Installation and Verification

Version scope: The argv/CommandResult/check/config API is available in 5.0.0. Session settings and managed jobs/deadlines are features available in 5.0.0. Use the canonical API guide to choose examples for your installed version.

This page installs the supported SSHScript release and verifies the command-line program, Python import, and dependency set before any SSH connection is made.

Version status

SSHScript 5.0.0 is the baseline for these examples. It is available from PyPI and the corresponding GitHub Release. Settings and managed-job APIs are available in 5.0.0. See the canonical guide and migration notes before upgrading 3.1.5 automation.

Requirements

SSHScript 5.0.0 declares:

  • Python 3.11 or newer;
  • macOS or a POSIX Linux environment;
  • Paramiko 2.11 or newer, but earlier than 5; and
  • Packaging 21 or newer.

Windows is not currently listed as a supported platform. The local runner must use a supported POSIX environment. Remote one-shot commands require a POSIX-compatible SSH command environment; shell(), su(), and sudo() also require the corresponding Unix tools. Other remote operating systems are not part of the documented 4.0 contract.

Create an isolated environment

Use the same Python executable to create the virtual environment and invoke pip:

python3 --version
python3 -m venv .venv
. .venv/bin/activate
python3 -m pip install --upgrade pip

Confirm that the selected interpreter is Python 3.11 or newer before continuing.

Install from PyPI

For an ordinary installation, install the current stable release:

python3 -m pip install sshscript

For a deployment that must remain reproducible, pin the exact release in the environment’s requirements or lock file:

python3 -m pip install "sshscript==5.0.0"

To accept future compatible maintenance releases within the supported line, use sshscript>=5.0.0,<6 and preserve the resolver output in a lock file. Do not rely on an unbounded dependency in a production deployment.

Install the tagged source

Ordinary users should prefer the PyPI wheel. Contributors who need to inspect or test the released source can use the immutable release tag:

git clone --branch v5.0.0 --depth 1 https://github.com/iapyeh/sshscript.git
cd sshscript
python3 -m pip install .

The mutable release branch is useful for development but is not a reproducible version selector. Use a tag or full commit SHA when a source installation must be auditable.

Verify the command-line program 

sshscript --version

Expected output:

5.0.0

If the command is missing, make sure the virtual environment is active. If it prints another version, stop and identify the environment before running 5.0 examples.

Verify the Python import 

python3 -c "import sshscript; print(sshscript.__version__); print(sshscript.__file__)"

The first line must be 5.0.0. The second line identifies the package being imported and should point into the active virtual environment for a PyPI installation. This catches a common problem in which an older installation or a local sshscript.py file shadows the intended package.

Verify the dependency set 

python3 -m pip check
python3 -m pip show sshscript paramiko packaging

pip check should report no broken requirements. Keep this output when reporting installation problems, together with the operating system and Python version. Remove usernames, private paths, tokens, and credentials before posting diagnostics publicly.

Verify release provenance

The 5.0.0 distributions were built and tested by the repository’s public release workflow. The workflow:

  1. runs the credential-free checks and package assertion gate;
  2. builds and verifies one wheel and one source distribution;
  3. exercises the installed wheel against a disposable OpenSSH server;
  4. records SHA-256 hashes and GitHub build-provenance attestations;
  5. publishes to PyPI with a short-lived OIDC credential from the configured Trusted Publisher; and
  6. publishes the GitHub Release only after PyPI accepts the distributions.

Review the v5.0.0 release, the successful release workflow, and PyPI’s distribution metadata before adopting an artifact. Provenance confirms where an artifact came from; it does not replace source review or site-specific validation.

About the update checker 

sshscript --check-updates

--check-updates (or legacy --check without a file) queries stable releases on PyPI that are compatible with the current Python version. It does not install anything. Verify the installed version and import path separately as shown above.

Upgrade an existing installation

Upgrade within the supported 5.x line with:

python3 -m pip install --upgrade "sshscript>=5.0.0,<6"
sshscript --version
python3 -m pip check

Review the release notes and repeat application-specific SSH, PAM, sudoers, network, and host-key tests before promoting an upgraded environment.

Next step

Continue with the 5-Minute Quickstart to execute a credential-free command. See Installation Troubleshooting if the version or import path is not what you expect.

Last Updated: 2026-10-10 19:44:40