MCP Shell Server: Secure Automation & Enterprise Reliability

What is MCP Shell Server: Secure Automation & Enterprise Reliability?

MCP Shell Server is a robust tool enabling AI agents to execute shell commands securely across environments. Built on the Model Context Protocol (MCP), it acts as a trusted bridge between automated workflows and system-level operations. Whether running scripts on Linux, Windows, or macOS, the server ensures commands run in a controlled environment while providing detailed logs and error handling for enterprise-grade reliability.

How to use MCP Shell Server: Secure Automation & Enterprise Reliability?

Installation Options:

# Using package managers
npm install -g @mkusaka/mcp-shell-server
# Or from source
git clone https://github.com/mkusaka/mcp-shell-server && pnpm install

Basic Execution:

Run the server directly with node dist/index.js, or use development mode via pnpm dev for hot reloading. For advanced debugging, the pnpm inspect command links directly to the MCP Inspector interface.

Command Examples:

• Single-line tasks: shell_exec "echo Hello, World!"
• Multi-line scripts: Use heredoc syntax to handle complex workflows

Key Features of MCP Shell Server: Secure Automation & Enterprise Reliability?

• Shell Agnosticism: Supports bash, PowerShell, cmd, and 5+ other shells out-of-the-box
• Fail-Safe Execution: Sandboxed environments with granular error logging to mcp-shell.log
• System Awareness: Exposes real-time system metrics via URIs like hostname:// and system-info://
• MCP Ecosystem Ready: Native compatibility with MCP Inspector for visual debugging

Use cases of MCP Shell Server: Secure Automation & Enterprise Reliability?

Common applications include:

• Automating server deployments with multi-step scripts
• Enterprise monitoring via system health checks (CPU/memory tracking)
• CI/CD pipelines requiring shell-based artifact processing
• Cross-platform scripting for hybrid Windows/Linux environments

Example: A DevOps team uses the system-info://

FAQ from MCP Shell Server: Secure Automation & Enterprise Reliability?

• Q: How is security enforced?
  Commands run in isolated processes with customizable shell paths to prevent privilege escalation.
• Q: Can I extend supported shells?
  Yes – add custom shell paths via command-line flags or configuration files.
• Q: What's the logging strategy?
  All activity is recorded in timestamped mcp-shell.log, with error hierarchies for easy troubleshooting.
• Q: Does it work on Windows?
  Fully supported via PowerShell and cmd.exe integration, with special handling for path separators.

MCP Shell Server

A server that uses the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to execute shell commands. It functions as a bridge that allows AI agents to safely execute shell commands.

Features

• Execute shell commands (single-line and multi-line support)
• Support for various shells (bash, zsh, fish, powershell, cmd, etc.)
• Detailed error handling and logging
• MCP Inspector compatible

Installation

From npm (as a user)

# Using npm
npm install -g @mkusaka/mcp-shell-server

# Using yarn
yarn global add @mkusaka/mcp-shell-server

# Using pnpm
pnpm add -g @mkusaka/mcp-shell-server

From source (for development)

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

# Install dependencies
pnpm install

# Build the project
pnpm build

Usage

Direct Execution

node dist/index.js
# or as an executable
./dist/index.js

Development Mode

pnpm dev

Testing with MCP Inspector

pnpm inspect

Command Line Arguments

-s, --shell <shell>  Specify the path to the shell to use
-h, --help           Display help message
-V, --version        Display version information

Tool Reference

shell_exec

Executes commands in the specified shell.

Parameters:

• command (string, required): The shell command to execute

Resource Reference

The server provides the following system information as resources:

hostname

Returns the hostname of the system.

URI: hostname://

platform

Returns the operating system platform.

URI: platform://

shell

Returns the shell path being used by the server.

URI: shell://

username

Returns the current username.

URI: username://

system-info

Returns comprehensive system information in JSON format, including:

• hostname
• platform
• shell
• username
• CPU count
• Total memory
• Free memory
• System uptime

Usage Examples

Basic Command Execution

{
  "name": "shell_exec",
  "parameters": {
    "command": "echo Hello, World!"
  }
}

Multi-line Command (Heredoc) Execution

{
  "name": "shell_exec",
  "parameters": {
    "command": "cat << EOF | grep 'example'\nThis is an example text.\nAnother line without the keyword.\nEOF"
  }
}

Development

Project Structure

src/
├── index.ts                # Main entry point
└── shell-server/
    ├── index.ts            # Shell server implementation
    └── lib/
        └── logger.ts       # Logging configuration

Logging

Logs are written to the mcp-shell.log file.

License

MIT