Configure SSH

SSH Tunnel reads tunnel definitions from ~/.ssh/config. Use any number of LocalForward entries; the app discovers them with ssh -G <hostAlias> and probes each forwarded port during health checks.

Define a host

Host my-proxy
    HostName proxy.example.com
    User sshproxy
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
    ExitOnForwardFailure yes
    LocalForward 1443 internal-api.example.com:443
    LocalForward 8080 internal-db.example.com:5432

Add the tunnel

1. Open Settings… (⌘ + , while the menu is open).
2. Add a tunnel and set Host Alias to my-proxy.
3. Toggle Active in the menu bar to connect.

The default Control Path is ~/.ssh/control-sshtunnelapp-%C, which keeps app-managed masters separate from Terminal sessions and same-host tunnels. See Terminal Coexistence for why this matters.

Forwards and labels

The SSH Config Forwards section shows ports discovered from your SSH config. Add optional service labels there so the menu can show names like API 1443 instead of bare port numbers.

To change the actual forwards, edit ~/.ssh/config and choose Refresh Forwards in Settings.

For temporary or app-managed forwards, use Quick Forwards: enter a remote port and optional label, and the app assigns a free local port, saves it, and applies it immediately while the tunnel is connected.

Hardened SSH defaults

The app starts masters with hardened options so dropped tunnels are detected quickly:

• ServerAliveInterval=15
• ServerAliveCountMax=3
• ConnectTimeout=10
• ExitOnForwardFailure=yes

See the full SSH Command Mapping for every command the app runs.