Terminal MCP Server

smithery badge

Terminal MCP Server is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows executing commands on local or remote hosts. It provides a simple yet powerful interface for AI models and other applications to execute system commands, either on the local machine or on remote hosts via SSH.

Features

Local Command Execution: Execute commands directly on the local machine
Remote Command Execution: Execute commands on remote hosts via SSH
Session Persistence: Support for persistent sessions that reuse the same terminal environment for a specified time (default 20 minutes)
Environment Variables: Set custom environment variables for commands
Multiple Connection Methods: Connect via stdio or SSE (Server-Sent Events)

Installation

Installing via Smithery

To install terminal-mcp-server for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli install @weidwonder/terminal-mcp-server --client claude

Manual Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/weidwonder/terminal-mcp-server.git
cd terminal-mcp-server

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the project
npm run build

Usage

Starting the Server

# Start the server using stdio (default mode)
npm start

# Or run the built file directly
node build/index.js

Starting the Server in SSE Mode

The SSE (Server-Sent Events) mode allows you to connect to the server remotely via HTTP.

# Start the server in SSE mode
npm run start:sse

# Or run the built file directly with SSE flag
node build/index.js --sse

You can customize the SSE server with the following command-line options:

| Option | Description | Default | |--------|-------------|---------| | --port or -p | The port to listen on | 8080 | | --endpoint or -e | The endpoint path | /sse | | --host or -h | The host to bind to | localhost |

Example with custom options:

# Start SSE server on port 3000, endpoint /mcp, and bind to all interfaces
node build/index.js --sse --port 3000 --endpoint /mcp --host 0.0.0.0

This will start the server and listen for SSE connections at http://0.0.0.0:3000/mcp.

Testing with MCP Inspector

# Start the MCP Inspector tool
npm run inspector

The execute_command Tool

The execute_command tool is the core functionality provided by Terminal MCP Server, used to execute commands on local or remote hosts.

Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description | |-----------|------|----------|-------------| | command | string | Yes | The command to execute | | host | string | No | The remote host to connect to. If not provided, the command will be executed locally | | username | string | Required when host is specified | The username for SSH connection | | session | string | No | Session name, defaults to "default". The same session name will reuse the same terminal environment for 20 minutes | | env | object | No | Environment variables, defaults to an empty object |

Examples

Executing a Command Locally

{
  "command": "ls -la",
  "session": "my-local-session",
  "env": {
    "NODE_ENV": "development"
  }
}

Executing a Command on a Remote Host

{
  "host": "example.com",
  "username": "user",
  "command": "ls -la",
  "session": "my-remote-session",
  "env": {
    "NODE_ENV": "production"
  }
}

Configuring with AI Assistants

Configuring with Roo Code

Open VSCode and install the Roo Code extension
Open the Roo Code settings file: ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/globalStorage/rooveterinaryinc.roo-cline/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json
Add the following configuration:

For stdio mode (local connection)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "terminal-mcp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/terminal-mcp-server/build/index.js"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

For SSE mode (remote connection)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "terminal-mcp-sse": {
      "url": "http://localhost:8080/sse",
      "headers": {}
    }
  }
}

Replace localhost:8080/sse with your actual server address, port, and endpoint if you've customized them.

Configuring with Cline

Open the Cline settings file: ~/.cline/config.json
Add the following configuration:

For stdio mode (local connection)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "terminal-mcp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/terminal-mcp-server/build/index.js"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

For SSE mode (remote connection)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "terminal-mcp-sse": {
      "url": "http://localhost:8080/sse",
      "headers": {}
    }
  }
}

Configuring with Claude Desktop

Open the Claude Desktop settings file: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Add the following configuration:

For stdio mode (local connection)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "terminal-mcp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/terminal-mcp-server/build/index.js"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

For SSE mode (remote connection)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "terminal-mcp-sse": {
      "url": "http://localhost:8080/sse",
      "headers": {}
    }
  }
}

Best Practices

Command Execution

Before running commands, it's best to determine the system type (Mac, Linux, etc.)
Use full paths to avoid path-related issues
For command sequences that need to maintain environment, use && to connect multiple commands
For long-running commands, consider using nohup or screen/tmux

SSH Connection

Ensure SSH key-based authentication is set up
If connection fails, check if the key file exists (default path: ~/.ssh/id_rsa)
Make sure the SSH service is running on the remote host

Session Management

Use the session parameter to maintain environment between related commands
For operations requiring specific environments, use the same session name
Note that sessions will automatically close after 20 minutes of inactivity

Error Handling

Command execution results include both stdout and stderr
Check stderr to determine if the command executed successfully
For complex operations, add verification steps to ensure success

Important Notes

For remote command execution, SSH key-based authentication must be set up in advance
For local command execution, commands will run in the context of the user who started the server
Session timeout is 20 minutes, after which the connection will be automatically closed