SessionVault

Written by Christopher Malo

A Python SSH/RDP/VNC/Telnet client GUI with integrated KeePass credential management — combining the productivity of MobaXterm-style session management with a secure, full-featured KeePass vault.

Features

Connectivity

• Multi-protocol support — SSH, RDP, VNC, and Telnet sessions in a single app
• Multi-tab terminal — open multiple sessions simultaneously in a tabbed interface
• SSH tunneling — configure local port-forwarding tunnels per session
• X11 forwarding — run remote GUI apps over SSH (requires local X server)
• Session search — real-time filter in the sessions panel by name, folder, or hostname
• MobaXterm import — import existing .mxtsessions files directly

SFTP

• Built-in SFTP browser — browse, upload, download, create folders, and delete files without leaving the app
• Opens as a dedicated tab alongside the terminal for the active SSH session

KeePass Integration

• Open .kdbx databases — KDBX3 (AES-256) and KDBX4 (ChaCha20 + Argon2) supported
• Create new databases — choose between Argon2/ChaCha20 (KDBX4) or AES-256/PBKDF2 (KDBX3)
• Full read/write — add, edit, and delete entries without leaving the app
• Auto-fill on connect — linked KeePass entries supply credentials automatically
• SSH auto-fill — paste username or password into the active terminal from the KeePass panel
• Global Auto-Type — simulate keystrokes in any focused window (configurable delay)

Macros

• Record & playback — capture a sequence of commands and replay them with one click
• Named macros — save macros by name and manage them via the Macros menu
• Multi-session execution — replay a macro across multiple open sessions

Appearance

• Five built-in themes — Catppuccin Mocha (default), Catppuccin Latte, Dracula, Nord, One Dark
• Runtime theme switching — changes apply immediately without restart
• Custom application icon — set any .png or .ico file as the window icon
• Full ANSI color support — 16-color, 256-color, and 24-bit RGB terminal output

Plugin System

• Python plugin API — drop .py files into ~/.sessionvault/plugins/ to extend the app
• Hook points — on_session_connect, on_session_output, add_menu_action
• Runtime reload — reload plugins from the Settings dialog without restarting

Packaging

• PyInstaller spec included — build a self-contained executable for Linux, macOS, or Windows

Requirements

• Python 3.11+
• See requirements.txt for Python package dependencies

Platform notes

Platform	Additional requirement
Linux (Arch / Manjaro)	sudo pacman -S python-xlib
Linux (Debian / Ubuntu)	sudo apt install python3-xlib
Linux (Fedora / RPM-based)	sudo dnf install python3-xlib
macOS	No additional package required
Windows	No additional package required

Details
The python3-xlib library enables global Auto-Type (keystroke simulation) on X11-based Linux desktops.
→ python-xlib on PyPI

| macOS (Auto-Type) | Grant Accessibility permission in System Settings → Privacy | | RDP (Linux/macOS) | xfreerdp must be installed | | RDP (Windows) | mstsc is built in | | VNC | vncviewer must be installed | | X11 forwarding | A local X server (e.g. XQuartz on macOS, VcXsrv on Windows) |

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone <repo-url>
cd sessionvault

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Linux: also install python3-xlib for Auto-Type
# sudo apt install python3-xlib

# Run the application
python sessionvault.py

Build a standalone executable (optional)

pip install pyinstaller
pyinstaller sessionvault.spec
# Output: dist/SessionVault/

Usage

Starting a Session

1. Click + New Session (or Ctrl+T) to add a server
2. Choose a protocol (SSH / RDP / VNC / Telnet), fill in hostname, port, and credentials
3. Double-click a session in the left panel to connect

SSH Tunnels

In the New/Edit Session dialog → SSH Options tab:

• Click + Add Tunnel, enter a local port, remote host, and remote port
• Tunnels are established automatically when the SSH session connects

SFTP Browser

While an SSH session is active, click the SFTP button in the terminal toolbar. A new tab opens with a full file browser for the remote host.

Macros

• Click Record in the terminal toolbar to start capturing commands
• Click Stop to save the macro with a name
• Macros → <name> to replay; Macros → Manage… to rename or delete

KeePass

1. Tools → Open KeePass Database… — unlock your .kdbx file
2. Browse entries in the KeePass panel (bottom-left)
3. Right-click an entry → Copy Username / Password / URL, or SSH Auto-fill
4. When creating/editing a session, click Select Entry to link credentials
5. Tools → New KeePass Database… — create a new KDBX4 vault
6. Tools → Add KeePass Entry… — add an entry to the open database

Auto-Type

1. Open Settings → Preferences → Auto-Type tab, configure the keystroke delay
2. In the KeePass panel, right-click an entry → Global Auto-Type The username + password will be typed into whatever window currently has focus

Plugins

Drop a .py file into ~/.sessionvault/plugins/. Example plugin:

def setup(api):
    api.on_session_connect(lambda session: print(f"Connected: {session.name}"))
    api.add_menu_action("Say Hello", lambda: print("Hello from plugin!"))

Reload via Settings → Preferences → Plugins → Reload plugins.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+T	New session
Ctrl+W	Close current tab
Ctrl+,	Open Preferences
Ctrl+Q	Quit
Double-click	Connect to session
Right-click	Session / KeePass context menu

Security Notes

• Passwords are never saved to disk. Session configs store only hostname, port, username, key path, and KeePass entry UUID.
• KeePass passwords stay in memory only while the database is unlocked.
• Use Tools → Lock KeePass Database to clear credentials from memory.
• SSH host keys are auto-accepted on first connect. For production use, configure ~/.ssh/known_hosts manually.
• New KeePass databases are created with ChaCha20 + Argon2 (KDBX4) by default for maximum security.

Application Data

All data is stored under ~/.sessionvault/:

File / Folder	Contents
sessions.json	Session configurations
settings.json	Application preferences
macros.json	Saved macros
plugins/	User plugin directory
logs/app.log	Rotating application log (5 MiB, 3 backups)

Architecture

sessionvault/
├── sessionvault.py          # Entry point
├── sessionvault.spec        # PyInstaller build spec
├── requirements.txt
└── app/
    ├── constants.py         # Themes, paths, app metadata
    ├── models.py            # SSHSessionConfig, TunnelConfig dataclasses
    ├── theme.py             # QSS stylesheet + apply_theme()
    ├── main.py              # SessionVaultApp main window
    ├── managers/
    │   ├── keepass.py       # KeePass r/w (open, create, CRUD, save)
    │   ├── session.py       # Session CRUD + JSON persistence
    │   └── settings.py      # Application settings persistence
    ├── terminal/
    │   ├── ansi.py          # ANSI escape code parser
    │   └── widget.py        # SSHTerminalWidget, SSHWorker, TelnetWorker
    ├── sftp/
    │   └── browser.py       # SFTPBrowserWidget (threaded paramiko SFTP)
    ├── macros/
    │   ├── manager.py       # MacroManager (record/save/load)
    │   └── dialog.py        # MacroManagerDialog, MacroSaveDialog
    ├── plugins/
    │   └── loader.py        # PluginAPI + PluginLoader
    ├── dialogs/
    │   ├── new_session.py   # New/Edit session dialog (all protocols)
    │   ├── keepass_open.py  # KeePass open dialog
    │   ├── keepass_selector.py  # KeePass entry picker
    │   ├── keepass_editor.py    # KeePass entry + new-DB dialogs
    │   └── settings.py      # Preferences dialog
    └── importers/
        └── mobaxterm.py     # MobaXterm .mxtsessions importer

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Author

Written by Christopher Malo