Connection Issues

The whole failure, as plain text: the server name, the user@ip:port CtrlOps dialled, the stage it failed at, how long it tried, the error category and code, and the full What happened timeline.

Paste it into Discord, an email, or the CtrlOps AI Assistant instead of retyping the error or attaching a screenshot. It contains the address and the failure trace only, never your password or private key.

This is the most common error. CtrlOps reached the server, but the username, password, or key was rejected.

Check the username first. Different distros use different defaults:

If you're using a .pem key: make sure permissions on your local machine are tight. From your local terminal:

chmod 600 ~/path/to/yourkey.pem

If you're using a password: confirm password authentication is enabled on the server. SSH into it another way and check /etc/ssh/sshd_config for PasswordAuthentication yes.

Click Edit on the connection card → Fix the username or re-pick the key → Click Connect again.

The server isn't responding on port 22 within 30 seconds. The cause is almost always a firewall.

Check your cloud provider's security group:

Check the server-side firewall by SSHing in another way (cloud console, mobile hotspot, or the provider's web shell):

sudo ufw status
sudo ufw allow 22/tcp
sudo ufw reload

If your office network blocks port 22, try a mobile hotspot or VPN to confirm. Some corporate networks block outbound SSH.

The server is reachable but the SSH service isn't accepting connections. This means SSH is stopped, crashed, or listening on a different port.

Get into the server through your cloud provider's web console (the "in-browser shell" most providers offer), then check SSH:

sudo systemctl status ssh
sudo systemctl start ssh
sudo systemctl enable ssh

If SSH is running on a non-standard port (some hardened servers use 2222 or 8022), CtrlOps doesn't have a port field today, so port 22 is assumed. Either move SSH back to 22, or open a port-forward via the AI Terminal once you're in.

The server's identity has changed since the last time your computer talked to it. This is a security warning, not necessarily an attack.

Legitimate reasons this happens:

• The server was rebuilt or reinstalled.
• The IP got reassigned to a different machine.
• The OS was reinstalled on the same disk.

Fix on your local machine (open Terminal on Mac/Linux or PowerShell on Windows):

ssh-keygen -R <server-ip-or-hostname>

Then try Connect again in CtrlOps.

Your computer can't find a route to the server.

If you're using a hostname (like api.yoursite.com), check DNS:

dig api.yoursite.com +short

If the IP is wrong or empty, fix the A record at your DNS provider and wait 5 to 30 minutes for propagation. No terminal handy? Our free DNS record lookup runs the same check in the browser.

If a recent DNS change isn't sticking, try with the raw IP address as a workaround.

CtrlOps only works with Linux servers. The supported list:

• Ubuntu, Debian
• CentOS, RHEL, Rocky, AlmaLinux, Fedora
• Amazon Linux
• Other mainstream Linux distributions

If you pointed at a Windows server by mistake, double-check the IP. If you genuinely need to manage Windows, that's outside CtrlOps' scope today.

You probably saved the connection without checking Remember password. Two options:

• For one server: Open the password modal next time and tick Remember password.
• Switch to key-based auth: Use the SSH Setup Wizard on the Home page to generate a key, copy the public part to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys on the server, then re-add the connection on the .pem Key-based Connection tab.

Two common causes:

• The server's IP changed. Cloud VMs with dynamic IPs lose their address on stop/start. Confirm in your provider's console, then click Edit on the connection card to update the IP.
• The key file moved or got new permissions. Confirm the path still exists, and re-run chmod 600 yourkey.pem.

The user account on the server may have a non-interactive shell (like /usr/sbin/nologin), or the home directory is missing.

Get in through the cloud console and check:

grep <username> /etc/passwd

The shell at the end of the line should be /bin/bash or /bin/sh. If it's /bin/false or /usr/sbin/nologin, fix it:

sudo usermod -s /bin/bash <username>

Your local SSH agent is offering too many keys before getting to the right one. Two fixes:

Tell SSH to only use one specific key. Open ~/.ssh/config on your computer and add:

Host my-server
  HostName 1.2.3.4
  User ubuntu
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/specific_key.pem
  IdentitiesOnly yes

Or, in CtrlOps, switch to the .pem Key-based Connection tab and pick the exact key file. CtrlOps then uses only that key.