mcp_shell_tools
A full-featured MCP server for local development with filesystem, shell, editor, session persistence, and security features.
README
mcp_shell_tools
A full-featured MCP server for local development — filesystem, shell, editor, session persistence.
Built as a practical companion to the blog series on uc-it.de about building MCP servers from scratch. This is not a demo — it runs in daily production use with Claude Desktop, claude.ai, and ChatGPT.
What Makes This Different
Most MCP servers offer a handful of tools over stdio. This one provides:
- 24 tools across 7 categories (filesystem, editor, search, shell, project context, memory, sessions)
- Two transports — stdio for Claude Desktop, Streamable HTTP for remote clients
- Session persistence — memory and context survive across conversations
- Security layer — dangerous command patterns are blocked, sudo requires confirmation
- Process isolation — subprocesses run in separate process groups with timeout enforcement
- OAuth 2.0 — optional authentication for remote access via Traefik reverse proxy
Tools
| Category | Tools |
|---|---|
| Filesystem | file_read, file_write, file_list, glob_search, file_delete, file_move, file_copy, file_append, tree |
| Editor | str_replace, diff_preview |
| Search | grep |
| Shell | shell_exec, env, set_env |
| Project | cd, cwd, project_init |
| Memory | memory_add, memory_show, memory_clear |
| Session | session_save, session_resume, session_list |
Quickstart
git clone https://github.com/cuber-it/mcp_shell_tools.git
cd mcp_shell_tools
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
Claude Desktop (stdio)
Add to your Claude Desktop config (~/.config/claude/claude_desktop_config.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"shell-tools": {
"command": "/path/to/mcp_shell_tools/run.sh"
}
}
}
Restart Claude Desktop. The tools are now available.
Streamable HTTP (Remote)
python code/main.py serve --http 12201
This starts the server on port 12201 with the /mcp endpoint. For production use with OAuth, see the systemd service template in mcp-shell-http.service.
How It Works
Claude Desktop ──► run.sh ──► mcp_shell_tools (stdio)
claude.ai / ChatGPT
│
▼
Reverse Proxy ──► host:12201 (/mcp)
│
OAuth Server ──► host:9080
The server manages a working directory, environment variables, and session state. Tools operate relative to the current working directory (changeable via cd). Project context is loaded from CLAUDE.md files. Memory entries persist across tool calls within a session.
Security
Shell commands pass through a security filter before execution:
- Blocked patterns —
rm -rf /,dd of=/dev/,mkfs, fork bombs, etc. - Sudo warning — requires explicit confirmation
- Process groups — each subprocess runs in its own session, enabling clean kills on timeout
- Output truncation — prevents context overflow from large outputs
See code/config.py for the full list of blocked patterns.
Configuration
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
MCP_HOST |
127.0.0.1 |
Bind address (HTTP mode) |
MCP_PORT |
12201 |
Port (HTTP mode) |
MCP_OAUTH_ENABLED |
false |
Enable OAuth authentication |
MCP_OAUTH_SERVER_URL |
— | OAuth server URL |
MCP_PUBLIC_URL |
— | Public-facing server URL |
Project Structure
mcp_shell_tools/
├── code/
│ ├── main.py # CLI entry point (stdio / HTTP)
│ ├── server.py # FastMCP setup, tool registration
│ ├── config.py # Constants, security patterns
│ ├── state.py # Working directory, env vars
│ ├── health_server.py # HTTP health endpoint
│ ├── heinzel_integration.py # Optional registry integration
│ ├── tools/
│ │ ├── filesystem.py # 9 file operations
│ │ ├── editor.py # str_replace, diff_preview
│ │ ├── search.py # grep with regex support
│ │ ├── shell.py # Command execution with security
│ │ ├── project.py # Working directory, CLAUDE.md
│ │ ├── memory.py # Persistent notes and decisions
│ │ ├── session.py # Save/resume sessions
│ │ └── commands.py # Slash commands (/verbose, /log)
│ ├── persistence/
│ │ ├── models.py # Data models (Session, Memory)
│ │ └── session_manager.py # JSON-based persistence
│ └── utils/
├── tests/ # 70 tests
├── config/
│ └── traefik-mcp.yml # Example Traefik config
├── docs/
│ ├── ARCHITECTURE.md
│ ├── HTTP_STABILITY.md
│ └── ROADMAP.md
└── mcp-shell-http.service # Systemd service template
Requirements
- Python 3.10+
mcpSDK >= 1.26.0
Further Reading
- Blog: Building MCP Servers — the blog series this project accompanies
- Model Context Protocol — MCP specification
docs/ARCHITECTURE.md— detailed code architecturedocs/HTTP_STABILITY.md— transport evolution and Traefik setupCHANGELOG.md— version history
License
MIT
Author
UC IT Service — uc-it.de
Actively maintained and continuously evolving. Contributions and feedback welcome.
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