A modern, user-friendly SSH connection manager built with Python 3, GTK4, libadwaita, and VTE. This project combines the best features of gnome-connection-manager and sshpilot into a unified application.

• Split Terminals: Split the terminal area horizontally or vertically, with unlimited nesting
• Tabbed Interface: Multiple tabs per split pane, with drag-and-drop between panes
• Encrypted Credential Storage: AES-encrypted password and passphrase storage (no plaintext, no expect)
• SSH_ASKPASS Authentication: Secure password injection via SSH_ASKPASS mechanism (no expect scripts)
• Hierarchical Groups: Organize servers in nested groups (e.g., Production/WebServers)
• Cluster Mode: Send commands to all open terminals simultaneously
• Modern UI: GTK4 + libadwaita with dark/light theme support
• Connection Management: Full CRUD for connections with import/export
• Post-Login Commands: Configure commands to run automatically after login (with delay support)
• Port Forwarding: Local, remote, and dynamic port forwarding support
• Keyboard Shortcuts: Comprehensive keyboard navigation

This project takes the best of both source projects:

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ [≡] [+Local] [SplitH] [SplitV] [Unsplit] [☰]       │
├──────────┬─────────────────────┬─────────────────────┤
│ Search   │ Tab1 | Tab2         │ Tab3 | Tab4         │
├──────────┤─────────────────────┤─────────────────────┤
│ ▶ Prod   │                     │                     │
│   Web01  │  $ ls -la           │  $ top              │
│   Web02  │  total 42           │                     │
│ ▶ Dev    │  drwxr-xr-x ...    │  PID USER ...       │
│   Local  │                     │                     │
│          │─────────────────────│                     │
│          │ Tab5                │                     │
│          │─────────────────────│                     │
│          │  $ tail -f /var/log │                     │
└──────────┴─────────────────────┴─────────────────────┘

Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt install \
  python3 python3-gi python3-gi-cairo \
  libgtk-4-1 gir1.2-gtk-4.0 \
  libadwaita-1-0 gir1.2-adw-1 \
  libvte-2.91-gtk4-0 gir1.2-vte-3.91 \
  python3-cryptography

Fedora/RHEL:

sudo dnf install \
  python3 python3-gobject \
  gtk4 libadwaita \
  vte291-gtk4 \
  python3-cryptography

pip install -r requirements.txt

python3 run.py

Enable verbose debugging:

python3 run.py --verbose

ssh-client-manager/
├── run.py                      # Entry point
├── requirements.txt            # Python dependencies
├── README.md                   # This file
├── src/
│   ├── __init__.py             # Package metadata
│   ├── app.py                  # Adw.Application + CSS + shortcuts
│   ├── window.py               # Main window with sidebar + toolbars
│   ├── terminal_widget.py      # VTE terminal wrapper
│   ├── terminal_panel.py       # Tab/split management (Paned + Notebook)
│   ├── connection.py           # Connection model + ConnectionManager
│   ├── connection_dialog.py    # Add/Edit connection dialog
│   ├── credential_store.py     # AES-encrypted credential storage
│   ├── ssh_handler.py          # SSH command builder + SSH_ASKPASS
│   ├── sidebar.py              # Connection tree sidebar
│   ├── config.py               # App configuration (JSON)
│   └── preferences_dialog.py   # Preferences window

Instead of using expect scripts to auto-type passwords (like gnome-connection-manager), this project uses the SSH_ASKPASS mechanism:

1. A temporary script is created that echoes the stored password
2. SSH_ASKPASS environment variable points to this script
3. SSH_ASKPASS_REQUIRE=force tells SSH to use it even with a TTY
4. The script distinguishes password vs passphrase prompts
5. The temp script is cleaned up after connection

Credentials are encrypted with Fernet (AES-128-CBC + HMAC-SHA256):

• Auto-generated encryption key stored at ~/.config/ssh-client-manager/.store.key (mode 0600)
• Encrypted credentials at ~/.config/ssh-client-manager/credentials.dat (mode 0600)
• Export/import uses PBKDF2-derived keys from user passwords

Adapted from gnome-connection-manager's approach:

• The terminal area starts as a single Gtk.Notebook
• Splitting wraps notebooks in Gtk.Paned containers
• All notebooks share a group name enabling tab drag-and-drop between panes
• When a notebook becomes empty, it auto-removes and the pane collapses
• Unlimited nesting: Paned → Paned → Notebook

Settings are stored in ~/.config/ssh-client-manager/config.json. Connections are stored in ~/.config/ssh-client-manager/connections.json.

https://github.com/CloudGee/ssh-client-manager

GPL-3.0