dsh-ssh-plugin

When an AI agent manages remote Linux servers, the friction rarely comes from the commands themselves but from the connect step: typing the host, port, and key path on every single call, or hanging on a password prompt until timeout. dsh-ssh-plugin removes that repeated authentication overhead by letting the model save a connection once, bind it to the current workspace, and then execute commands with sensible defaults on subsequent calls.

Two tools do the heavy lifting. ssh_exec runs key-authenticated commands (BatchMode, no password or passphrase prompts) through ssh stdin directly into bash -s, skipping any remote-shell quoting layer; a missing or unauthorized key fails fast instead of hanging. ssh_connections persists connections in the harness settings store with save, list, delete, and use operations, so a workspace can be bound to a connection label and host becomes optional. On every call the plugin also parses the local OpenSSH config, auto-discovers Host aliases, and surfaces them in list output and error suggestions, eliminating manual re-entry. A visual card in the browser settings panel lets you add, edit, or remove connections at a glance.

This plugin is well suited for developers who regularly ask the agent to pull logs, check disk usage, or run verification scripts on remote boxes and already manage SSH through key pairs. On lightweight profiles that lack settings or workspaceRegistry, the plugin degrades gracefully: ssh_exec remains fully functional with explicit arguments, and core execution is never blocked.