Terminal Controller

Terminal Controller

What is Terminal Controller about?

Terminal Controller provides a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows natural‑language interaction with the local shell. Users can run commands, change directories, list files, and perform fine‑grained file edits (read, write, insert, update, delete) without typing raw terminal commands.

How to use Terminal Controller?

1. Install the Python package:

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

2. Start the MCP server (usually invoked by an MCP‑compatible client such as Claude Desktop):

   python -m terminal_controller
   

3. Configure the client (e.g., Claude Desktop) to point to the server, either via UVX or direct Python invocation as shown in the README.
4. Interact using natural language, e.g., “Run ls -la”, “Show me my recent command history”, or “Update line 5 in script.py with print('Hello World')”.

Key features of Terminal Controller

• Command Execution with timeout control and full stdout/stderr capture.
• Directory Management – change directory, list contents with visual icons.
• File Operations – read, write (overwrite/append), insert, update, delete rows in any text file.
• Command History – retrieve recent executed commands.
• Security Safeguards – blacklisted dangerous commands, execution timeout, isolated subprocesses.
• Cross‑Platform – works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Use cases of Terminal Controller

• Automating repetitive shell tasks through conversational prompts.
• Providing developers with a natural‑language interface to inspect and modify project files on remote machines.
• Assisting non‑technical users to perform file management without learning command‑line syntax.
• Enabling AI agents (e.g., Claude Desktop) to safely interact with a host system for debugging or data extraction.

FAQ from the Terminal Controller

Q: Which Python version is required? A: Python 3.11 or newer.

Q: How are dangerous commands prevented? A: The server maintains a blacklist (e.g., rm -rf /, format, mkfs) and enforces execution timeouts.

Q: Can interactive commands like ssh be used? A: Interactive commands may not work correctly because the server runs commands in a non‑interactive subprocess.

Q: How do I configure Claude Desktop to use the server? A: Add a JSON entry in the Claude Desktop config file pointing to the command python -m terminal_controller (or uvx terminal_controller).

Q: Is there a Node.js alternative? A: The current implementation is Python‑based; no Node.js package is provided.

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