easy-ssh-dev

A lightweight, portable SSH management toolkit for Linux — CLI tools written in Go, GUI written in Python + GTK3 + VTE.

easy-ssh-dev simplifies SSH workflows by automatically managing keys, caching hosts, and providing a full suite of CLI utilities. An optional GTK3 GUI frontend provides a tabbed terminal interface with all tools accessible from a toolbar.

Designed to work on standard Linux desktops as well as ARM64/proot/Termux environments.

Features

SSH Management

Smart connect — on first connection, tests key-based auth, installs key via ssh-copy-id if needed, then caches the host
Raw connect — bypass cache and key-copy entirely; connects directly via ssh -p <port> <user@host>
Host cache — all known hosts stored in ~/.ssh/sshx.json, no manual config needed
Auto key generation — generates ed25519 key if none exists
IPv4 and IPv6 — supports user@host:port and user@[::1]:port formats
Fuzzy host picker — interactive fzf-powered menu via sshx --menu
Zero subprocess overhead — connects via syscall.Exec, replacing the current process

CLI Utilities

Binary	Description
`sshx`	Smart SSH connection manager — connect, raw, list, menu, doctor, remove
`sshx-key`	`ed25519` SSH key generator with SSH agent integration
`sshx-cpy`	Injection-safe SSH public key installer for remote hosts
`sshx-reset`	SSH environment cleanup — removes junk files, resets `known_hosts`
`git-auth`	Interactive GitHub SSH authentication wizard
`scpx`	Recursive SCP wrapper for push/pull file transfer

GUI

GTK3 + VTE tabbed terminal interface
Catppuccin Mocha dark theme
Full toolbar with all CLI tools accessible as dialogs
SSH connect dialog with Raw mode checkbox
SCPX file transfer dialog with file/folder browser
Integrated Doctor — checks all project binaries and system dependencies at a glance

Build System

Makefile with grouped targets (deps, build, install, clean)
OS-aware dependency installer supporting 5 distro families
CLI-only or full CLI + GUI build modes
Dry-run simulation for all build operations
Portable scripts — works on standard Linux and ARM64/proot/Termux

Project Structure

easy-ssh-dev/
│
├── bin/                        # Compiled CLI binaries (build output)
│   ├── sshx                    # Main SSH manager
│   ├── sshx-key                # SSH key generator
│   ├── sshx-cpy                # SSH public key installer
│   ├── sshx-reset              # SSH environment cleanup
│   ├── git-auth                # GitHub SSH auth wizard
│   └── scpx                    # Secure file transfer
│
├── src/                        # Go source code
│   ├── main.go                 # sshx — connect, raw, list, menu, doctor, remove
│   ├── init.go                 # sshx-dev installer/uninstaller (symlinks, desktop entry)
│   ├── sshx-key.go             # ed25519 key generation + SSH agent
│   ├── sshx-cpy.go             # Injection-safe authorized_keys installer
│   ├── sshx-reset.go           # SSH dir cleanup, known_hosts reset
│   ├── git-auth.go             # GitHub auth check + interactive setup wizard
│   ├── scpx.go                 # Recursive SCP push/pull, IPv4/IPv6
│   └── go.mod
│
├── gui/                        # GTK3 GUI frontend
│   ├── easy-ssh-gui.py         # Python GTK3 + VTE tabbed terminal application
│   ├── sshx-gui                # Compiled GUI binary (PyInstaller output)
│   └── _internal/              # PyInstaller bundled runtime files
│
├── build/                      # Build scripts and assets
│   ├── build-bin               # Compiles all Go binaries → bin/
│   ├── build-init              # Compiles sshx-dev installer runner
│   ├── build-gui               # Builds GUI via PyInstaller → gui/
│   ├── build-deps              # OS-aware dependency installer
│   └── ssh-terminal.png        # GUI application icon
│
├── build-install               # Main build + install orchestrator
├── sshx-dev                    # Install/uninstall runner (symlinks to PATH)
├── Makefile                    # Build system entry point
├── sshx.toml                   # Project configuration
├── install.log                 # Auto-generated build and install log
├── LICENSE
└── README.md

Requirements

Core (required for CLI build)

Tool	Version	Purpose
Go	1.20+	Build all CLI tools
OpenSSH	any	`ssh`, `scp`, `ssh-keygen`, `ssh-copy-id`
jq	any	JSON host cache processing

Optional

Tool	Purpose
`fzf`	Interactive host picker (`sshx --menu`)

GUI (optional)

Dependency	Minimum	Purpose
Python	3.8+	Runtime for GUI and PyInstaller build
GTK	3.0	GUI toolkit
VTE	2.91	Terminal widget
python3-gi	any	Python GTK bindings (GObject introspection)

Installation

Step 1 — Install Dependencies

Use the OS-aware build-deps script or the Makefile shortcuts:

# Core dependencies (Go, OpenSSH, jq)
bash build/build-deps

# CLI tools only (minimal — go, jq, ssh)
bash build/build-deps --cli

# Core + GTK/VTE GUI dependencies
bash build/build-deps --gui

# Core + build tools (gcc, make, binutils)
bash build/build-deps --build

# Everything at once, auto-confirm
bash build/build-deps --gui --build -y

# Preview all actions without applying
bash build/build-deps --dry-run

Makefile equivalents:

make deps          # core
make deps-cli      # CLI only
make deps-gui      # GUI dependencies
make deps-build    # build tools
make deps-all      # everything

Supported systems: Debian/Ubuntu · Fedora · Arch Linux · Alpine Linux · Termux (Android)

Step 2 — Build

# Full build — CLI tools + GUI binary
make build

# CLI-only build — skip GUI
make cli

# Simulate build without making any changes
make dry-run

Or run the build script directly:

./build-install           # CLI + GUI
./build-install --cli     # CLI only
./build-install --dry-run # dry run

Step 3 — Install / Uninstall

# Symlink all binaries to /usr/local/bin (or ~/.local/bin on proot/termux)
make install

# Remove all installed symlinks
make uninstall

Other Maintenance Targets

make clean      # Remove all build artifacts (bin/, gui/sshx-gui, gui/_internal)
make rebuild    # clean + build

CLI Tools

`sshx` — SSH Manager

The primary tool. Manages SSH connections with automatic key setup and host caching.

sshx user@host:port          # Connect (auto key-copy + cache on first connect)
sshx user@[::1]:port         # Connect via IPv6

sshx --raw user@host:port    # Raw connect — skip cache and key-copy
sshx user@host:port --remove # Remove host from cache and known_hosts

sshx --list                  # List all cached hosts
sshx --menu                  # Interactive fuzzy picker (requires fzf)
sshx --doctor                # Run diagnostics (ssh, fzf, key detection)
sshx --version
sshx --help

First connect flow:

Checks ~/.ssh/sshx.json for an existing entry
If new — tests key-based auth with a 5-second timeout
If key is not installed — runs ssh-copy-id automatically (password prompted once)
Saves the host to cache on success
Connects via syscall.Exec — replaces the current process with no subprocess overhead

Raw mode skips steps 1–4 entirely and connects directly via ssh -p <port> <user@host>. Useful for hosts that should not be cached or where key-copy is not desired.

`scpx` — Secure File Transfer

Recursive SCP wrapper with IPv4/IPv6 support.

# Push local file or folder to remote
scpx push user@host:port /local/path /remote/dir

# Pull file or folder from remote
scpx pull user@host:port /remote/path /local/dir

# IPv6
scpx push user@[::1]:port /local/file /remote/dir
scpx pull user@[::1]:port /remote/file /local/dir

Wraps scp -r. Auto-creates the local destination directory on pull. Validates host format and port range (1–65535) before connecting.

`sshx-key` — Key Generation

sshx-key email@example.com

Generates a new ed25519 keypair, adds the private key to the SSH agent, and prints step-by-step instructions for adding the public key to GitHub or other services.

`git-auth` — GitHub SSH Wizard

git-auth

Interactive wizard for setting up and verifying GitHub SSH authentication:

Tests SSH access to GitHub (ssh -T git@github.com)
Detects existing local keys (~/.ssh/id_ed25519, ~/.ssh/id_rsa)
Checks SSH agent status
If auth fails — offers to generate a new key via sshx-key
Shows step-by-step instructions to add the key on GitHub
Optionally opens https://github.com/settings/keys in the browser
Re-verifies the connection after the key is added

`sshx-cpy` — Copy Key to Remote Host

sshx-cpy user@host:port   # with port
sshx-cpy user@host        # defaults to port 22
sshx-cpy user@[::1]:port  # IPv6

Installs your local SSH public key on a remote host for passwordless login. More robust than ssh-copy-id — uses an injection-safe remote install script.

How it works:

Detects private key automatically: id_ed25519 → id_rsa
Reads matching .pub file, or extracts it via ssh-keygen -y if missing
Connects via SSH and runs a remote script that:
- Creates ~/.ssh/ with permissions 700
- Creates authorized_keys with permissions 600
- Appends the key only if not already present (no duplicates)
Verifies passwordless login with BatchMode=yes
Prints the exact ssh command to use on success

`sshx-reset` — SSH Environment Cleanup

sshx-reset

Safely cleans ~/.ssh:

Removes: files matching *.old, *.tmp, *.bak, and known_hosts
Preserves: id_ed25519, id_ed25519.pub, authorized_keys
Resets: known_hosts to an empty file with permissions 600
Reports: a full summary of what was removed and what was preserved

GUI

Launch

sshx-gui                       # Compiled binary
python3 gui/easy-ssh-gui.py    # Run directly from source

Toolbar Reference

Button	Action
Connect	SSH connect dialog — enter `user@host:port`, optionally enable Raw mode
List	Show all cached hosts in a new terminal tab
Doctor	Open system check dialog — binary and dependency status
Version	Show version info in a new terminal tab
Help	Open command reference dialog for all tools
Gen Key	Generate SSH key — enter email in dialog
Copy Fingerprint	Show SSH public key fingerprint in a new tab
Git Auth	Run GitHub SSH authentication wizard
SSHX Copy	Copy SSH key to remote — enter host in dialog
SSHX Reset	Clean SSH environment
SCPX	File transfer dialog — push/pull with file and folder browser

Each toolbar action opens its output in a new terminal tab. A pinned Terminal tab is always open on startup and cannot be closed.

Connect Dialog — Raw Mode

The connect dialog includes a Raw mode checkbox. When enabled, the connection bypasses the host cache and key-copy entirely and connects via ssh -p <port> <user@host> directly.

Doctor Dialog

Checks and reports the status of:

Project binaries: sshx, sshx-key, sshx-cpy, scpx, git-auth, sshx-reset, sshx-gui
System dependencies: ssh, ssh-copy-id, ssh-keygen

Each entry shows its full resolved path and a pass/fail status.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl+Shift+C`	Copy selection
`Ctrl+Shift+V`	Paste
`Ctrl+Shift+A`	Select all

Right-click context menu provides the same actions.

Configuration

`~/.ssh/sshx.json` — Host Cache

Automatically created and managed by sshx. Stores known SSH hosts by connection string.

{
  "user@192.168.1.10:22": {
    "user": "user",
    "host": "192.168.1.10",
    "port": 22
  }
}

Do not edit manually unless necessary. Use sshx user@host:port --remove to remove entries.

`~/.ssh/` — Key Files

File	Role
`id_ed25519`	Private key — auto-generated by `sshx` or `sshx-key` if missing
`id_ed25519.pub`	Public key — copied to remote hosts on first connect
`known_hosts`	Remote host fingerprints — reset by `sshx-reset`
`sshx.json`	Host cache used by `sshx`

`sshx.toml`

Project configuration file located at the project root. Used during build and install.

`install.log`

Auto-generated log file. All build and install script output is appended here.
Located at the project root.

Build Reference

Makefile Targets

Target	Description
`make deps`	Install core dependencies
`make deps-cli`	Install CLI-only dependencies
`make deps-gui`	Install GTK/VTE GUI dependencies
`make deps-build`	Install build tools (gcc, make, etc.)
`make deps-all`	Install all dependencies
`make build`	Full build — CLI + GUI
`make cli`	CLI-only build
`make dry-run`	Simulate build without changes
`make install`	Install binaries (requires prebuilt `sshx-dev`)
`make uninstall`	Remove installed binaries
`make clean`	Remove all build artifacts
`make rebuild`	`clean` + `build`

Build Scripts

Script	Description
`build-install`	Main orchestrator — runs all build steps, verifies artifacts, runs install
`build/build-bin`	Compiles all Go binaries with `CGO_ENABLED=0 -trimpath -ldflags="-s -w"`
`build/build-init`	Compiles `sshx-dev` installer runner
`build/build-gui`	Sets up venv, installs PyInstaller, builds `sshx-gui` binary
`build/build-deps`	Detects OS, installs required packages

License

See LICENSE for details.

Author

Sumit
github.com/dev-boffin-io

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 89 Commits
build		build
gui		gui
src		src
.gitignore		.gitignore
LICENSE		LICENSE
Makefile		Makefile
README.md		README.md
build-install		build-install
sshx.toml		sshx.toml

Folders and files

Latest commit

History

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easy-ssh-dev

Contents

Features

SSH Management

CLI Utilities

GUI

Build System

Project Structure

Requirements

Core (required for CLI build)

Optional

GUI (optional)

Installation

Step 1 — Install Dependencies

Step 2 — Build

Step 3 — Install / Uninstall

Other Maintenance Targets

CLI Tools

sshx — SSH Manager

scpx — Secure File Transfer

sshx-key — Key Generation

git-auth — GitHub SSH Wizard

sshx-cpy — Copy Key to Remote Host

sshx-reset — SSH Environment Cleanup

GUI

Launch

Toolbar Reference

Connect Dialog — Raw Mode

Doctor Dialog

Keyboard Shortcuts

Configuration

~/.ssh/sshx.json — Host Cache

~/.ssh/ — Key Files

sshx.toml

install.log

Build Reference

Makefile Targets

Build Scripts

License

Author

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Languages

`sshx` — SSH Manager

`scpx` — Secure File Transfer

`sshx-key` — Key Generation

`git-auth` — GitHub SSH Wizard

`sshx-cpy` — Copy Key to Remote Host

`sshx-reset` — SSH Environment Cleanup

`~/.ssh/sshx.json` — Host Cache

`~/.ssh/` — Key Files

`sshx.toml`

`install.log`

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