The primary reason for this error is a misconfigured 'ControlMaster' option in the ~/.ssh/config file. When 'ControlMaster' is set to 'auto', SSH may not establish a persistent connection between sessions, leading to the 'Broken pipe' error when trying to reconnect.An alternative cause could be an i

How do I fix: Disabling 'ControlMaster' option?

Step 1: Edit the ~/.ssh/config file to remove the 'ControlMaster auto' line. This will disable persistent connections between SSH sessions, but may cause issues with connection sharing.Step 2: If you still want to enable connection sharing, consider using the 'ControlPath' option to specify a custom

Software⏱️ 3 min read📅 2026-06-11

How to Fix: Mac OS X Lion Terminal SSH connection sharing error

Q: How do I fix: 🔧 Proven Troubleshooting Steps Enabling 'ControlMaster auto' and updating 'ControlPath'?

Step 1: Edit the ~/.ssh/config file to update the 'ControlMaster' option to 'auto'. This will enable persistent connections between SSH sessions.Step 2: Verify that the 'ControlPath' directory exists and has the correct permissions. If necessary, create the directory or adjust its permissions to ens

Mac OS X Lion Terminal SSH connection sharing error fix

Quick Answer: Try disabling ControlMaster and ControlPersist in your ~/.ssh/config file to resolve the issue.

📋 Table of Contents

⚠️ Common Causes
🔧 Proven Troubleshooting Steps
🎯 Final Words

The 'Broken pipe' error when connecting to a remote host via SSH on Mac OS X Lion can be frustrating, especially when it occurs unexpectedly. This issue typically affects users who have set up SSH connections using the 'ControlMaster' and 'ControlPath' options in their ~/.ssh/config file.

This error is particularly annoying because it causes the Terminal window to freeze for an extended period before displaying the error message, making it difficult to diagnose the problem.

⚠️ Common Causes

The primary reason for this error is a misconfigured 'ControlMaster' option in the ~/.ssh/config file. When 'ControlMaster' is set to 'auto', SSH may not establish a persistent connection between sessions, leading to the 'Broken pipe' error when trying to reconnect.
An alternative cause could be an issue with the 'ControlPath' directory or its permissions, which can prevent SSH from establishing a shared connection between sessions.

🔧 Proven Troubleshooting Steps

Enabling 'ControlMaster auto' and updating 'ControlPath'

Step 1: Edit the ~/.ssh/config file to update the 'ControlMaster' option to 'auto'. This will enable persistent connections between SSH sessions.
Step 2: Verify that the 'ControlPath' directory exists and has the correct permissions. If necessary, create the directory or adjust its permissions to ensure they are set to read and write for the user's ID.
Step 3: Restart the Terminal application or log out and back in to apply the changes.

Disabling 'ControlMaster' option

Step 1: Edit the ~/.ssh/config file to remove the 'ControlMaster auto' line. This will disable persistent connections between SSH sessions, but may cause issues with connection sharing.
Step 2: If you still want to enable connection sharing, consider using the 'ControlPath' option to specify a custom directory for shared connections.

🎯 Final Words

To resolve the 'Broken pipe' error when connecting to a remote host via SSH on Mac OS X Lion, try enabling the 'ControlMaster auto' option and updating the 'ControlPath' directory. If this doesn't work, consider disabling the 'ControlMaster' option or using an alternative solution for connection sharing.

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