# SSH - Autosuggestions with ZSH > Get instant SSH autosuggestions in ZSH. Learn to install the zsh-ssh-config-suggestions plugin and display all your ~/.ssh/config aliases with a simple TAB press. ---  **TL;DR** Stop memorizing server IPs and SSH commands. This article shows you how to streamline your SSH workflow with `zsh-ssh-config-suggestions`, a ZSH plugin that provides autosuggestions for your SSH connections. By leveraging your `~/.ssh/config` file, this plugin allows you to simply type `ssh ` and press Tab to see a list of all your configured server aliases. Learn how to install and configure this handy plugin to make connecting to your servers faster and more efficient. A few weeks ago, I've posted a [SSH - Launch a terminal on your session without having to authenticate yourself](/blog/linux-ssh-scp#using-the-config-file) article about the `ssh` command in Linux. I'm pretty sure, like me, you are tired of typing command lines like `ssh christophe@1.2.3.4` to start an SSH connection because ... you know, you don't need to connect on a server; no, you need to connect to the server where the application is running; you know the name of the *MyAmazingApp* application but certainly not the name of the server or its IP. That's the case for me anyway. So, I need to connect to my vault, in which I list all the information about applications, server names, credentials to be used, ... It would be pretty cool to run `ssh MyAmazingApp` no? *Two neighbours: [How to connect to your hosting server using SSH](/blog/connect-using-ssh-to-your-hosting-server) to fill that `~/.ssh/config` in the first place, and [Master your ssh command and select the host from a list](/blog/ssh-with-fuzzy-finder) when autocompletion is no longer enough — around fifty hosts, a searchable list beats `TAB`.* Here's the result: type `ssh ` (with the trailing space) and press `TAB` to get every alias from your `~/.ssh/config` file, autosuggested.  > **You should add a space character after `ssh`:** > > To make it working, please note: you should add a space character after having typed `ssh` and before pressing `tab`. ## Why It Works The plugin reads the `Host` aliases already declared in your `~/.ssh/config` file and wires them into ZSH's completion system — no separate list to maintain, no vault to open, just the config file you already have. It should be really nice to be able to run `ssh MyAmazingApp` and hop, I'm connected on the server. This is where the `~/.ssh/config` is so helpful (please refer to this [article](/blog/linux-ssh-scp#using-the-config-file)) but we can go one step further: it would be so great to type `ssh` and by some magic, Linux will show you the list of aliases defined in the `~/.ssh/config` file. Let's install it. ## Seeing It in Action with Docker No real server is ever contacted by this plugin — it only reads `Host` aliases from a config file — which makes it a perfectly safe one-command Docker test. > **Why Docker first?:** > > The Dockerfile below installs Oh-My-Zsh and the plugin, enables it in `~/.zshrc`, and writes the > exact `~/.ssh/config` shown further down. Nothing on your own machine changes, and nothing tries > to actually connect anywhere. **Dockerfile** ```docker FROM ubuntu:24.04 ENV DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive RUN apt-get update && \ apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \ zsh \ git \ curl \ ca-certificates && \ rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* # Install Oh-My-Zsh unattended (host framework required by the plugin) RUN sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)" \ "" --unattended --keep-zshrc # Install zsh-ssh-config-suggestions and enable it in the default plugins=() list RUN git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/yngc0der/zsh-ssh-config-suggestions.git \ /root/.oh-my-zsh/custom/plugins/zsh-ssh-config-suggestions && \ sed -i 's/^plugins=(git)/plugins=(git zsh-ssh-config-suggestions)/' /root/.zshrc # The exact ~/.ssh/config from this article — no real hosts are ever # contacted, only the Host aliases are read for completion RUN mkdir -p /root/.ssh && \ printf '%s\n' \ 'Host MyAmazingApp_PROD' \ ' Hostname 1.2.3.4' \ ' User usr_app_prod' \ '' \ 'Host MyAmazingApp_TEST' \ ' Hostname 6.7.8.9' \ ' User usr_app_test' \ '' \ 'Host YourAmazingApp' \ ' Hostname 1.2.3.4' \ ' User you' \ '' \ 'Host LegacyApp' \ ' Hostname 1.2.3.4' \ ' User legacy' \ > /root/.ssh/config && \ chmod 600 /root/.ssh/config # Signal clearly that this shell runs inside a container RUN echo "PROMPT='%B%F{yellow}🐳 %F{cyan}%n%f%b %~ %# '" >> /root/.zshrc CMD ["/bin/zsh", "-i", "-l"] ``` Build and run it: ```bash $ docker build -t ssh-suggest-demo . [+] Building 20.7s (8/8) FINISHED ✔ exporting to image $ docker run --rm -it ssh-suggest-demo 🐳 root ~ # ssh ``` Type `ssh ` (with the trailing space) and press `TAB` — the same four aliases from the "Use it" section below (`MyAmazingApp_PROD`, `MyAmazingApp_TEST`, `YourAmazingApp`, `LegacyApp`) show up immediately, read straight from the pre-baked `~/.ssh/config`. ## Installation of the zsh-ssh-config-suggestions plugin This assumes Oh-My-Zsh is already installed (see [How to install Oh-My-ZSH](/blog/zsh-install) if not). Just clone the official repository by running this command: `git clone https://github.com/yngc0der/zsh-ssh-config-suggestions.git ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-ssh-config-suggestions`. You'll get a local copy of the plugin in your `Oh-my-zsh` plugin folder. Then edit the `~/.zshrc` file, search for `plugins=(` and add `zsh-ssh-config-suggestions` to the list. You'll have f.i. something like: **\~/.zshrc** ```bash plugins=( git # ... your existing plugins zsh-ssh-config-suggestions ) ``` Close your console, open a new one (or run `source ~/.zshrc` to load your change) and it's done. ## Use it Imagine I've this content in my `~/.ssh/config`: **\~/.ssh/config** ``` Host MyAmazingApp_PROD Hostname 1.2.3.4 User usr_app_prod Host MyAmazingApp_TEST Hostname 6.7.8.9 User usr_app_test Host YourAmazingApp Hostname 1.2.3.4 User you Host LegacyApp Hostname 1.2.3.4 User legacy ``` Now, I really don't need to remember anything and I don't even need to know the names of the aliases any more! I just need to type (it's important): `ssh ` followed by `TAB` and I get the same suggestions already shown at the top of this article. As you can see, the system will display the list of hosts defined in my configuration file! I can then edit the file, add a new application and hop, next time, I'll get its name in the list. I don't need to connect to my vault anymore. Nice no? This is just one plugin among many; if your `~/.zshrc` is starting to grow with this kind of customization, have a look at [Beyond the Monolith - Organizing Your ZSH Workflow Like a Pro](/blog/modular-zsh-workflow) to keep it maintainable.