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NetBox MCP Server: Secure Real-Time Access & Seamless AI Integration - MCP Implementation

NetBox MCP Server: Secure Real-Time Access & Seamless AI Integration

NetBox MCP Server: Secure, real-time read-only access to your NetBox data in LLMs—zero downtime, seamless AI integration, and enterprise-grade simplicity.

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About NetBox MCP Server

What is NetBox MCP Server: Secure Real-Time Access & Seamless AI Integration?

NetBox MCP Server is a dedicated read-only implementation of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) designed to bridge NetBox infrastructure data with AI-driven workflows. It provides secure, real-time access to core NetBox objects while maintaining strict data integrity through restricted permissions. By integrating with MCP-compliant LLMs, it enables natural language interactions such as querying device inventories or analyzing network configurations without compromising system security.

Key Features of NetBox MCP Server: Secure Real-Time Access & Seamless AI Integration?

  • Granular Toolset: Three core functions - get_objects for filtered retrievals, search_netbox for global object discovery, and get_object_by_id for detailed entity insights
  • Security-first Design: Requires read-only API tokens with explicitly defined permissions, isolating sensitive operations
  • Core Object Focus: Currently supports only native NetBox object types, ensuring compatibility with standard workflows
  • Platform Flexibility: Works across operating systems with configuration adjustments for Windows path handling

NetBox MCP Server Features

How to use NetBox MCP Server: Secure Real-Time Access & Seamless AI Integration?

  1. Authentication Setup: Generate a dedicated API token in NetBox with narrowly scoped permissions aligned to required data access
  2. Environment Preparation: Install dependencies using uv add -r requirements.txt and verify server operation with environment variables
  3. Client Integration: Configure MCP client (e.g., Claude Desktop) with server path and authentication details. Windows users must use escaped absolute paths for reliability
  4. Interactive Queries: Issue natural language commands like "List all routers in Site-42" or "Show VLAN utilization trends"

Use cases of NetBox MCP Server: Secure Real-Time Access & Seamless AI Integration?

  • Automated inventory audits via "List decommissioned devices in Q4 2023"
  • Real-time troubleshooting with "Show interfaces with errors on Switch-89"
  • Compliance reporting using "Generate firewall policy coverage report"
  • Capacity planning through "Calculate remaining IP space in DC-5 subnet"

NetBox MCP Server FAQ

FAQ from NetBox MCP Server: Secure Real-Time Access & Seamless AI Integration?

What object types are supported?

Currently limited to core NetBox objects (devices, IPAM, circuits). Plugin extensions are not yet supported due to API abstraction challenges.

Can this run on Windows?

Yes, but requires careful path formatting using escaped backslashes (e.g., C:\\Users\\username\\netbox\\) in configuration files.

How is security enforced?

Through read-only API tokens and strict environment scoping. Never reuse production API tokens for development environments.

What if queries return errors?

Check token permissions first. Use search_netbox to validate object existence before making detailed requests.

Can I contribute improvements?

Yes! The project welcomes enhancements through GitHub contributions, particularly for plugin compatibility and performance optimizations.

Content

NetBox MCP Server

This is a simple read-only Model Context Protocol server for NetBox. It enables you to interact with your data in NetBox directly via LLMs that support MCP.

Tools

Tool Description
get_objects Retrieves NetBox core objects based on their type and filters
search_netbox Performs a global search across NetBox objects
get_object_by_id Gets detailed information about a specific NetBox object by its ID

Note: the set of supported object types is explicitly defined and limited to the core NetBox objects for now, and won't work with object types from plugins.

Usage

  1. Create a read-only API token in NetBox with sufficient permissions for the tool to access the data you want to make available via MCP.

  2. Install dependencies: uv add -r requirements.txt

  3. Verify the server can run: NETBOX_URL=https://netbox.example.com/ NETBOX_TOKEN=<your-api-token> uv run server.py

  4. Add the MCP server configuration to your LLM client. For example, in Claude Desktop (Mac):

{
  "mcpServers": {
        "netbox": {
            "command": "uv",
            "args": [
                "--directory",
                "/path/to/netbox-mcp-server",
                "run",
                "server.py"
            ],
            "env": {
                "NETBOX_URL": "https://netbox.example.com/",
                "NETBOX_TOKEN": "<your-api-token>"
            }
        }
}

On Windows, use full, escaped path to your instance, such as C:\\Users\\myuser\\.local\\bin\\uv and C:\\Users\\myuser\\netbox-mcp-server. For detailed troubleshooting, consult the MCP quickstart.

  1. Use the tools in your LLM client. For example:
> Get all devices in the 'Equinix DC14' site
...
> Tell me about my IPAM utilization
...
> What Cisco devices are in my network?

Development

Contributions are welcome! Please open an issue or submit a PR.

License

This project is licensed under the Apache 2.0 license. See the LICENSE file for details.

Related MCP Servers & Clients

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