io.github.rhel-lightspeed/linux-mcp-server

Official

by rhel-lightspeed · Python

MCP server for read-only Linux system administration, diagnostics, and troubleshooting

Read-only Linux system administration, diagnostics, and troubleshooting tools.

README.md2 KBView on GitHub

Linux MCP Server

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

Features

Read-Only Operations: All tools are strictly read-only for safe diagnostics
Remote SSH Execution: Execute commands on remote systems via SSH with key-based authentication
Multi-Host Management: Connect to different remote hosts in the same session
Comprehensive Diagnostics: System info, services, processes, logs, network, and storage
Configurable Log Access: Control which log files can be accessed via environment variables
RHEL/systemd Focused: Optimized for Red Hat Enterprise Linux systems

Installation and Usage

For detailed instructions on setting up and using the Linux MCP Server, please refer to our official documentation:

Installation Guide: Detailed steps for pip, uv, and container-based deployments.
Usage Guide: Information on running the server, configuring LLM clients, and troubleshooting.
Cheatsheet: A reference for what prompts to use to invoke various tools.

Install

Configuration

Environment variables

LINUX_MCP_USER

Default username for SSH connections

LINUX_MCP_SSH_KEY_PATH

Path to SSH private key

LINUX_MCP_KEY_PASSPHRASEsecret

Passphrase for encrypted SSH key

LINUX_MCP_SEARCH_FOR_SSH_KEY

Auto-discover keys in `~/.ssh`

LINUX_MCP_COMMAND_TIMEOUT

SSH command timeout in seconds (default: 30)

LINUX_MCP_VERIFY_HOST_KEYS

Verify remote host identity via known_hosts

LINUX_MCP_KNOWN_HOSTS_PATH

Custom path to known_hosts file

LINUX_MCP_ALLOWED_LOG_PATHS

Comma-separated allowlist of log files

LINUX_MCP_LOG_DIR

Server log directory

LINUX_MCP_LOG_LEVEL

Log verbosity (DEBUG, INFO, WARNING)

LINUX_MCP_LOG_RETENTION_DAYS

Days to keep log files

claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linux-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "linux-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "LINUX_MCP_USER": "<YOUR_LINUX_MCP_USER>",
        "LINUX_MCP_SSH_KEY_PATH": "<YOUR_LINUX_MCP_SSH_KEY_PATH>",
        "LINUX_MCP_KEY_PASSPHRASE": "<YOUR_LINUX_MCP_KEY_PASSPHRASE>",
        "LINUX_MCP_SEARCH_FOR_SSH_KEY": "<YOUR_LINUX_MCP_SEARCH_FOR_SSH_KEY>",
        "LINUX_MCP_COMMAND_TIMEOUT": "<YOUR_LINUX_MCP_COMMAND_TIMEOUT>",
        "LINUX_MCP_VERIFY_HOST_KEYS": "<YOUR_LINUX_MCP_VERIFY_HOST_KEYS>",
        "LINUX_MCP_KNOWN_HOSTS_PATH": "<YOUR_LINUX_MCP_KNOWN_HOSTS_PATH>",
        "LINUX_MCP_ALLOWED_LOG_PATHS": "<YOUR_LINUX_MCP_ALLOWED_LOG_PATHS>",
        "LINUX_MCP_LOG_DIR": "<YOUR_LINUX_MCP_LOG_DIR>",
        "LINUX_MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "<YOUR_LINUX_MCP_LOG_LEVEL>",
        "LINUX_MCP_LOG_RETENTION_DAYS": "<YOUR_LINUX_MCP_LOG_RETENTION_DAYS>"
      }
    }
  }
}