Question 1

What is Conduit?

Accepted Answer

Conduit is a cross-platform remote connection manager with integrated AI assistance. It supports SSH, RDP, VNC, and web sessions, all managed through an encrypted vault with an AI-powered chat panel that can interact with your connections in real-time.

Question 2

What platforms does Conduit support?

Accepted Answer

Conduit is available for macOS (Apple Silicon), Windows (x64), Linux, and iOS/iPadOS. All desktop platforms share the same feature set including all connection types, AI chat, and MCP server support. The mobile companion app supports SSH, RDP, VNC, and web sessions with cross-device vault sync.

Question 3

Do I need an account to use Conduit?

Accepted Answer

You can use Conduit without an account for your encrypted local vault and all connection types (SSH, RDP, VNC, web). However, AI chat requires a free account. Creating an account is free and unlocks AI models, cloud backup, and more.

Question 4

How do I get started?

Accepted Answer

Download Conduit from the download page, install it, and create a new vault with a master password. You can then add connections manually, import from Remote Desktop Manager, or use Quick Connect to connect immediately.

Question 5

What connection protocols are supported?

Accepted Answer

Conduit supports SSH (terminal sessions), RDP (Remote Desktop with FreeRDP 3.x engine), VNC (Virtual Network Computing), and web sessions (native Chromium webview for web panels and appliances).

Question 6

Can I have multiple sessions open at once?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Conduit supports multi-session tabs. You can have SSH, RDP, VNC, and web sessions open simultaneously and switch between them with keyboard shortcuts (Cmd/Ctrl+Tab).

Question 7

Does Conduit support SSH keys?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Conduit auto-detects local SSH keys (~/.ssh/id_rsa, id_ed25519) and lets you store SSH private keys in the vault. Keys can be linked to connection entries or standalone credentials.

Question 8

What RDP features are available?

Accepted Answer

RDP support includes NLA authentication, bidirectional clipboard sync, shared folder redirection with per-drive read-only, dynamic display resizing, resolution presets, color depth and quality settings, High DPI/Retina support, sound routing, and frame rate selection.

Question 9

How do web sessions work?

Accepted Answer

Web sessions use a native Chromium webview (not an iframe) to display web-based management panels, appliances, or any URL. They support screenshot capture, content extraction, CSS selector-based autofill, and multi-step login automation.

Question 10

How are my credentials encrypted?

Accepted Answer

Conduit uses a zero-knowledge architecture with AES-256 encryption. Your master password derives the encryption key locally on your device — it is never sent to Conduit servers. The vault is stored as an encrypted local database. Even cloud backups are encrypted on your device before upload, so the server only ever sees encrypted data that cannot be read without your master password.

Question 11

What happens if I forget my master password?

Accepted Answer

Your master password cannot be recovered. Because Conduit uses zero-knowledge encryption, your password never leaves your device and is not stored anywhere. If you lose it, you will need to create a new vault. No one, including the Conduit team, can access your encrypted data.

Question 12

Is my data sent to the cloud?

Accepted Answer

Cloud backup is available on all tiers, including the free tier (1-day retention). Cloud backups are encrypted locally on your device before upload using AES-256-GCM with a domain-separated key. The server never has access to your unencrypted data. Without an account, all data stays entirely on your device.

Question 13

Does Conduit support multi-factor authentication?

Accepted Answer

Yes. TOTP-based MFA is available for your Conduit account. You can enroll on the website account security page. MFA is verified during login and AAL2 sessions persist across app restarts.

Question 14

How long are team vault audit logs retained?

Accepted Answer

Team vault audit logs are retained for 2 years. After that period, logs are automatically purged by a scheduled server-side job. Audit logs track all vault activity including entry operations, member changes, permission updates, and vault access events. Only team admins can view the audit log.

Question 15

What credential types are supported?

Accepted Answer

Conduit supports two credential types: Generic (username/password, SSH private keys, Windows domain credentials) and SSH Key (stores private key, public key, and SHA-256 fingerprint together). You can generate SSH keys directly in the app using the built-in SSH Key Generator, which supports Ed25519, RSA, and ECDSA key types.

Question 16

What AI models are available?

Accepted Answer

Free tier includes Haiku 4.5 and GPT-5 Mini (2 models). Pro adds Sonnet 4.6, Opus 4.5, Opus 4.6, and GPT-5.2 (6 models). Team gives access to all 9 models including beta releases. See the pricing page for current details.

Question 17

What are the different AI engines?

Accepted Answer

Conduit has three AI engines: Built-in (API-based chat with streaming responses), Claude Code (Claude Agent SDK with tool access), and Codex (OpenAI Codex via JSON-RPC). Each engine can interact with your connections through MCP tools.

Question 18

Can AI interact with my connections?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The AI chat panel has access to 43 MCP tools spanning terminal commands, RDP/VNC interaction (screenshot, click, type), full web session interaction (screenshot, click, type, scroll, DOM-aware element selection, JavaScript execution), credential management, and connection lifecycle. All credential access requires explicit approval.

Question 19

What are slash commands?

Accepted Answer

SDK engines (Claude Code, Codex) support slash commands: /model to switch models, /clear to reset context, /cost to see token usage, and /help for available commands. Type / in the chat input to see autocomplete suggestions.

Question 20

What is MCP?

Accepted Answer

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that lets AI agents interact with external tools. Conduit runs a standalone MCP server that exposes 43 tools for terminal, RDP, VNC, web, credential, and connection management.

Question 21

How do I configure the MCP server?

Accepted Answer

The MCP server starts automatically with Conduit. To use it with external AI agents like Claude Code, add the Conduit MCP server to your agent's configuration file. The server communicates via stdin/stdout using the standard MCP protocol.

Question 22

What tools does the MCP server expose?

Accepted Answer

The server exposes 43 tools across 7 categories: Terminal (execute, read buffer, send keys, local shell), RDP (screenshot, click, type, keys, mouse, scroll, resize, dimensions), VNC (screenshot, click, type, keys, mouse, drag, scroll, dimensions), Web (screenshot, read content, navigate, click, type, keys, mouse move, drag, scroll, dimensions, click by selector, fill input, discover elements, execute JavaScript), Credentials (list, create, read, delete), Connections (list, open, close), and Command (execute).

Question 23

Is there an approval flow for sensitive operations?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Reading credentials through MCP requires explicit user approval via an in-app dialog. The MCP server also includes per-tool rate limiting (token bucket algorithm) and audit logging of all tool invocations.

Question 24

Is Conduit available on mobile?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Conduit is available for iPhone and iPad on the App Store. The mobile companion app lets you manage SSH, RDP, VNC, and web connections on the go with the same encrypted vault.

Question 25

How does vault sync work between desktop and mobile?

Accepted Answer

Your vault syncs across devices via Conduit Cloud Sync or a file sync service such as iCloud Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox. Store your vault file in a synced folder and it will be accessible from all your devices automatically.

Question 26

Is Android supported?

Accepted Answer

Not yet. Conduit Mobile is currently available for iOS and iPadOS only. Android support may be considered in the future.

Question 27

Is there a free tier?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The free tier includes 2 AI models, a monthly and daily token budget, and 1-day cloud backup retention. No credit card required. See the pricing page for current limits and plan comparisons.

Question 28

What's the difference between Pro and Team?

Accepted Answer

Pro unlocks more AI models, MCP server access, CLI agents, and longer cloud backup retention. Team adds shared team vaults with zero-knowledge encryption, per-seat pricing, audit logging, folder-level permissions, and beta features. See the pricing page for a full comparison of plans and current prices.

Question 29

Are there annual plans?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Annual billing saves 20% on both Pro and Team plans. See the pricing page for current rates.

Question 30

What happens if I downgrade?

Accepted Answer

If you downgrade and exceed your new tier's connection limit, your oldest connections remain accessible and newer ones are locked. Locked entries show a lock icon and can only be deleted or upgraded. Active sessions on locked entries are disconnected with a notification.

Question 31

Does Conduit work offline?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Conduit caches your tier capabilities locally. In offline mode, all previously unlocked features continue working. AI chat requires internet connectivity, but local connections (SSH, RDP, VNC) work entirely offline.

Question 32

SSH connection fails or times out

Accepted Answer

Check that the hostname and port are correct, the SSH service is running on the target machine, and your firewall allows the connection. For key-based auth, ensure the key format is supported (RSA, Ed25519). Try connecting with verbose logging enabled.

Question 33

RDP shows a black screen

Accepted Answer

This can happen with certain display configurations. Try adjusting the resolution preset, switching to a lower color depth or quality preset, or disabling NLA if the server doesn't require it. Restarting the connection often resolves temporary display issues.

Question 34

MCP server not responding

Accepted Answer

Ensure Conduit is running and the vault is unlocked. Check the MCP server status in Settings > MCP. Make sure your subscription tier includes MCP access (Pro or Team). Restart Conduit if the issue persists.

Question 35

How do I import from Remote Desktop Manager?

Accepted Answer

In Devolutions RDM, right-click the folder you want to export, select Export > Export Vault (.rdm), choose V2 format, ensure no encryption is set on the export, and check the "Include credentials" option. Then in Conduit, go to File > Import > From Remote Desktop Manager and select the exported file. Conduit will preview the entries, auto-decrypt credentials, and let you selectively import with folder structure preserved.

Question 36

Can I export and import my vault?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Conduit supports exporting your full vault or individual folders to encrypted .conduit-export files. You provide a passphrase to encrypt the file using AES-256-GCM. To import, select File > Import > From Conduit Export, enter the passphrase, preview the contents, and choose where to import. All entries receive fresh IDs so re-importing is safe.

Question 37

Where are my backups stored?

Accepted Answer

Local backups are stored in a folder you choose (Settings > Backup > Backup Folder). Cloud backups are encrypted on your device and stored securely in Conduit's cloud. Both types use AES-256-GCM encryption with domain-separated keys.

Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Started

Connections

Security & Vault

AI & Chat

MCP & Agents

Mobile App

Pricing & Billing

Troubleshooting