MCP-for-i

mcp-for-i is a local MCP server + control plane for IBM i workflows. It provides secure connection onboarding, keychain-backed credentials, runtime update controls, and IBM i tools for agent-driven operations.

Install

Install globally from npm:

npm i -g mcp-for-i

Verify commands:

mcp-for-i --help
mcp-for-i-control help

Quick Start

1. Start the local control plane:

mcp-for-i-control serve

2. Open the UI at:

http://127.0.0.1:3980

3. Add IBM i connection profiles in the UI. Passwords are stored in the OS keychain, not plain config.

Background Startup (Windows)

Enable startup at login:

mcp-for-i-control setup

Check status:

mcp-for-i-control status

Disable startup:

mcp-for-i-control remove

Update and Version Management

Update to latest globally:

npm i -g mcp-for-i@latest

Install a specific version:

npm i -g [email protected]

Rollback example:

npm i -g [email protected]

Check current installed version:

mcp-for-i --version

Control Plane Runtime Actions

In the UI, runtime buttons behave as follows:

• Install/Repair MCP
  • If running from a git checkout: runs local dependency repair/build.
  • If running as npm-installed package: runs global npm install/repair for latest package.
• Update MCP
  • If running from a git checkout: pulls latest changes from origin/<current-branch>, then installs/builds.
  • If running as npm-installed package: upgrades global npm package to latest.
  • On Windows global installs, update runs in a detached updater and briefly restarts control plane to avoid file-lock (EBUSY) errors.
• Update Skills
  • Pulls/clones the configured skills repository and branch into the local skills directory.

Development (Git Checkout)

For contributors working from source:

npm install
npm run build
npm test
npm run start:controlplane

Automated Release (No Manual Version Bump)

Use the release script instead of raw npm publish.

Patch release:

npm run release:patch

Minor release:

npm run release:minor

Major release:

npm run release:major

What it does:

• Verifies git working tree is clean.
• Runs npm test (unless --skip-tests is passed).
• Checks npm published version.
• Auto-bumps version only when local version is not ahead.
• Publishes to npm.
• Pushes commit/tag to GitHub.

Optional flags:

npm run release:patch -- --skip-tests
npm run release:patch -- --otp=123456
npm run release:patch -- --no-push

Security Model

• Credential-bearing direct tool arguments are blocked for connection creation/update flows.
• Passwords are stored in keychain when available.
• Control plane is local-first (127.0.0.1 by default).
• Guarded policy profile is the default for operational safety.
• Tool schemas are strict (additionalProperties: false) with runtime argument validation, including nested connection/action/filter/profile payloads.
• QSYS object names and source settings are validated before command execution to reduce interpolation and injection risk.

Links

• Main repo: ashishthomas2202/mcp-for-i
• Skills repo: ashishthomas2202/mcp-for-i-skills
• Docs: docs/
• Full capability guide: docs/capabilities.md