Software⏱️ 2 min read📅 2026-05-31

How to Fix: How to set ssh timeout?

Configure SSH timeout to terminate idle sessions after a specified period.

Quick Answer: Use the '-o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null' and '-o StrictHostKeyChecking=no' options with 'ssh -t' command to set a short timeout, or use 'ssh -o ConnectTimeout=30' for a longer timeout.

To set a timeout for an SSH connection, you can use the `-o` option followed by `UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null` and `StrictHostKeyChecking=no`. Additionally, you can specify a maximum idle time using the `MaxStartDelay` option.

💡 Setting SSH Timeout

  • Use the `-o` option to configure SSH settings.

🛠️ Step-by-Step Verified Fixes

Method 1: Setting SSH Timeout with `MaxStartDelay`

  1. Step 1: Open your terminal and run the following command: ` -o MaxStartDelay=30m`.

Method 2: Setting SSH Timeout with `UserKnownHostsFile` and `StrictHostKeyChecking`

  1. Step 1: Open your terminal and run the following command: ` -o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null StrictHostKeyChecking=no`.

🎯 Final Words

By following these steps, you can set a timeout for your SSH connection and prevent it from hanging indefinitely.

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