hop — Claude Code MCP server: what it does, how to install
SSH connection manager that gives coding agents tools to search hosts and run commands across remote infrastructure.
Open on GitHubWhat hop does
Written in Go as a standalone binary, hop organizes remote machines using groups and environment tags. It imports existing records straight from ~/.ssh/config without modifying that file. No extra runtime is needed. Through the MCP protocol, coding agents inspect configured machines and trigger shell actions remotely.
Settings live in ~/.config/hop/config.yaml. The tool supports jump hosts with proxy_jump and working directories through remote_dir. For unstable links, mosh handles roaming. Remote execution across multiple hosts with hop exec always routes through standard SSH.
Running bare hop launches an interactive terminal dashboard. That hangs non-interactive sessions during automated tasks. Pass explicit subcommands instead. Turning on forward_agent: true exposes private keys to remote root users, making bastion jump hosts a safer choice.
What it helps with
- locate remote machines using fuzzy search instead of remembering long SSH commands
- trigger terminal commands across multiple production nodes simultaneously
- grant coding agents visibility into server lists and remote execution
- route connections through internal bastion hosts using proxy_jump
Example prompts for the agent
- Run uptime across all production hosts using hop.
- Look up the staging web server details in the hop inventory.
- Import my existing SSH connections into hop with a dry run check.
How to install hop
Install
The MCP registry has no launch command for it: see the repository README
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to add an MCP server to Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI and more
Questions about hop
How to install hop in Claude Code?
Install the binary with brew install danmartuszewski/tap/hop or compile it using Go. Then attach the server by running claude mcp add hop -- hop mcp and restart Claude Code.
What does the hop MCP server do?
It exposes server connection records and execution tools to the model. This allows the assistant to query hosts and execute tasks remotely.
Why does an agent session hang when running hop?
Executing bare hop triggers an interactive terminal dashboard. Automated agents must use explicit subcommands like hop list or hop version.
