bpftrace MCP Server

bpftrace MCP Server: generate eBPF to trace linux kernel

A minimal MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that provides AI assistants with access to bpftrace kernel tracing capabilities.

Now implemented in Rust using the rmcp crate for better performance and type safety. The Python implementation is still available in the git history.

bpftrace MCP Server Demo

Features

list_probes: List available bpftrace probes with optional filtering
list_helpers: Get information about bpftrace helper functions
exec_program: Execute bpftrace programs with buffered output
get_result: Retrieve execution results asynchronously

Installation

Prerequisites

Install Rust (if not already installed):

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

Ensure bpftrace is installed:

sudo apt-get install bpftrace  # Ubuntu/Debian
# or
sudo dnf install bpftrace      # Fedora

Build the server:

cargo build --release

Quick Setup

Use our automated setup scripts:

Claude Desktop: ./setup/setup_claude.sh
Claude Code: ./setup/setup_claude_code.sh

For detailed setup instructions and manual configuration, see setup/SETUP.md.

Running the Server

Direct Execution

./target/release/bpftrace-mcp-server

Through Cargo

cargo run --release

Manual Configuration

For manual setup instructions for Claude Desktop or Claude Code, see setup/SETUP.md.

Usage Examples

List System Call Probes

await list_probes(filter="syscalls:*read*")

Get BPF System Information

info = await bpf_info()
# Returns system info, kernel helpers, features, map types, and probe types

Execute a Simple Trace

result = await exec_program(
    'tracepoint:syscalls:sys_enter_open { printf("%s\\n", comm); }',
    timeout=10
)
exec_id = result["execution_id"]

Get Results

output = await get_result(exec_id)
print(output["output"])

Security Notes

The server requires sudo access for bpftrace
Password Handling: Create a .env file with your sudo password:
echo "BPFTRACE_PASSWD=your_sudo_password" > .env
Alternative: Configure passwordless sudo for bpftrace:
sudo visudo # Add: your_username ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/bpftrace
No script validation - trust the AI client to generate safe scripts
Resource limits: 60s max execution, 10k lines buffer
See SECURITY.md for detailed security configuration

Architecture

The Rust server uses:

Tokio async runtime for concurrent operations
Subprocess management for bpftrace execution
DashMap for thread-safe in-memory buffering
Automatic cleanup of old buffers
rmcp crate for MCP protocol implementation

Limitations

No real-time streaming (use get_result to poll)
Simple password handling (improve for production)
No persistent storage of executions
Basic error handling

Documentation

Setup Guide - Detailed installation and configuration
Claude Code Setup - Claude Code specific instructions
CLAUDE.md - Development guidance for AI assistants
Design Document - Architecture and design details

Future Enhancements

Add SSE transport for real-time streaming
Implement proper authentication
Add script validation and sandboxing
Support for saving/loading trace sessions
Integration with eBPF programs

This server cannot be installed

security - not tested

license - permissive license

quality - not tested

How are these scores calculated?

A minimal server that provides AI assistants with access to Linux kernel tracing capabilities through bpftrace, enabling dynamic tracing and performance analysis via the Model Context Protocol.

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