FTPMonitor / Guides / SFTP subsystem request failed

SFTP subsystem request failed

Why SFTP subsystem requests fail and how to configure SSH servers correctly.

Diagnose this automatically

Verify whether authentication is the actual failure point.

terminal
npx ftpmonitor check --protocol sftp --host sftp.example.com --port 22 --username user --password pass
Shareable output
terminal
npx ftpmonitor check --protocol sftp --host sftp.example.com --port 22 --username user --password pass --format slack --copy

Prefer the browser? Run the same check on the homepage.

This error occurs when the SSH server does not have the SFTP subsystem configured.

Common causes

  • SFTP subsystem not enabled in sshd_config
  • Incorrect path to sftp-server
  • SSH server misconfiguration

Fix checklist

  1. Verify Subsystem sftp entry in sshd_config.
  2. Restart the SSH service.
  3. Ensure sftp-server binary exists.
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