mcp-exec

A Rust-based MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for asynchronous shell command execution with log streaming and searching capabilities.

Features

• Async command execution - Commands run in the background, returning immediately with a UUID for tracking
• Log streaming - Retrieve output with byte offset pagination for efficient large log handling
• Log searching - Regex-based search across command output
• Dual transport - Supports both stdio and streamable HTTP transports
• Flexible storage - In-memory or file-based log persistence
• NixOS module - First-class NixOS/systemd integration

MCP Tools

Installation

Using Cargo

cargo install --path .

Using Nix

nix build
./result/bin/mcp-exec --help

Using Docker

Pre-built Docker images are available on Docker Hub at wholelottahoopla/mcp-exec for both amd64 and arm64 architectures.

Pull the image:

docker pull wholelottahoopla/mcp-exec:latest

Run with HTTP transport (recommended for Docker):

# Basic run with HTTP on port 8080
docker run -d \
  --name mcp-exec \
  -p 8080:8080 \
  -v mcp-exec-data:/data \
  wholelottahoopla/mcp-exec:latest \
  --http-port 8080 \
  --bind-address 0.0.0.0 \
  --directory-path /data

# Connect to http://localhost:8080/mcp

Run with custom port and volume:

docker run -d \
  --name mcp-exec \
  -p 19222:19222 \
  -v /path/to/logs:/var/lib/mcp-exec \
  wholelottahoopla/mcp-exec:latest \
  --http-port 19222 \
  --bind-address 0.0.0.0 \
  --directory-path /var/lib/mcp-exec

Using Docker Compose:

Create a docker-compose.yml file:

services:
  mcp-exec:
    image: wholelottahoopla/mcp-exec:latest
    container_name: mcp-exec
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    volumes:
      - mcp-exec-data:/data
    command: >
      --http-port 8080
      --bind-address 0.0.0.0
      --directory-path /data
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  mcp-exec-data:

Then start the service:

# Docker Compose V2 (recommended)
docker compose up -d

# Docker Compose V1 (legacy)
docker-compose up -d

# View logs
docker compose logs -f

# Stop service
docker compose down

Notes:

• Docker deployments must use HTTP transport (stdio transport is not compatible with Docker)
• Use --bind-address 0.0.0.0 to allow connections from outside the container
• Use volume mounts to persist command logs across container restarts
• The MCP endpoint is available at http://localhost:<port>/mcp

Usage

Stdio Transport (default)

For local MCP integration with tools like Claude Desktop:

# In-memory storage
mcp-exec

# File-based storage
mcp-exec --directory-path /tmp/mcp-exec-logs

HTTP Transport

For remote/network access:

mcp-exec --http-port 8080 --directory-path /var/lib/mcp-exec

# Bind to all interfaces (for remote access)
mcp-exec --http-port 8080 --bind-address 0.0.0.0 --directory-path /var/lib/mcp-exec

Client Integration

Claude for Desktop

1. Install mcp-exec using Cargo or Nix (see Installation).
2. Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config.
3. Add the server to claude_desktop_config.json:

With file-based storage (recommended):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exec": {
      "command": "mcp-exec",
      "args": ["--directory-path", "/tmp/mcp-exec-logs"]
    }
  }
}

With in-memory storage:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exec": {
      "command": "mcp-exec"
    }
  }
}

1. Restart Claude Desktop. The exec tools will appear under the hammer icon.

Cursor

1. Install mcp-exec using Cargo or Nix.
2. Create or edit .cursor/mcp.json in your project root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exec": {
      "command": "mcp-exec",
      "args": ["--directory-path", "/tmp/mcp-exec-logs"]
    }
  }
}

1. Restart Cursor. The MCP tools will be available in the UI.

Claude Code CLI

For local stdio transport:

claude mcp add exec -- mcp-exec --directory-path /tmp/mcp-exec-logs

For remote HTTP server:

# If mcp-exec is running on a remote server with HTTP transport
claude mcp add exec -t http http://your-server:8080/mcp

Then test by running claude and asking: "Execute echo hello world"

Windsurf

1. Install mcp-exec using Cargo or Nix.
2. Open Windsurf → Settings → MCP Servers.
3. Add a new server configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exec": {
      "command": "mcp-exec",
      "args": ["--directory-path", "/tmp/mcp-exec-logs"]
    }
  }
}

1. Restart Windsurf to apply changes.

Zed

1. Install mcp-exec using Cargo or Nix.
2. Edit your Zed settings (~/.config/zed/settings.json):

{
  "context_servers": {
    "exec": {
      "command": {
        "path": "mcp-exec",
        "args": ["--directory-path", "/tmp/mcp-exec-logs"]
      }
    }
  }
}

1. Restart Zed to enable the MCP server.

Generic MCP Client (HTTP)

For any MCP client that supports HTTP transport, start the server and connect:

# Start the server
mcp-exec --http-port 8080 --directory-path /var/lib/mcp-exec

# Connect using the streamable HTTP endpoint
# URL: http://localhost:8080/mcp

NixOS Module

The flake provides a NixOS module for running mcp-exec as a system service.

Basic Setup

Add the flake to your NixOS configuration:

# flake.nix
{
  inputs = {
    nixpkgs.url = "github:NixOS/nixpkgs/nixos-unstable";
    mcp-exec.url = "github:r33drichards/mcp-exec";
  };

  outputs = { self, nixpkgs, mcp-exec, ... }: {
    nixosConfigurations.myhost = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
      system = "x86_64-linux";
      modules = [
        mcp-exec.nixosModules.default
        ./configuration.nix
      ];
    };
  };
}

Configuration Examples

Minimal configuration:

{
  services.mcp-exec = {
    enable = true;
  };
}

This starts mcp-exec on port 19222, bound to all interfaces, with file-based storage at /var/lib/mcp-exec.

Full configuration with all options:

{
  services.mcp-exec = {
    enable = true;

    # Network settings
    port = 19222;                    # HTTP port (default: 19222)
    bindAddress = "0.0.0.0";         # Bind address (default: "0.0.0.0")
    openFirewall = true;             # Open port in firewall (default: false)

    # Storage
    directoryPath = "/var/lib/mcp-exec";  # Log storage directory

    # Service user (auto-created if using defaults)
    user = "mcp-exec";
    group = "mcp-exec";

    # Sudo access for privileged commands
    sudo = {
      enable = true;                 # Grant passwordless sudo (default: false)
      commands = [ "ALL" ];          # Allowed commands (default: ["ALL"])
    };

    # Additional CLI arguments
    extraArgs = [ ];
  };
}

Localhost-only (secure):

{
  services.mcp-exec = {
    enable = true;
    bindAddress = "127.0.0.1";  # Only accept local connections
  };
}

With restricted sudo access:

{
  services.mcp-exec = {
    enable = true;
    sudo = {
      enable = true;
      commands = [
        "/run/current-system/sw/bin/systemctl status *"
        "/run/current-system/sw/bin/journalctl *"
      ];
    };
  };
}

Module Options Reference

Service Management

# Check service status
systemctl status mcp-exec

# View logs
journalctl -u mcp-exec -f

# Restart service
systemctl restart mcp-exec

Development

# Build
cargo build --release

# Run tests
cargo test

# Run integration tests
cargo test --test integration

# Run NixOS VM tests
nix build .#checks.x86_64-linux.vm-basic
nix build .#checks.x86_64-linux.vm-full
nix build .#checks.x86_64-linux.vm-multi-machine

Security Considerations

• By default, the service binds to all interfaces (0.0.0.0). For local-only access, set bindAddress = "127.0.0.1".
• The service executes arbitrary shell commands. Only expose it to trusted networks/clients.
• When sudo.enable = true, the service user gains passwordless sudo access. Restrict sudo.commands in production.
• Consider using a reverse proxy with authentication for remote access.

License

MIT