deflect

Agentless SSH-based DevOps command center for Linux infrastructure

TLDR

Install Deflect One from PyPI

$ pip install deflect-one

Start the dashboard in production mode

$ deflect

Launch demo mode (no SSH connections required)

$ deflect --demo

Run directly from a checkout with manual dependencies

$ pip install textual paramiko cryptography && python deflect.py

Open the AI chat inside the running TUI to run natural-language commands

$ [Ctrl+A]

Pop an interactive SSH shell on the selected host

$ [F2]

Deflect One (command deflect) is a single-file Python TUI that turns SSH access into a full DevOps platform. It combines observability (CPU/memory/disk, process tables, log aggregation), security (active attack detection, firewall control), and operations (Docker management, package installs, SFTP, deployments) into one interface, with no agent to install on the managed hosts. Only SSH credentials are required.An optional LLM backend powers the Ctrl+A chat: an operator can type "restart nginx on web-prod-02 and tail its error log" and Deflect One generates and executes the matching commands, showing the output inline. The tool is built with the Textual framework and uses paramiko for SSH and cryptography for key handling.

PARAMETERS

--demo

Run in demonstration mode without any SSH access. Useful for evaluation or training.

-h, --help

Print usage information and exit.

CONFIGURATION

Hosts, credentials, and optional AI-provider keys are stored in a local config file created on first run; all SSH traffic is made directly from the workstation running Deflect One, so nothing is routed through a vendor cloud.

KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS

Ctrl+D

Docker management panel.

Ctrl+W

Firewall (UFW / iptables) overview.

Ctrl+F

SFTP file manager.

Ctrl+A

AI chat — describe an intent in plain English and have it translated to CLI / SSH / Bash commands.

Ctrl+L

Log aggregation view.

Ctrl+P

Process monitor.

Help menu.

Interactive SSH shell on the selected host.

CAVEATS

Because Deflect One executes arbitrary remote commands on your behalf — including AI-generated ones — treat the Ctrl+A flow with the same caution as giving an agent shell access: review each command before confirming, especially on production hosts. The project is licensed MIT with attribution requirements; read the LICENSE before redistributing.

HISTORY

Deflect One is written by Volodymyr Frytskyy (WhitemanV) as a lightweight alternative to heavyweight commercial DevOps suites, keeping infrastructure management agentless and self-contained.