Clide

🔒 Manage servers with Claude Code without leaking passwords or distributing AI public keys

⬇️ Download  ·  Quick Start  ·  Claude Code  ·  Build

Overview

Why Clide?

When using Claude Code for server operations, do these security problems sound familiar?

❌ You must install AI public keys on every server — one leak compromises them all
❌ You must give Claude plaintext passwords — credentials may leave your machine
❌ sudo is awkward — passwordless sudo is a security risk, or you hand root passwords to the AI

Clide uses a local relay architecture to address this:

✅ SSH connections are established and maintained only on your desktop
✅ Passwords and private keys never leave your computer or get sent to third parties
✅ For sudo, you type the password in the left Shell panel (SSH login uses a local prompt) — Claude never sees it
✅ No agent software or extra SSH keys required on remote servers

Claude Code runs locally only. Through IDE bridge + MCP, commands go to the real SSH Shell on the left (same PTY as manual typing). The AI reads terminal output to help you troubleshoot.

The same window provides multi-session SSH terminals, SFTP file browsing, resource monitoring, and Monaco-based remote config editing — ideal for daily ops, incident response, and change management.

Clide is a desktop ops terminal that pairs a real SSH shell with a local Claude Code copilot — so SREs and backend engineers can let AI troubleshoot servers without handing over passwords, private keys, or root.

👤 Who is this for?

• SRE / DevOps / Platform engineers who run sudo, tail logs, and fight incidents on many boxes — and want AI help without exposing credentials.
• Backend engineers who SSH into production to debug a service, and want Claude to read the live terminal output alongside you.
• Security-conscious teams that can't (or won't) distribute AI public keys to every server or paste root passwords into a chat.

🎬 See it in action — a 60-second walkthrough of the AI driving the left shell is in docs/demo-recording.md. (Recording slot ready — drop docs/assets/demo.gif in place to embed it inline here.)

Keywords: ops terminal · AI troubleshooting · Claude Code · MCP · SSH · secure sudo · SRE · Tauri desktop app

🔄 How Clide compares

Clide keeps the security model of a traditional SSH client and adds the AI context of direct Claude Code SSH — without the credential exposure.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Download & Install
• Quick Start
• Claude Code & MCP Integration
• MCP Tools
• Architecture
• Build from Source
• Project Structure
• Releases
• Tech Stack
• License

Features

Download & Install

Get the latest build from Releases:

Linux troubleshooting

.deb v0.1.20 and earlier: If the app exits immediately with no window, upgrade to v0.1.21+ (MCP resource path fix).

If there is no window or click does nothing, run from a terminal to see errors:

# After .deb install (binary usually in /usr/bin, assets in /usr/lib/Clide/)
clide

# Or AppImage
chmod +x Clide_*.AppImage
./Clide_*.AppImage

Missing libraries on Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y \
  libwebkit2gtk-4.1-0 \
  libgtk-3-0 \
  libayatana-appindicator3-1

On Wayland, try an X11 session or:

GDK_BACKEND=x11 clide

Debug logging:

RUST_LOG=debug clide

Prerequisites

Quick Start

1. Install — Download Clide from Releases
2. Configure SSH — Add server profiles in the sidebar (host, port, user, key or password — credentials stay in the app, not with the AI)
3. Connect shell — Double-click a profile; log in in the left terminal (password / 2FA)
4. Enable AI — Install and log in to Claude Code CLI; confirm IDE bridge is ready in the sidebar
5. Troubleshoot — Describe the issue to the AI, e.g. “check disk and load on this machine”; Claude calls runShellCommand; you see command and output on the left; enter sudo password in the shell when needed

Example:
  You: This machine is almost out of disk — help me investigate
  AI:  → runShellCommand("df -h") → runs in left shell, output returned
  AI:  → runShellCommand("sudo du -sh /var/* | sort -rh | head")
  You: Type sudo password in left shell (AI cannot see it)

Claude Code & MCP Integration

Clide is a local ops copilot: it does not hold SSH credentials; MCP operates on shell sessions you already opened.

Integration is non-invasive — no global shell config changes:

1. Start Clide and keep the IDE bridge connected, or
2. In your project: claude mcp add -s project (see .mcp.json)

MCP Tools

The aiterm MCP server exposes these tools for Claude Code in IDE mode:

Use stable profileId from tool responses — not session name, hostname, or shellId.

Architecture

flowchart LR
  subgraph Desktop["Clide Desktop (Tauri 2)"]
    UI["Next.js UI"]
    PTY["PTY / SSH"]
    SFTP["Remote Files"]
    Bridge["IDE WebSocket Bridge"]
  end

  CLI["Claude Code CLI"]
  MCP["MCP aiterm"]

  UI --> PTY
  UI --> SFTP
  UI --> Bridge
  CLI -->|"--ide"| Bridge
  Bridge --> MCP
  MCP -->|"runShellCommand"| PTY
  MCP -->|"readRemoteFile"| SFTP

Build from Source

Requirements

• Node.js 20+
• Rust stable
• Platform deps: Tauri Prerequisites

Development

git clone https://github.com/DLbury/clide.git
cd clide

npm ci
npm ci --prefix view

# Next.js HMR + Tauri desktop window
npm run dev:tauri

Production build

npm ci
npm ci --prefix view
npm run build:tauri

Installers: src-tauri/target/release/bundle/

Rounded icons

node scripts/generate-rounded-icons.mjs

Project Structure

clide/
├── view/              # Next.js frontend (React, Tailwind, xterm, Monaco, Dockview)
├── src-tauri/         # Rust / Tauri backend (SSH, PTY, Claude bridge, MCP)
├── scripts/           # MCP stdio helpers
├── docs/assets/       # README images
├── .mcp.json          # Claude Code project MCP config
└── package.json       # Tauri CLI entry

Releases

First-time GitHub Actions setup

1. Repo Settings → Actions → General
2. Actions permissions → Allow all actions
3. Workflow permissions → Read and write permissions
4. Approve workflows if prompted

Tag a release

git tag v0.1.47
git push origin v0.1.47

Or run the Release workflow manually on Actions. See .github/workflows/release.yml.

Tech Stack

License

MIT License

Copyright © 2026 DLbury

Star History

_{Clide · AI Ops Terminal · Claude Code · Secure SSH & sudo
If Clide saves you a late-night incident or two, consider ⭐ starring the repo
and sharing it with a fellow SRE who still pastes root passwords into a chat.}