Plugins

Plugins

SSH Pilot has a plugin system that lets you add new features, protocols, and tools to the application.

---

What Can Plugins Do?

Plugins can:

• Add new connection protocols (Telnet, Serial, Mosh, Docker/Podman, Kubernetes)
• Add new UI pages and tabs (like the Docker Console)
• Add tools to the Tools menu
• React to events (when you connect, disconnect, or change settings)
• Run commands on your server
• Create custom connection types

---

Built-in Plugins

SSH Pilot ships with these built-in plugins:

Plugin	What it does	Default
SSH Protocol	Standard SSH connections (required)	Always on
Telnet Protocol	Telnet connections	On
Serial Protocol	Serial port connections	On
Mosh Protocol	Mobile Shell (UDP-based, works on poor connections)	On
Docker/Podman Protocol	Exec sessions into containers	On
Kubernetes Protocol	kubectl exec sessions	On
Docker Console	Local/remote Docker/Podman management GUI	Off (opt-in)

Built-in plugins cannot be uninstalled. You can disable optional ones in Settings > Plugins. The SSH protocol cannot be disabled.

Docker Console is off by default. Enable it under Settings > Plugins, then see Docker Console. For Telnet, Serial, Mosh, Docker exec, and Kubernetes connections, see Protocols.

---

Installing a Plugin

Step 1 -- Get the plugin

Plugin files are typically .zip or .py packages. You can find community plugins or create your own.

Step 2 -- Open Plugins settings

1. Open Settings (Ctrl+, / Cmd+,)
2. Go to Plugins

Step 3 -- Install

1. Click Install from File
2. Select the plugin package
3. The plugin appears in the list

Step 4 -- Enable

Toggle the switch next to the plugin to enable or disable it.

---

Managing Plugins

From Settings > Plugins, you can:

Action	How
Enable a plugin	Toggle the switch to ON
Disable a plugin	Toggle the switch to OFF
View plugin info	Click the info button
Remove a plugin	Click the remove button (user-installed plugins only)
Install a new plugin	Click Install from File

---

Security Warning

Plugins run Python code with your user permissions. Only install plugins from sources you trust.

---

Developing a Plugin

If you know Python, writing a plugin is straightforward. A plugin is a Python package with a manifest file and a main class.

Basic structure

my-plugin/
    plugin.json
    __init__.py

plugin.json

{
    "name": "My Custom Plugin",
    "description": "Does something awesome",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "api_version": "1.14",
    "entry_point": "MyPlugin"
}

init.py

from sshpilot.plugins.base import BasePlugin

class MyPlugin(BasePlugin):
    name = "My Custom Plugin"
    description = "Does something awesome when I connect"
    version = "1.0.0"

    def on_app_ready(self, app_context):
        # The GUI is loaded. Add your custom menu items here.
        pass

    def on_connection_opened(self, host_model):
        # A new SSH connection just succeeded!
        print(f"Connected to {host_model.hostname}!")

What plugins can hook into

• on_app_ready -- The application has started
• on_connection_opened -- A connection was established
• on_connection_closed -- A connection was closed
• on_session_opened -- A terminal session started
• on_session_closed -- A terminal session ended
• on_settings_changed -- A setting was modified

Developer documentation

For comprehensive tutorials on the plugin API, UI hooks, and protocol backends, see the docs/plugins/ directory in the SSH Pilot source code.

---

Example Plugins

The source code includes example plugins:

• mock_vps -- A minimal VPS provisioning example
• easyenv_workspaces -- A real REST API integration example

---

Next Steps

• Protocols -- Use built-in non-SSH connection types
• Docker Console -- Enable and use the Docker Console
• Settings -- Manage plugins from the settings
• Connections -- Plugins can add new connection types
• Troubleshooting -- Solutions to common problems