Connections

Select a host and press Enter to connect. Bast clears the terminal, shows a short connection banner, launches ssh with that host's config, and returns you to the picker when the session ends.

Direct connect from the shell

You can skip the TUI entirely:

bast production_web
bast "Production web"
bast connect production_web

Labels with spaces work when quoted. Bast resolves them to the correct SSH alias under the hood.

Native OpenSSH

Bast always launches your system's ssh binary. There is no proprietary runtime or custom transport. Whatever works in your terminal with plain ssh will work through Bast.

During a session

Typing exit closes Bast entirely when the SSH session ends.

If a session gets stuck, press Enter then ~. to force-close SSH and land back in the picker. That is the standard OpenSSH escape sequence.

Connection tracking

Each successful connection updates last-used time and connection count in Bast metadata. That feeds into smart sort so your frequent servers stay at the top.