microsoft / microsoft/vscode-remote-release

Remote-ssh on windows can't connect to a default zsh shell linux server

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Description

Is there an existing issue for this bug?
  • I have searched the existing open issues and found none that apply.
  • If I find any issue of interest that is related or closed, I will included a link to it in this issue.
Required Troubleshooting Steps
  • I have read and performed the troubleshooting steps
  • I have tried both values of the remote.SSH.useLocalServer setting
  • My issue was not covered in the Tips and Tricks linked from the Troubleshooting Wiki.
  • I will include a complete copy of my Remote - SSH logs by running Remote-SSH: Show Log in the command palette or from View > Output in the menu bar
[Optional] Diagnose with Copilot

I did not ask the @remote-ssh participant for help

In step 2 of the troubleshooting wiki, what was the result of running the generated SSH command verbatim outside of VS Code?

I could NOT successfully SSH to the remote machine, and the error was the SAME to what I saw in VS Code

Remote-SSH Log
Remote-SSH Log 

[23:51:59.008] Log Level: 2
[23:51:59.011] SSH Resolver called for "ssh-remote+zzz", attempt 1
[23:51:59.014] remote.SSH.useLocalServer = false
[23:51:59.014] remote.SSH.useExecServer = true
[23:51:59.014] remote.SSH.bindHost = {}
[23:51:59.014] remote.SSH.showLoginTerminal = false
[23:51:59.014] remote.SSH.remotePlatform = {}
[23:51:59.014] remote.SSH.path = 
[23:51:59.014] remote.SSH.configFile = 
[23:51:59.014] remote.SSH.useFlock = true
[23:51:59.014] remote.SSH.lockfilesInTmp = false
[23:51:59.014] remote.SSH.localServerDownload = auto
[23:51:59.015] remote.SSH.remoteServerListenOnSocket = false
[23:51:59.015] remote.SSH.defaultExtensions = []
[23:51:59.015] remote.SSH.defaultExtensionsIfInstalledLocally = []
[23:51:59.015] remote.SSH.loglevel = 2
[23:51:59.015] remote.SSH.enableDynamicForwarding = true
[23:51:59.015] remote.SSH.enableRemoteCommand = false
[23:51:59.015] remote.SSH.serverPickPortsFromRange = {}
[23:51:59.015] remote.SSH.serverInstallPath = {}
[23:51:59.015] remote.SSH.permitPtyAllocation = false
[23:51:59.015] remote.SSH.preferredLocalPortRange = undefined
[23:51:59.015] remote.SSH.useCurlAndWgetConfigurationFiles = false
[23:51:59.015] remote.SSH.experimental.chat = true
[23:51:59.015] remote.SSH.experimental.enhancedSessionLogs = true
[23:51:59.015] remote.SSH.httpProxy = {"*":""}
[23:51:59.015] remote.SSH.httpsProxy = {"*":""}
[23:51:59.019] VS Code version: 1.104.1
[23:51:59.019] Remote-SSH version: remote-ssh@0.120.0
[23:51:59.019] win32 x64
[23:51:59.021] SSH Resolver called for host: zzz
[23:51:59.021] Setting up SSH remote "zzz"
[23:51:59.027] Using commit id "0f0d87fa9e96c856c5212fc86db137ac0d783365" and quality "stable" for server
[23:51:59.027] Extensions to install: 
[23:51:59.030] Install and start server if needed
[23:52:00.407] Checking ssh with "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Oracle\Java\javapath\ssh.exe -V"
[23:52:00.408] Got error from ssh: spawn C:\Program Files\Common Files\Oracle\Java\javapath\ssh.exe ENOENT
[23:52:00.408] Checking ssh with "C:\WINDOWS\system32\ssh.exe -V"
[23:52:00.409] Got error from ssh: spawn C:\WINDOWS\system32\ssh.exe ENOENT
[23:52:00.409] Checking ssh with "C:\WINDOWS\ssh.exe -V"
[23:52:00.410] Got error from ssh: spawn C:\WINDOWS\ssh.exe ENOENT
[23:52:00.410] Checking ssh with "C:\WINDOWS\System32\Wbem\ssh.exe -V"
[23:52:00.410] Got error from ssh: spawn C:\WINDOWS\System32\Wbem\ssh.exe ENOENT
[23:52:00.410] Checking ssh with "C:\WINDOWS\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\ssh.exe -V"
[23:52:00.411] Got error from ssh: spawn C:\WINDOWS\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\ssh.exe ENOENT
[23:52:00.411] Checking ssh with "C:\WINDOWS\System32\OpenSSH\ssh.exe -V"
[23:52:00.439] > OpenSSH_for_Windows_9.5p2, LibreSSL 3.8.2

[23:52:00.446] Running script with connection command: "C:\WINDOWS\System32\OpenSSH\ssh.exe" -T -D 19040 "zzz" sh
[23:52:00.447] Generated SSH command: 'type "C:\Users\huahua\AppData\Local\Temp\vscode-linux-multi-line-command-zzz-823197071.sh" | "C:\WINDOWS\System32\OpenSSH\ssh.exe" -T -D 19040 "zzz" sh'
[23:52:00.447] Using connect timeout of 17 seconds
[23:52:00.448] Terminal shell path: C:\WINDOWS\System32\cmd.exe
[23:52:00.631] > 
[23:52:00.631] Got some output, clearing connection timeout
[23:52:00.987] > zehua.zou@zehua.zou@xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx@yyy.yyy.yyy.yyy's password:
[23:52:00.987] Showing password prompt
[23:52:08.298] Got password response
[23:52:08.298] "install" wrote data to terminal: "**************"
[23:52:08.320] > 
[23:52:08.780] > 
> Welcome to Alibaba Cloud Elastic Compute Service !Updates Information Summary: available
>     54 Security notice(s)
>         28 Important Security notice(s)
>         26 Moderate Security notice(s)
> Run "dnf upgrade-minimal --security" to apply all updates.More details please refer to:
> https://help.aliyun.com/document_detail/416274.html
[23:52:08.840] > d53bfbd001eb: running
> Script executing under PID: 3285280
[23:52:08.856] > Found existing installation at /home/zehua.zou/.vscode-server...
> Starting VS Code CLI...
> Removing old logfile at /home/zehua.zou/.vscode-server/.cli.0f0d87fa9e96c856c5212fc86db137ac0d783365.log
> Spawned remote CLI: 3285324
[23:52:08.870] > Waiting for server log...
[23:52:08.902] > Exec server process not found
> [2025-09-19 23:52:09] error could not parse `host`: invalid IP address syntax
> d53bfbd001eb: start
> listeningOn====
> osReleaseId==alinux==
> arch==x86_64==
> vscodeArch==x64==
> bitness==64==
> tmpDir==/run/user/1082==
> platform==linux==
> unpackResult====
> didLocalDownload==0==
> downloadTime====
> installTime====
> serverStartTime==47==
> execServerToken==1a11aa11-1a11-1a1a-a111-a11a1a1aaaa1==
> platformDownloadPath==cli-alpine-x64==
> SSH_AUTH_SOCK====
> DISPLAY====
> d53bfbd001eb: end
[23:52:08.902] Received install output: 
listeningOn====
osReleaseId==alinux==
arch==x86_64==
vscodeArch==x64==
bitness==64==
tmpDir==/run/user/1082==
platform==linux==
unpackResult====
didLocalDownload==0==
downloadTime====
installTime====
serverStartTime==47==
execServerToken==1a11aa11-1a11-1a1a-a111-a11a1a1aaaa1==
platformDownloadPath==cli-alpine-x64==
SSH_AUTH_SOCK====
DISPLAY====

[23:52:08.902] Failed to parse remote port from server output
[23:52:08.902] Resolver error: Error
    at y.Create (c:\Users\huahua\.vscode\extensions\ms-vscode-remote.remote-ssh-0.120.0\out\extension.js:2:744751)
    at t.handleInstallOutput (c:\Users\huahua\.vscode\extensions\ms-vscode-remote.remote-ssh-0.120.0\out\extension.js:2:742832)
    at t.tryInstall (c:\Users\huahua\.vscode\extensions\ms-vscode-remote.remote-ssh-0.120.0\out\extension.js:2:865534)
    at async c:\Users\huahua\.vscode\extensions\ms-vscode-remote.remote-ssh-0.120.0\out\extension.js:2:824246
    at async t.withShowDetailsEvent (c:\Users\huahua\.vscode\extensions\ms-vscode-remote.remote-ssh-0.120.0\out\extension.js:2:827501)
    at async A (c:\Users\huahua\.vscode\extensions\ms-vscode-remote.remote-ssh-0.120.0\out\extension.js:2:820760)
    at async t.resolve (c:\Users\huahua\.vscode\extensions\ms-vscode-remote.remote-ssh-0.120.0\out\extension.js:2:824898)
    at async c:\Users\huahua\.vscode\extensions\ms-vscode-remote.remote-ssh-0.120.0\out\extension.js:2:1113660
[23:52:08.904] ------

Expected Behavior

Connect successfully.

Actual Behavior

Can't connect to server.

Steps To Reproduce

Remote-ssh generates such a command to connect to the server: type "C:\Users\huahua\AppData\Local\Temp\vscode-linux-multi-line-command-zzz-818108032.sh" | "C:\WINDOWS\System32\OpenSSH\ssh.exe" -T -D 41606 "zzz" sh.

In this vscode-linux-multi-line-command-zzz-818108032.sh, there is a variable LISTEN_ARGS="--on-host=127.0.0.1 --on-port". It will be passed to VSCODE_CLI_REQUIRE_TOKEN=${TOKEN} "$CLI_PATH" command-shell --cli-data-dir "$VSCODE_AGENT_FOLDER/cli" --parent-process-id $$ ${LISTEN_ARGS} > "$CLI_LOG_FILE" 2>&1 < /dev/null &.

Zsh will quote the variable and generates a command ... --parent-process-id xxxxxx "--on-host=127.0.0.1 --on-port" > ./cli .... code will report error could not parse `host`: invalid IP address syntax. I guess this command in this script may be generated only in Windows. I have tested that remote-ssh on linux vscode can connect to the server but I didn't check the content of script generated by remote-ssh on linux.

After I run chsh -s /bin/bash username on the linux server, I can use remote-ssh on Windows to connect to it.

Anything else?

No response

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by reproducing the Windows Remote-SSH command shown in the issue and inspect the generated vscode-linux-multi-line-command-zzz-818108032.sh, especially LISTEN_ARGS and the command-shell invocation. Compare behavior with a default zsh shell and bash; done means Remote-SSH connects successfully without the invalid IP address syntax error.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
zsh
Domain
devtools
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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