SSH gateway for socket-help commands
Run socket-help CLI commands over SSH with your API key as the password. No shell, forwarding, SCP or SFTP: one command per session with JSON output.
Updated 27 October 2026What the SSH gateway does
The SSH gateway runs the same commands as the socket-help CLI on the server, so you can use socket.help from any machine with an SSH client and no Node.js. It is an optional component that an operator enables; the Docker setup binds it to localhost:2222 by default and exposing it publicly is an operator decision.
Each connection runs one command. There is no interactive shell, no terminal, no port forwarding, no SCP and no SFTP.
Connect
Log in as user socket with a workspace API key (sh_...) as the password. Commands must start with socket-help. Pipe input on standard input for run, upload and api requests with a body; use -n for commands that read nothing.
# Verify the host fingerprint before the first connection.
printf '{"hello":true}' | ssh -T -p 2222 socket@your-host socket-help run json
ssh -T -n -p 2222 socket@your-host socket-help resources
ssh -T -n -p 2222 socket@your-host socket-help inbox create --visibility publicSession limits
Output is compact JSON on standard output; errors are JSON on standard error with exit status 1. Plan allowances and scopes are the same as for HTTP.
- Authentication: password only, user socket, up to 4 attempts per connection and 10 per 15 minutes per IP address.
- One command per session; send it within 10 seconds of opening the session.
- Commands stop after 30 seconds; a connection closes after 120 seconds.
- Standard input up to 10 MiB.
- Up to 4 connections per IP address.
- The API key is checked again for every request, so a revoked key stops working immediately.
Frequently asked questions
Can I open an interactive shell?
No. The gateway rejects shell, terminal and subsystem requests, so SCP and SFTP do not work either. Each session runs one socket-help command.
Which commands are available over SSH?
The same commands as the CLI: tools, describe, usage, resources, run, inbox create, upload, download and api.
Is the SSH gateway available on every installation?
Only where the operator has enabled and exposed it. Self-hosted Docker installs bind it to localhost:2222 by default, and setting SSH_PORT=0 disables it.