I built an MCP server that lets Claude Code actually run commands on my servers (not just suggest them)

Chris Vautour — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 11:43:06 +0000

I've been using Claude Code for infrastructure work for months. And every session followed the same pattern:

Ask Claude what command to run
Read Claude's answer
Open terminal
Copy-paste the command
Read output
Paste output back to Claude
Repeat

It felt like I'd hired a senior engineer who wasn't allowed to touch the keyboard. So I built Conduit — and gave Claude the keyboard.

What is Conduit?

Conduit is a cross-platform remote connection manager (SSH, RDP, VNC, web) with a built-in MCP server. Think Termius or Royal TS, but the whole thing is wired up as an MCP server so Claude Code can drive it directly.

Apache 2.0 open source: https://github.com/advenimus/conduit-desktop

The MCP integration

When you add Conduit as an MCP server in Claude Code:

claude mcp add conduit -- node "/Applications/Conduit.app/Contents/Resources/mcp/dist/index.js" \
  --env CONDUIT_SOCKET_PATH="$HOME/Library/Application Support/conduit/conduit.sock" \
  --env CONDUIT_ENV="production"

Claude gets access to 60+ tools across five categories.

Terminal (SSH)

terminal_execute — run a command in an SSH session and get the output back
terminal_read_pane — read the current terminal buffer
terminal_send_keys — send raw keystrokes (including Ctrl+C, arrow keys, etc.)

Now instead of "run df -h on each server," Claude just does it. Across all of them.

RDP / VNC

rdp_screenshot — capture a screenshot of a remote desktop
rdp_click — click at coordinates
rdp_type — type text
rdp_send_key — send keyboard shortcuts (Win+R, Ctrl+Alt+Del, etc.)
Same set for VNC sessions

This unlocks something surprisingly powerful: Claude can look at a Windows server, read error dialogs, and click through them. Not just SSH into the host — actually drive the graphical interface.

Web sessions

website_click_element — click by CSS selector (more reliable than coordinates)
website_fill_input — fill inputs with React/Vue/Angular event dispatch
website_execute_js — run JavaScript in the page
website_get_elements — discover all interactive elements on a page

Web sessions are driven by Electron's WebContentsView — a full browser engine. Claude can navigate admin dashboards, fill forms, and execute JavaScript in sessions that are already logged in.

Credential vault

credential_list — list stored credentials (metadata only)
credential_read — retrieve a secret (requires explicit user approval prompt)

AES-256, local-first. Secrets never leave your machine. When the agent wants a credential, you get an approval prompt — you see exactly what's being requested and why.

How it actually works under the hood

Claude Code ──(MCP protocol)──> Conduit MCP binary (Node.js)
                                         │
                                  (Unix socket)
                                         │
                                 Conduit desktop app
                                         │
                    ┌────────────────────┼─────────────────────┐
                    │                   │                      │
               SSH session         RDP session           Web session
               (node-pty)       (FreeRDP C helper)  (Electron WebContentsView)

The MCP binary is a separate Node.js process that connects to the desktop app over a Unix domain socket. Every tool call goes through the main process where it's rate-limited, audited, quota-checked, and approval-prompted.

The MCP binary holds no session state — it's a thin proxy. If it crashes or restarts, it reconnects automatically.

Safety model

"AI agent with SSH access to all your servers" is a large trust surface. Here's how Conduit handles it:

Approval prompts are color-coded by risk:

🔵 Read operations (list connections, read terminal buffer)
🟡 Execute operations (run commands, navigate web)
🟠 Write operations (fill forms, click UI elements)
🔴 Credential operations (read secrets from vault)

Every prompt has a 120-second auto-deny timeout — walk away from your machine and nothing sensitive happens.

Audit log records every tool call: timestamp, tool name, arguments (secrets masked), result status.

Rate limiting: 30 calls/minute per connection by default, token bucket algorithm.

Bring-your-own-subscription: Claude Code authenticates directly with Anthropic. Conduit never proxies API calls or sees your API keys.

A real example

Here's a real workflow:

"Check disk usage on all prod servers, find the one with least headroom, and tell me what's in its largest directories"

Claude:

connection_list → gets my SSH connections
terminal_execute on each → runs df -h
Parses output, identifies the problem server
terminal_execute → runs du -sh /* 2>/dev/null | sort -rh | head -20
Reports back with findings

What used to be 10 minutes of tabbing between terminals is a 30-second conversation.

Tech stack

For the curious:

App: Electron 34 + React 18 + TypeScript
SSH: ssh2 + node-pty + xterm.js
RDP: FreeRDP 3.x (custom C helper binary with binary protocol to the main process)
VNC: rfb2
MCP: @modelcontextprotocol/sdk
Vault: AES-256-GCM, local storage, optional Supabase cloud sync
Auth: Supabase

The FreeRDP integration was the hardest part — building the C helper, the binary protocol, and getting screenshots flowing at acceptable latency took weeks. Happy to write a separate post on that if there's interest.

Try it

GitHub (Apache 2.0): https://github.com/advenimus/conduit-desktop
Download (macOS/Windows/Linux): https://conduitdesktop.com/download
Free for personal use

Happy to answer questions in the comments — especially about the MCP tool design, the FreeRDP C helper, or the approval/safety system.

Best SSH Clients for Mac in 2026 — Compared & Ranked

Chris Vautour — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 14:09:01 +0000

If you manage remote servers from a Mac, your SSH client is one of the most important tools in your workflow. I tested and compared the most popular SSH clients for macOS in 2026. Here's what I found.

Quick Comparison

Client	Price	Protocols	AI	Vault
Conduit	Free / $12/mo	SSH, RDP, VNC, Web	9 models	AES-256
Terminal.app	Free	SSH	No	Keychain
iTerm2	Free	SSH	No	No
Warp	Free / $18/mo	SSH	Built-in	No
Termius	Free / $10/mo	SSH, SFTP, Mosh	Limited	Cloud
Royal TSX	Free / $42/yr	SSH, RDP, VNC, SFTP	No	Local
Tabby	Free	SSH, Serial	No	Config
Prompt 3	$49.99	SSH	No	Keychain

1. Conduit — Best for AI-powered multi-protocol management

Conduit is the only SSH client for Mac that combines SSH, RDP, VNC, and web sessions with a built-in AI assistant. It supports 9 AI models including Claude Opus 4.6 and GPT-5.2.

Key features: SSH + RDP + VNC + Web in one app, AI assistant that reads terminal output, MCP server for Claude Code/Codex, AES-256 encrypted vault, cross-platform (macOS/Windows/Linux/iOS).

Price: Free forever (unlimited connections). Pro $12/mo.

Download Conduit free →

2. Terminal.app — Best for minimal needs

The built-in macOS Terminal. Zero setup, uses system OpenSSH, integrates with Keychain. Best for 1-3 servers.

3. iTerm2 — Best free terminal emulator

Split panes, hotkey window, shell integration, extensive customization. The gold standard free terminal for macOS. No connection manager or AI.

4. Warp — Best AI-first terminal

Modern editor-like terminal with block-based output and AI command suggestions. Requires account creation. SSH-only.

5. Termius — Best for SSH with cloud sync

Cross-platform SSH with cloud-synced credentials and built-in SFTP. SSH/SFTP only — no RDP or VNC. Pro $10/mo.

6. Royal TSX — Best traditional connection manager

Plugin-based multi-protocol manager (SSH, RDP, VNC, SFTP). Native macOS app. Free tier limited to 10 connections. No AI, no Linux.

7. Tabby — Best open-source modern terminal

Open-source terminal with SSH connection manager and split panes. Cross-platform. No RDP/VNC/AI.

8. Prompt 3 — Best native Mac SSH experience

Beautiful native macOS SSH client from Panic. iCloud sync. SSH-only, $49.99 one-time.

How to choose

Casual use: Terminal.app or iTerm2
AI command help: Warp
Multi-device sync: Termius
Multi-protocol (SSH + RDP + VNC): Conduit or Royal TSX
AI-powered infrastructure: Conduit (only option with MCP server)
Native Mac design: Prompt 3

Forem: Chris Vautour