Host management
Add, edit, favorite, hide, and organize SSH hosts with groups, tags, and colors.
Press a to add a host or e to edit the selected one. The form keeps label, hostname, and user at the top, with separate menus for authentication, advanced SSH settings, and metadata. Click Save or press Ctrl+J to save from anywhere in the form. Ctrl+Enter remains available when your terminal reports it.
Connection fields
| Field | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Label | Display name shown in the list (spaces become SSH-safe aliases) |
| Hostname | Server hostname or IP address |
| User | Remote username (blank uses your SSH default) |
| Method | SSH key, a password stored in Bast, or OpenSSH defaults |
| Password | Shown when Method is Password. Stored locally; blank prompts on connect |
| Port | Port number (blank defaults to 22) |
Choose Advanced to configure jump hosts, startup commands, forwarding, keepalives, environment variables, and custom OpenSSH flags. See Advanced host options for each setting and its CLI equivalent.
Metadata fields
Groups use slash paths like Work/Production. You can nest up to five levels. Press m on a local host, then type to fuzzy-search existing groups. Choose a match, select the create row for a new path, or clear the group with No group. Press Space on a group header to collapse or expand it.
Tags are comma-separated labels included in search.
Environment is a free-form field (for example production or staging).
Color tints the label in the list so you can spot servers at a glance. Use a hex value.
Notes are short text included in the detail panel and search results.
Actions
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
f | Favorite the selected host |
m | Move the selected local host to a group |
h | Hide a host you rarely need |
. | Toggle whether hidden hosts appear in the list |
d | Delete a Bast-managed host |
K | Remove a host from your known-hosts file |
Favoriting and hiding are presentation-only changes stored in Bast metadata. Deleting removes the host block from Bast's managed config.
Removing a known-host entry (K) helps when a server fingerprint changes and SSH refuses to connect.
External hosts
Hosts defined outside Bast's managed config can still be edited for metadata (group, tags, notes, and so on). Bast will not change their connection settings or delete them.
Synced hosts
Hosts imported from GCP, AWS, Azure, box.ascii.dev, or Upstash Box are read-only for connection settings and grouping. GCP, AWS, and Azure hosts can still be favorited or hidden; Box and Upstash hosts are fully sync-owned. Disconnect the provider in the Sync tab to remove them. Bast prepares provider-specific SSH access immediately before connecting.