SlipShell
"Connection is a fragile signal."
SlipShell is an SSH and Mosh client built for Android. Built to access your remote development machines... the ones that never turn off. No clutter. No fancy animations that slow down screen rendering. A terminal client that stays stable... because a dropped connection makes it a shell of its former self.
Primary Stanzas
Mosh Protocol
Cellular connectivity drops on the road. SlipShell implements Mosh to handle network roaming. When your IP changes, your terminal session stays active. No reconnect spinner. No hung windows. It just catches the UDP stream and carries on.
Tailnet Integration
If your workstation sits on a Tailscale net, SlipShell knows it. We talk to the Tailscale Android peer list... you pick nodes by tags directly from a dropdown. No more copying DNS names or typing long IPv6 addresses.
FIDO2 Hardware Auth
Keep your keys on your physical keychain. SlipShell supports USB-C and NFC YubiKeys via CTAP2. Your private credentials never touch the Android filesystem, and you verify each session with a physical touch.
Active Transmissions
System Manifest
Everything planned for the v1.5 release cycle. No bloat. Just the protocol configurations you actually need.
[Vault]
A unified key library. We import OpenSSH and PPK keys, parse them locally, and encrypt them with Android Keystore. You gate sensitive keys with biometric prompts. You can also reorder authentication preferences (key, password, and keyboard-interactive Duo) per server profile.
[Terminal]
An xterm.js terminal instance inside a clean WebView. Floating toolbar for modifiers (Ctrl, Esc, Tab, arrows). Scrollback text search. Raw and ANSI-stripped transcript exports to keep log files clear.
[Commander]
Snippet manager for frequent tasks. We support parameterized placeholders... `{{parameters}}` get evaluated at dispatch time. Keep your common commands organized by category.
[Transfers]
SFTP browser for remote file systems. A local SQLDelight database handles the transfer queue. Resumable downloads and uploads. A basic edit-in-place editor makes remote file adjustments quick.
[Telemetry]
A foreground service monitors host resource thresholds. If CPU or memory load spikes on the remote system, you get an Android notification before the process dies.
Who This Is For
- Homelab operators who SSH into machines across the house, the garage, or a closet server rack.
- Developers running AI agents on remote workstations and need to check on Codex, Claude Code, or long builds from their phone.
- On-call sysadmins who need a real terminal on their phone, not a toy that drops the connection at the first network switch.
- Tailscale users who want their SSH client to actually know about their tailnet instead of treating it like dumb plumbing.
- Anyone who wants Mosh support, hardware key auth, and no subscription fee.
Full Feature List
- SSH and Mosh connections
- Tailscale peer discovery and tag filtering
- FIDO2 hardware keys (USB-C and NFC)
- ProxyJump multi-hop chains with per-hop identity
- OpenSSH config import with glob expansion
- SOCKS dynamic forwarding (-D)
- Per-profile auth method preference and ordering
- SSH agent support and agent forwarding
- SFTP file browser with resumable transfers
- SFTP edit-in-place for remote files
- Command snippets with parameterized placeholders
- Terminal scrollback search
- Transcript export (raw and ANSI-stripped)
- Biometric per-key gating
- Foreground resource monitoring with notifications
- OpenSSH and PuTTY (.ppk) key import
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need Tailscale to use SlipShell?
No. SlipShell connects to any SSH or Mosh server over any network you already have. Tailscale integration is a convenience layer... if you have Tailscale installed on your phone, SlipShell reads your peer list and lets you pick hosts by name or tag. If you don't use Tailscale, you just connect by hostname or IP. Same as any other SSH client.
What if I use WireGuard, ZeroTier, or another VPN?
Works fine. SlipShell is network-agnostic. It runs over LAN, Wi-Fi, cellular, WireGuard, ZeroTier, or any overlay network that gives your devices connectivity. The Tailscale peer picker is just a bonus for people on that specific stack. It doesn't gate any functionality.
Can I import my existing SSH config?
Yes. SlipShell parses standard OpenSSH config files, including Include directives and glob expansion. Host entries, ProxyJump chains, identity files, and port settings all get pulled into server profiles automatically. If you've been maintaining a config file, you don't have to re-enter anything.
How does this compare to Termius, JuiceSSH, or ConnectBot?
SlipShell covers the same core SSH use case but adds Mosh protocol support for roaming connections, native Tailscale peer discovery, FIDO2 hardware key authentication, and SFTP with resumable transfers. No subscription required. ConnectBot is free and open-source but lacks features that people want. Termius is polished but features require a paid plan. JuiceSSH is solid but abandoned since 2021. SlipShell is built to fill the gap.
When will SlipShell be available?
Targeting an initial release on the Google Play Store in June or July 2026.
Requirements
- OS: Android 8.0+ (API 26)
- Network: Any. LAN, Tailscale, WireGuard, ZeroTier, cellular, Wi-Fi
- Optional: Tailscale app installed for peer discovery
- Optional: USB-C or NFC security key for FIDO2 authentication
Tech Stack
- UI: Jetpack Compose, Material 3
- Architecture: MVVM with Kotlin Coroutines and Flow
- SSH: SSHJ
- Terminal: xterm.js via WebView
- Database: SQLDelight
- DI: Koin
- Platform: Kotlin Multiplatform (Android-first)
All rights reserved. Copyright © 2026 Static Hum Studio