FAQ

Do I need an account to use SSH Ache?

No. The desktop app is local-first and fully usable with no account — hosts and secrets stay on your machine. An account is only needed for the optional Teams and personal cloud vault features.

Is it free?

The desktop app is free and open source. Teams has a Free plan (up to 5 connections per team) and paid plans for larger teams — see the pricing on the main site.

Is it really open source?

The source is available on GitHub. It's released under a source-available, noncommercial license: you can read, build, and use it, but commercial use requires written permission. See the LICENSE file in the repo for the exact terms.

Which platforms are supported?

macOS, Windows, and Linux. Get installers on the download page.

Can the SSH Ache servers see my passwords or keys?

No. Local-only connections never leave your machine. For Teams and the vault, everything is end-to-end encrypted before upload — the server stores ciphertext and can't decrypt it. See the security model.

Why do I log in through the browser instead of in the app?

So the desktop app never handles your email/password, and so linking uses a type-the-code confirmation that resists phishing. You sign in on the site, approve the device, and the app is linked.

A teammate joined but can't see the shared connections. Why?

They need the team key wrapped to their account. An existing member with access shares it (🔑 Share keys in the Teams tab). Until then they're a member but can't decrypt secrets — that's the zero-knowledge model working as intended.

How do I get more than 5 team connections?

Upgrade the team's plan from the web app. The 5-connection limit is per team on the Free plan.

Where can I get help?

Open an issue on GitHub.