Quick start
Get SSH access between two machines in under a minute.
Prerequisites
- Connecto installed on both machines (Installation)
- Both machines on the same network (or VPN setup)
Step 1: Start the Listener
On the target machine (the one you want to SSH into):
connecto listen
You’ll see:
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...
Step 2: Scan for Devices
On the client machine (the one you want to SSH from):
connecto scan
You’ll see:
CONNECTO SCANNER
→ Scanning for devices...
✓ Found 1 device(s):
[0] mydesktop (192.168.1.55:8099)
To pair with a device, run: connecto pair <number>
Step 3: Pair
Still on the client machine:
connecto pair 0
You’ll see:
CONNECTO PAIRING
→ Connecting to 192.168.1.55:8099...
→ Using Ed25519 key (modern, secure, fast)
✓ Pairing successful!
Key saved:
• Private: /home/user/.ssh/connecto_mydesktop
• Public: /home/user/.ssh/connecto_mydesktop.pub
✓ Added to ~/.ssh/config as 'mydesktop'
You can now connect with:
ssh mydesktop
Step 4: Connect!
ssh mydesktop
That’s it! The listener exits automatically after successful pairing.
What just happened?
- Listener advertised itself via mDNS on your local network
- Scanner discovered the listener and displayed it
- Pair command:
- Generated a new Ed25519 SSH key pair
- Sent the public key to the listener
- Listener added it to
~/.ssh/authorized_keys - Client saved the private key and updated
~/.ssh/config
Alternative: Bidirectional sync
If you want both devices to be able to SSH to each other, use sync instead:
# Run on BOTH devices at the same time
connecto sync
This exchanges keys bidirectionally - after sync completes, both devices can SSH to each other. See sync command for details.
Next steps
- List paired hosts:
connecto hosts - Test connection:
connecto test mydesktop - Update IP:
connecto update-ip mydesktop 10.0.0.5 - Remove pairing:
connecto unpair mydesktop - Bidirectional sync:
connecto sync