVIEWS what would be deleted and deletes NOTHING; you must explicitly pass `dry_run=False` to actually delete. Refuses to delete a small set of critical paths outright (root, home directory, `C:\Windows`, `C:\Users`, etc.) regardless of `dry_run`.

• ssh_dir_list_advanced

  List contents of a directory recursively with full metadata (size, permissions, ownership, modification time) - use this instead of ssh_dir_list_files_basic (which only returns bare filenames, non-recursive) when you need more than just names, or ssh_dir_search_glob when you only need to filter by filename pattern without full metadata (that tool is also faster for large trees).

• ssh_dir_list_files_basic

  List the immediate contents of a directory (via SFTP - not recursive, no metadata). For recursive listing with size/permissions/type/etc., or to filter by filename pattern, use ssh_dir_list_advanced or ssh_dir_search_glob instead.

• ssh_dir_mkdirwrite action

  Create a directory on the remote system.

• ssh_dir_removewrite action

  Remove a directory on the remote system - this is the simple `rmdir`/`Remove-Item` equivalent. There is NO dry-run/preview mode here (unlike ssh_dir_delete below) - it acts immediately. If `recursive=False` (default) and the directory is not empty, this RAISES an exception rather than returning an error dict - it does not partially delete anything.

• ssh_dir_search_files_content

  Recursively search file CONTENTS for a pattern under a directory (unlike ssh_dir_search_glob/ssh_file_find_lines_with_pattern, which match filenames or search within a single already-known file respectively).

• ssh_dir_search_glob

  Recursively search for files (or directories, with `include_dirs=True`) matching a filename glob pattern (e.g. `*.log`) - matches by NAME only, not content; use ssh_dir_search_files_content instead to search inside files. For metadata beyond just path/type (size, mtime, permissions), use ssh_dir_list_advanced instead.

• ssh_dir_transferwrite action

  Transfer directories between local and remote systems.

• ssh_file_copy

  Copy a file on the remote host (source and destination are both remote paths - for local<->remote transfers use ssh_file_transfer instead).

• ssh_file_delete_line_by_contentwrite action

  Delete a line by its exact content. `match_line` must match EXACTLY ONE line in the file (whitespace-trimmed, literal text - not a pattern); if it matches zero lines or more than one, the operation fails with a descriptive error rather than guessing which line(s) to delete. Use ssh_file_find_lines_with_pattern first if you're not sure the line is unique. (Equivalent to ssh_file_replace_line_multi(

• ssh_file_find_lines_with_pattern

  Search for a pattern in a remote file and return matching lines with their line numbers. Use this to find WHERE a pattern occurs before using ssh_file_get_context_around_line to see surrounding lines, or ssh_file_replace_line/ssh_file_delete_line_by_content to edit (those require an exact, unique line match - this tool helps you find that exact line first).

• ssh_file_get_context_around_line

  Get lines before and after a line, to see it in context before editing. Like the line-editing tools (ssh_file_replace_line and siblings), `match_line` must match exactly one line in the file (whitespace-trimmed, literal text, not a pattern) - use ssh_file_find_lines_with_pattern first if you're not sure the line is unique.

• ssh_file_insert_lines_after_matchwrite action

  Insert one or more new lines immediately after a matching line. `match_line` must match EXACTLY ONE line in the file (whitespace-trimmed, literal text - not a pattern); if it matches zero lines or more than one, the operation fails with a descriptive error rather than guessing. Use ssh_file_find_lines_with_pattern first if you're not sure the line is unique.

• ssh_file_move

  Move or rename a file or directory (works for both - whichever `source` is).

• ssh_file_read

  Read file contents directly via SFTP.

• ssh_file_replace_line

  Replace a line in a file with a new line. `match_line` must match EXACTLY ONE line in the file (whitespace-trimmed, literal text - not a pattern); if it matches zero lines or more than one, the operation fails with a descriptive error rather than guessing which line you meant. Use ssh_file_find_lines_with_pattern first if you're not sure the line is unique.

• ssh_file_replace_line_multi

  Replace a line in a file with one or more new lines (or delete it, with an empty list). Use this instead of ssh_file_replace_line when you need to insert more than one line, or delete a line without using the separate ssh_file_delete_line_by_content tool.

• ssh_file_stat

  Get status information about a file or directory (via SFTP stat - works the same way on all platforms, no shell command involved).

• ssh_file_transferwrite action

  Transfer a single FILE between the local machine (running this MCP server) and the remote host, via SFTP. Both `local_path` and `remote_path` must be file paths, not directories - for whole-directory transfers, use ssh_dir_transfer instead. For remote-to-remote copies (no local machine involved), use ssh_file_copy instead.

• ssh_file_writewrite action

  Create a new file, or overwrite/append to an existing one, with the given content (works the same whether or not the file already exists - `append=True` on a nonexistent file just creates it). Handles special characters and multi-line content properly.

• ssh_host_disconnect

  Disconnect the current SSH connection if one exists.

• ssh_host_list

  List all configured SSH hosts with their aliases and descriptions. This is the ONLY correct way to see what hosts are configured - never read the host configuration TOML file directly (ssh_conn_add_host's docstring names its path). That file stores every host's password, sudo password, and key passphrase in plaintext; this tool deliberately omits all of that and returns only the fields below. If y

• ssh_host_removewrite action

  Remove a host configuration from the host configuration TOML file (see ssh_conn_add_host's docstring for its exact path and why you should never read it directly - use ssh_host_list to see what's configured instead).

• ssh_host_updatewrite action
• ssh_host_use_config

  Switch which host configuration file ssh_host_list, ssh_conn_connect, ssh_conn_add_host, ssh_host_update, and ssh_host_remove all operate against, for the rest of this session (or until you call this again) - not just for one call. This is the same "one active thing at a time" model ssh_conn_connect uses for SSH connections, applied to host configuration files instead; the two are completely indep

• ssh_task_killwrite action

  Terminate a background task (launched via ssh_task_launch, or any other real remote PID) by sending a signal to its PID.

• ssh_task_launch

  Launch a command in the background and return its PID immediately, without waiting for it to complete.

• ssh_task_status

  Check the liveness of a background task by PID (from ssh_task_launch, or any other real remote PID - e.g. the `pid` field from ssh_cmd_run). This does a live check on the remote host every call, not a cached lookup, so it's safe to call repeatedly.

• Code scan15 source files scanned25/25
• –Live reliabilityno gateway calls yet and no remote to proben/a
• –Tool poisoningtools not inspected (local package is not executed); not countedn/a
• Auth qualitylocal package, no credentials required12/15
• Maintenancelast push 66 days ago12/15
• Maintainer identityregistry namespace matches repository owner; GitHub account older than a year8/10

Safety score

88/100

higher than 75% of 48,255 servers

Tools

46

the typical server has 7

Tools that change things

33%

typical: 0%. Fewer write tools means less an agent can break

GitHub stars

5

more than 83% of 28,688 servers

Downloads a week

38

more than 29% of 12,191 servers with a package

Cygnus SSH: common questions

Is Cygnus SSH MCP server safe?

Yes, by our scan: it is graded A (88/100). Read the Cygnus SSH safety report

How do I install Cygnus SSH?

It runs on your machine. Copy the Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code or Claude Desktop config from the install section.

Does Cygnus SSH need an API key?

Not as far as the registry entry and our scan can tell: no credentials are declared or required.

Is Cygnus SSH maintained?

The last commit was 106 days ago (2026-07-21). The latest release is v1.5.1.

What can I use instead of Cygnus SSH?

Servers from other publishers that do the same job: SSH — policy-gated remote access MCP server.

How does Cygnus SSH compare with other MCP servers?

safety score 88/100 (higher than 75% of 48,255 servers); tools 46 (the typical server has 7); tools that change things 33% (typical: 0%. Fewer write tools means less an agent can break). Full comparison.