Terminal Controller

Terminal Controller

What is Terminal Controller about?

Terminal Controller provides a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that lets users run shell commands, move through directories, and manipulate files (read, write, insert, update, delete) with built‑in safety checks.

How to use Terminal Controller?

1. Install the Python package:

   pip install terminal-controller
   # or with UV
   uv pip install terminal-controller
   

2. Start the MCP server (example):

   python -m terminal_controller
   # or with UVX
   uvx terminal_controller
   

3. Configure your MCP client (e.g., Claude Desktop) to call the server:

   "terminal-controller": {
     "command": "python",
     "args": ["-m", "terminal_controller"]
   }
   

4. Interact via natural language: ask the client to run commands, change directories, or edit files.

Key features of Terminal Controller

• Command Execution with timeout and full stdout/stderr capture
• Directory Management – get current path, change directory, list contents with icons
• File Operations – read, write (overwrite/append), insert, delete, update rows
• Command History – retrieve recent executions
• Security Safeguards – command blacklisting, execution time limits
• Cross‑Platform – works on Windows, macOS, and Linux

Use cases of Terminal Controller

• Automating routine shell tasks through conversational AI
• Quickly inspecting or editing configuration files without leaving the AI chat
• Running diagnostics or build commands from an MCP‑compatible client
• Teaching or demonstrating command‑line operations in an interactive setting

FAQ from the Terminal Controller

Q: What Python version is required?
A: Python 3.11 or higher.

Q: Can I run interactive commands like vim?
A: Interactive tools are limited because the server operates non‑interactively; they may not behave as expected.

Q: How does the security blacklist work?
A: Dangerous commands such as rm -rf /, format, and mkfs are blocked before execution.

Q: What if a command exceeds the timeout?
A: The server terminates the process and returns a timeout error.

Q: Do I need UVX to run the server?
A: No, UVX is optional. You can start the server with standard Python as shown above.

Terminal Controller for MCP

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables secure terminal command execution, directory navigation, and file system operations through a standardized interface.

Features

• Command Execution: Run terminal commands with timeout controls and comprehensive output capture
• Directory Management: Navigate and list directory contents with intuitive formatting
• Security Measures: Built-in safeguards against dangerous commands and operations
• Command History: Track and display recent command executions
• Cross-Platform Support: Works on both Windows and UNIX-based systems
• File Operations: Read, write, update, insert, and delete file content with row-level precision

Installation

Installing via Smithery

To install Terminal Controller for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli install @GongRzhe/terminal-controller-mcp --client claude

Prerequisites

• Python 3.11+
• An MCP-compatible client (such as Claude Desktop)
• UV/UVX installed (optional, for UVX method)

Method 1: PyPI Installation (Recommended)

Install the package directly from PyPI:

pip install terminal-controller

Or if you prefer to use UV:

uv pip install terminal-controller

Method 2: From Source

If you prefer to install from source:

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/GongRzhe/terminal-controller-mcp.git
   cd terminal-controller-mcp
   

2. Run the setup script:

   python setup_mcp.py
   

Client Configuration

Claude Desktop

There are two ways to configure Claude Desktop to use Terminal Controller:

Option 1: Using UVX (Recommended)

Add this to your Claude Desktop configuration file:

"terminal-controller": {
  "command": "uvx",
  "args": ["terminal_controller"]
}

Option 2: Using Python Directly

"terminal-controller": {
  "command": "python",
  "args": ["-m", "terminal_controller"]
}

The configuration path varies by operating system:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Cursor

For Cursor, use similar configuration settings as Claude Desktop.

Other MCP Clients

For other clients, refer to their documentation on how to configure external MCP servers.

Usage

Once configured, you can use natural language to interact with your terminal through your MCP client:

• "Run the command ls -la in the current directory"
• "Navigate to my Documents folder"
• "Show me the contents of my Downloads directory"
• "Show me my recent command history"
• "Read the content of config.json"
• "Update line 5 in my script.py file with 'print("Hello World")'"
• "Delete lines 10-15 from the log file"
• "Insert a new line at the beginning of my text file"

API Reference

Terminal Controller exposes the following MCP tools:

execute_command

Execute a terminal command and return its results.

Parameters:

• command: The command line command to execute
• timeout: Command timeout in seconds (default: 30)

Returns:

• Output of the command execution, including stdout, stderr, and execution status

get_command_history

Get recent command execution history.

Parameters:

• count: Number of recent commands to return (default: 10)

Returns:

• Formatted command history record

get_current_directory

Get the current working directory.

Returns:

• Path of current working directory

change_directory

Change the current working directory.

Parameters:

• path: Directory path to switch to

Returns:

• Operation result information

list_directory

List files and subdirectories in the specified directory.

Parameters:

• path: Directory path to list contents (default: current directory)

Returns:

• List of directory contents, formatted with icons for directories and files

write_file

Write content to a file with overwrite or append options.

Parameters:

• path: Path to the file
• content: Content to write
• mode: Write mode ('overwrite' or 'append', default: 'overwrite')

Returns:

• Operation result information including verification of successful write

read_file

Read content from a file with optional row selection.

Parameters:

• path: Path to the file
• start_row: Starting row to read from (0-based, optional)
• end_row: Ending row to read to (0-based, inclusive, optional)

Returns:

• File content or selected lines

insert_file_content

Insert content at specific row(s) in a file.

Parameters:

• path: Path to the file
• content: Content to insert
• row: Row number to insert at (0-based, optional)
• rows: List of row numbers to insert at (0-based, optional)

Returns:

• Operation result information

delete_file_content

Delete content at specific row(s) from a file.

Parameters:

• path: Path to the file
• row: Row number to delete (0-based, optional)
• rows: List of row numbers to delete (0-based, optional)

Returns:

• Operation result information

update_file_content

Update content at specific row(s) in a file.

Parameters:

• path: Path to the file
• content: New content to place at the specified row(s)
• row: Row number to update (0-based, optional)
• rows: List of row numbers to update (0-based, optional)

Returns:

• Operation result information

Security Considerations

Terminal Controller implements several security measures:

• Timeout controls to prevent long-running commands
• Blacklisting of dangerous commands (rm -rf /, format, mkfs)
• Proper error handling and isolation of command execution
• Access only to the commands and directories specifically granted

Limitations

• Only commands that complete within the timeout period will return results
• By default, the server has access to the same file system permissions as the user running it
• Some interactive commands may not work as expected due to the non-interactive nature of the terminal interface

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues:

1. Check that your Python version is 3.11 or higher
2. Verify that your Claude Desktop configuration is correct
3. Try running the terminal controller directly to check for errors:

   python -m terminal_controller
   

4. For UVX-related issues, try:

   uvx terminal_controller
   

5. Review your MCP client's logs for connection errors

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

MIT