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firestuff/markdown/2006-02-07-why-is-my-ssh-x-window-forwarding-broken.md
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SSH into your destination:

ssh -vv -X <hostname>

If you see a line near the end that says “debug1: Remote: No xauth program; cannot forward with spoofing.“, you need to install xauth and reconnect. In Debian, run:

apt-get install xbase-clients

Next, ensure that youre getting a DISPLAY variable through:

echo $DISPLAY

If that command outputs just a blank line, X forwarding is probably being denied by the server. Edit your sshd_config (/etc/ssh/sshd_config on Debian) and change/add the line:

X11Forwarding yes

If you change this, youll need to restart your SSH server:

/etc/init.d/ssh restart

Once your DISPLAY is being passed correctly, some programs may run but act oddly (”Gdk-error: […] BadAtom”, etc.) SSH uses “SECURITY” extensions by default, and some programs dont work correctly with them. Try:

ssh -Y <hostname>

Note that this command may expose your local machine to compromise if someone malicious is in control of the host youre connecting to.