Shuttle
Enables AI assistants to securely execute SSH commands on remote servers with connection pooling, session isolation, and a web audit panel.
README
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π Shuttle
Secure SSH gateway for AI assistants
Shuttle lets AI assistants (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.) securely execute commands on your remote SSH servers β with connection pooling, session isolation, command safety rules, and a web audit panel.
Getting Started Β· MCP Tools Β· Web Panel Β· Security Rules Β· Docs Β· δΈζζζ‘£
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Why Shuttle?
When AI coding assistants need to operate remote servers (run tests on GPU machines, deploy to staging, check logs), they need a secure bridge. Shuttle provides:
- π 4-Level Command Security β Block dangerous commands, require confirmation for risky ones, warn on installs, allow the rest
- π Connection Pooling β Reuse SSH connections across commands, no repeated handshakes
- π¦ Session Isolation β Each AI conversation gets its own working directory context
- π Web Audit Panel β See every command the AI ran, per node, with full stdout/stderr
- π‘οΈ Per-Node Rules β Different security policies for prod vs dev servers
- β‘ Jump Host Support β Connect through bastion/jump servers
Getting Started
1. Install
# Recommended: install CLI once (tools bin on PATH)
uv tool install shuttle-mcp
shuttle --help
# Or run without installing (stdio / one-off)
uvx shuttle-mcp --help
# Older PyPI wheels without the `shuttle-mcp` script:
# uvx --from shuttle-mcp shuttle --help
2. Add your first node
shuttle node add
# Follow the prompts: name, host, username, password/key
3. Connect to your AI assistant
Claude Code / Cursor (stdio mode):
// .mcp.json
{
"mcpServers": {
"shuttle": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["shuttle-mcp"]
}
}
}
Service mode (with Web UI):
# Start the service
shuttle serve
# Then configure your AI client with the URL
// .mcp.json
{
"mcpServers": {
"shuttle": {
"url": "http://localhost:9876/mcp/"
}
}
}
That's it. Your AI assistant can now execute commands on your remote servers.
Two Running Modes
| Mode | Command | MCP Transport | Web UI | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLI | shuttle |
stdio | β | Quick use, AI client manages lifecycle |
| Service | shuttle serve |
streamable-http | β http://localhost:9876 | Audit logs, manage rules, cloud deploy |
Both modes share the same SQLite database β commands logged in CLI mode are visible in the Web UI when you switch to service mode.
MCP Tools
AI assistants get these tools automatically:
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
ssh_run |
Run a command on a remote node (sessions auto-managed) |
ssh_upload |
Upload a file via SFTP |
ssh_download |
Download a file via SFTP |
ssh_list_nodes |
List all configured nodes |
ssh_add_node |
Add a new SSH node |
Example conversation
You: Check the GPU usage on my training server
AI: β ssh_run(node="gpu-server", command="nvidia-smi")
AI: Your GPU server has 7x A100-80GB, all idle at 0% utilization.
You: Start a training run
AI: β ssh_run(node="gpu-server", command="cd /workspace && python train.py")
AI: Training started. Epoch 1/10... (working directory preserved automatically)
Security Rules
Commands are evaluated against a 4-level security system:
| Level | Behavior | Example |
|---|---|---|
| π΄ block | Rejected immediately | rm -rf /, mkfs, fork bomb |
| π‘ confirm | Requires user confirmation | sudo, rm -rf, shutdown |
| π warn | Executes with warning logged | apt install, pip install |
| π’ allow | Executes normally | Everything else |
Default rules are seeded on first startup. Customize via Web UI or directly in the database.
Per-Node Overrides
Different servers can have different rules:
Global: sudo .* β confirm
GPU Server: sudo .* β allow (trusted environment)
Prod Server: DROP TABLE β block (extra protection)
Web Panel
Start with shuttle serve, open http://localhost:9876:
- Overview β Node cards with status, quick stats
- Activity β Per-node command log (console-style, with stdout/stderr)
- Security Rules β Manage global defaults and per-node overrides
- Settings β Connection pool and cleanup configuration
The Web UI requires a bearer token (displayed when you run shuttle serve).
CLI Reference
# MCP Server
shuttle # Start MCP server (stdio mode)
shuttle serve # Start service mode (MCP + Web)
shuttle serve --port 8080 # Custom port
shuttle serve --host 0.0.0.0 # Bind to all interfaces
# Node Management
shuttle node add # Add node interactively
shuttle node list # List all nodes
shuttle node test <name> # Test SSH connection
shuttle node edit <name> # Edit a node
shuttle node remove <name> # Remove a node
# Configuration
shuttle config show # Display current config
Configuration
All settings can be overridden with environment variables (prefix SHUTTLE_):
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
SHUTTLE_DB_URL |
sqlite+aiosqlite:///~/.shuttle/shuttle.db |
Database URL |
SHUTTLE_WEB_PORT |
9876 |
Web panel port |
SHUTTLE_POOL_MAX_TOTAL |
50 |
Max total SSH connections |
SHUTTLE_POOL_MAX_PER_NODE |
5 |
Max connections per node |
SHUTTLE_POOL_IDLE_TIMEOUT |
300 |
Idle connection timeout (seconds) |
Using PostgreSQL
SHUTTLE_DB_URL=postgresql+asyncpg://user:pass@host:5432/shuttle shuttle serve
Requires: uv pip install asyncpg (install into the same environment that runs Shuttle)
Development
# Clone and install
git clone https://github.com/enwaiax/shuttle.git
cd shuttle
uv sync
# Run tests
uv run pytest tests/ -v
# Lint
uv run ruff check src/ tests/
# Frontend dev (hot reload)
cd web && npm install && npm run dev
# Backend: uv run shuttle serve (in another terminal)
Architecture
Developer β AI Assistant β Shuttle (MCP) β SSH β Remote Servers
β
βββββββββββ΄βββββββββββ
β Core Engine β
β β ConnectionPool β
β β SessionManager β
β β CommandGuard β
β β SQLAlchemy ORM β
ββββββββββββββββββββββ
Service mode: Single ASGI app serving both MCP (at /mcp/) and Web UI (at /) on the same port.
License
<div align="center"> <sub>Built for developers who let AI do the SSH-ing.</sub> </div>
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