Making SSH Access Seamless from Windows

In an earlier post, I set up Codex CLI on my home Linux server:

Typing the SSH command every time gets old fast, so I decided to simplify the workflow from my Windows machine.

Quick SSH Access with PowerShell

The simplest approach was to create a shortcut that opens PowerShell and connects directly to the server.

I used:

pwsh.exe -NoExit -Command "ssh username@server_ip"

This launches PowerShell 7 (modern PowerShell) and immediately starts an SSH session.

For convenience, I wrapped this in a small .bat file:

@echo off
pwsh.exe -NoExit -Command "ssh username@server_ip"

Now I can just double-click and I’m instantly connected.

Auto-Start on Windows Login

To take it a step further, I set it to run automatically whenever I log into Windows.

1. Press Win + R
2. Run:shell:startup
3. Drop the shortcut or .bat file into that folder

Now my SSH session starts automatically on login.

Using VS Code Remote SSH (One-Click Dev Access)

For actual development work, I didn’t want to stay in a terminal. I wanted full IDE access.

The cleanest way to do this is with VS Code Remote – SSH.

First, I added my server to the SSH config:

C:\Users\<your-username>\.ssh\config

Host ubuntu-box
    HostName server_ip
    User username

Then in VS Code:

1. Install the Remote – SSH extension
2. Press Ctrl + Shift + P
3. Run: Remote-SSH: Connect to Host
4. Select ubuntu-box

After the first connection, VS Code remembers it so it becomes a one-click experience