SSH Setup Guide

June 10, 2026 · View on GitHub

SSH mode connects directly to your reMarkable tablet over USB, providing:

10-100x faster document access than Cloud API
Offline operation — no internet required
No subscription needed — works without reMarkable Connect
Raw file access — get original PDFs and EPUBs

Requirements

1. Enable Developer Mode

Developer mode is required to enable SSH access on your reMarkable.

⚠️ Warning: Enabling developer mode will factory reset your device. Make sure your documents are synced to the cloud before proceeding.

Follow the official instructions to enable developer mode:

Official reMarkable Support: Developer Mode — Official guide from reMarkable
reMarkable Guide: Developer Mode — Community documentation with additional context

2. USB Connection

Connect your reMarkable to your computer via the USB-C cable.

The tablet must be on and unlocked
Default IP over USB: 10.11.99.1
Your SSH password is shown in Settings → General → Software → Developer mode

3. Verify SSH Access

Test the connection:

ssh root@10.11.99.1
# Enter the password shown in Developer mode settings

You should see a shell prompt on your reMarkable.

Configuration

Basic Setup

Add to your VS Code MCP config (.vscode/mcp.json):

{
  "servers": {
    "remarkable": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["remarkable-mcp", "--ssh"],
      "env": {
        "GOOGLE_VISION_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

That's it! The default connection (root@10.11.99.1) works for USB connections.

Password Authentication

If you haven't set up SSH keys, you can use password authentication (not recommended):

{
  "servers": {
    "remarkable": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["remarkable-mcp", "--ssh"],
      "env": {
        "REMARKABLE_SSH_PASSWORD": "your-ssh-password",
        "GOOGLE_VISION_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

⚠️ Requires sshpass: Password authentication requires sshpass to be installed:

Debian/Ubuntu: sudo apt install sshpass

macOS: brew install hudochenkov/sshpass/sshpass

Fedora: sudo dnf install sshpass

🔐 Security Recommendation: Password authentication stores your password in plain text in your config file. For better security, set up SSH key authentication instead (see below).

SSH Key Authentication (Recommended)

SSH keys are more secure than passwords and don't require sshpass:

# Generate an SSH key if you don't have one
ssh-keygen -t ed25519

# Copy your key to the tablet
ssh-copy-id root@10.11.99.1

Once your key is set up, you don't need to specify a password in your config.

Passphrase-Protected Keys

If your SSH key has a passphrase, you'll need an SSH agent running to cache the passphrase. Without an agent, the MCP server can't prompt for your passphrase interactively.

Using ssh-agent:

# Start ssh-agent (add to your shell profile)
eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"

# Add your key (will prompt for passphrase once)
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Password managers with SSH agent support:

Some password managers provide built-in SSH agents, letting you use passphrase-protected keys across all your devices:

1Password SSH Agent — Stores SSH keys in your vault, prompts via 1Password GUI when needed
Secretive (macOS) — Stores keys in Secure Enclave with Touch ID
KeePassXC — Open-source with SSH agent integration

These integrate seamlessly — the agent handles authentication automatically, and you get the security benefits of passphrase-protected keys without manual setup.

⚠️ Headless servers and interactive agents: Agents like 1Password sign keys only after interactive approval (a GUI prompt or biometric). When the MCP server runs somewhere that approval can't be shown — a remote box, CI, or an automated agent — that prompt never appears and SSH calls hang until they time out. In that case, pin an unencrypted on-disk key instead:
{
  "servers": {
    "remarkable": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["remarkable-mcp", "--ssh", "--ssh-key", "~/.ssh/id_ed25519"],
      "env": { "GOOGLE_VISION_API_KEY": "your-api-key" }
    }
  }
}
--ssh-key (or the REMARKABLE_SSH_KEY env var) makes ssh use only that key (IdentitiesOnly=yes) and ignore the agent, so authentication never blocks. Make sure that key's public half is in the tablet's ~/.ssh/authorized_keys (e.g. via ssh-copy-id).

SSH Config Alias

For convenience, add to ~/.ssh/config:

Host remarkable
    HostName 10.11.99.1
    User root
    # Optional: specify your key
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Then use the alias in your MCP config:

{
  "servers": {
    "remarkable": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["remarkable-mcp", "--ssh"],
      "env": {
        "REMARKABLE_SSH_HOST": "remarkable",
        "GOOGLE_VISION_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

WiFi Connection

You can also connect over WiFi if your tablet and computer are on the same network:

Find your tablet's IP in Settings → General → About → IP address
Use that IP as REMARKABLE_SSH_HOST

Note: WiFi is slower than USB but works from anywhere on your network.

Environment Variables

Variable	Default	Description
`REMARKABLE_SSH_HOST`	`10.11.99.1`	SSH hostname or IP address
`REMARKABLE_SSH_USER`	`root`	SSH username
`REMARKABLE_SSH_PORT`	`22`	SSH port
`REMARKABLE_SSH_PASSWORD`	(none)	SSH password (requires `sshpass`, key auth recommended)
`REMARKABLE_SSH_KEY`	(none)	Path to a private key for key auth. Pins this on-disk identity (`IdentitiesOnly`) and ignores any ssh-agent.

Troubleshooting

"Connection refused"

Make sure developer mode is enabled
Verify the tablet is connected via USB and unlocked
Check that the IP is correct (10.11.99.1 for USB)

"Permission denied"

Double-check the password from Settings → Developer mode
If using SSH keys, ensure they're set up correctly
If your key has a passphrase, make sure ssh-agent is running and your key is added (ssh-add -l to check)

"Connection timed out"

The tablet may be asleep — tap the screen to wake it
Try unplugging and reconnecting the USB cable
Restart the tablet if issues persist

If SSH connects but every command stalls for the full timeout, an interactive ssh-agent (e.g. 1Password) is likely holding the authorized key and waiting for approval the server can't show. Pin an unencrypted on-disk key with --ssh-key ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 (or REMARKABLE_SSH_KEY) to bypass the agent. See SSH Key Authentication.

Slow Performance

USB is always faster than WiFi
Make sure you're not running other heavy SSH sessions
Check that your tablet isn't in the middle of a sync

SSH vs Cloud API Comparison

Feature	SSH Mode	Cloud API
Speed	⚡ 10-100x faster	Slower
Offline	✅ Yes	❌ No
Subscription	✅ Not required	❌ Connect required
Raw files	✅ PDFs, EPUBs	❌ Not available
Setup	Developer mode	One-time code

Security Notes

SSH access gives full root access to your tablet
The default password is visible in settings — change it if concerned
USB connection is local-only; WiFi exposes SSH on your network
Consider firewall rules if using WiFi SSH