Connect with a Setup Command

Add your phone's key to any SSH server with one command that you run on the host.

This works on any SSH server, with or without the daemon and Tailscale. On a Mac, turn on Remote Login first.

Add the Host

Tap + on the host list. Fill in Address, User and, if it is not 22, Port.
Keep Sign in with on Device key. Tap Copy Setup Command, or the share button to send it to your computer.
Run the command on the host, in a session where you are already signed in.
Tap Save.

What the Command Does

NOTE

Copy the command from pocketty, not from this page. pocketty puts your phone’s own key in it. The key below is only an example.

The command works in sh, bash, zsh and fish. It creates ~/.ssh if it is missing, and it adds the key only if it is not there yet:

mkdir -p -m 700 ~/.ssh; grep -qxF 'ecdsa-sha2-nistp256 AAAA… pocketty' ~/.ssh/authorized_keys 2>/dev/null \
  || printf '\n%s\n' 'ecdsa-sha2-nistp256 AAAA… pocketty' >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

You can also copy just the key with Copy Key, and add it any way you like.