**Connpy** is a powerful Connection Manager and Network Automation Platform for Linux, Mac, and Docker. It provides a unified interface for **SSH, SFTP, Telnet, kubectl, Docker pods, and AWS SSM**.
The v6 release introduces a comprehensive **AI Copilot** and **AI Playbook Engine**, transforming your terminal into an interactive network assistant that understands your device outputs, configures parameters safely, and runs simulations.
Invoke the context-aware AI Copilot directly inside any active terminal session by pressing **`Ctrl + Space`**.
* **Context Modes**: Cycles through `LINES` (sends raw scroll buffer), `SINGLE` (captures exactly one command + output block), and `RANGE` (logical group of recent commands) using **`Ctrl+Up/Down`**.
* **Slash Commands (`/`)**: Control the AI persona and safety settings:
*`/architect` / `/engineer`: Swaps the agent between high-level strategist and technical executor.
*`/trust` / `/untrust`: Configures auto-run behavior for suggested non-destructive commands.
Start a standalone persistent session with the AI Copilot. Manage sessions using `--list`, `--resume`, `--session <id>` (to restore a specific history), `--delete <id>`, or send a quick single-shot question directly from the terminal prompt:
```bash
conn ai "how do i check bgp summary on cisco?"
```
### 1c. MCP Integration
Connect to external data sources and tools dynamically via the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Use the interactive wizard or command actions to configure MCP servers:
Manage connections using standard commands: add (`conn --add node1`), edit (`conn --mod node1`), delete (`conn --del node1`), show configuration (`conn --show node1`), or connect (`conn node1`).
### 3b. Profiles
Define credentials and templates globally and reference them inside node fields using the `@profile_name` placeholder. Manage profiles interactively or via commands:
```bash
conn profile -a profile_name
# Or equivalently:
conn -a profile profile_name
```
During the interactive `conn --add` prompt, you can input `@profile_name` in the **username** or **password** fields to reference it.
### 3c. Folders, Move, Copy, List
Organize nodes into logical folder hierarchies (`@office`, `@datacenter@office`). Move items (`conn move [src] [dst]`), copy (`conn copy [src] [dst]`), or list items with custom filters and formatting:
```bash
conn list nodes --filter ".*-prod" --format "{name} ({host}) runs {protocol}"
```
### 3d. Bulk, Export, Import
Bulk import connections from formatted text files (`conn bulk -f nodes.txt`), or export/import connection folders using YAML configurations (`conn export @folder > backup.yaml` / `conn import backup.yaml`).
### 3e. Tags System
Customize connection settings dynamically using tags. Configure per-node settings like custom OS types (`os`), prompt regex rules (`prompt`), and page length triggers (`screen_length_command`).
Perform remote packet capture (`tcpdump`) on hosts over secure SSH reverse tunnels and stream packets live into your local Wireshark GUI:
```bash
conn capture router1 eth0 -w -f "port 80"
```
* **Requirements**: Local installation of Wireshark or `tshark` is required for live piping (`-w`).
* **Advanced flags**: Specify network namespaces (`--ns <name>`), custom filters (`-f <filter>`), or configure the Wireshark local path (`--set-wireshark-path`).
---
## 6. 🛡️ Context Filtering
Prevent accidental command execution in production by setting active regex contexts. This hides non-matching inventory items and restricts execution scope:
```bash
conn context production -a --regex ".*-prod"
conn context production --set
```
* **Manage Contexts**: List defined filters (`conn context --ls`), show context details (`conn context production -s`), or delete contexts (`conn context production -r`).
---
## 7. 🔌 Plugin System
Extend `connpy` features and hook into core execution events (pre/post hooks) by writing Python scripts. Add, update, delete, or list plugins locally, or execute them on remote instances:
```bash
conn plugin --add my_plugin script.py
conn plugin --update my_plugin script.py
conn plugin --remote --sync
```
---
## 8. ⚙️ gRPC Client-Server Architecture
### 8a. Server (start/stop/restart/debug)
Execute tasks on a centralized remote host. Start gRPC server (`conn api -s 50051`), stop (`conn api -x`), restart (`conn api -r`), or debug in the foreground (`conn api -d`).
### 8b. Client Config
Shift the local CLI to communicate with a remote server instance:
```bash
conn config --service-mode remote
conn config --remote localhost:50051
```
### 8c. User Management
Manage server-side user credentials for distributed setups:
```bash
conn user --add username
conn user --list
conn user --regen-password username
```
Use `--path` to specify custom configuration folders in server Mode B.
### 8d. SSO / OIDC
Configure identity providers (e.g. Authelia, Keycloak) for SSO gRPC authentication using the interactive wizard:
```bash
conn sso --add provider_name
```
### 8e. Login / Logout
Authenticate client sessions (`conn login [username]`), check connection status (`conn login --status`), or close sessions (`conn logout`).
View configuration details (`conn config`) or customize variables like case sensitivity (`--allow-uppercase`), FZF list picker (`--fzf true`), configurations directory (`--configfolder`), or persistent AI API keys and models (`--engineer-model`).
Encrypts inventory and profiles locally via RSA/OAEP. Backup and sync configurations to Google Drive manually (`conn sync --once`, `--list`, `--restore`) or schedule auto-sync. Segregate restores (`--nodes` / `--config`) or sync remote nodes with `--sync-remote`.
