VSSH: Guarded SSH for Scripts and AI Agents

VSSH runs remote commands through native OpenSSH and adds what scripts and AI agents need: preflight guardrails, one-object JSON results, one-step file transfer and a privacy-safe audit trail.

Impact

• Open source on npm as @light-merlin-dark/vssh, MIT licensed, released through npm trusted publishing with SLSA provenance. Documentation at vssh.io
• Rebuilt as VSSH 2 in July 2026 around the native ssh and scp executables; the VSSH 1 MCP server, plugin runtime and credential store were removed to shrink the security surface
• In daily use as the remote-operations path for the author's AI agents on production infrastructure
• Install in one line: npm install -g @light-merlin-dark/vssh, then vssh --setup and vssh doctor

Key Features

• Native transport: the same OpenSSH authentication, host verification, known_hosts and ssh-agent behavior, with no VSSH-specific remote language
• Preflight guardrails: recognizable root deletion, raw disk writes, destructive volume cleanup, firewall flushes and shutdowns are blocked before connecting
• Structured results: --json returns one bounded object with stdout, stderr, exit code, duration and timeout state
• Transfer with permissions: upload --mode 600 copies a file and sets its mode as one reported operation
• Diagnosis: vssh doctor checks binaries, configuration, identity and a real connection
• Privacy-safe audit: owner-only outcome metadata and a command hash, never command text, output or credentials
• Agent discovery: commands --json exposes a versioned, machine-readable command contract

Project Information

Category

AI Innovation

Year

2026

Status

Published

Technology

• TypeScript / Node.js 18+
• Native OpenSSH ssh and scp
• OpenSSH connection reuse
• npm trusted publishing (OIDC)

R. BECKNER III

AI Systems Architect and Top 5% Technology Consultant with 25+ years of experience building innovative software solutions.

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