IBM i MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables AI assistants to interact with IBM i AS/400 source members, providing seamless integration for source code management, compilation, and development workflows.

🚀 Features

• 🔗 IBM i Integration: Connect to IBM i AS/400 systems
• 📂 Source Member Management: Read, write, list, and manage source members
• 🔧 Compilation Support: Compile RPG, DDS, and other source types
• 🏷️ Automatic Source Marking: Apply source mark "5719A" to all modifications
• 🌐 MCP Protocol: Full Model Context Protocol compliance
• 🎯 AI Assistant Ready: Direct integration with ChatGPT, Claude, and other AI tools

📋 Table of Contents

• Quick Start
• Installation
• Configuration
• Tools Reference
• Resources
• Examples
• Development
• Contributing

⚡ Quick Start

1. Install Dependencies

git clone https://github.com/[your-username]/ibmi-mcp-server.git
cd ibmi-mcp-server
npm install

2. Build the Server

npm run build

3. Test Installation

npm test

4. Configure MCP Client

Add to your MCP client configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ibmi-mcp-server": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["path/to/ibmi-mcp-server/build/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

5. Start Using

Connect to your IBM i system and start managing source members through your AI assistant!

🛠 Installation

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18.0.0 or higher
• npm (comes with Node.js)
• Access to IBM i AS/400 system
• MCP-compatible AI assistant or client

Local Development Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/[your-username]/ibmi-mcp-server.git
cd ibmi-mcp-server

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the project
npm run build

# Run tests
npm test

# Start development mode (with auto-reload)
npm run dev

Production Deployment

# Install production dependencies only
npm ci --production

# Build for production
npm run build

# Start the server
npm start

⚙️ Configuration

Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the project root:

# Default IBM i connection settings
DEFAULT_IBMI_HOST=your-ibmi-system.com
DEFAULT_IBMI_USER=your-username
DEFAULT_LIBRARY=QGPL
DEFAULT_SOURCE_FILE=QRPGLESRC

# Development settings
NODE_ENV=development
DEBUG=false

MCP Client Integration

For VS Code with MCP Extension

Add to your VS Code settings or MCP configuration file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ibmi-mcp-server": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["C:\\path\\to\\ibmi-mcp-server\\build\\index.js"],
      "env": {
        "NODE_ENV": "production"
      }
    }
  }
}

For Claude Desktop

Add to claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ibmi": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["path/to/ibmi-mcp-server/build/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

🔧 Tools Reference

connect_ibmi

Connect to an IBM i AS/400 system.

Parameters:

• host (string, required): IBM i system hostname or IP
• user (string, required): User profile name
• password (string, optional): Password
• port (number, default: 23): Connection port
• library (string, default: "QGPL"): Default library
• sourceFile (string, default: "QRPGLESRC"): Default source file

Example:

{
  "host": "ibmi-system.company.com",
  "user": "DEVELOPER",
  "library": "MYLIB",
  "sourceFile": "QRPGLESRC"
}

list_source_members

List source members with optional filtering.

Parameters:

• library (string, optional): Library name
• sourceFile (string, optional): Source physical file name
• member (string, optional): Member name pattern
• type (string, optional): Source type filter (RPGLE, DSPF, etc.)

Example:

{
  "library": "MYLIB",
  "sourceFile": "QRPGLESRC", 
  "type": "RPGLE"
}

read_source_member

Read source member content with optional line range.

Parameters:

• member (string, required): Source member name
• library (string, optional): Library name
• sourceFile (string, optional): Source file name
• startLine (number, optional): Starting line number
• endLine (number, optional): Ending line number

Example:

{
  "member": "MYPROG",
  "startLine": 1,
  "endLine": 100
}

write_source_member

Write or update source member with automatic "5719A" source marking.

Parameters:

• member (string, required): Source member name
• content (string, required): Source member content
• library (string, optional): Library name
• sourceFile (string, optional): Source file name
• sourceType (string, optional): Source type (RPGLE, DSPF, etc.)
• description (string, optional): Member description

Example:

{
  "member": "MYPROG",
  "content": "// RPG code here...",
  "sourceType": "RPGLE",
  "description": "Updated by AI assistant"
}

compile_source_member

Compile a source member.

Parameters:

• member (string, required): Source member name
• library (string, optional): Library name
• sourceFile (string, optional): Source file name
• sourceType (string, optional): Source type
• options (string, optional): Compile options

Example:

{
  "member": "MYPROG",
  "sourceType": "RPGLE",
  "options": "OPTION(*EVENTF)"
}

📚 Resources

Source Member Resource

Access IBM i source members as MCP resources using URI templates:

URI Pattern: ibmi://source/{library}/{sourceFile}/{member}

Examples:

• ibmi://source/MYLIB/QRPGLESRC/MYPROG
• ibmi://source/TESTLIB/QDDSSRC/MYDSPF
• ibmi://source/PRODLIB/QCPYSRC/MYCPY

💡 Examples

Example 1: Connect and List Members

// Connect to IBM i
await callTool("connect_ibmi", {
  host: "ibmi-system.company.com",
  user: "DEVELOPER",
  library: "MYLIB"
});

// List RPG source members
const members = await callTool("list_source_members", {
  type: "RPGLE"
});

Example 2: Read and Modify Source

// Read existing source member
const source = await callTool("read_source_member", {
  member: "MYPROG"
});

// Modify the source (add your changes)
const updatedSource = source.content + "\n// Added by AI assistant";

// Write back with automatic source marking
await callTool("write_source_member", {
  member: "MYPROG", 
  content: updatedSource,
  sourceType: "RPGLE",
  description: "Enhanced by AI"
});

Example 3: Compile and Check Results

// Compile the source member
const compileResult = await callTool("compile_source_member", {
  member: "MYPROG",
  sourceType: "RPGLE"
});

console.log("Compilation:", compileResult.success ? "SUCCESS" : "FAILED");

Example 4: Using Resources

// Access source member as a resource
const resource = await readResource("ibmi://source/MYLIB/QRPGLESRC/MYPROG");
console.log("Source content:", resource.contents[0].text);

🏗 Development

Development Scripts

# Start development mode with auto-reload
npm run dev

# Build the project
npm run build

# Run the server
npm start

# Run tests
npm test

# Lint code
npm run lint

# Open MCP Inspector (if installed)
npm run inspector

Adding New Tools

1. Define the tool in src/index.ts:

server.registerTool(
  "my_new_tool",
  {
    description: "Description of what the tool does",
    inputSchema: {
      parameter1: z.string().describe("Parameter description"),
      parameter2: z.number().optional().describe("Optional parameter"),
    },
  },
  async ({ parameter1, parameter2 }) => {
    // Tool implementation
    return {
      content: [
        {
          type: "text",
          text: `Result: ${parameter1}`,
        },
      ],
    };
  }
);

1. Build and test:

npm run build
npm test

VS Code Development

The project includes VS Code configuration for debugging:

1. Open project in VS Code
2. Set breakpoints in source code
3. Press F5 to start debugging
4. Use the Debug Console to interact with the server

🔒 Security Considerations

• Never commit credentials to version control
• Use environment variables for sensitive configuration
• Implement proper IBM i user permissions
• Validate all input parameters
• Use secure connection methods for IBM i access

📄 Source Marking

All source modifications automatically receive the "5719A" source mark:

• RPG Sources: Mark applied at position 75+
• DDS Sources: Mark applied at position 81+
• Other Sources: Mark applied at appropriate position based on source type

This ensures compliance with source marking standards and tracks AI-assisted modifications.

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Build fails with module errors:

npm install
npm run build

Server won't connect to IBM i:

• Check host/port settings
• Verify user credentials
• Ensure network connectivity

Source marking issues:

• Source mark "5719A" is applied automatically
• Check line length limits for your source type

MCP client connection issues:

• Verify the correct path to build/index.js
• Check Node.js version (18.0.0+ required)
• Ensure the server builds successfully

Debug Mode

Run with verbose logging:

DEBUG=* npm start

Getting Help

• 📖 Documentation: See DEVELOPMENT_GUIDE.md
• 🐛 Issues: GitHub Issues
• 💬 Discussions: GitHub Discussions

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guide for details.

Quick Contribution Steps

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests if applicable
5. Run quality checks: npm run lint && npm test
6. Commit changes: git commit -m "Add amazing feature"
7. Push to branch: git push origin feature/amazing-feature
8. Open a Pull Request

📜 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Model Context Protocol team for the excellent SDK
• IBM i community for inspiration and requirements
• VS Code and TypeScript teams for amazing developer tools

🌟 Star History

If this project helps you, please consider giving it a star! ⭐

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Built with ❤️ for the IBM i community

Enable your AI assistants to work directly with IBM i AS/400 source members while maintaining professional source marking standards.