AdvancedConnectPlugin

August 14, 2026 · View on GitHub

AdvancedConnect is a plugin for KeePass password manager which gives you the possibility to provide different applications for direct connections.

Requirements

  • Microsoft Windows with .NET/Mono 3.5 or newer.
  • Unix/Linux with Mono 3.5 or newer.
  • KeePass version 2.59 or newer.

Installation

  • Download the latest release.
  • Copy the AdvancedConnectPlugin.plgx in your KeePass directory and restart the application.

Usage

  • The plugin adds a new menu item named AdvancedConnect under Tools menu.
  • Use the Main tab in the Options dialog to configure the custom fields from which the plugin gets the connection method and the connection options field (overrides default options).

    On windows operation system the native remote desktop client have no option to provide the username and password via command-line. The built-in rdp support is a little workaround wich provides this functionality by storing the credentials securely through the Windows Credential Manager API (so the password never appears on a command line). You have to configure the keepass connection field (containing ip or hostname), a connection method (e.g. rdp) and you can set additional parameters (e.g. /w:1440 /h:900).
  • Use the Applications tab in the Options dialog to configure your connection applications.
    The Path and Commandline Options column is also supporting keepass placeholders and OS environment variables.
  • To use a portable configuration you have to create an emtpy file named AdvancedConnect.xml next to KeePass.exe.
    (If a portable\admin configuration file is available, the default configuration %appdata%\Keepass\AdvancedConnect.xml will be ignored)

Configuration file resolution

The plugin looks for its AdvancedConnect.xml configuration in the following order and uses the first one it finds:

  1. Program directory – next to KeePass.exe (portable / admin configuration).
  2. Current working directory – the directory KeePass was started from (see below).
  3. User profile – %appdata%\KeePass\AdvancedConnect.xml (created automatically if none of the above exists).

Example

  • Configure main options

- Add your applications

- Set custom fields in keepass entries

- Start your applications directly from keepass

Security

Please take note that launching applications via command-line can expose your password arguments in the taskmanager.

The configuration file (AdvancedConnect.xml) defines which programs are launched and how your entry credentials are passed to them. Only use configuration files from a trusted source. When the configuration is loaded from the current working directory (see Configuration file resolution) the plugin shows a warning, because that location may not be trusted.

Per-database configuration via the working directory

Loading from the current working directory enables a per-database configuration scenario: place an AdvancedConnect.xml next to a specific .kdbx file and start KeePass from that folder (for example by double-clicking the database). KeePass then inherits that folder as its working directory and the plugin loads the configuration located there.

A typical use case is support work with a separate KeePass database per customer, each accompanied by its own plugin configuration, so opening a customer's database loads a dedicated connection environment.

To protect against tampering, any shared working directory should be strictly protected with file system permissions, so that only trusted users can create or modify the AdvancedConnect.xml located there.

Security warning: The working directory is determined by how KeePass was started and is not necessarily a trusted location (for example a download folder from which a database was opened). Because the configuration defines which programs are launched and receives your entry credentials ({USERNAME}/{PASSWORD}), loading it from an untrusted directory can run an attacker-chosen program with your credentials.

Repository

The main repository is hosted on GitHub.

Changelog

See CHANGELOG file for details.

Download

You can get all binaries from here.

License

The source code in this repository is released under the Apache License, Version 2.0 license.
See the LICENSE file for details.

The AdvancedConnect plugin is inspired by QuickConnect