Your first connection

Create a vault, add an identity and a host, then connect and accept the fingerprint.

connectsshnew hostvaultidentitysetupfirst timelogin

Your first connection

This walks you from an empty app to a working SSH terminal: create a vault, add a credential, add a host, connect.

Just want to try a server once? Use Quick connect instead. Nothing has to be saved.

1. Create a vault

  1. On Home, click New vault.
  2. Enter a Name and a Password, then confirm the password.
  3. Click Create vault.
  4. Copy the recovery key that appears and store it somewhere safe. It is shown only once, and it is the only way back in if you forget the password.

The new vault opens, unlocked. See Connection vaults.

2. Add an identity

An identity is a username plus a credential that several hosts can share.

  1. In the vault sidebar, open Identities → Add identity.
  2. Enter a Label and the Username.
  3. Under Authentication, pick Password, Private key, Certificate or SSH agent, and fill in the fields.
  4. Save.

You can skip this step and put credentials straight on the host instead (Inline credentials). See Identities & SSH keys.

3. Add a host

  1. Open Hosts, click the + button, then Add Host.
  2. Fill in Label, Address and Port (22 by default).
  3. Under Credentials, choose Use an identity and pick the one you made, or choose Inline credentials.
  4. Save.

Already have hosts in ~/.ssh/config? Use + → From ~/.ssh/config instead. See Import from ~/.ssh/config.

4. Connect

Double-click the host card, or open the card's menu → Connect. A progress overlay steps through Connection, Authentication, Shell and Session.

The first time you connect, you are asked to verify the server's fingerprint. Check it if you can, then click Accept & continue. See Known hosts & fingerprints.

If it fails

  • Couldn't connect — the overlay shows the reason. Show logs has the detail.
  • The host's icon is red — the address or port isn't answering. See Host reachability.
  • Authentication fails — check the username and the credential. A key with a passphrase needs the passphrase too.

Next steps

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