Homelab MCP Servers

Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers for managing homelab infrastructure through Claude Desktop.

A collection of Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers for managing and monitoring your homelab infrastructure through Claude Desktop.

🔒 Security Notice

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Please read

This project interacts with critical infrastructure (Docker APIs, DNS, network devices). Improper configuration can expose your homelab to security risks.

Key Security Requirements:

• NEVER expose Docker/Podman APIs to the internet - Use firewall rules to restrict access

• Keep - Contains API keys and should never be committed

• Use unique API keys - Generate separate keys for each service

• Review network security - Ensure proper VLAN segmentation and firewall rules

See SECURITY.md for comprehensive security guidance.

� Documentation Overview

This project includes several documentation files for different audiences:

• README.md (this file) - Installation, setup, and usage guide

• MIGRATION.md - Migration guide for v2.0 unified server

• PROJECT_INSTRUCTIONS.md - Copy into Claude project instructions for AI context

• CLAUDE.md - Developer guide for AI assistants and contributors

• SECURITY.md - Security policies and best practices

• CONTRIBUTING.md - How to contribute to this project

• CHANGELOG.md - Version history and changes

👥 For End Users: Follow this README + copy PROJECT_INSTRUCTIONS.md to Claude 🔄 Migrating from v1.x? See MIGRATION.md for unified server migration 🤖 For AI Assistants: Read CLAUDE.md for complete development context 🔧 For Contributors: Start with CONTRIBUTING.md and CLAUDE.md

�📖 Important: Configure Claude Project Instructions

After setting up the MCP servers, create your personalized project instructions:

1. Copy the example template:

   # Windows copy PROJECT_INSTRUCTIONS.example.md PROJECT_INSTRUCTIONS.md # Linux/Mac cp PROJECT_INSTRUCTIONS.example.md PROJECT_INSTRUCTIONS.md

2. Edit the file with your actual infrastructure details:

   PROJECT_INSTRUCTIONS.md (for Claude Desktop project instructions):

   • Replace example IP addresses with your real network addresses

   • Add your actual server hostnames

   • Customize with your specific services and configurations

   • Keep this file private - it contains your network topology

   CLAUDE_CUSTOM.md (for AI development work - contributors only):

   • Update repository URLs with your actual GitHub repository

   • Add your Notion workspace URLs if using task management

   • Customize infrastructure references

   • Keep this file private - contains your specific URLs and setup

3. Add to Claude Desktop:

   • Open Claude Desktop

   • Go to your project settings

   • Copy the contents of your customized PROJECT_INSTRUCTIONS.md

   • Paste into the "Project instructions" field

What's included:

• Detailed MCP server capabilities and usage patterns

• Infrastructure overview and monitoring capabilities

• Specific commands and tools available for each service

• Troubleshooting and development guidance

This README covers installation and basic setup. The project instructions provide Claude with comprehensive usage context.

🎯 Deployment Options

Version 2.2.0 offers flexible deployment with two modes and two methods:

Deployment Modes

Choose how your MCP servers are organized:

1. Unified Server (Recommended)

Run all MCP servers in a single process with namespaced tools. This is the recommended approach for new installations and required for Docker deployments.

Advantages:

• ✅ Single configuration entry

• ✅ One Python process for all servers

• ✅ Cleaner logs (no duplicate warnings)

• ✅ All tools namespaced (e.g., docker_get_containers, ping_ping_host)

• ✅ Required for Docker deployments

• ✅ Built-in health checks

• ✅ Production-ready containerization

2. Individual Servers (Legacy, Fully Supported)

Run each MCP server as a separate process. This mode remains fully supported for backward compatibility and only available with native Python installation.

Advantages:

• ✅ Granular control over each server

• ✅ Can enable/disable servers individually

• ✅ Original tool names (e.g., get_docker_containers, ping_host)

• ✅ Backward compatible with v1.x

Note: Tool names differ between modes. See MIGRATION.md for detailed migration instructions and tool name changes.

Deployment Methods

Choose how to install and run the servers:

1. Docker Container (Recommended for Production)

Pre-built images available on Docker Hub for immediate deployment. See 🐳 Docker Deployment for full setup instructions.

Quick Start:

Advantages:

• ✅ No Python environment setup required

• ✅ Pre-built, tested images

• ✅ Automatic updates with image pulls

• ✅ Multi-platform support (amd64, arm64)

• ✅ Simplified configuration

• ✅ Production-grade containerization

Limitations:

• Unified server mode only

• mcp-registry-inspector not available (deprecated)

2. Native Python Installation (Development & Legacy)

Install Python dependencies directly and run servers from source. See 📦 Installation for full setup instructions.

Quick Start:

Advantages:

• ✅ Full access to source code

• ✅ Easy debugging and development

• ✅ Supports both unified and individual server modes

• ✅ Can run on any Python-compatible platform

Requirements:

• Python 3.10+ with pip

• Manual dependency management

• Environment configuration via .env file

Migration Guide: See MIGRATION.md for detailed instructions on switching between modes or methods.

🚀 Quick Start

1. Clone the repository

2. Install security checks (recommended)

3. Set up configuration files

Environment variables:

Edit .env with your actual values:

Ansible inventory (if using):

Edit with your infrastructure details.

Project instructions:

Customize with your network topology and servers.

AI development guide customizations (optional):

Customize with your actual server names and infrastructure details. This file is gitignored and allows Claude to understand your specific homelab setup. See CLAUDE.md for more information about local customizations.

4. Install Python dependencies

5. Add to Claude Desktop config

Config file location:

• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

• Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Option A: Unified Server (Recommended)

Single entry for all homelab servers:

Note: The unified server includes 7 MCP servers: Ansible, Docker/Podman, Ollama, Pi-hole, Unifi, UPS, and Ping. The deprecated mcp-registry-inspector is not included.

Option B: Individual Servers (Legacy)

Separate entry for each server:

Note: Tool names differ between modes. See MIGRATION.md for details. The deprecated mcp-registry-inspector has been removed from this example. Ansible MCP server integration is tracked in #39.

6. Restart Claude Desktop

7. Add project instructions to Claude

• Copy the contents of your customized PROJECT_INSTRUCTIONS.md

• Paste into your Claude project's "Project instructions" field

• This gives Claude comprehensive context about your MCP capabilities

🐳 Docker Deployment (Alternative)

Run the MCP servers in Docker containers for easier distribution, isolation, and production deployment.

Docker Hub: bjeans/homelab-mcp

Quick Start with Docker Hub (Easiest)

Pre-built images are automatically published to Docker Hub with multi-platform support (amd64/arm64):

Available on Docker Hub: https://hub.docker.com/r/bjeans/homelab-mcp/tags

Currently available tags:

• latest - Latest stable release from main branch (recommended)

• edge - Latest development build from main branch

• main-<git-sha> - Specific commit builds for traceability (e.g., main-17bae01)

Semantic version tags (available after release):

• Version tags like 2.2.0, 2.2, 2 will be created when the v2.2.0 Git release is published

• Until then, use latest for the most recent stable build

Multi-platform support:

• linux/amd64 - x86_64 servers and workstations

• linux/arm64 - Raspberry Pi, ARM-based systems

Build from Source (Advanced)

Build the image locally if you need to customize:

Building from source (optional):

Docker Features

2.0.0 Docker Improvements:

• ✅ Unified MCP server as default entrypoint (all 7 servers in one container)

• ✅ Automatic unified mode detection (no ENABLED_SERVERS needed)

• ✅ Built-in health checks (HEALTHCHECK configured)

• ✅ Non-root user security (mcpuser UID 1000)

• ✅ Proper signal handling and clean shutdown

• ✅ Optimized layer caching for faster rebuilds

• ✅ System dependencies included (iputils-ping for cross-platform support)

Configuration Methods

Method 1: Ansible Inventory (Recommended)

Method 2: Environment Variables (Marketplace Ready)

Legacy Mode: Individual Servers (Docker)

For backward compatibility, you can still run individual servers by setting ENABLED_SERVERS:

Available Servers

Unified Mode (Default):

• ✅ All 7 servers in one process: Ansible, Docker, Ping, Ollama, Pi-hole, Unifi, UPS

• ✅ Namespaced tools (e.g., ansible_get_all_hosts, docker_get_containers, ups_get_ups_status)

• ✅ Single configuration entry

• ✅ Built-in health checks

Legacy Mode (Set

• ✅ ansible - Ansible inventory queries

• ✅ docker - Docker/Podman container management

• ✅ ping - Network ping utilities

• ✅ ollama - Ollama AI model management

• ✅ pihole - Pi-hole DNS statistics

• ✅ unifi - Unifi network device monitoring

• ✅ ups - UPS/NUT power monitoring

Docker Configuration

Two configuration methods supported:

1. Ansible Inventory (Recommended) - Mount as volume

2. Environment Variables - Pass via Docker -e flags

See DOCKER.md for comprehensive Docker deployment guide including:

• Detailed setup instructions

• Network configuration options

• Security best practices

• Claude Desktop integration

• Troubleshooting common issues

Integration with Claude Desktop

Unified Mode (Recommended):

Legacy Mode (Individual Servers):

Important: Use docker exec -i (not -it) for proper MCP stdio communication.

Testing Docker Containers

Quick verification test (using environment variables - marketplace ready):

Docker Compose testing:

For comprehensive Docker deployment guide, see DOCKER.md.

📦 Available MCP Servers

✨ Dynamic Tool Parameter Enums (New in v2.1.0)

When you configure Ansible inventory, Claude Desktop will automatically show your infrastructure options in dropdown menus. No more guessing hostnames or group names!

What gets auto-populated:

• Ping tools - Your Ansible groups appear in dropdown menus

• Docker tools - Your Docker/Podman hosts shown in dropdowns

• Ollama tools - Your Ollama server hostnames available for selection

• UPS tools - Your NUT server hostnames shown in dropdowns

How it works:

1. Set ANSIBLE_INVENTORY_PATH in your .env file

2. Restart Claude Desktop (required - enums load at startup)

3. When using tools, Claude shows your actual infrastructure in dropdown menus instead of requiring manual entry

Important Notes:

• Restart Required: Changes to Ansible inventory require restarting Claude Desktop to update dropdown options

• Performance: Enums generate once at startup - minimal impact even with large inventories (100+ hosts)

• Graceful Degradation: If no Ansible inventory is configured, tools still work - you just won't see dropdown suggestions

Example before/after:

Before: "Which group should I ping?" → User manually types "webservers" (or guesses) After: "Which group should I ping?" → User selects from dropdown: all, docker_hosts, webservers, databases, etc.

Troubleshooting:

• Dropdowns not showing? Verify ANSIBLE_INVENTORY_PATH is set and restart Claude Desktop

• Wrong options showing? Check that your Ansible inventory is up-to-date and restart Claude Desktop

• Performance issues? Enum generation happens once at startup - if slow, check inventory file size and Ansible installation

MCP Registry Inspector (⚠️ DEPRECATED)

Deprecation Notice (v2.3.0): This tool is deprecated. Claude Desktop now has native file system access, making this MCP server unnecessary. You can simply ask Claude to read your MCP server files or configuration directly.

Replacement: Use Claude's built-in file access:

• "Read my claude_desktop_config.json file"

• "Show me the source code for docker_mcp_podman.py"

• "List all .py files in this directory"

For users with existing configurations: This server will continue to work but will not receive updates. It will be removed from documentation in v3.0.0. Consider removing it from your claude_desktop_config.json.

Tools:

• get_claude_config - View Claude Desktop MCP configuration

• list_mcp_servers - List all registered MCP servers

• list_mcp_directory - Browse MCP development directory

• read_mcp_file - Read MCP server source code

• write_mcp_file - Write/update MCP server files

• search_mcp_files - Search for files by name

Configuration:

Docker/Podman Container Manager

Manage Docker and Podman containers across multiple hosts.

🔒 Security Warning: Docker/Podman APIs typically use unencrypted HTTP without authentication. See SECURITY.md for required firewall configuration.

Tools:

Individual server mode:

• get_docker_containers - Get containers on a specific host

• get_all_containers - Get all containers across all hosts

• get_container_stats - Get CPU and memory stats

• check_container - Check if a specific container is running

• find_containers_by_label - Find containers by label

• get_container_labels - Get all labels for a container

Unified server mode (namespaced):

• docker_get_containers - Get containers on a specific host

• docker_get_all_containers - Get all containers across all hosts

• docker_get_container_stats - Get CPU and memory stats

• docker_check_container - Check if a specific container is running

• docker_find_containers_by_label - Find containers by label

• docker_get_container_labels - Get all labels for a container

Configuration Options:

Option 1: Using Ansible Inventory (Recommended)

Option 2: Using Environment Variables

Ollama AI Model Manager

Monitor and manage Ollama AI model instances across your homelab, plus check your LiteLLM proxy for unified API access.

What's Included

Ollama Monitoring:

• Track multiple Ollama instances across different hosts

• View available models and their sizes

• Check instance health and availability

LiteLLM Proxy Integration:

• LiteLLM provides a unified OpenAI-compatible API across all your Ollama instances

• Enables load balancing and failover between multiple Ollama servers

• Allows you to use OpenAI client libraries with your local models

• The MCP server can verify your LiteLLM proxy is online and responding

Why use LiteLLM?

• Load Balancing: Automatically distributes requests across multiple Ollama instances

• Failover: If one Ollama server is down, requests route to healthy servers

• OpenAI Compatibility: Use any OpenAI SDK/library with your local models

• Centralized Access: Single endpoint (e.g., http://192.0.2.10:4000) for all models

• Usage Tracking: Monitor which models are being used most

Tools:

• get_ollama_status - Check status of all Ollama instances and model counts

• get_ollama_models - Get detailed model list for a specific host

• get_litellm_status - Verify LiteLLM proxy is online and responding

Configuration Options:

Option 1: Using Ansible Inventory (Recommended)

Option 2: Using Environment Variables

Setting Up LiteLLM (Optional):

If you want to use LiteLLM for unified access to your Ollama instances:

1. Install LiteLLM on one of your servers:

   pip install litellm[proxy]

2. Create configuration (litellm_config.yaml):

   model_list: - model_name: llama3.2 litellm_params: model: ollama/llama3.2 api_base: http://server1:11434 - model_name: llama3.2 litellm_params: model: ollama/llama3.2 api_base: http://server2:11434 router_settings: routing_strategy: usage-based-routing

3. Start LiteLLM proxy:

   litellm --config litellm_config.yaml --port 4000

4. Use the MCP tool to verify it's running:

   • In Claude: "Check my LiteLLM proxy status"

Example Usage:

• "What Ollama instances do I have running?"

• "Show me all models on my Dell-Server"

• "Is my LiteLLM proxy online?"

• "How many models are available across all servers?"

Pi-hole DNS Manager

Monitor Pi-hole DNS statistics and status.

🔒 Security Note: Store Pi-hole API keys securely in .env file. Generate unique keys per instance.

Tools:

• get_pihole_stats - Get DNS statistics from all Pi-hole instances

• get_pihole_status - Check which Pi-hole instances are online

Configuration Options:

Option 1: Using Ansible Inventory (Recommended)

Option 2: Using Environment Variables

Getting Pi-hole API Keys:

• Web UI: Settings → API → Show API Token

• Or generate new: pihole -a -p on Pi-hole server

Unifi Network Monitor

Monitor Unifi network infrastructure and clients with caching for performance.

🔒 Security Note: Use a dedicated API key with minimal required permissions.

Tools:

• get_network_devices - Get all network devices (switches, APs, gateways)

• get_network_clients - Get all active network clients

• get_network_summary - Get network overview

• refresh_network_data - Force refresh from controller (bypasses cache)

Configuration:

Note: Data is cached for 5 minutes to improve performance. Use refresh_network_data to force update.

Ansible Inventory Inspector

Query Ansible inventory information (read-only). Available in both unified and standalone modes.

Unified Mode Tools (with ansible_ prefix):

• ansible_get_all_hosts - Get all hosts in inventory

• ansible_get_all_groups - Get all groups

• ansible_get_host_details - Get detailed host information

• ansible_get_group_details - Get detailed group information

• ansible_get_hosts_by_group - Get hosts in specific group

• ansible_search_hosts - Search hosts by pattern or variable

• ansible_get_inventory_summary - High-level inventory overview

• ansible_reload_inventory - Reload inventory from disk

Standalone Mode Tools (without prefix):

• get_all_hosts - Get all hosts in inventory

• get_all_groups - Get all groups

• get_host_details - Get detailed host information

• get_group_details - Get detailed group information

• get_hosts_by_group - Get hosts in specific group

• search_hosts - Search hosts by pattern or variable

• get_inventory_summary - High-level inventory overview

• reload_inventory - Reload inventory from disk

Configuration:

Deployment:

• ✅ Available in unified server mode

• ✅ Available in Docker deployments

• ✅ Available in standalone mode: python ansible_mcp_server.py

Ping Network Connectivity Monitor

Test network connectivity and host availability using ICMP ping across your infrastructure.

Why use this?

• Quick health checks during outages or after power events

• Verify which hosts are reachable before querying service-specific MCPs

• Simple troubleshooting tool to identify network issues

• Baseline connectivity testing for your infrastructure

Tools:

• ping_host - Ping a single host by name (resolved from Ansible inventory)

• ping_group - Ping all hosts in an Ansible group concurrently

• ping_all - Ping all infrastructure hosts concurrently

• list_groups - List available Ansible groups for ping operations

Features:

• ✅ Cross-platform support - Works on Windows, Linux, and macOS

• ✅ Ansible integration - Automatically resolves hostnames/IPs from inventory

• ✅ Concurrent pings - Test multiple hosts simultaneously for faster results

• ✅ Detailed statistics - RTT min/avg/max, packet loss percentage

• ✅ Customizable - Configure timeout and packet count

• ✅ No dependencies - Uses system ping command (no extra libraries needed)

Configuration:

Example Usage:

• "Ping server1.example.local"

• "Check connectivity to all Pi-hole servers"

• "Ping all Ubuntu_Server hosts"

• "Test connectivity to entire infrastructure"

• "What groups can I ping?"

When to use:

• After power outages - Quickly identify which hosts came back online

• Before service checks - Verify host is reachable before checking specific services

• Network troubleshooting - Isolate connectivity issues from service issues

• Health monitoring - Regular checks to ensure infrastructure availability

UPS Monitoring (Network UPS Tools)

Monitor UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) devices across your infrastructure using Network UPS Tools (NUT) protocol.

Why use this?

• Real-time visibility into power infrastructure status

• Proactive alerts before battery depletion during outages

• Monitor multiple UPS devices across different hosts

• Track battery health and runtime estimates

• Essential for critical infrastructure planning

Tools:

• get_ups_status - Check status of all UPS devices across all NUT servers

• get_ups_details - Get detailed information for a specific UPS device

• get_battery_runtime - Get battery runtime estimates for all UPS devices

• get_power_events - Check for recent power events (on battery, low battery)

• list_ups_devices - List all UPS devices configured in inventory

• reload_inventory - Reload Ansible inventory after changes

Features:

• ✅ NUT protocol support - Uses Network UPS Tools standard protocol (port 3493)

• ✅ Ansible integration - Automatically discovers UPS from inventory

• ✅ Multiple UPS per host - Support for servers with multiple UPS devices

• ✅ Battery monitoring - Track charge level, runtime remaining, load percentage

• ✅ Power event detection - Identify when UPS switches to battery or low battery

• ✅ Cross-platform - Works with any NUT-compatible UPS (TrippLite, APC, CyberPower, etc.)

• ✅ Flexible auth - Optional username/password authentication

Configuration:

Option 1: Using Ansible Inventory (Recommended)

Ansible inventory example:

Option 2: Using Environment Variables

Prerequisites:

1. Install NUT on servers with UPS devices:

   # Debian/Ubuntu sudo apt install nut nut-client nut-server # RHEL/Rocky/CentOS sudo dnf install nut nut-client

2. Configure NUT daemon (

   [tripplite] driver = usbhid-ups port = auto desc = "TrippLite SMART1500LCDXL"

3. Enable network monitoring (

   LISTEN 0.0.0.0 3493

4. Configure access (

   [monuser] password = secret upsmon master

5. Start NUT services:

   sudo systemctl enable nut-server nut-client sudo systemctl start nut-server nut-client

Example Usage:

• "What's the status of all my UPS devices?"

• "Show me battery runtime for the Dell server UPS"

• "Check for any power events"

• "Get detailed info about the TrippLite UPS"

• "List all configured UPS devices"

When to use:

• After power flickers - Verify UPS devices handled the event properly

• Before maintenance - Check battery levels and estimated runtime

• Regular monitoring - Track UPS health and battery condition

• Capacity planning - Understand how long systems can run on battery

Common UPS Status Codes:

• OL - Online (normal operation, AC power present)

• OB - On Battery (power outage, running on battery)

• LB - Low Battery (critically low battery, shutdown imminent)

• CHRG - Charging (battery is charging)

• RB - Replace Battery (battery needs replacement)

🔒 Security

Automated Security Checks

This project includes automated security validation to prevent accidental exposure of sensitive data:

Install the pre-push git hook (recommended):

What it does:

• Automatically runs helpers/pre_publish_check.py before every git push

• Blocks pushes that contain potential secrets or sensitive data

• Protects against accidentally committing API keys, passwords, or personal information

Manual security check:

Bypass security check (use with extreme caution):

Critical Security Practices

Configuration Files:

• ✅ DO use .env.example as a template

• ✅ DO keep .env file permissions restrictive (chmod 600 on Linux/Mac)

• ❌ NEVER commit .env to version control

• ❌ NEVER commit ansible_hosts.yml with real infrastructure

• ❌ NEVER commit PROJECT_INSTRUCTIONS.md with real network topology

API Security:

• ✅ DO use unique API keys for each service

• ✅ DO rotate API keys regularly (every 90 days recommended)

• ✅ DO use strong, randomly-generated keys (32+ characters)

• ❌ NEVER expose Docker/Podman APIs to the internet

• ❌ NEVER reuse API keys between environments

Network Security:

• ✅ DO use firewall rules to restrict API access

• ✅ DO implement VLAN segmentation

• ✅ DO enable TLS/HTTPS where possible

• ❌ NEVER expose management interfaces publicly

For detailed security guidance, see

📋 Requirements

System Requirements

• Python: 3.10 or higher

• Claude Desktop: Latest version recommended

• Network Access: Connectivity to homelab services

Python Dependencies

Install via requirements.txt:

Core dependencies:

• mcp - Model Context Protocol SDK

• aiohttp - Async HTTP client

• pyyaml - YAML parsing for Ansible inventory

Service Requirements

• Docker/Podman: API enabled on monitored hosts

• Pi-hole: v6+ with API enabled

• Unifi Controller: API access enabled

• Ollama: Running instances with API accessible

• NUT (Network UPS Tools): Installed and configured on hosts with UPS devices

• Ansible: Inventory file (optional but recommended)

💻 Compatibility

Tested Platforms

Developed and tested on:

• OS: Windows 11

• Claude Desktop: Version 0.13.64

• Python: Version 3.13.8

Cross-Platform Notes

Windows: Fully tested and supported ✅ macOS: Should work but untested ⚠️ Linux: Should work but untested ⚠️

Known platform differences:

• File paths in documentation are Windows-style

• Path separators may need adjustment for Unix systems

• .env file permissions should be set on Unix (chmod 600 .env)

Contributions for other platforms welcome!

🛠️ Development

📖 First time contributing? Read CLAUDE.md for complete development guidance including architecture patterns, security requirements, and AI assistant workflows.

Getting Started

1. Install security git hook (required for contributors):

   python helpers/install_git_hook.py

2. Set up development environment:

   pip install -r requirements.txt cp .env.example .env # Edit .env with your test values

Testing MCP Servers Locally

Before submitting a PR, test your MCP server changes locally using the MCP Inspector tool.

Quick start:

This opens a web-based debugger at http://localhost:5173 where you can:

• See all available tools for the MCP server

• Test each tool with sample arguments

• Verify responses are properly formatted

• Debug issues before submitting PRs

For detailed testing instructions, see the Testing MCP Servers Locally section in CONTRIBUTING.md.

Helper Scripts

The helpers/ directory contains utility scripts for development and deployment:

• install_git_hook.py - Installs git pre-push hook for automatic security checks

• pre_publish_check.py - Security validation script (runs automatically via git hook)

Usage:

Project Structure

Adding a New MCP Server

1. Create the server file

   #!/usr/bin/env python3 """ My Service MCP Server Description of what it does """ import asyncio from mcp.server import Server # ... implement tools ...

2. Add configuration to

   # My Service Configuration MY_SERVICE_HOST=192.168.1.100 MY_SERVICE_API_KEY=your-api-key

3. Update documentation

   • Add server details to this README

   • Update PROJECT_INSTRUCTIONS.example.md

   • Update CLAUDE.md if adding new patterns or capabilities

   • Add security notes if applicable

4. Test thoroughly

   • Test with real infrastructure

   • Verify error handling

   • Check for sensitive data leaks

   • Review security implications

Environment Variables

All MCP servers support two configuration methods:

1. Environment Variables (

• Simple key=value pairs

• Loaded automatically by each MCP server

• Good for simple setups or testing

2. Ansible Inventory (recommended for production)

• Centralized infrastructure definition

• Supports complex host groupings

• Better for multi-host environments

• Set ANSIBLE_INVENTORY_PATH in .env

Coding Standards

• Python 3.10+ syntax and features

• Async/await for all I/O operations

• Type hints where beneficial

• Error handling for network operations

• Logging to stderr for debugging

• Security: Validate inputs, sanitize outputs

Testing Checklist

Before committing changes:

• Security git hook installed (python helpers/install_git_hook.py)

• Manual security check passes (python helpers/pre_publish_check.py)

• No sensitive data in code or commits

• Environment variables for all configuration

• Error handling for network failures

• Logging doesn't expose secrets

• Documentation updated

• Security implications reviewed

• .gitignore updated if needed

🐛 Troubleshooting

MCP Servers Not Appearing in Claude

1. Check Claude Desktop config:

   # Windows type %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json # Mac/Linux cat ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

2. Verify Python path is correct in config

3. Restart Claude Desktop completely

4. Check logs - MCP servers log to stderr

Connection Errors

Docker/Podman API:

Pi-hole API:

Ollama:

Understanding Error Messages

Error Message Format (v2.2.0+):

All MCP servers now provide detailed, actionable error messages in this format:

Common Error Types:

1. Authentication Failed (401)

Example:

How to Fix:

1. Check your .env file for the correct API key variable

2. Verify the API key matches the service's admin panel

3. For Pi-hole: Settings > API > Show API token

4. For Unifi: Settings > Admins > API > Generate key

2. Connection Failed

Example:

How to Fix:

1. Verify the service is running: systemctl status [service-name]

2. Test network connectivity with nc or telnet

3. Check firewall rules allow access to the port

4. Verify the hostname/IP is correct in your configuration

3. Timeout Errors

Example:

How to Fix:

1. Check if the service is running: systemctl status ollama

2. Look for performance issues in service logs

3. Verify network latency: ping [hostname]

4. Consider increasing timeout values if service is legitimately slow

4. Invalid/Expired Credentials (403)

Example:

How to Fix:

1. Check account permissions in the service admin panel

2. Ensure the API key has admin/full access rights

3. Regenerate API key if permissions were recently changed

5. Unifi Exporter Errors

Before (v2.1.0):

After (v2.2.0):

How to Fix:

1. Log into Unifi controller

2. Navigate to Settings > Admins > API

3. Verify or regenerate API key

4. Update UNIFI_API_KEY in .env file

5. Restart Claude Desktop to reload configuration

6. Service Unavailable (503)

How to Fix:

1. Check if the service is running

2. Look for service startup errors in logs

3. Verify all dependencies are available

4. Consider restarting the service

Debugging Tips

Enable Detailed Logging:

All errors are logged to stderr with full context. Check Claude Desktop logs:

• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\logs\

• Mac: ~/Library/Logs/Claude/

• Linux: ~/.config/Claude/logs/

Test API Endpoints Directly:

Use curl or httpie to test API endpoints outside of MCP:

Check Configuration:

Import Errors

If you get Python import errors:

Permission Errors

On Linux/Mac:

📚 Additional Resources

MCP Protocol

• MCP Documentation

• MCP Python SDK

• Claude Desktop MCP Guide

Related Projects

• Ansible Documentation

• Docker API Reference

• Pi-hole API

• Unifi Controller API

• Ollama API

📄 License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details

Copyright (c) 2025 Barnaby Jeans

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed guidelines.

For AI Assistants & Developers

📖 Read - This file contains:

• Complete project architecture and development patterns

• Security requirements and common pitfalls to avoid

• Specific workflows for adding features and fixing bugs

• AI assistant-specific guidance for working with this codebase

Quick Start for Contributors

1. Install security git hook (python helpers/install_git_hook.py)

2. Review security guidelines in SECURITY.md

3. No sensitive data in commits (hook will block automatically)

4. All configuration uses environment variables or Ansible

5. Update documentation for any changes

6. Test thoroughly with real infrastructure

Pull Request Process

1. Fork the repository

2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)

3. Make your changes

4. Test with your homelab setup

5. Update README and other docs as needed

6. Commit with clear messages (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')

7. Push to your fork (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)

8. Open a Pull Request

Code Review Criteria

• Security best practices followed

• No hardcoded credentials or IPs

• Proper error handling

• Code follows existing patterns

• Documentation is clear and complete

• Changes are tested

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Anthropic for Claude and MCP

• The homelab community for inspiration

• Contributors and testers

📞 Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues

• Discussions: GitHub Discussions

• Security: See SECURITY.md for reporting vulnerabilities

Remember: This project handles critical infrastructure. Always prioritize security and test changes in a safe environment first!