Shellby: SSH Client & Terminal
SFTP, tunnels & server monitor
Free · In-App Purchases
2.0.0: On Mac, claude-code and codex can now use your configured hosts over MCP — read-only, token-gated, audited. Plus scrolling that finally works in tmux and vim.
Shellby is a modern, native SSH client for iPhone, iPad, and Mac — one app, one experience across all your Apple devices. It does more than connect: a built-in AI agent turns plain-language ops tasks into commands you approve one by one, Mosh-compatible transport keeps sessions alive across network changes, and on Mac your AI coding tools reach your servers read-only, fully audited. Built for developers, sysadmins, and anyone who manages remote servers. No account, no tracking.
AI ASSISTANT & AGENT (BRING YOUR OWN KEY)
• Describe an ops task in plain language — the agent plans and runs it step by step
• Every command passes an approval gate; destructive ones need explicit confirmation — nothing runs behind your back
• Customizable allow/deny lists; approve & allowlist in one tap
• Standard chat-completion APIs, so you pick the service — DeepSeek, Kimi, GLM, Qwen, or a local Ollama model
• Off by default; bring your own key and endpoint — no AI service is built in
EXTERNAL AGENTS — MCP (macOS)
• Let claude-code, codex, and other MCP clients use hosts you already configured — no passwords, keys, or jump-host setup handed over
• Read-only: list hosts, run read-only commands, read files, fetch metrics; mutating commands are refused with a reason
• Loopback only, token-checked per request, token in the Keychain, every call audited
• Runs only while Shellby is open — no background daemon
MOSH-COMPATIBLE CONNECTIONS
• Switch Wi-Fi to cellular, roam, ride through a tunnel — the session survives and resumes instantly
• Typing stays responsive even on slow, high-latency links
• Connection test detects a missing mosh-server and gives install steps for your distro
TERMINAL
• Fast, standards-compliant terminal (xterm-256color)
• Password and SSH key authentication (Ed25519 / RSA / OpenSSH)
• On-screen key bar: Esc, Tab, Ctrl combos, arrows, symbols
• Full hardware-keyboard mapping on iPad and Mac
• Terminal themes and font size
• Scrollback buffer up to 50,000 lines
SNIPPETS & COMMAND TOOLBAR
• Save commands you use daily; run, insert, or copy them from a toolbar above the terminal
• Shell syntax highlighting and line numbers; review before running
DESKTOP-CLASS ON MAC & iPAD
• Three-column layout: hosts, sessions, and content each in place
• Multiple windows and session tabs, with live terminal previews
• Split view, and command broadcast — type once, send to many sessions
• Native menu bar, shortcuts, and window toolbar on Mac
FILES (SFTP)
• Browse, upload, download, rename, move, delete, create folders
• One transfer queue both ways — progress, resume, choice of destination
• Drag & drop on Mac; notification when background transfers finish
• Integrates with the Files app
PORT FORWARDING & TUNNELS
• Local (-L), remote (-R), and dynamic SOCKS5 (-D) forwarding
• Jump hosts / ProxyJump (-J) with multi-hop chains
• Standalone tunnels that stay up and auto-reconnect, with live bandwidth
• For reaching services inside your own server network (databases, internal dashboards) — not for bypassing network restrictions
SERVER MONITOR
• Live CPU, memory, swap, disk, load, and top processes
SYNC — YOUR DATA, YOUR STORAGE
• Optional iCloud sync of hosts, groups, and rules (CloudKit); passwords and keys only via the end-to-end-encrypted iCloud Keychain
• Or bring your own storage: hosts, keys, snippets, AI settings & chats via any WebDAV or S3-compatible service you control
• Pair a new device by scanning a QR code
SECURITY & PRIVACY
• Credentials stored only in the device Keychain — never in plaintext
• Host fingerprint verification (TOFU), with a strong warning if one ever changes
• Face ID / Touch ID app lock
• No account, no tracking, no data collection
You bring your own SSH servers; Shellby connects only to machines you own or are authorized to access.
Languages: English, 简体中文, 繁體中文.
Privacy Policy: https://shellby.app.mahui.me/privacy/
Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Ratings & Reviews
- This app has not received enough ratings or reviews to display an overview.
One new capability, plus a focused fix pass on the terminal in full-screen programs.
External agents (macOS)
• New MCP service: expose the hosts you have already configured in Shellby to AI coding tools on your desktop (claude-code, codex and the like), without them needing your passwords, private keys or jump-host setup
• Everything exposed in this release is read-only: list hosts, run read-only commands, read remote files, fetch metrics. Mutating commands are refused, with the reason given
• Listens on this machine only, checks a token on every request, keeps that token in the Keychain, and records every call in an audit log
• Reuses sessions you already have open rather than opening new ones
• Settings → External Agents gives you the connection command, ready to copy
Terminal
• Scrolling finally works in tmux, vim and less — the wheel and swipes previously did nothing at all, even with mouse on enabled in tmux
• iPhone & iPad: swipe to scroll in full-screen programs too
• Going to the background is reported to the remote program, which pauses its animations and redraws — saving battery
Input (iPhone & iPad)
• Sticky Alt on the shortcut bar: word-wise cursor movement (Alt+B / Alt+F) and the last argument of the previous command (Alt+.) now work
• New ⌥↩ key for newlines inside command-line programs that take multi-line input
• New \ key
Also
• Sync and pairing codes now draw from the system cryptographic random source, and no longer continue silently if it is unavailable
• Fixed monitoring failing on servers reporting unusual disk sizes
Questions or ideas are always welcome!
The developer, 荟 马, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Provider
- 荟 马
- Size
- 15.6 MB
- Category
- Developer Tools
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 17.0 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 17.0 or later. - iPad
Requires iPadOS 17.0 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 15.0 or later. - Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
English and 2 more
- English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese
- Age Rating
4+
- 4+
- In-App Purchases
Yes
- Pro Yearly ₱ 599.00
- Pro Monthly ₱ 129.00
- Pro Lifetime ₱ 1,990.00
- Copyright
- © U&M Studio
