Software⏱️ 3 min read📅 2026-06-03

How to Fix: How to prevent "Write Failed: broken pipe" on SSH connection?

Prevent Write Failed: broken pipe errors on SSH connection by configuring keepalive options.

Quick Answer: Enable keepalive options on both client and server to prevent disconnections due to inactivity.

📋 Table of Contents

  1. 🔍 Why This Happens
  2. 🚀 How to Resolve This Issue
  3. ✨ Wrapping Up

The 'Write Failed: broken pipe' error occurs when there is a disruption in the SSH connection, often due to the client computer going to sleep and then being woken up. This issue affects users who rely on SSH for remote access to their servers or devices.

Preventing this error can be frustrating, especially if you frequently use SSH for work or personal projects. However, by following our troubleshooting guide, you'll learn how to configure SSH on both client and server sides to minimize the occurrence of this error.

🔍 Why This Happens

  • The primary reason for the 'Write Failed: broken pipe' error is a disruption in the SSH connection due to the client computer going to sleep and then being woken up. When the client computer resumes, it may not be able to reconnect to the server properly, resulting in this error.
  • An alternative reason for this error could be a network issue or a problem with the SSH server configuration on the remote end.

🚀 How to Resolve This Issue

Configuring SSH to Use Keepalive

  1. Step 1: Open a terminal on your client computer and run the following command: `ssh -o BatchMode=no -o ServerAliveInterval=30 -o ConnectTimeoutAction=abort User@ServerAddress` This sets up keepalive features that will periodically send data to the server to maintain the SSH connection.
  2. Step 2: On the server side, edit the `/etc/ssh/sshd_config` file and add the following lines: `HostKeyAlgorithms = diffie-hellman-group-exchange-sha1,ecdh-shasha,ssh-dss,ssh-rsa,ssh-ed25519` and `MaxStartups=10`. This configures the server to use multiple key algorithms and increases the startup timeout.
  3. Step 3: Restart the SSH service on both client and server sides by running the following commands: `sudo systemctl restart sshd` on Linux systems or `net stop sshd` followed by `net start sshd` on Windows.

Configuring SSH to Use TCP Keepalive

  1. Step 1: On your client computer, open a terminal and run the following command: `ssh -o TCPKeepAlive=yes User@ServerAddress` This enables TCP keepalive features that will periodically send data to the server to maintain the SSH connection.
  2. Step 2: Note that this method only works on Linux systems. On Windows, you can use the `plink` executable from PuTTY to enable TCP keepalive.

✨ Wrapping Up

By following these steps and configuring SSH to use keepalive features or TCP keepalive, you can minimize the occurrence of the 'Write Failed: broken pipe' error when using SSH. Remember to restart the SSH service on both client and server sides after making any changes to ensure the new configuration takes effect.

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