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Ubuntu SSH MCP Server

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MCP server for managing, maintaining, and securing Ubuntu servers over SSH via Claude Code

Ubuntu SSH MCP Server

An MCP server that lets Claude Code connect to Ubuntu servers over SSH to manage, maintain, and secure them — all from a natural language conversation.

Features

Category Tools
Connection Connect/disconnect servers, list active sessions
Commands Run shell commands, sudo commands
System Info OS/CPU/RAM/disk overview, process list, disk usage
Packages apt update, upgrade, install, remove
Services Start/stop/restart/enable systemd services
Logs journalctl, tail log files
Files Read, write, list remote files
Security Audit Open ports, SUID files, sudo rights, failed logins
Firewall (UFW) Status, add/delete rules, enable/disable
SSH Hardening Disable root login, password auth, MaxAuthTries
Users List, create, delete users; add SSH public keys
Fail2ban Jail status, unban IPs
Cron List cron jobs
Network Interface info, routing, ping

Requirements

  • Node.js 18+
  • Claude Code (npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code)

Installation

# 1. Clone / copy this folder somewhere permanent
cd ~/ubuntu-ssh-mcp
npm install

# 2. Register with Claude Code (global scope — available in all projects)
claude mcp add ubuntu-ssh-mcp -- node /ABSOLUTE/PATH/TO/ubuntu-ssh-mcp/index.js

# Verify it's registered
claude mcp list

Alternative: Project-level config

Create or edit .mcp.json in your project root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ubuntu-ssh-mcp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/ABSOLUTE/PATH/TO/ubuntu-ssh-mcp/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Usage Examples

Once Claude Code is running with the MCP server connected, just talk to it:

> Connect to my server at 192.168.1.10 as ubuntu using my key at ~/.ssh/id_rsa, call it "prod"

> Show me the system info for prod

> Check what security updates are available on prod

> Run a full security audit on prod

> Harden the SSH config on prod — make sure I have key auth working first

> Enable UFW on prod and allow only ports 22, 80, and 443

> Show the last 100 lines of the nginx error log on prod

> List all users on prod and check if any have unexpected sudo access

> Install fail2ban on prod and check the sshd jail status

Security Notes

  • Use SSH key auth — avoid passing passwords where possible.
  • sudo_password is passed as a parameter; Claude Code stores no secrets. Use NOPASSWD sudoers for a CI/automation account if you prefer not to pass passwords.
  • harden_ssh will restart sshd — ensure key-based auth is working before calling it or you may lock yourself out.
  • Connections persist for the life of the Claude Code session and are cleaned up on exit.
  • The server runs locally via stdio — no network ports are opened by the MCP server itself.

Tool Reference

Connection

Tool Description
ssh_connect Connect to a server
ssh_disconnect Disconnect from a server
ssh_list_connections List active connections

Execution

Tool Description
ssh_exec Run a shell command
ssh_sudo Run a command with sudo

System

Tool Description
system_info OS, CPU, RAM, disk, uptime
list_processes Top processes by CPU/mem
check_disk_usage Disk usage breakdown
network_info Interfaces, routing, connections
ping_from_server Ping a host from the server

Packages

Tool Description
apt_update Update package index
apt_upgrade Upgrade all packages
apt_install Install packages
apt_remove Remove packages

Services

Tool Description
service_status Check service status
service_control Start/stop/restart/enable/disable
list_services List all/running/failed services

Logs

Tool Description
view_logs journalctl for service or system
tail_log_file Last N lines of any log file

Files

Tool Description
read_file Read a remote file
write_file Write a remote file
list_directory List directory contents

Security

Tool Description
security_audit Full security audit
check_updates_security Security-only apt updates
harden_ssh Apply SSH hardening
ufw_status UFW firewall status
ufw_rule Add/delete UFW rules
ufw_enable_disable Enable/disable UFW
fail2ban_status Fail2ban jail status
fail2ban_unban Unban an IP

Users

Tool Description
user_list List system users
user_create Create a user
user_delete Delete a user
add_authorized_key Add SSH public key
cron_list List cron jobs

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