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Import ~/.ssh/config into SSHive

By Lucas Russo, developer of SSHive · Updated

Bring your existing OpenSSH config into SSHive: every Host entry becomes a profile in seconds.

Estimated time: 2 minutes

If you have used SSH on a Mac for years, you have a ~/.ssh/config full of Host entries: bastions, production servers, boxes on the home network. SSHive reads it and turns each Host into a profile, ProxyJump, IdentityFile, Port, User and HostName included. The original file stays untouched, so ssh server-name keeps working in any other terminal. Once the profiles exist, the SSH key guide and the jump host guide pick up from there.

Step-by-step

  1. Open the import action: the sidebar ⋮ menu, not Settings

    At the top of the left sidebar, click the ⋮ button (More actions) and pick Import SSH Config. It is not in Settings and not in the macOS menu bar, so that is the place to remember. SSHive then reads ~/.ssh/config directly; the macOS sandbox grants read access to that path the first time.

  2. No preview: a silent import and a single notice

    There is no "here are X profiles, pick which to import" dialog. The click runs the import and shows one notice: ✅ N profile(s) imported, plus the number of duplicates skipped if there were any. Duplicates are matched on the host:port:username triple: the same triple is skipped silently, with no merge or overwrite dialog.

  3. What gets read (and what does not)

    Mapped one to one: Host → profile name, HostName → host, Port → port, User → username, IdentityFile → private key file (authentication set to key), ForwardAgent → agent forwarding, LocalForward and RemoteForward → local and remote tunnels, DynamicForward → SOCKS port. ProxyJump is read, but the link into the visual jump chain can need a manual confirmation: if a target's chain shows an empty menu after the import, pick the bastion again in the chain editor.

  4. Read-only: SSHive never writes to ~/.ssh/config

    The import goes one way. The original file is untouched, so ssh hostname from Terminal still works. If you change ~/.ssh/config later, run the import again: duplicates are skipped and only the new entries arrive. In the free version the import respects the 5-profile limit: with 12 hosts in ~/.ssh/config, only the first 5 are saved and the import stops there, so upgrade to Pro first if you need them all.

Frequently asked questions

Does SSHive modify my ~/.ssh/config?+
No, it only reads it. The original file is untouched, so ssh hostname from Terminal still works, and the SSHive profiles are an independent copy. To pick up later edits, run the import again from the sidebar ⋮ menu: duplicates are skipped and only new entries are added.
Can I import from PuTTY, MobaXterm or Royal TSX?+
Yes, from Settings › Import / Export › Import from another tool: PuTTY sessions exported as a .reg file, a plain MobaXterm .ini, and Royal TSX .rtsx documents. The free version keeps the same 5-profile limit. There is no importer for Termius, SecureCRT, iTerm2 or Tabby. Coming from Windows? See SSHive for PuTTY users and for MobaXterm users.
Can I export SSHive profiles back to ~/.ssh/config?+
No, SSHive does not write to ~/.ssh/config. Pro adds an export to a .sshive file, with the passwords included and encrypted if you choose, for a backup or a colleague. It is SSHive's own format, not OpenSSH config.

Related SSHive features

SSH Terminal

GPU-accelerated terminal

See also

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