Catalyst Center MCP Server

A Python-based MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for Cisco Catalyst Center (formerly DNA Center) that provides tools for device management, client information retrieval, and network monitoring.

Features

• Secure authentication with Cisco Catalyst Center.
• Device discovery, listing, and detailed information retrieval.
• Site information retrieval, including hierarchy and details.
• Network interface information for specific devices.
• Client listing with comprehensive filtering options.
• Detailed client information retrieval by MAC address.
• Client count retrieval with filtering.
• Helper tool for API-compatible time range conversion.
• Implemented using FastMCP for a robust and extensible MCP server.
• Configuration via .env file for easy setup.

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/richbibby/catalyst-center-mcp.git
cd catalyst-center-mcp

1. Create a virtual environment and activate it:

python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

1. Install dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Configuration

1. Copy the example environment file:

cp .env.example .env

1. Update the .env file with your Catalyst Center credentials:

CCC_HOST=your-catalyst-center-host
CCC_USER=your-username
CCC_PWD=your-password

Usage With Claude Desktop Client

1. Configure Claude Desktop to use this MCP server:

• Open Claude Desktop
• Go to Settings > Developer > Edit Config
• Add the following configuration (adjust paths as needed, see claude_desktop_config.json for an example structure):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "catalyst-center-mcp": {
      "command": "/path/to/your/venv/bin/fastmcp",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "/path/to/your/catalyst-center-mcp/catalyst-center-mcp.py"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PYTHONUNBUFFERED": "1"
      }
    }
  }
}

• Replace /path/to/your/... with the absolute paths relevant to your local environment.
• The PYTHONUNBUFFERED environment variable is recommended for Stdio transport.

1. Restart Claude Desktop

2. Interact with Claude Desktop:

• Ask Claude to perform actions like "Show me the devices in my Cisco Catalyst Center"
• Claude will use the MCP server to authenticate and fetch device information

Usage With VScode

1. Configure VSCode to use this MCP server:

• Open VScode
• Open the command pallet : Command + Shift + P in Visual Studio Code on macOS (or Ctrl + Shift + P on Windows and Linux)
• Type: MCP: Open User Configuration
• Add the following configuration (adjust paths as needed, see claude_desktop_config.json for an example structure):

{
  "servers": {
    "catalyst-center-mcp": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "/path/to/your/venv/bin/fastmcp",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "/path/to/your/catalyst-center-mcp/catalyst-center-mcp.py"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PYTHONUNBUFFERED": "1"
      }
    }
  }
}

• Replace /path/to/your/... with the absolute paths relevant to your local environment.
• The PYTHONUNBUFFERED environment variable is recommended for Stdio transport.

1. Restart VSCode

You can also

• open the command pallet : Command + Shift + P in Visual Studio Code on macOS (or Ctrl + Shift + P on Windows and Linux)
• Execute Developer: Reload Window

1. Interact in Chat window:

• Ask questions like "Show me the devices in my Cisco Catalyst Center"
• VSCode will use the MCP server to authenticate and fetch device information

Example Questions

Here are some example questions you can ask Claude to interact with your Catalyst Center:

Device Information

• "Show me all devices in my network"
• "List all switches in my network"
• "What devices are currently unreachable?"
• "Show me devices with hostname containing 'switch'"
• "What's the status of device with IP 10.1.1.1?"

Interface Information

• "Show me all interfaces for device X"
• "What interfaces are down on device Y?"
• "List all Gigabit interfaces on device Z"
• "Show me interfaces with IP addresses"
• "What's the status of interface GigabitEthernet1/0/1 on device X?"

Site Information

• "Show me all sites in my network"
• "What devices are in site X?"
• "List all buildings in my network"
• "Show me the site hierarchy"
• "What's the address of site Y?"

Client Information

• "How many clients are currently connected?"
• "List all wireless clients."
• "Show me clients connected to SSID 'Corporate-WiFi'."
• "What are the details for client with MAC address aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff?"
• "Are there any clients with an OS type of 'macOS'?"
• "List clients active in the last hour."

Combined Queries

• "Show me all devices in site X and their interfaces"
• "List all down interfaces across all devices"
• "What devices in building Y have unreachable interfaces?"
• "Show me the network topology for site Z"
• "What's the status of all devices in area A?"

Available Tools

• fetch_devices: Fetches a list of devices from Cisco Catalyst Center, with filtering options.
• fetch_sites: Fetches a list of sites from Cisco Catalyst Center, returning a compact JSON structure.
• fetch_interfaces: Fetches interface information for a specific device ID.
• get_api_compatible_time_range: Converts natural language time inputs (e.g., "last 24 hours", "yesterday") or specific timestamps into API-compatible epoch millisecond start and end times.
• get_clients_list: Retrieves a list of clients from Cisco Catalyst Center with comprehensive filtering options (e.g., by client type, OS, site, MAC/IP address, SSID). Returns a maximum of 100 clients per call.
• get_client_details_by_mac: Fetches detailed information for a specific client by their MAC address.
• get_clients_count: Retrieves the total count of clients matching specified filters.

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request