SECURITY, BY DESIGN
Security is not
a single feature.
Termind protects the whole path to your server: credentials are kept in Apple’s security system, sensitive memory is zeroized after use, server identity is verified before authentication, and Assistant and MCP access stays within boundaries you choose.
Secure at rest, short-lived and zeroized in memory.
A changed server key is surfaced, not silently accepted.
Assistant and MCP features are optional and configurable.
01 / SSH KEYS
A short path
through memory.
A secret has to enter memory briefly for software-key authentication. Termind deliberately limits that window instead of letting plaintext linger in ordinary application values.
SECRET MEMORY LIFECYCLE
A secret passes through.
Its trace does not.
Normal memory release does not guarantee that old bytes disappear immediately. Termind therefore gives SSH passwords, software private keys, and passphrases a dedicated one-shot lifetime. The source buffer is cleared after the secret is moved, and the owned allocation is overwritten before it is released.
- 01Read when neededApple Keychain
- 02Move onceSource cleared
- 03AuthenticateOne-shot use
- 00OverwriteThen release
AT REST
Protected before it enters memory.
Termind keeps host details and credentials in separate places. Passwords and private keys live in Apple’s Data Protection Keychain, while the Vault stores only the information needed to identify and organize them.
This Device
Keep a password or software SSH key on the current device only. It does not sync to your other devices.
DEVICE ONLYiCloud Keychain
Let Apple’s iCloud Keychain make a password or software SSH key available across your approved devices.
YOUR APPLE DEVICESSecure Enclave
Generate a hardware-protected P-256 key whose private half cannot be exported or synced. You can also require Touch ID or the device password when it is used.
NON-EXPORTABLEBEFORE CREDENTIALS ARE USED
The server proves its identity first.
Known Hosts records the server’s public-key fingerprint. On a first connection, Termind asks you to review it. If the key later changes, Termind stops and shows the mismatch so you can investigate instead of quietly continuing.
02 / ASSISTANT
Useful access.
Visible boundaries.
The AI Assistant is optional and uses the model provider you configure. SSH authentication happens locally: private-key material is not placed into the conversation or sent to the model as chat context.
When the Assistant needs to run a command or work with a file, Termind applies the tool policy and approval mode you selected. You can review actions yourself, use a security-review model, or grant broader access when the environment calls for it.
Prompts, authorized command output, file contents, attachments, and relevant session context may be sent to your selected model provider. Its policies govern that data. Choose permissions and a provider appropriate for the server you are working on.
03 / BUILT-IN MCP SERVER
A local doorway. Opened by you.
On Mac, Termind’s built-in MCP server lets compatible local clients use the SSH and SFTP tools you choose to expose. It is off by default and listens only on this Mac’s loopback addresses.
An authenticated MCP client can invoke the tools you expose without a confirmation prompt for every call. Give the Bearer Token only to clients you trust, expose the minimum tools they need, and turn the server off when it is not in use.
SECURITY IS A SHARED PRACTICE
A secure foundation,
with choices that stay yours.
- 01
Prefer a Secure Enclave key when you do not need to move or export it—the private key never enters app memory.
- 02
Verify a new or changed host fingerprint through a trusted channel.
- 03
Give the Assistant and built-in MCP server only the access needed for the task.
- 04
Keep your Apple devices, accounts, and model-provider credentials protected.