Hop

Why hop?

# Before: remembering and typing this every time
ssh -i ~/.ssh/work_key deploy@app-server-prod-03.us-east-1.example.com -p 2222

# After
hop prod

hop prod                         # fuzzy match any server
hop exec production "uptime"     # run command on all prod servers
hop import                       # import your existing ~/.ssh/config
hop                              # launch the TUI, manage everything

Install

Homebrew (macOS/Linux)

brew install danmartuszewski/tap/hop

Go

go install github.com/danmartuszewski/hop/cmd/hop@latest

From source

git clone https://github.com/danmartuszewski/hop.git && cd hop && make build
./bin/hop

Install with an AI agent

Using Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, or another coding agent? Paste the block below into your agent and it will pick the right install path for your machine, register hop's MCP server, and verify the install.

Install hop on this machine and register its MCP server. Do the steps in order;
stop and report on the first failure.

1. Pick ONE install method, in this priority:
   a. Homebrew (macOS or Linux):
        brew install danmartuszewski/tap/hop
   b. Go 1.22+ available:
        go install github.com/danmartuszewski/hop/cmd/hop@latest
   c. From source (no brew, no Go on PATH):
        git clone https://github.com/danmartuszewski/hop.git && cd hop && make install

2. Verify the binary is on PATH:
        hop version

3. Register the MCP server with whichever agent the user is running. Skip
   clients the user does not use:
   - Claude Code:  claude mcp add hop -- hop mcp
   - Codex CLI:    codex mcp add hop -- hop mcp
   - Claude Desktop / Cursor / Windsurf — add to the client's MCP config:
        { "hop": { "command": "hop", "args": ["mcp"] } }

4. (Optional) Seed the config from the user's existing SSH config. Preview
   first; --yes is required for a non-interactive run:
        hop import --dry-run
        hop import --yes

5. Confirm hop's MCP tools are reachable from the agent (e.g. list_connections).

Constraints:
- Do NOT run bare `hop` — it launches an interactive TUI and will hang a
  non-interactive session. Use subcommands (`hop version`, `hop list`, …).
- Do NOT modify ~/.ssh/config. hop reads it via `hop import` only.
- Do NOT commit secrets or identity files.

After step 3, restart the agent so it picks up the new MCP server.

Features

• Fuzzy matching - Type hop prod to connect to app-server-prod-03
• TUI dashboard - Browse, add, edit, delete connections with keyboard or mouse
• SSH config import - Already have servers in ~/.ssh/config? Import them in one command
• Export - Export filtered connections to YAML for sharing or backup
• Multi-exec - Run commands across multiple servers at once
• Groups & tags - Organize by project, environment, or custom tags
• Jump hosts - ProxyJump support for bastion servers
• Landing directory - Drop straight into a predefined working directory on connect
• MCP server - Let AI assistants manage your servers — search connections, run commands, check status across projects
• Mosh support - Use mosh instead of SSH for roaming and unreliable connections
• Zero dependencies - Single binary, works anywhere

See all features in action: Demo recordings

Raycast Extension

Launch connections directly from Raycast. Fuzzy search, tags, environments - all at your fingertips.

Install from Raycast Store

Configuration

Config file location: ~/.config/hop/config.yaml

version: 1

defaults:
  user: admin
  port: 22
  # use_mosh: true             # Uncomment to use mosh for all connections

connections:
  - id: prod-web
    host: web.example.com
    user: deploy
    identity_file: ~/.ssh/work_key   # Private key for this connection
    remote_dir: /var/www/myapp       # Land in this directory on connect
    project: myapp
    env: production
    tags: [web, prod]

  - id: prod-db
    host: db.example.com
    user: dbadmin
    port: 5432
    project: myapp
    env: production
    tags: [database, prod]

  - id: staging
    host: staging.example.com
    user: deploy
    project: myapp
    env: staging

  - id: private-server
    host: 10.0.1.50
    user: admin
    proxy_jump: bastion          # Connect via jump host
    forward_agent: true          # Forward SSH agent

  - id: remote-dev
    host: dev.example.com
    user: dan
    use_mosh: true               # Use mosh instead of SSH

groups:
  production: [prod-web, prod-db]
  web-servers: [prod-web, staging]

Security note: forward_agent: true exposes your SSH keys to anyone with root access on the remote server. Only enable this for servers you fully trust. Consider using proxy_jump instead when you just need to reach internal hosts through a bastion.

Mosh Support

Mosh (mobile shell) is useful for connections over unreliable networks — it handles roaming, intermittent connectivity, and high latency gracefully.

Global default — enable mosh for all connections:

defaults:
  use_mosh: true

connections:
  - id: remote-dev
    host: dev.example.com

  - id: legacy-server
    host: old.example.com
    use_mosh: false              # Override: use SSH for this one

Per-connection — enable mosh for specific connections:

connections:
  - id: remote-dev
    host: dev.example.com
    user: dan
    use_mosh: true

One-off — use the --mosh flag without changing config:

hop connect myserver --mosh
hop myserver --mosh

Per-connection use_mosh: false overrides the global default. SSH options (port, identity file, proxy jump, agent forwarding) are automatically passed to mosh via its --ssh flag. Mosh requires both the local mosh-client and mosh-server on the remote host.

Note: hop exec always uses SSH regardless of use_mosh, since mosh is designed for interactive sessions.

Landing Directory

Set remote_dir to have a connection drop you straight into a specific directory instead of $HOME:

connections:
  - id: prod-web
    host: web.example.com
    user: deploy
    remote_dir: /var/www/myapp   # cd here on connect

  - id: my-dev
    host: dev.example.com
    remote_dir: ~/projects/api   # ~ is expanded on the remote host

On connect, hop runs cd into the directory and then hands you a normal interactive login shell, so the session behaves exactly like a regular SSH login — just somewhere else. A few details worth knowing:

• Absolute paths and ~ both work. ~ and ~user are expanded by the remote shell.
• Forgiving by design. If the directory is missing or inaccessible, you still land in a shell (in $HOME) rather than getting bounced off the host.
• Works in new tabs too. hop open carries the landing directory into every terminal it launches.

Note: remote_dir is ignored when you pass an explicit command (e.g. hop connect web -- uptime or hop exec), since those aren't interactive sessions.

TUI Dashboard

Launch with hop or hop dashboard.

When you connect to a server from the dashboard (by pressing Enter), the SSH session starts, and the dashboard automatically returns after the session ends. This lets you quickly hop between servers without restarting the TUI each time.

For one-shot connections that exit to your terminal, use:

hop <query>           # fuzzy match and connect
hop connect <id>      # connect by exact ID

Keyboard Shortcuts

Filtering Connections

Press / to filter connections by typing keywords. The filter supports multi-keyword AND logic - separate keywords with spaces to find connections matching all terms.

Examples:

• prod - matches connections containing "prod"
• prod web - matches connections containing both "production" AND "web"
• kaf staging - matches connections with both "kafka" AND "staging"

The filter searches across connection IDs, hosts, projects, environments, and tags.

Quick Add with Paste

Press p and paste any of these formats:

user@host.com
user@host.com:2222
ssh user@host.com -p 2222
ssh://user@host:port

The connection form opens with fields pre-filled.

Duplicating a Connection

Press c on any connection to create a copy. The add form opens with every field pre-filled from the original — including options that aren't shown in the form, like proxy jump and mosh — and a collision-free ID suggestion (e.g. web-prod → web-prod-copy). Adjust whatever you need and save. If you pick an ID that already exists, the form stays open with your edits intact so you can fix it.

Importing from SSH Config

Import existing connections from your ~/.ssh/config file:

From the dashboard: Press i to open the import modal, select which connections to import, and press Enter.

From the CLI:

hop import                   # Import from ~/.ssh/config
hop import --dry-run         # Preview what would be imported
hop import --file ~/.ssh/config.d/work  # Import from custom path

What gets imported:

• Host alias becomes the connection ID
• HostName, User, Port, IdentityFile
• ProxyJump for jump host connections
• ForwardAgent setting

What gets skipped:

• Wildcard patterns (Host *, Host *.example.com)
• Entries without a HostName (alias is used as hostname)

Conflict handling: If a connection ID already exists, the imported connection is renamed with -imported suffix (e.g., myserver → myserver-imported).

Exporting Connections

Export a subset of connections to a YAML file for sharing, backup, or transferring to another machine.

From the dashboard: Press x to open the export modal. Only currently filtered connections are shown — apply text or tag filters first to narrow the selection. Toggle items with Space, then press Enter to save.

From the CLI:

hop export --all                          # Export all to stdout
hop export --all -o backup.yaml           # Export all to a file
hop export --project myapp -o myapp.yaml  # Export by project
hop export --tag database                 # Export by tag
hop export --env production               # Export by environment
hop export --id web-1,web-2              # Export specific connections

At least one filter flag or --all is required. Filters combine with AND logic.

Theming

The dashboard ships with sixteen color presets — each popular theme has both a dark and a light variant, listed separately so you can pick whichever you want regardless of your terminal background. Press T to browse them with live preview: ↑/↓ to navigate, Enter to save the choice into your config, Esc to revert.

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