SSHThing

README

SSHThing

A secure, modern SSH host manager TUI built with Go and Bubble Tea.

What It Does

• Stores SSH hosts in an encrypted SQLCipher database
• Protects each saved private key with per-key AES-GCM encryption
• Unlocks everything with a master password (first-run setup + login)
• Connects via ssh by writing decrypted keys to a secure temp file and cleaning it up after exit

Features

✅ Implemented

• 🔐 Encrypted storage: SQLCipher DB + AES-GCM per-key encryption
• 🔑 Master password: setup + login to unlock the DB
• 🏷️ Labels: optional friendly names for hosts (recommended)
• 🏠 Host CRUD: add/edit/delete
• 🔑 Auth options:
  • Paste existing private key (multi-line)
  • Generate new key (Ed25519/RSA/ECDSA)
  • Password auth (never stored; ssh prompts on connect)
• 🔌 SSH connect: connects using system ssh
• 🔎 Spotlight search: / to search and connect quickly
• 📁 Mount in Finder (beta, macOS): mounts via FUSE-T + SSHFS and opens in Finder
• 🔄 Git Sync: sync hosts across devices via a private Git repository

📅 Planned

• SSH config integration
• Extra UX polish

Requirements

• Go 1.25+ (matches go.mod)
• OpenSSH tools available: ssh, ssh-keygen, sftp
• A terminal with 256-color support
• SQLCipher build support (this project uses github.com/mutecomm/go-sqlcipher/v4, which typically requires CGO and SQLCipher on your system)
• Finder mounts (beta): macOS only + sshfs (FUSE-T)

Install / Run

Homebrew (macOS)

brew tap vansh-raja/tap
brew install sshthing
sshthing

macOS (Download a Release)

1. Download the right ZIP from Releases:
   • Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3): sshthing-macos-arm64.zip
   • Intel: sshthing-macos-amd64.zip
2. Unzip it and run:

unzip sshthing-macos-*.zip
chmod +x sshthing
./sshthing

1. (Optional) Install it on your PATH:

sudo mv sshthing /usr/local/bin/sshthing

If macOS blocks the binary on first run:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine sshthing

Windows

Requirements:

• Windows 10/11
• OpenSSH Client (Settings > Apps > Optional Features > OpenSSH Client)

Install from Release:

1. Download sshthing-setup-windows-amd64.exe from Releases
2. Run the installer
3. Leave the “Add SSHThing to PATH” option enabled (recommended)
4. Launch from the Start Menu, or run sshthing in a new terminal

Alternative (portable zip):

1. Download sshthing-windows-amd64.zip from Releases
2. Extract to a folder (e.g., C:\Tools\sshthing)
3. Run sshthing.exe
4. (Optional) Add that folder to PATH manually

Note: The Mount feature is not available on Windows.

From source

git clone https://github.com/Vansh-Raja/SSHThing.git
cd SSHThing
go build -o sshthing ./cmd/sshthing
./sshthing

Windows from source: See BUILDING_WINDOWS.md for CGO/SQLCipher setup.

Finder Mounts (Beta, macOS)

Install dependencies:

brew install --cask fuse-t
brew tap macos-fuse-t/homebrew-cask
brew install --cask fuse-t-sshfs

Keybindings

Main View

• ↑/↓ or j/k: navigate
• Enter: connect to selected host (SSH)
• S then Enter: connect to selected host (SFTP)
• M then Enter: mount/unmount selected host in Finder (beta, macOS)
• Shift+Y: sync hosts with Git repository
• a: add host
• e: edit host
• d: delete host
• /: spotlight search
• ,: settings
• ?: help
• q: quit

Add/Edit Modal

• Tab / Shift+Tab or ↑/↓: move between fields
• ←/→ (or h/l) on Auth selector: change auth mode
• Space on Key Type: cycle key type
• Shift+Enter: save and close
• Esc: cancel

Spotlight

• Enter: connect (SSH)
• S then Enter: connect (SFTP)
• M then Enter: mount/unmount (beta, macOS)

Git Sync

Sync your hosts across multiple devices using a private Git repository.

Setup

1. Create a private Git repository (e.g., on GitHub). It can be empty.
2. Ensure your SSH key has read/write access to the repo (e.g., add it to GitHub as a Deploy Key or to your account).
3. Press , to open Settings.
4. Enable Sync: Enabled.
5. Set Sync: Repository URL (e.g., git@github.com:username/sshthing-sync.git).
6. Set Sync: SSH Key Path (defaults to ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 if left empty).
7. Press Esc to save settings.
8. Press Shift+Y to sync.

How It Works

• Hosts are exported to a JSON file in a local Git repository
• Private keys remain encrypted (AES-GCM) in the sync file
• The encryption salt is included, allowing keys to be re-encrypted when imported to a different database
• Uses SSH key authentication for Git operations
• Important: Use the same master password on all devices to decrypt synced keys

Multi-Device Usage

1. Set up sync on your primary device and push
2. On a new device, install SSHThing and create a database with the same master password
3. Configure the same sync repository URL
4. Press Shift+Y to pull hosts from the remote

The sync status is displayed in the footer (e.g., "Sync: 2m ago", "Syncing...", or "Error: ...").

Data & Safety Notes

• Database location:
  • macOS/Linux: ~/.ssh-manager/hosts.db
  • Windows: %APPDATA%\sshthing\hosts.db
• Config location:
  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/sshthing/config.json
  • Linux: ~/.config/sshthing/config.json
  • Windows: %APPDATA%\sshthing\config.json
• Sync repository:
  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/sshthing/sync/
  • Linux: ~/.config/sshthing/sync/
  • Windows: %APPDATA%\sshthing\sync\
• If you forget the master password, the encrypted DB cannot be recovered.
• Mount points (macOS only): ~/Library/Application Support/sshthing/mounts/
• If you choose "Leave Mounted & Quit", a mount key file may remain at the mount-keys directory until you unmount.

Environment Variables

• SSHTHING_DATA_DIR: Override the data directory (useful for testing or multiple instances)
• SSHTHING_SSH_TERM: Override the TERM value for SSH sessions

Ghostty TERM Note

If you use Ghostty, some servers may not have xterm-ghostty terminfo installed. When your local TERM is xterm-ghostty, SSHThing forces TERM=xterm-256color for SSH sessions to avoid errors like “unknown terminal type”. You can also override the value by setting SSHTHING_SSH_TERM.