Netbird: Secure, Instant Network Access for Remote Teams

What is Netbird: Secure, Instant Network Access for Remote Teams?

Netbird is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server designed to provide secure and instant network access for remote teams. Built using Go and derived from Grafana Labs' MCP framework, it integrates seamlessly with the Netbird ecosystem to manage peer connections, monitor device details, and enforce secure authentication. Licensed under Apache 2.0, this open-source tool ensures remote teams can collaborate securely while maintaining full control over network resources.

How to Use Netbird: Secure, Instant Network Access for Remote Teams?

Deploying Netbird involves three straightforward steps:

1. Obtain your Netbird API token from the management console
2. Install the server via Go package manager or compile from source
3. Configure client tools by specifying the server's command path and environment variables

For troubleshooting, ensure the binary path is correctly specified to avoid "ENOENT" errors. The server supports both standard and Server-Sent Events (SSE) operational modes.

Key Features of Netbird: Secure, Instant Network Access for Remote Teams?

• Peer visibility with real-time status updates (connection state, location, system specs)
• Customizable API endpoint configuration for hybrid cloud setups
• Token-based authentication ensuring zero-trust security
• Integrated tooling for peer discovery and network diagnostics

These features make it ideal for managing distributed networks without compromising security or performance.

Use Cases of Netbird: Secure, Instant Network Access for Remote Teams?

Typical applications include:

• Securely connecting remote developers to private cloud environments
• Monitoring IoT device fleets across geographically dispersed locations
• Enabling cross-platform collaboration in global devops teams
• Automating network access for CI/CD pipelines in distributed infrastructure

The MCP interface allows easy integration with AI platforms like Claude Desktop for advanced automation scenarios.

FAQ from Netbird: Secure, Instant Network Access for Remote Teams?

• Q: Is prior Go knowledge required?
  Only for development/contribution - basic CLI usage requires no programming skills
• Q: Can I use self-hosted Netbird instances?
  Yes, by configuring the NETBIRD_HOST environment variable
• Q: What authentication methods are supported?
  Currently token-based, with OAuth2 extensions planned
• Q: How is data encrypted?
  All API communications use TLS 1.2+, with token storage adhering to best practices

For advanced configurations or enterprise use cases, consult the official documentation and community forums.

Netbird MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Netbird.

This project is derived from the MCP Server for Grafana by Grafana Labs and is licensed under the same Apache License 2.0.

Note: this project is still in development and may not work as expected.

Installation

From Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/aantti/mcp-netbird
cd mcp-netbird

# Build and install
make install

From GitHub

go install github.com/aantti/mcp-netbird/cmd/mcp-netbird@latest

Configuration

The server requires the following environment variables:

• NETBIRD_API_TOKEN: Your Netbird API token
• NETBIRD_HOST (optional): The Netbird API host (default is api.netbird.io)

Features

• List Netbird peers with detailed information
  • Connected status
  • Location information
  • System details
  • Group membership
• Configurable API endpoint
• Secure token-based authentication

Tools

Tool	Category	Description
list_netbird_peers	Peers	List all peers in your Netbird network

Usage

1. Get your Netbird API token from the Netbird management console.

2. Install the mcp-netbird binary using one of the installation methods above.

3. Add the server configuration to your client configuration file. For example, for Claude Desktop:

   {
   "mcpServers": {
   "netbird": {
   "command": "mcp-netbird",
   "args": [],
   "env": {
   "NETBIRD_API_TOKEN": ""
   }
   }
   }

}

Note: if you see Error: spawn mcp-netbird ENOENT in Claude Desktop, you need to specify the full path to mcp-netbird.

Development

Contributions are welcome! Please open an issue or submit a pull request if you have any suggestions or improvements.

This project is written in Go. Install Go following the instructions for your platform.

To run the server manually, use:

NETBIRD_API_TOKEN=your-token make run

Or in SSE mode:

NETBIRD_API_TOKEN=your-token make run-sse

Testing

TODO: add tests

Linting

To lint the code, run:

make lint

License

This project is licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0.

This project includes software developed at Grafana Labs (https://grafana.com/).