# Connpy (v6.0.3) [](https://pypi.org/pypi/connpy/) [](https://pypi.org/pypi/connpy/) [](https://pypi.org/pypi/connpy/) [](https://github.com/fluzzi/connpy) [](https://github.com/fluzzi/connpy) [](https://github.com/fluzzi/connpy) [](https://modelcontextprotocol.io) [](https://github.com/fluzzi/connpy/blob/main/LICENSE) **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. --- ## 1. 🤖 AI System ### 1a. Terminal Copilot (Ctrl+Space) 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. * `/os [system]`: Manually overrides target OS parsing rules (e.g. `/os cisco_ios`). * `/prompt [regex]`: Overrides command prompt detection bounds. * `/clear`: Clear context history. ### 1b. AI Chat (conn ai) Start a standalone persistent session with the AI Copilot. Manage sessions using `--list`, `--resume`, `--session ` (to restore a specific history), `--delete `, 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: ```bash conn ai --mcp ``` --- ## 2. ⚙️ Automation & Playbooks ### 2a. Quick Run (conn run) Run commands in parallel directly on target nodes or folder structures: ```bash conn run router1 "show interface" ``` ### 2b. YAML Playbook Engine Execute complex structured automation playbooks defined in YAML configuration files. Supports multi-task execution, variables (using global, per-node, or regex matching definitions), timeouts, and variable parallel execution bounds. ```yaml # example_playbook.yaml - name: Verify Network Operations hosts: "@office" parallel: true tasks: - name: Get interface brief run: "show ip interface brief" - name: Check OSPF state run: "show ip ospf neighbor" test: "FULL" ``` Execute using the playbooks runner: ```bash conn run example_playbook.yaml ``` ### 2c. AI-Assisted Automation Leverage AI to generate playbook templates (`--generate-ai`), simulate command changes before execution (`--preflight-ai`), or analyze consolidated execution logs post-run (`--analyze`). Use `--test "expected text1" "expected text2"` to specify assert-style output validations. * *To generate an empty template:* `conn run --generate` --- ## 3. 📂 Inventory Management ### 3a. Nodes 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`). ```yaml # Custom tags dictionary (YANG / VSR context) tags: { "os": "cisco_ios", "prompt": ".*#", "screen_length_command": "terminal length 0" } ``` --- ## 4. 🔌 Protocols & Connection Features ### 4a. SSH / SFTP / Telnet / kubectl / Docker / AWS SSM Connect to various architectures using native protocols: * **SSH / Telnet**: Standard CLI protocols. * **SFTP**: Transfer files securely (`conn --sftp node`). * **Docker**: Connect directly to local container names (host set to container name/ID). * **Kubernetes (kubectl)**: Connect to pods (namespace customizable via options). * **AWS SSM**: Connect to EC2 instances using Instance IDs as hosts. ### 4b. Jumphosts Support for single or chained intermediate gateway nodes (SSH, SSM, kubectl, or docker jumphosts) to tunnel traffic safely into target environments. ### 4c. Debug Mode, Keepalive, Logging Track connection steps (`conn --debug node`), set idle keepalive intervals (`conn config --keepalive `), or define dynamic output log files using variables like `${unique}`, `${host}`, `${port}`, `${user}`, `${protocol}`, or `${date 'format'}`. --- ## 5. 🖥️ Remote Capture (conn capture - Core Plugin) 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 `), custom filters (`-f `), 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`). --- ## 9. ⚡ Installation & Configuration ### 9a. pip install ```bash pip install connpy ``` ### 9b. Shell Completion + FZF Install autocompletions and fuzzy-search wrappers into your shell profile: ```bash eval "$(conn config --completion bash)" eval "$(conn config --fzf-wrapper bash)" ``` ### 9c. conn config options 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`). ### 9d. Theming Customize CLI panel styles and colors by pointing to built-in presets or external YAML styles: ```bash conn config --theme /path/to/theme.yaml ``` --- ## 10. 🔒 Privacy, Security & Synchronization (conn sync) 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`. --- ## 11. 🐍 Python API Embed connection and automation routines programmatically in Python: ```python import connpy # 1. Direct single node interaction router = connpy.node("router1", "1.1.1.1", user="admin") router.run(["show ip int brief"]) print(router.output) # 2. Parallel nodes execution with variables config = connpy.configfile() nodes_info = config.getitem("@office", ["router1", "router2"]) routers = connpy.nodes(nodes_info, config=config) variables = { "router1@office": {"id": "1"}, "__global__": {"mask": "255.255.255.0"} } routers.run(["interface lo{id}", "ip address 10.0.0.{id} {mask}"], variables) # 3. AI Copilot prompts myai = connpy.ai(connpy.configfile()) response = myai.ask("Show BGP status.") print(response) ``` *Supports additional programmatic features like `node.test()`, `node.interact()`, `configfile.encrypt()`, `connapp` embeds, and `ClassHook` / `MethodHook` plugin hooks.* --- ## 12. 🐳 Docker Deployment Run `connpy` containerized and silent: ```bash docker compose run --rm connpy-app [command] ``` Add `alias conn='docker compose run --rm connpy-app'` to your shell for a transparent container experience. --- ## 13. 📜 License [PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0](LICENSE)