Use cases — SSH, SFTP, RDP & VNC for macOS
Kubernetes ops from your Mac
SSH to nodes, run kubectl from a unified terminal, tunnel cluster services, and broadcast across nodes — all in SSHive.
kubectl is the primary interface to Kubernetes — but for node-level diagnostics (kubelet logs, journald, containerd state), you still SSH into the nodes. SSHive becomes your unified workspace: a profile per node (control plane and workers), kubectl from the local shell tab, broadcast for fleet-wide node maintenance, tunnels to reach internal services. Combine with the MCP integration and Claude can introspect a misbehaving node and `kubectl describe` the relevant pods in one breath.
Node-level debugging via SSH
Pod stuck in CrashLoopBackOff with no useful pod logs? SSH into the node, `journalctl -u kubelet -f`, `crictl ps -a`, `crictl logs <id>`. SSHive's saved profile + snippets make this 3 clicks instead of 30 keystrokes. For multi-node issues, broadcast.
Tunnel cluster services for local browsing
Need to reach a ClusterIP service from your Mac (Argo CD UI, Grafana, internal admin)? Two options. (1) `kubectl port-forward` from SSHive's local shell. (2) SSH into a node and let SSHive's Local forward expose the cluster service to your Mac. Both work — port-forward is simpler, SSHive tunnel is faster for repeated access.
Frequently asked questions
Does SSHive support kubectl exec sessions?+
Yes — `kubectl exec -it pod -- bash` runs in any SSHive terminal tab (local or remote). Each kubectl exec is a TTY-backed pseudo-shell, so it feels like SSH. SSHive doesn't natively wrap kubectl into profiles, but a snippet "kubectl exec" with a placeholder pod name makes it one-click.
Can MCP run kubectl commands via Claude?+
Yes if Claude is connected to a node's SSH session through SSHive's MCP. Claude calls `ssh_execute` with `kubectl get pods -n myns`, gets the result, and can chain commands. Make sure your kubeconfig is valid on the node.
Step-by-step guides
How to set up an SSH tunnel on a Mac
A complete guide to local, remote, and SOCKS5 SSH tunnels on macOS — both command-line and visually in SSHive.
Run a command on multiple SSH servers from Mac
Broadcast keystrokes to every active SSH session at once — fleet-wide ops in seconds, no Ansible playbook required.
Common use cases
Try SSHive Free for macOS
Get the all-in-one SSH, SFTP, RDP and VNC client for Mac. Free download, no signup required.