listen

Start a listener to accept pairing requests.

Usage

connecto listen [OPTIONS]

Description

The listen command starts a pairing listener on the current machine. It:

1. Advertises the device via mDNS on the local network
2. Waits for incoming pairing requests on TCP port 8099
3. Accepts public keys and adds them to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
4. Exits after successful pairing (unless --continuous is used)

Options

Examples

Basic usage

connecto listen

Output:

  CONNECTO LISTENER

→ Device name: mydesktop
→ Port: 8099

Local IP addresses:
  • 192.168.1.55

✓ mDNS service registered - device is now discoverable

Listening for pairing requests on port 8099...

Custom name and port

connecto listen --name workstation --port 9000

Continuous mode

Keep listening for multiple pairings:

connecto listen --continuous

What happens during pairing

1. Client connects and sends their public key
2. Listener adds the key to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
3. Listener sends back its hostname and username
4. Both sides confirm success
5. Listener exits (or continues if --continuous)

VPN/Cross-Subnet Detection

When a pairing comes from a different subnet, the listener displays a helpful message:

✓ Successfully paired with mac-laptop!
  → They can now SSH to this machine.

VPN/Cross-subnet connection detected!
  → Tell mac-laptop to save your subnet for future scans:
    connecto config add-subnet 10.0.1.0/24

Security notes

• Only run listen when you intend to pair
• The listener only accepts SSH public keys (not arbitrary data)
• Keys are added to authorized_keys with a comment identifying Connecto
• Stop the listener when done to prevent unwanted pairings