Linux MCP Server Cheatsheet

A quick reference guide for common tasks and the tools to use.

🏥 System Health

I want to check...	Use this tool	Example Prompt
OS / Kernel	get_system_information	"What OS version is this?"
CPU Load	get_cpu_information	"Is the CPU overloaded?"
Memory / RAM	get_memory_information	"How much free RAM do I have?"
Disk Space	get_disk_usage	"Are any disks full?"
Hardware	get_hardware_information	"List the PCI devices."

🔍 Troubleshooting

I want to check...	Use this tool	Example Prompt
Running Apps	list_processes	"What's using the most CPU?"
Process Details	get_process_info	"Inspect process ID 1234."
Services	list_services	"Are all services running?"
Service Status	get_service_status	"Why did nginx fail?"
System Logs	get_journal_logs	"Show errors from the last hour."
Service Logs	get_service_logs	"Show recent logs for sshd."
Specific Log File	read_log_file	"Read the last 50 lines of /var/log/messages."

🌐 Network

I want to check...	Use this tool	Example Prompt
IP Addresses	get_network_interfaces	"What is my IP address?"
Open Ports	get_listening_ports	"What ports are open?"
Connections	get_network_connections	"Who is connected to port 22?"

📂 Files & Storage

I want to check...	Use this tool	Example Prompt
Disk Partitions	list_block_devices	"Show me the partition layout."
Large Folders	list_directories	"Find the largest folders in /var."
Recent Changes	list_files	"What files in /etc changed recently?"

💡 Pro Tips

• Combine Tools: You don't need to ask for one thing at a time.

  "Check CPU usage and show me the top 5 processes."

• Filter Logs: Be specific with time and priority to save context window.

  "Show me error priority logs from the last 30 minutes."

• Remote Hosts: If you configured SSH, just ask to run on a specific host.

  "Check disk usage on webserver1."