ssh-run
Executes a command on a remote host via SSH. WARNING: This runs commands on a remote machine. Ensure the host and command are correct before executing. Returns structured output with stdout, stderr, exit code, and duration.
This record as markdown: /tools/io-github-dave-london-pare-search/ssh-run.md
What ssh-run does on Search
AI agents invoke ssh-run to trigger actions in Search. What it does depends on the arguments the agent supplies, and its effects often reach beyond the immediate call: builds kicked off, notifications sent, workflows started.
Why ssh-run is rated High
This tool executes arbitrary commands on remote systems via SSH. While not inherently destructive (depends on the command arguments), it represents Execute-category risk because it triggers external operations whose effects are argument-dependent and run on systems outside the immediate environment.
From the tool's definition Tool description explicitly states 'Executes a command on a remote host via SSH' and warns 'This runs commands on a remote machine.' Returns structured output including exit code and duration, confirming command execution semantics.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs ssh-run safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Search, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For ssh-run, this is the rule to start with:
ssh-run stays usable, but rate-capped: a runaway agent can't fire it dozens of times a minute. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect Search, apply this rule, and every ssh-run call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about ssh-run
Executes a command on a remote host via SSH. WARNING: This runs commands on a remote machine. Ensure the host and command are correct before executing. Returns structured output with stdout, stderr, exit code, and duration. It is categorised as a Execute tool in the Search MCP Server, which means it can trigger actions or run processes. Use rate limits and argument validation.
Register the Search MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for ssh-run: allow, deny, rate-limit, or require approval. Point your MCP client at the PolicyLayer proxy URL and the rule is enforced on every call, before it reaches Search. Nothing to install.
ssh-run is a Execute tool with high risk. Execute tools should be rate-limited and have argument validation enabled.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the ssh-run rule in your PolicyLayer policy. For example, setting max: 10 and window: 60 limits the tool to 10 calls per minute. Rate limits are tracked per agent session and reset automatically.
Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for ssh-run. The AI agent will receive a policy violation error and cannot call the tool. You can also include a reason field to explain why the tool is blocked.
ssh-run is provided by the Search MCP server (Dave-London/Pare). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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