xxh

Connect to a host with your portable shell

$ xxh [hostname]

$ xxh [hostname] +s [zsh]

$ xxh -i [~/.ssh/id_rsa] -p [2222] [hostname]

$ xxh [hostname] +s [fish] +i

$ xxh [hostname] +I [xxh-plugin-zsh-ohmyzsh]

$ xxh [hostname] +hh

$ xxh +LS

$ xxh [hostname] +hc

xxh [sshoptions] host [**+s** shell] [**+i**] [**+I** plugin_] [+hh]

xxh brings your favorite shell and configurations to any remote host via SSH without requiring root access or system installations. It uploads portable versions of shells (zsh, fish, bash, xonsh) along with your plugins and configurations.
When you run xxh host, it downloads a portable shell locally (cached for reuse), uploads it to the remote host's ~/.xxh directory, then connects via SSH and runs that shell. Your aliases, themes, and plugins work immediately.
The tool is hermetic: removing the ~/.xxh directory from the remote host completely restores the original environment. Different hermetic levels control how isolated the xxh environment is from the system.
Plugins extend functionality, adding tools like oh-my-zsh, powerlevel10k, or command-line utilities. Plugins are installed with +I plugin-name.

+s, +shell shell

Specify shell to use (zsh, bash, fish, xonsh, osquery)

Install shell without confirmation prompts

Install a plugin before connecting

Use hermetic home directory (~/.xxh isolated)

Remove xxh directory from remote host

List available portable shells

List available plugins

SSH identity file (passed to ssh)

SSH port (passed to ssh)

xxh requires Python 3.6+ on the local machine. The first connection to a new host may be slower while uploading the portable shell. Some plugins may have additional dependencies. The remote host needs basic tools like tar and gzip.

xxh was created to solve the problem of losing custom shell environments when connecting to remote servers. Written in Python, it provides a way to maintain consistent command-line experience across multiple machines. The project supports multiple shells through community-contributed portable shell packages.

ssh(1), zsh(1), fish(1), bash(1)