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Linux MCP Server

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A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for read-only Linux system administration, diagnostics, and troubleshooting on Linux systems.

Quick Start

  1. Install uv, then install the server:

    uv tool install linux-mcp-server

  2. Make sure SSH connectivity is properly configured between the system running the Linux MCP Server and the remote hosts you want to inspect.

  3. Configure your favorite MCP client

    Here is an example configuration for Claude Desktop. Make sure to replace YOUR_USER with your actual username.

    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "Linux Tools": {
      "command": "/home/YOUR_USER/.local/bin/linux-mcp-server",
      "env": {
        "LINUX_MCP_ALLOWED_LOG_PATHS": "/var/log/messages,/var/log/lastlog"
      }
    }
  }
}

  4. Start diagnosing Linux systems!

For other installation methods, see the Installation Guide.

How It Works

flowchart TB
    subgraph clients["MCP Clients"]
        direction LR
        C1[Claude Code] ~~~ C2[Goose] ~~~ C3[Other Clients]
    end

    MCP[Linux MCP Server]

    subgraph targets["Target Systems"]
        direction LR
        L[Local System] ~~~ R1[Remote Host 1] ~~~ R2[Remote Host 2] ~~~ RN[Remote Host N]
    end

    clients <--> MCP
    MCP <--> targets

Features

  • Read-Only Operations: All tools are strictly read-only -- diagnose with confidence knowing nothing will be modified. Perfect for production systems where you need answers without risk.

  • Remote SSH Execution: Troubleshoot remote servers from your local machine using secure SSH key-based authentication. No need to hop between terminals or remember complex command syntax.

  • Multi-Host Management: Connect to your home lab, cloud VMs, or an entire data center in a single session. Seamlessly switch between hosts without reconfiguring.

  • Comprehensive Diagnostics: Get the full picture -- system info, services, processes, logs, network connections, and storage -- all through natural language queries. Ask "why is my system slow?" instead of memorizing ps, journalctl, and ss flags.

  • Configurable Log Access: Control exactly which log files can be accessed via environment variables. Enterprise teams can enforce security policies while still enabling effective troubleshooting.

  • RHEL/systemd Focused: Built for Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Fedora, CentOS Stream, and other systemd-based distributions. Whether you're managing a personal Fedora workstation or a fleet of RHEL servers, this tool speaks your system's language.

MCP Server for RHEL

The Linux MCP Server is developed by Red Hat, and forms the basis of the MCP Server for RHEL. Please see the RHEL Documentation for information about installing and using the MCP Server for RHEL.

Feedback

To provide general feedback on the Linux MCP Server, open an issue: https://github.com/rhel-lightspeed/linux-mcp-server/issues. Make sure to check for duplicates first.

Please see Submit feedback for the MCP server for RHEL for submitting feedback about the MCP Server for RHEL.