Wish is an open-source Go library by Charmbracelet that makes building SSH-accessible applications straightforward. Built on top of gliderlabs/ssh, Wish provides a middleware-based architecture where developers compose handlers for authentication, terminal sessions, Git operations, logging, and custom protocols into a complete SSH server.

Why SSH as an Application Platform

SSH provides secure encrypted communication without HTTPS certificate management, user identification via SSH keys, and universal access from any terminal. Protocols like Git already run over SSH, and terminal UIs can render directly over SSH connections. Wish brings this platform capability to application developers with a clean, middleware-driven API.

Core Middleware

The Bubble Tea middleware lets you serve any Bubble Tea TUI application over SSH. Each SSH session gets its own tea.Program with the SSH pty input/output connected, plus native handling of client window dimensions and resize events. The Git middleware adds full Git server functionality including repo creation on initial push and public-key-based authentication. The logging middleware provides connection tracking with remote address, invoked command, TERM setting, window dimensions, and session duration. Access control middleware lets you restrict connections to specific terminal types or allowed commands.

How It Works

Wish includes automatic server key generation and an always-authenticating default configuration. You create a server, register middleware in order (composed last-to-first), and start serving. The library handles SSH protocol negotiation, key exchange, and session management. Developers focus on the application logic in their middleware handlers.

Real-World Usage

Wish powers several production applications including Soft Serve (self-hosted Git server with SSH TUI), Wishlist (SSH directory listing), and numerous community projects like SSHWordle and clidle. The Charmbracelet ecosystem (Bubble Tea, Lip Gloss, Glamour) integrates naturally with Wish for building polished terminal interfaces accessible over SSH.

Agent Integration

AI agents can use Wish to build SSH-accessible services: deploy TUI dashboards reachable from any terminal, create secure Git hosting, or build interactive CLI tools that multiple users access via SSH. The Go library integrates into automated deployment pipelines and the middleware architecture makes it composable with existing agent tooling.

Installation

Install via Go modules: go get github.com/charmbracelet/wish. The library requires Go 1.18+ and has comprehensive examples for Bubble Tea applications and Git server setups in the repository.