ibmi-mcp-server (⚠️ Under Active Development)

MCP server for IBM i

📚 Documentation | ⚠️ Docs are under active development

📁 Repository Structure

Here is an overview of the repository structure:

ibmi-mcp-server/
├── server/          ← MCP server implementation (main package)
├── tools/           ← SQL tool YAML configurations
├── agents/          ← Agent implementations and examples
└── apps/            ← Deployment configurations (Docker, Gateway, n8n)

Quick Navigation

Server Documentation - MCP server setup, development, and API
Tools Documentation - SQL tool configuration guide
Agents Documentation - Agent development and examples
Deployment Guide - Docker, Gateway, and n8n setup

📋 Table of Contents

ibmi-mcp-server (⚠️ Under Active Development)

📡 Setup Mapepire

Before you can use the ibmi-mcp-server, you must install and configure Mapepire on your IBM i system.

What is Mapepire?

Mapepire is a modern, high-performance database server for IBM i that provides SQL query execution capabilities over WebSocket connections. It acts as a gateway between modern application architectures (like MCP servers, AI agents, and REST APIs) and IBM i's Db2 for i database.

Why Mapepire Enables AI and MCP Workloads

Traditional IBM i database access methods (ODBC, JDBC) don't align well with modern AI and MCP architectures that require:

Fast, lightweight connections: AI agents make frequent, short-lived database queries
WebSocket support: Enables real-time, bidirectional communication for streaming results
Modern JSON-based protocols: Simplifies integration with TypeScript/JavaScript ecosystems
Low-latency responses: Essential for interactive AI conversations and tool executions

Mapepire bridges this gap by providing a modern, WebSocket-based SQL query interface that's optimized for the request/response patterns of AI agents and MCP tools.

Installation

Quick Install (IBM i SSH Session):

# 1. Install Mapepire using yum
yum install mapepire-server

# 2. Install Service Commander (if not already installed)
yum install service-commander

# 3. Start Mapepire service
sc start mapepire

📚 Full Documentation: Mapepire System Administrator Guide

Important Notes:

By default, Mapepire runs on port 8076. You'll need this port number when configuring the DB2i_PORT variable in your .env file.

Ensure your IBM i firewall allows inbound connections on port 8076

For production deployments, configure SSL/TLS certificates (see official guide)

⚡ Quickstart

1. Installation

Clone the repository and install dependencies:

git clone https://github.com/IBM/ibmi-mcp-server.git
cd ibmi-mcp-server/
npm install

2. Build the Project

npm run build
# Or use 'npm run rebuild' for a clean install

3. Create Server .env File

cp .env.example .env

Fill out the Db2 for i connection details in the .env file:

# IBM i DB2 for i Connection Settings
# Required for YAML SQL tools to connect to IBM i systems
DB2i_HOST=
DB2i_USER=
DB2i_PASS=
DB2i_PORT=8076
DB2i_IGNORE_UNAUTHORIZED=true

📖 Configuration Guide: See the complete Configuration section for all available settings, including IBM i Database Connection, Authentication, HTTP Transport, and more.

4. Running the Server

Once built, you can start the server in different transport modes: http or stdio.

Via Stdio (Default):

npx ibmi-mcp-server --transport stdio --tools ./tools

Via Streamable HTTP:
```
npx ibmi-mcp-server --transport http --tools ./tools
```
By Default, the server registers SQL tools stored in the tools directory. This path is set in the .env file (TOOLS_YAML_PATH). You can override the SQL tools path using the CLI

5. Run Example Agent

Make sure that the server is running in http mode:

npx ibmi-mcp-server --transport http --tools ./tools

Run the Example Scripts:

In another terminal, navigate to the server/tests/agents directory and follow the setup instructions in the README.

Run an example MCP Client script to list available tools:

cd server/tests/agents
uv run mcp_client.py

List Configured tool annotations and server resources:

cd server/tests/agents

# See a list of configured tools:
uv run test_tool_annotations.py

# see a list of server resources:
uv run test_toolset_resources.py

Note: test_tool_annotations.py and run test_toolset_resources.py DO NOT require and OpenAI API Key

Run the example Agent:

cd server/tests/agents
export OPENAI_API_KEY=your_open_ai_key
uv run agent.py -p "What is my system status?"

6. Running Tests

This template uses Vitest for testing, with a strong emphasis on integration testing to ensure all components work together correctly.

Run all tests once:
```
npm test
```
Run tests in watch mode:
```
npm run test:watch
```
Run tests and generate a coverage report:
```
npm run test:coverage
```

🔌 Installing in MCP Clients

This server can be integrated into any MCP-compatible client using either local (stdio) or remote (HTTP) connections.

Prerequisites: Local Installation

For local development, install the server globally using npm link:

# From the ibmi-mcp-server directory
npm install
npm run build
npm link

This makes the ibmi-mcp-server command available globally on your machine. After linking, you can use npx ibmi-mcp-server in any client configuration.

Note: TOOLS_YAML_PATH must be an absolute path to your tools configuration directory (e.g., /full/path/to/tools).

Remote Server Setup

For HTTP remote connections, you need to:

Start the server with IBM i authentication enabled:

# Ensure your .env has these settings:
MCP_AUTH_MODE=ibmi
IBMI_HTTP_AUTH_ENABLED=true
IBMI_AUTH_ALLOW_HTTP=true  # For development only!

npm run start:http

Obtain an access token:

# Use the token script to authenticate
node get-access-token.js --verbose

# Or set it directly in your environment
export IBMI_MCP_ACCESS_TOKEN="your-token-here"

See IBM i HTTP Authentication for detailed authentication setup.

Configure your client with the server URL and Bearer token (examples below).

⚠️ Production Note: Replace http://localhost:3010 with your production endpoint URL and ensure HTTPS is enabled (IBMI_AUTH_ALLOW_HTTP=false).

Client Configurations

Claude Code

Claude Code supports both local (stdio) and remote (HTTP) MCP server connections. You can configure servers using the CLI or by editing .mcp.json directly.

Option 1: Local Stdio Server (Recommended)

Using CLI:

# Add local stdio server
claude mcp add ibmi-mcp \
  --env DB2i_HOST=your-ibmi-host.com \
  --env DB2i_USER=your-username \
  --env DB2i_PASS=your-password \
  --env DB2i_PORT=8076 \
  --env MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE=stdio \
  -- npx ibmi-mcp-server --tools /absolute/path/to/tools

Using .mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ibmi-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["ibmi-mcp-server", "--tools", "/absolute/path/to/tools"],
      "env": {
        "DB2i_HOST": "your-ibmi-host.com",
        "DB2i_USER": "your-username",
        "DB2i_PASS": "your-password",
        "DB2i_PORT": "8076",
        "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio",
        "NODE_OPTIONS": "--no-deprecation"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option 2: Remote HTTP Server

Using CLI:

# Add remote HTTP server with authentication
claude mcp add --transport http ibmi-mcp http://localhost:3010/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN_HERE"

Using .mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ibmi-mcp": {
      "url": "http://localhost:3010/mcp",
      "type": "http",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Environment Variable Expansion

Claude Code supports environment variable expansion in .mcp.json files, allowing you to keep credentials secure:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ibmi-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["ibmi-mcp-server", "--tools", "${IBMI_TOOLS_PATH}"],
      "env": {
        "DB2i_HOST": "${DB2i_HOST}",
        "DB2i_USER": "${DB2i_USER}",
        "DB2i_PASS": "${DB2i_PASS}",
        "DB2i_PORT": "${DB2i_PORT:-8076}",
        "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio"
      }
    }
  }
}

Supported syntax:

${VAR} - Expands to the value of environment variable VAR
${VAR:-default} - Expands to VAR if set, otherwise uses default

Managing Servers

# List configured servers
claude mcp list

# Get server details
claude mcp get ibmi-mcp

# Remove a server
claude mcp remove ibmi-mcp

# Check server status in Claude Code
/mcp

📖 Claude Code MCP Documentation

Claude Desktop

Local (Stdio)

Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ibmi-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["ibmi-mcp-server", "--tools", "/absolute/path/to/tools"],
      "env": {
        "DB2i_HOST": "your-ibmi-host.com",
        "DB2i_USER": "your-username",
        "DB2i_PASS": "your-password",
        "DB2i_PORT": "8076",
        "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio"
      }
    }
  }
}

Remote (HTTP)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ibmi-mcp": {
      "url": "http://localhost:3010/mcp",
      "type": "http",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

📖 Claude Desktop MCP Setup

VSCode

VSCode supports MCP servers through Copilot Chat. You can configure servers at the user or workspace level using configuration files or the CLI.

Prerequisites: Ensure GitHub Copilot is installed and enabled.

Configuration File Locations

Workspace: .vscode/mcp.json (shared with team via version control)
User: mcp.json in your user profile directory
- macOS/Linux: ~/.config/Code/User/globalStorage/modelcontextprotocol.mcp/mcp.json
- Windows: %APPDATA%\Code\User\globalStorage\modelcontextprotocol.mcp\mcp.json

Option 1: Local Stdio Server

Using CLI:

# Add local stdio server
code --add-mcp '{
  "name": "ibmiMcp",
  "type": "stdio",
  "command": "npx",
  "args": ["ibmi-mcp-server", "--tools", "/absolute/path/to/prebuiltconfigs"],
  "env": {
    "DB2i_HOST": "your-ibmi-host.com",
    "DB2i_USER": "your-username",
    "DB2i_PASS": "your-password",
    "DB2i_PORT": "8076",
    "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio"
  }
}'

Using mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "ibmiMcp": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["ibmi-mcp-server", "--tools", "/absolute/path/to/tools"],
      "env": {
        "DB2i_HOST": "your-ibmi-host.com",
        "DB2i_USER": "your-username",
        "DB2i_PASS": "your-password",
        "DB2i_PORT": "8076",
        "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option 2: Remote HTTP Server

Using CLI:

# Add remote HTTP server
code --add-mcp '{
  "name": "ibmiMcp",
  "type": "http",
  "url": "http://localhost:3010/mcp",
  "headers": {
    "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN_HERE"
  }
}'

Using mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "ibmiMcp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "http://localhost:3010/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Secure Credentials with Input Variables

VSCode supports input variables to avoid hardcoding sensitive credentials:

{
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "db2iHost",
      "type": "promptString",
      "description": "IBM i DB2 host address"
    },
    {
      "id": "db2iUser",
      "type": "promptString",
      "description": "IBM i username"
    },
    {
      "id": "db2iPass",
      "type": "promptString",
      "description": "IBM i password",
      "password": true
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "ibmiMcp": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["ibmi-mcp-server", "--tools", "/absolute/path/to/tools"],
      "env": {
        "DB2i_HOST": "${input:db2iHost}",
        "DB2i_USER": "${input:db2iUser}",
        "DB2i_PASS": "${input:db2iPass}",
        "DB2i_PORT": "8076",
        "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio"
      }
    }
  }
}

VSCode will prompt for these values when the server starts, keeping credentials secure.

Managing Servers

View servers: Check the Copilot Chat view in the Activity Bar
Restart server: Use Command Palette (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P) → "MCP: Restart Server"
Disable server: Remove from mcp.json or disable in settings

📖 VSCode MCP Documentation

Cursor

Local (Stdio)

Add to Cursor settings or .cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ibmi-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["ibmi-mcp-server", "--tools", "/absolute/path/to/tools"],
      "env": {
        "DB2i_HOST": "your-ibmi-host.com",
        "DB2i_USER": "your-username",
        "DB2i_PASS": "your-password",
        "DB2i_PORT": "8076",
        "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio"
      }
    }
  }
}

Remote (HTTP)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ibmi-mcp": {
      "url": "http://localhost:3010/mcp",
      "type": "http",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

📖 Cursor MCP Documentation

Windsurf

Local (Stdio)

Add to Windsurf configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ibmi-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["ibmi-mcp-server", "--tools", "/absolute/path/to/tools"],
      "env": {
        "DB2i_HOST": "your-ibmi-host.com",
        "DB2i_USER": "your-username",
        "DB2i_PASS": "your-password",
        "DB2i_PORT": "8076",
        "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio"
      }
    }
  }
}

Remote (HTTP)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ibmi-mcp": {
      "url": "http://localhost:3010/mcp",
      "type": "http",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

📖 Windsurf MCP Documentation

Roo Code

Local (Stdio)

Configure in Roo Code settings:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ibmi-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["ibmi-mcp-server", "--tools", "/absolute/path/to/tools"],
      "env": {
        "DB2i_HOST": "your-ibmi-host.com",
        "DB2i_USER": "your-username",
        "DB2i_PASS": "your-password",
        "DB2i_PORT": "8076",
        "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio"
      }
    }
  }
}

Remote (HTTP)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ibmi-mcp": {
      "url": "http://localhost:3010/mcp",
      "type": "http",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

📖 Roo Code MCP Documentation

LM Studio

Local (Stdio)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ibmi-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["ibmi-mcp-server", "--tools", "/absolute/path/to/tools"],
      "env": {
        "DB2i_HOST": "your-ibmi-host.com",
        "DB2i_USER": "your-username",
        "DB2i_PASS": "your-password",
        "DB2i_PORT": "8076",
        "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio",
        "NODE_OPTIONS": "--no-deprecation"
      }
    }
  }
}

Remote (HTTP)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ibmi-mcp": {
      "url": "http://localhost:3010/mcp",
      "type": "http",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

📖 LM Studio MCP Support

OpenCode

Local (Stdio)

Add local MCP servers using "type": "local" within the MCP object. Multiple MCP servers can be added. The key string for each server can be any arbitrary name.

opencode.json:

{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "ibmi-mcp": {
      "type": "local",
      "enabled": true,
      "command": ["npx", "ibmi-mcp-server", "--tools", "/absolute/path/to/tools"],
      "environment": {
        "DB2i_HOST": "your-ibmi-host.com",
        "DB2i_USER": "your-username",
        "DB2i_PASS": "your-password",
        "DB2i_PORT": "8076",
        "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio"
      },
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}

You can also disable a server by setting enabled to false. This is useful if you want to temporarily disable a server without removing it from your config.

Remote (HTTP)

{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "ibmi-mcp": {
      "type": "remote",
      "enabled": true,
      "url": "http://localhost:3010/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

📖 OpenCode MCP Documentation

Gemini CLI

See Gemini CLI Configuration for details.

Open the Gemini CLI settings file. The location is ~/.gemini/settings.json (where ~ is your home directory).
Add the following to the mcpServers object in your settings.json file:

Local (Stdio)

Configure in Gemini CLI settings:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ibmi-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["ibmi-mcp-server", "--tools", "/absolute/path/to/tools"],
      "env": {
        "DB2i_HOST": "your-ibmi-host.com",
        "DB2i_USER": "your-username",
        "DB2i_PASS": "your-password",
        "DB2i_PORT": "8076",
        "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio"
      }
    }
  }
}

Remote (HTTP)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ibmi-mcp": {
      "url": "http://localhost:3010/mcp",
      "type": "http",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

📖 Gemini CLI MCP Documentation

Cline

Cline supports MCP servers through both the marketplace and manual configuration.

Prerequisites: Ensure Cline is installed in VSCode.

Option 1: Manual Configuration

For Local (Stdio) Server:

Open Cline
Click the hamburger menu icon (☰) → MCP Servers
Choose Local Servers tab
Click Edit Configuration
Add the configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ibmi-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["ibmi-mcp-server", "--tools", "/absolute/path/to/tools"],
      "env": {
        "DB2i_HOST": "your-ibmi-host.com",
        "DB2i_USER": "your-username",
        "DB2i_PASS": "your-password",
        "DB2i_PORT": "8076",
        "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio"
      }
    }
  }
}

For Remote (HTTP) Server:

Open Cline
Click the hamburger menu icon (☰) → MCP Servers
Choose Remote Servers tab
Click Edit Configuration
Add the configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ibmi-mcp": {
      "url": "http://localhost:3010/mcp",
      "type": "streamableHttp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

📖 Cline MCP Documentation | Cline MCP Marketplace

Python Clients (Agno, Official MCP SDK)

Remote (HTTP) with Agno

import asyncio
import os
from agno.agent import Agent
from agno.tools.mcp import MCPTools, StreamableHTTPClientParams

# Get access token from environment
token = os.environ.get('IBMI_MCP_ACCESS_TOKEN')
if not token:
    raise ValueError("IBMI_MCP_ACCESS_TOKEN not set")

url = "http://localhost:3010/mcp"
server_params = StreamableHTTPClientParams(
    url=url,
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {token}"}
)

async def main():
    async with MCPTools(
        url=url,
        server_params=server_params,
        transport="streamable-http"
    ) as tools:
        # List available tools
        result = await tools.session.list_tools()
        print(f"Available tools: {[t.name for t in result.tools]}")

        # Create agent
        agent = Agent(
            model="openai:gpt-4o",  # or your preferred model
            tools=[tools],
            name="ibmi-agent",
            show_tool_calls=True
        )

        # Run query
        await agent.aprint_response("What is the system status?")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(main())

Remote (HTTP) with Official MCP SDK

import asyncio
import os
from mcp import ClientSession
from mcp.client.streamable_http import streamablehttp_client

async def main():
    token = os.environ.get('IBMI_MCP_ACCESS_TOKEN')
    if not token:
        raise ValueError("IBMI_MCP_ACCESS_TOKEN not set")

    headers = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {token}"}

    async with streamablehttp_client(
        "http://localhost:3010/mcp",
        headers=headers
    ) as (read_stream, write_stream, _):
        async with ClientSession(read_stream, write_stream) as session:
            await session.initialize()

            # List tools
            tools = await session.list_tools()
            print(f"Tools: {[t.name for t in tools.tools]}")

            # Execute a tool
            result = await session.call_tool("system_status", {})
            print(result)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(main())

📖 MCP Python SDK | Agno Framework

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues:

Verify npm link was successful: which ibmi-mcp-server
Check that TOOLS_YAML_PATH is an absolute path
Ensure IBM i credentials are correct

MCP Server Errors: If using npx ibmi-mcp-server does not work, use node directly:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ibmi-mcp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/ibmi-mcp-server/server/dist/index.js", "--tools", "/absolute/path/to/tools"],
      "env": {
        "DB2i_HOST": "your-ibmi-host.com",
        "DB2i_USER": "your-username",
        "DB2i_PASS": "your-password",
        "DB2i_PORT": "8076",
        "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio",
        "NODE_OPTIONS": "--no-deprecation"
      }
    }
  }
}

Authentication Failures (Remote):

Confirm server is running with IBMI_HTTP_AUTH_ENABLED=true
Verify token is valid: echo $IBMI_MCP_ACCESS_TOKEN
Check server logs for authentication errors

Tool Loading Errors:

Validate YAML configuration: npm run validate -- --config tools
Check file permissions on tools directory
Review server startup logs for parsing errors

🤖 IBM i Agents

IBM i Agents are specialized components designed to interact with the IBM i system, providing capabilities such as monitoring, management, and automation.

Key Features

Integration with IBM i: Seamless integration with IBM i system APIs and tools.
Modular Architecture: Easily extendable and customizable to fit specific use cases.
Real-time Monitoring: Continuous monitoring of system performance and health.

Getting Started

Navigate to the agents directory and follow the setup instructions in the README. This includes details on configuration, running agents, and examples. Most agent examples require the MCP server to be running in HTTP mode. Read the docs for each agent example for details.

⚙️ Configuration

The server is configured using environment variables, typically set in a .env file at the project root. Configuration is organized into logical groups for easier management.

Quick Start:

cp .env.example .env
code .env  # Edit with your settings

🖥️ MCP Server Settings

Core server configuration including server identity, transport mode, and logging.

Variable	Description	Default	Required
`MCP_SERVER_NAME`	Server name identifier for MCP protocol	Package name from `package.json`	No
`MCP_SERVER_VERSION`	Server version for MCP protocol	Version from `package.json`	No
`MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE`	Transport protocol: `stdio` (local) or `http` (remote)	`stdio`	No
`MCP_LOG_LEVEL`	Logging verbosity: `error`, `warn`, `info`, `debug`	`debug`	No
`LOGS_DIR`	Directory for log files (relative to project root)	`logs`	No
`NODE_ENV`	Node environment: `development`, `production`, `test`	`development`	No

Examples:

# Development with verbose logging
MCP_SERVER_NAME=ibmi-mcp-dev
MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE=http
MCP_LOG_LEVEL=debug
NODE_ENV=development

# Production with minimal logging
MCP_SERVER_NAME=ibmi-mcp-prod
MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE=stdio
MCP_LOG_LEVEL=warn
NODE_ENV=production

🌐 HTTP Transport Settings

Configuration for HTTP transport mode, including network settings, session management, and CORS.

Variable	Description	Default	Required
`MCP_HTTP_PORT`	HTTP server port	`3010`	No
`MCP_HTTP_HOST`	HTTP server bind address	`127.0.0.1`	No
`MCP_HTTP_ENDPOINT_PATH`	MCP endpoint path	`/mcp`	No
`MCP_SESSION_MODE`	Session handling: `stateless`, `stateful`, or `auto`	`auto`	No
`MCP_STATEFUL_SESSION_STALE_TIMEOUT_MS`	Timeout for idle stateful sessions (milliseconds)	`1800000` (30 min)	No
`MCP_HTTP_MAX_PORT_RETRIES`	Max attempts to find available port if default is in use	`15`	No
`MCP_HTTP_PORT_RETRY_DELAY_MS`	Delay between port retry attempts (milliseconds)	`50`	No
`MCP_ALLOWED_ORIGINS`	Comma-separated CORS allowed origins	None (all origins blocked)	No

Session Modes:

auto: Automatically detects client capabilities and uses the best session mode
stateful: Maintains persistent sessions with connection state (best for long-running interactions)
stateless: Each request is independent (best for load balancing and horizontal scaling)

Examples:

# Development server with CORS for local web clients
MCP_HTTP_PORT=3010
MCP_HTTP_HOST=0.0.0.0  # Listen on all interfaces
MCP_SESSION_MODE=auto
MCP_ALLOWED_ORIGINS=http://localhost:3000,http://localhost:5173

# Production server with strict security
MCP_HTTP_PORT=443
MCP_HTTP_HOST=0.0.0.0
MCP_SESSION_MODE=stateful
MCP_ALLOWED_ORIGINS=https://app.example.com,https://dashboard.example.com
MCP_STATEFUL_SESSION_STALE_TIMEOUT_MS=3600000  # 1 hour

🔐 Authentication & Authorization

Security configuration for protecting the MCP server and authenticating clients.

General Authentication

Variable	Description	Default	Required
`MCP_AUTH_MODE`	Authentication mode: `none`, `jwt`, `oauth`, `ibmi`	`none`	No

JWT Authentication

Required when MCP_AUTH_MODE=jwt.

Variable	Description	Default	Required
`MCP_AUTH_SECRET_KEY`	Secret key for signing/verifying JWT tokens (min 32 characters)	None	✅ Yes (for JWT mode)

OAuth Authentication

Required when MCP_AUTH_MODE=oauth.

Variable	Description	Default	Required
`OAUTH_ISSUER_URL`	OAuth authorization server issuer URL	None	✅ Yes (for OAuth mode)
`OAUTH_JWKS_URI`	OAuth JWKS endpoint for public key verification	None	No
`OAUTH_AUDIENCE`	Expected audience identifier for this MCP server	None	✅ Yes (for OAuth mode)

IBM i HTTP Authentication

Required when MCP_AUTH_MODE=ibmi. See IBM i HTTP Authentication for detailed setup.

Variable	Description	Default	Required
`IBMI_HTTP_AUTH_ENABLED`	Enable IBM i authentication endpoints	`false`	✅ Yes (for IBM i mode)
`IBMI_AUTH_ALLOW_HTTP`	Allow HTTP (non-HTTPS) authentication requests	`false`	No
`IBMI_AUTH_TOKEN_EXPIRY_SECONDS`	Token lifetime in seconds	`3600` (1 hour)	No
`IBMI_AUTH_CLEANUP_INTERVAL_SECONDS`	How often to clean up expired tokens (seconds)	`300` (5 minutes)	No
`IBMI_AUTH_MAX_CONCURRENT_SESSIONS`	Maximum concurrent authenticated sessions	`100`	No
`IBMI_AUTH_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH`	Path to RSA private key for encryption	None	✅ Yes (for IBM i mode)
`IBMI_AUTH_PUBLIC_KEY_PATH`	Path to RSA public key for encryption	None	✅ Yes (for IBM i mode)
`IBMI_AUTH_KEY_ID`	Identifier for the RSA keypair	None	✅ Yes (for IBM i mode)

Examples:

# No authentication (development only)
MCP_AUTH_MODE=none

# JWT authentication
MCP_AUTH_MODE=jwt
MCP_AUTH_SECRET_KEY="your-very-secret-key-at-least-32-characters-long"

# OAuth authentication
MCP_AUTH_MODE=oauth
OAUTH_ISSUER_URL=https://auth.example.com
OAUTH_AUDIENCE=https://api.example.com/mcp
OAUTH_JWKS_URI=https://auth.example.com/.well-known/jwks.json

# IBM i authentication (see docs for keypair generation)
MCP_AUTH_MODE=ibmi
IBMI_HTTP_AUTH_ENABLED=true
IBMI_AUTH_KEY_ID=production
IBMI_AUTH_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH=secrets/private.pem
IBMI_AUTH_PUBLIC_KEY_PATH=secrets/public.pem
IBMI_AUTH_ALLOW_HTTP=false  # HTTPS only in production
IBMI_AUTH_TOKEN_EXPIRY_SECONDS=7200  # 2 hours

⚠️ Security Notes:

Never use MCP_AUTH_MODE=none in production
Always use IBMI_AUTH_ALLOW_HTTP=false in production (requires HTTPS)
Generate strong secret keys (32+ characters) for JWT mode
Rotate keys regularly for enhanced security

🗄️ IBM i Database Connection

Configuration for connecting to IBM i Db2 for i databases via Mapepire.

Variable	Description	Default	Required
`DB2i_HOST`	IBM i system hostname or IP address	None	✅ Yes (for SQL tools)
`DB2i_USER`	IBM i user profile for database connections	None	✅ Yes (for SQL tools)
`DB2i_PASS`	Password for IBM i user profile	None	✅ Yes (for SQL tools)
`DB2i_PORT`	Mapepire daemon/gateway port	`8076`	No
`DB2i_IGNORE_UNAUTHORIZED`	Skip TLS certificate verification (for self-signed certs)	`true`	No

Connection Flow:

Server connects to Mapepire daemon/gateway at DB2i_HOST:DB2i_PORT
Authenticates using DB2i_USER and DB2i_PASS
Executes SQL tools through authenticated connection pool

Examples:

# Development connection with self-signed certs
DB2i_HOST=ibmi-dev.example.com
DB2i_USER=DEVUSER
DB2i_PASS=devpassword
DB2i_PORT=8076
DB2i_IGNORE_UNAUTHORIZED=true

# Production connection with verified SSL
DB2i_HOST=ibmi-prod.example.com
DB2i_USER=PRODUSER
DB2i_PASS=strongProductionPassword123
DB2i_PORT=8076
DB2i_IGNORE_UNAUTHORIZED=false  # Require valid SSL cert

# Connecting to Mapepire gateway
DB2i_HOST=mapepire-gateway.example.com
DB2i_USER=APIUSER
DB2i_PASS=apiPassword456
DB2i_PORT=443  # Gateway on HTTPS
DB2i_IGNORE_UNAUTHORIZED=false

⚠️ Security Notes:

Store credentials securely (use secrets management in production)
Use read-only accounts when possible
Set DB2i_IGNORE_UNAUTHORIZED=false with valid SSL certificates in production
Consider using IBM i authentication mode for per-user connection pooling

🧩 SQL YAML Tool Configuration

Settings for loading and managing SQL tools defined in YAML configuration files. See Tools Documentation for YAML tool development.

Tool Loading

Variable	Description	Default	Required
`TOOLS_YAML_PATH`	Path to YAML tool configurations (file, directory, or glob)	None	No
`SELECTED_TOOLSETS`	Comma-separated list of toolsets to load (filters available tools)	None (load all)	No
`YAML_AUTO_RELOAD`	Automatically reload tools when YAML files change	`true`	No

Configuration Merging

When loading multiple YAML files, these settings control merge behavior:

Variable	Description	Default	Required
`YAML_MERGE_ARRAYS`	Merge arrays from multiple files (`true`) or replace them (`false`)	`false`	No
`YAML_ALLOW_DUPLICATE_TOOLS`	Allow duplicate tool names across files	`false`	No
`YAML_ALLOW_DUPLICATE_SOURCES`	Allow duplicate source names across files	`false`	No
`YAML_VALIDATE_MERGED`	Validate merged configuration before loading tools	`true`	No

Path Resolution:

File: TOOLS_YAML_PATH=tools/performance.yaml
Directory: TOOLS_YAML_PATH=tools/ (loads all .yaml/.yml files)
Glob pattern: TOOLS_YAML_PATH=tools/**/*.yaml
Multiple sources: Use CLI --tools to override at runtime

Examples:

# Load all tools from a directory
TOOLS_YAML_PATH=tools/
YAML_AUTO_RELOAD=true  # Hot reload on file changes

# Load specific tools file
TOOLS_YAML_PATH=tools/performance-tools.yaml
SELECTED_TOOLSETS=monitoring,diagnostics

# Advanced merging (multiple config sources)
TOOLS_YAML_PATH=tools/
YAML_MERGE_ARRAYS=true  # Combine toolsets from multiple files
YAML_ALLOW_DUPLICATE_TOOLS=false  # Enforce unique tool names
YAML_VALIDATE_MERGED=true  # Validate after merging

# Production: disable hot reload
TOOLS_YAML_PATH=/opt/mcp-tools/production.yaml
YAML_AUTO_RELOAD=false

CLI Override:

# Override TOOLS_YAML_PATH at runtime
npx ibmi-mcp-server --tools ./my-custom-tools

# Load specific toolsets only
npx ibmi-mcp-server --toolsets performance,security

📊 OpenTelemetry (Observability)

Configuration for distributed tracing and metrics using OpenTelemetry.

Variable	Description	Default	Required
`OTEL_ENABLED`	Enable OpenTelemetry instrumentation	`false`	No
`OTEL_SERVICE_NAME`	Service name for telemetry data	`MCP_SERVER_NAME` or package name	No
`OTEL_SERVICE_VERSION`	Service version for telemetry data	`MCP_SERVER_VERSION` or package version	No
`OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_TRACES_ENDPOINT`	OTLP endpoint for trace export	None (logs to file)	No
`OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_METRICS_ENDPOINT`	OTLP endpoint for metrics export	None (not exported)	No
`OTEL_TRACES_SAMPLER_ARG`	Trace sampling ratio (0.0 to 1.0, where 1.0 = sample all)	`1.0` (100%)	No
`OTEL_LOG_LEVEL`	OTel internal diagnostic log level	`INFO`	No

Supported OTEL_LOG_LEVEL values: NONE, ERROR, WARN, INFO, DEBUG, VERBOSE, ALL

Examples:

# Development: local file logging only
OTEL_ENABLED=true
OTEL_SERVICE_NAME=ibmi-mcp-dev
OTEL_LOG_LEVEL=DEBUG
# Traces written to logs/traces/ directory

# Production: export to Jaeger
OTEL_ENABLED=true
OTEL_SERVICE_NAME=ibmi-mcp-prod
OTEL_SERVICE_VERSION=1.9.1
OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_TRACES_ENDPOINT=http://jaeger:4318/v1/traces
OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_METRICS_ENDPOINT=http://jaeger:4318/v1/metrics
OTEL_TRACES_SAMPLER_ARG=0.1  # Sample 10% of traces
OTEL_LOG_LEVEL=WARN

# Production: export to cloud provider
OTEL_ENABLED=true
OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_TRACES_ENDPOINT=https://otlp.example.com/v1/traces
OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_METRICS_ENDPOINT=https://otlp.example.com/v1/metrics
OTEL_TRACES_SAMPLER_ARG=1.0  # Sample all traces

Instrumentation Coverage:

All MCP tool executions
HTTP requests and responses
Database queries (SQL tools)
Authentication flows
Custom spans for critical operations

🤖 LLM Provider Integration

Configuration for Large Language Model providers used by the server.

OpenRouter

Variable	Description	Default	Required
`OPENROUTER_API_KEY`	API key for OpenRouter.ai service	None	No
`OPENROUTER_APP_URL`	Application URL for OpenRouter dashboard	`http://localhost:3000`	No
`OPENROUTER_APP_NAME`	Application name for OpenRouter identification	Package name	No

LLM Defaults

Default parameters for LLM requests (applied when not specified in request):

Variable	Description	Default	Range	Required
`LLM_DEFAULT_MODEL`	Default model identifier	`google/gemini-2.5-flash`	-	No
`LLM_DEFAULT_TEMPERATURE`	Sampling temperature (randomness)	None (provider default)	0.0 - 2.0	No
`LLM_DEFAULT_TOP_P`	Nucleus sampling threshold	None (provider default)	0.0 - 1.0	No
`LLM_DEFAULT_MAX_TOKENS`	Maximum tokens in response	None (provider default)	1+	No
`LLM_DEFAULT_TOP_K`	Top-K sampling (number of candidates)	None (provider default)	0+	No
`LLM_DEFAULT_MIN_P`	Minimum probability threshold	None (provider default)	0.0 - 1.0	No

Examples:

# Basic OpenRouter setup
OPENROUTER_API_KEY=sk-or-v1-...
OPENROUTER_APP_NAME=ibmi-mcp-server
OPENROUTER_APP_URL=http://localhost:3000

# Custom LLM defaults for deterministic responses
LLM_DEFAULT_MODEL=anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet
LLM_DEFAULT_TEMPERATURE=0.0  # Deterministic
LLM_DEFAULT_MAX_TOKENS=4000
LLM_DEFAULT_TOP_P=1.0

# Balanced configuration for creative responses
LLM_DEFAULT_MODEL=google/gemini-2.5-flash
LLM_DEFAULT_TEMPERATURE=0.7
LLM_DEFAULT_TOP_P=0.9
LLM_DEFAULT_MAX_TOKENS=2000

🔌 OAuth Proxy (Advanced)

Configuration for OAuth proxy endpoints (advanced use cases).

Variable	Description	Default	Required
`OAUTH_PROXY_AUTHORIZATION_URL`	OAuth authorization endpoint URL	None	No
`OAUTH_PROXY_TOKEN_URL`	OAuth token endpoint URL	None	No
`OAUTH_PROXY_REVOCATION_URL`	OAuth token revocation endpoint URL	None	No
`OAUTH_PROXY_ISSUER_URL`	OAuth issuer URL for proxy	None	No
`OAUTH_PROXY_SERVICE_DOCUMENTATION_URL`	Service documentation URL	None	No
`OAUTH_PROXY_DEFAULT_CLIENT_REDIRECT_URIS`	Comma-separated default redirect URIs	None	No

Example:

OAUTH_PROXY_AUTHORIZATION_URL=https://auth.example.com/oauth/authorize
OAUTH_PROXY_TOKEN_URL=https://auth.example.com/oauth/token
OAUTH_PROXY_REVOCATION_URL=https://auth.example.com/oauth/revoke
OAUTH_PROXY_ISSUER_URL=https://auth.example.com
OAUTH_PROXY_SERVICE_DOCUMENTATION_URL=https://docs.example.com/oauth
OAUTH_PROXY_DEFAULT_CLIENT_REDIRECT_URIS=http://localhost:3000/callback,https://app.example.com/callback

Note: OAuth proxy features are for advanced integration scenarios. Most users should use standard OAuth authentication via MCP_AUTH_MODE=oauth.

Configuration Best Practices

Development:

# Recommended development .env
MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE=http
MCP_HTTP_PORT=3010
MCP_SESSION_MODE=auto
MCP_LOG_LEVEL=debug
MCP_AUTH_MODE=none  # Or ibmi with allow HTTP
NODE_ENV=development

DB2i_HOST=ibmi-dev.local
DB2i_USER=DEVUSER
DB2i_PASS=devpass
DB2i_IGNORE_UNAUTHORIZED=true

TOOLS_YAML_PATH=tools/
YAML_AUTO_RELOAD=true
OTEL_ENABLED=true

Production:

# Recommended production .env
MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE=http
MCP_HTTP_PORT=3010
MCP_SESSION_MODE=auto
MCP_LOG_LEVEL=warn
MCP_AUTH_MODE=ibmi  # Or jwt/oauth
NODE_ENV=production

DB2i_HOST=ibmi-prod.example.com
DB2i_USER=PRODUSER
DB2i_PASS=${SECURE_PASSWORD_FROM_VAULT}
DB2i_IGNORE_UNAUTHORIZED=false  # Require valid SSL

TOOLS_YAML_PATH=/opt/mcp-tools/production.yaml
YAML_AUTO_RELOAD=false
YAML_VALIDATE_MERGED=true

IBMI_HTTP_AUTH_ENABLED=true
IBMI_AUTH_ALLOW_HTTP=false  # HTTPS only
IBMI_AUTH_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH=/opt/secrets/private.pem
IBMI_AUTH_PUBLIC_KEY_PATH=/opt/secrets/public.pem

OTEL_ENABLED=true
OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_TRACES_ENDPOINT=https://otlp.example.com/v1/traces

Security Checklist:

✅ Never commit .env files to version control
✅ Use secrets management (Vault, AWS Secrets Manager, etc.) in production
✅ Rotate credentials and keys regularly
✅ Use HTTPS/TLS in production (IBMI_AUTH_ALLOW_HTTP=false)
✅ Enable authentication (MCP_AUTH_MODE != none)
✅ Use strong passwords (12+ characters, mixed case, numbers, symbols)
✅ Restrict MCP_ALLOWED_ORIGINS to known domains
✅ Set appropriate IBMI_AUTH_MAX_CONCURRENT_SESSIONS limits

🔐 IBM i HTTP Authentication (Beta)

The server supports IBM i HTTP authentication that allows clients to obtain access tokens for authenticated SQL tool execution. This enables per-user connection pooling and secure access to IBM i resources.

Authentication Flow

Client Authentication: Clients authenticate with IBM i credentials via HTTP Basic Auth
Token Generation: Server creates a secure Bearer token and establishes a dedicated connection pool
Tool Execution: Subsequent tool calls use the Bearer token for authenticated execution
Pool Management: Each token maintains its own connection pool for isolation and security

Configuration

To enable IBM i HTTP authentication, we need to set up Encryption keys and configure the server environment. To protect IBM i credentials during transmission, the authentication flow uses RSA and AES encryption. You need to generate an RSA keypair for the server:

mkdir -p secrets
openssl genpkey -algorithm RSA -out secrets/private.pem -pkeyopt rsa_keygen_bits:2048
openssl rsa -pubout -in secrets/private.pem -out secrets/public.pem

Create or update your .env file with the following settings:

# Enable IBM i authentication system
IBMI_HTTP_AUTH_ENABLED=true
MCP_AUTH_MODE=ibmi

# IBM i authentication settings
IBMI_AUTH_KEY_ID=development
IBMI_AUTH_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH=secrets/private.pem
IBMI_AUTH_PUBLIC_KEY_PATH=secrets/public.pem

# Security settings
IBMI_AUTH_ALLOW_HTTP=true          # Development only - use HTTPS in production
IBMI_AUTH_TOKEN_EXPIRY_SECONDS=3600 # Token lifetime (1 hour)

# Resource management
IBMI_AUTH_MAX_CONCURRENT_SESSIONS=100
IBMI_AUTH_CLEANUP_INTERVAL_SECONDS=300

# IBM i connection details
DB2i_HOST=your-ibmi-host
DB2i_USER=your-username
DB2i_PASS=your-password

Getting Access Tokens

Option 1: Using the Token Script (Recommended)

Use the included get-access-token.js script to obtain authentication tokens:

# Using credentials from .env file
node get-access-token.js --verbose

# Using CLI arguments (overrides .env)
node get-access-token.js --user myuser --password mypass --host my-ibmi-host

# Quiet mode for shell evaluation
eval $(node get-access-token.js --quiet)
echo $IBMI_MCP_ACCESS_TOKEN

The script automatically:

Loads IBM i credentials from .env with CLI fallback
Fetches the server's public key
Encrypts credentials client-side
Requests an access token
Sets IBMI_MCP_ACCESS_TOKEN environment variable
Provides copy-paste export commands

Sequence Overview

sequenceDiagram
    participant CLI as Client CLI
    participant Auth as MCP Server (/api/v1/auth)
    participant IBM as IBM i

    CLI->>Auth: GET /api/v1/auth/public-key
    Auth-->>CLI: { keyId, publicKey }

    CLI->>CLI: Generate AES-256-GCM session key + IV
    CLI->>CLI: Encrypt credentials + request body with session key
    CLI->>CLI: Encrypt session key with server public key (RSA-OAEP)

    CLI->>Auth: POST /api/v1/auth { keyId, encryptedSessionKey, iv, authTag, ciphertext }
    Auth->>Auth: Look up keyId, decrypt session key with private key
    Auth->>Auth: Decrypt ciphertext, validate GCM tag, validate payload

    Auth->>IBM: Authenticate against IBM i with decrypted credentials
    IBM-->>Auth: Success/Failure

    Auth->>Auth: Generate access token, provision pool session
    Auth-->>CLI: 201 JSON { access_token, expires_in, ... }

Client Integration

Once you have a token, use it in your MCP client to authenticate requests:

import asyncio
import os
from mcp import ClientSession
from mcp.client.streamable_http import streamablehttp_client

async def main():
    # Get the access token from environment
    token = os.environ.get('IBMI_MCP_ACCESS_TOKEN')
    if not token:
        raise ValueError("IBMI_MCP_ACCESS_TOKEN environment variable not set")

    # Set up authentication headers
    headers = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {token}"}

    # Connect to the IBM i MCP server with authentication
    async with streamablehttp_client(
        "http://localhost:3010/mcp",
        headers=headers
    ) as (read_stream, write_stream, _):
        # Create a session using the authenticated streams
        async with ClientSession(read_stream, write_stream) as session:
            # Initialize the connection
            await session.initialize()

            # List available tools (now authenticated with your IBM i credentials)
            tools = await session.list_tools()
            print(f"Available tools: {[tool.name for tool in tools.tools]}")

            # Execute a tool with authenticated IBM i access
            result = await session.call_tool("system_status", {})
            print(f"System status result: {result}")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(main())

Security Considerations

Development Environment:

IBMI_AUTH_ALLOW_HTTP=true allows HTTP for testing
Use localhost/trusted networks only
Shorter token lifetimes for testing

Production Environment:

IBMI_AUTH_ALLOW_HTTP=false enforces HTTPS
Use proper TLS certificates
Longer token lifetimes for stability
Network security and access controls
Monitor IBMI_AUTH_MAX_CONCURRENT_SESSIONS for resource usage

Authentication Endpoints

When enabled (IBMI_HTTP_AUTH_ENABLED=true), the server provides these endpoints:

Endpoint	Method	Description
`/api/v1/auth`	POST	Authenticate with IBM i credentials and receive Bearer token

🧩 SQL Tool Configuration

The Primary way to confgure tools used by this MCP server is through tools.yaml files (see tools/ for examples). There are 3 main sections to each yaml file: sources, tools, and toolsets. Below is a breakdown of each section

Sources

The sources section of your tools.yaml defines the data sources the MCP server has access to

sources:
  ibmi-system:
    host: ${DB2i_HOST}
    user: ${DB2i_USER}
    password: ${DB2i_PASS}
    port: 8076
    ignore-unauthorized: true

Note

The environment variables DB2i_HOST, DB2i_USER, DB2i_PASS, and DB2i_PORT can be set in the server .env file. see Configuration

Tools

The tools section of your tools.yaml defines the actions your agent can take: what kind of tool it is, which source(s) it affects, what parameters it uses, etc.

tools:
  system_status:
    source: ibmi-system
    description: "Overall system performance statistics with CPU, memory, and I/O metrics"
    parameters: []
    statement: |
      SELECT * FROM TABLE(QSYS2.SYSTEM_STATUS(RESET_STATISTICS=>'YES',DETAILED_INFO=>'ALL')) X

Toolsets

The toolsets section of your tools.yaml allows you to define groups of tools that you want to be able to load together. This can be useful for defining different sets for different agents or different applications.

toolsets:
  performance:
    tools:
      - system_status
      - system_activity
      - remote_connections
      - memory_pools
      - temp_storage_buckets
      - unnamed_temp_storage
      - http_server
      - system_values
      - collection_services
      - collection_categories
      - active_job_info

More documentation on SQL tools coming soon!

🚀 Running the Server (Development)

The server supports multiple transport modes and session configurations for different development scenarios. Use the appropriate startup command based on your needs.

Transport Modes

HTTP Transport (Recommended for Development)

# Basic HTTP server
npm run start:http

# HTTP with custom tools path
npm run start:http -- --tools ./my-configs

# HTTP with specific toolsets
npm run start:http -- --toolsets performance,monitoring

Stdio Transport (for CLI tools and MCP Inspector)

# Basic stdio transport
npm run start:stdio

# Stdio with custom tools path
npm run start:stdio -- --tools ./my-custom-tools

Make sure that to use the absolute path for tools

Session Modes (HTTP Only)

The MCP_SESSION_MODE environment variable controls how the HTTP server handles client sessions:

auto (default): Automatically detects client capabilities and uses the best session mode
stateful: Maintains persistent sessions with connection state
stateless: Each request is independent, no session state maintained

# Set session mode via environment variable
MCP_SESSION_MODE=stateful npm run start:http

# Or set in .env file
echo "MCP_SESSION_MODE=stateful" >> .env
npm run start:http

CLI Options

Both transport modes support these command-line options:

Note: CLI arguments override corresponding settings in .env file when provided.

Option	Short	Description	Example
`--tools <path>`		Override YAML tools configuration path (overrides `TOOLS_YAML_PATH`)	`--tools ./custom-configs`
`--toolsets <list>`	`-ts`	Load only specific toolsets (comma-separated) (overrides `SELECTED_TOOLSETS`)	`--toolsets performance,security`
`--transport <type>`	`-t`	Force transport type (`http` or `stdio`) (overrides `MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE`)	`--transport http`
`--help`	`-h`	Show help information	`--help`
`--list-toolsets`		List available toolsets from YAML configuration	`--list-toolsets`

Common Development Scenarios

1. Standard Development Server

npm run start:http
# Server: http://localhost:3010/mcp
# Tools: tools/ (from .env)
# Session: auto-detected

2. Custom Tools Path

npm run start:http -- --tools ./my-tools
# Server: http://localhost:3010/mcp (port from .env or default)
# Tools: ./my-tools

3. Specific Toolsets Only

npm run start:http -- --toolsets performance,monitoring
# Only loads tools from 'performance' and 'monitoring' toolsets

Development Tips

Hot Reloading: Enable YAML_AUTO_RELOAD=true in .env for automatic tool configuration updates
Verbose Logging: Set MCP_LOG_LEVEL=debug for detailed operation logs
CORS: Configure MCP_ALLOWED_ORIGINS for web-based clients
Authentication: Use MCP_AUTH_MODE=ibmi with IBM i HTTP auth for token-based access

Troubleshooting

Port Already in Use

# Configure port in .env file
echo "MCP_HTTP_PORT=3011" >> .env
npm run start:http

Tools Not Loading

# Check tools path
npm run start:http -- --tools ./tools

# List available toolsets first
npm run start:http -- --list-toolsets --tools ./tools

# Get help
npm run start:http -- --help

🕵️‍♂️ MCP Inspector

The MCP Inspector is a tool for exploring and debugging the MCP server's capabilities. It provides a user-friendly interface for interacting with the server, viewing available tools, and testing queries.

Here are the steps to run the MCP Inspector:

Make sure to build the server
```
cd ibmi-mcp-server/
npm run build
```

Create an mcp.json file:

cp template_mcp.json mcp.json

Fill out the connection details in mcp.json with your IBM i system information. You should use the same credentials as in your .env file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "default-server": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "TOOLS_YAML_PATH": "tools",
        "NODE_OPTIONS": "--no-deprecation",
        "DB2i_HOST": "<DB2i_HOST>",
        "DB2i_USER": "<DB2i_USER>",
        "DB2i_PASS": "<DB2i_PASS>",
        "DB2i_PORT": "<DB2i_PORT>",
        "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio"
      }
    }
  }
}

Start the MCP Inspector
```
npm run mcp-inspector
```

Click on the URL displayed in the terminal to open the MCP Inspector in your web browser.

 Starting MCP inspector...
 ⚙️ Proxy server listening on 127.0.0.1:6277
 🔑 Session token: EXAMPLE_TOKEN
 Use this token to authenticate requests or set DANGEROUSLY_OMIT_AUTH=true to disable auth

 🔗 Open inspector with token pre-filled:
   http://localhost:6274/?MCP_PROXY_AUTH_TOKEN=EXAMPLE_TOKEN

 🔍 MCP Inspector is up and running at http://127.0.0.1:6274 🚀

Use the MCP Inspector to explore and test your MCP server's capabilities
- View available tools and their parameters
- Test queries against the server
- Debug issues with tool execution

Docker & Podman Deployment

The project includes a comprehensive docker-compose.yml that sets up the complete MCP gateway with the IBM i MCP Server.

ContextForge MCP Gateway is a feature-rich gateway, proxy and MCP Registry that federates MCP and REST services - unifying discovery, auth, rate-limiting, observability, virtual servers, multi-transport protocols, and an optional Admin UI into one clean endpoint for your AI clients.

Prerequisites

Choose one of the following container platforms:

Docker

Docker Desktop (macOS/Windows): Download here
Docker Engine (Linux): Installation guide

Podman (Alternative to Docker)

Podman Desktop (macOS/Windows): Download here
Podman CLI (Linux): Installation guide
podman-compose: pip install podman-compose

Build MCP Gateway Image

The docker-compose.yml uses a local build of the MCP Gateway image. To build it, clone the MCP Gateway repository and build the image:

git clone https://github.com/IBM/mcp-context-forge.git
cd mcp-context-forge

# Build image using Docker
make docker-prod

# Or build image using Podman
make podman-prod

This will create a local image named localhost/mcpgateway/mcpgateway that the docker-compose.yml can use. More details on building the MCP Gateway image can be found in the MCP Gateway Docs.

Configure MCP environment

Create a .env file in the ibmi-mcp-server directory with your IBM i connection details:

cd ibmi-mcp-server/
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your IBM i connection details
code .env

make sure to set the follow variables in your .env file:

# IBM i connection details
DB2i_HOST="your_host"
DB2i_USER="your_user"
DB2i_PASS="your_pass"

# MCP Auth mode
MCP_AUTH_MODE=ibmi

# IBM i HTTP authentication settings
IBMI_AUTH_KEY_ID=development
IBMI_AUTH_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH=secrets/private.pem
IBMI_AUTH_PUBLIC_KEY_PATH=secrets/public.pem

# Enable IBM i HTTP authentication endpoints (requires MCP_AUTH_MODE=ibmi)
IBMI_HTTP_AUTH_ENABLED=true

# Allow HTTP requests for authentication (development only, use HTTPS in production)
IBMI_AUTH_ALLOW_HTTP=true

Note: You need to generate an RSA keypair for the server if you haven't already done so. See the IBM i HTTP Authentication section for instructions.

Once you have your .env file configured, you can start the complete stack using Docker or Podman.

Quick Start with Docker

Start the complete stack:

# Start all services in background
docker-compose up -d

# Or start specific services
docker-compose up -d gateway ibmi-mcp-server postgres redis

Verify services are running:
```
docker-compose ps
```

Quick Start with Podman

Start the complete stack:

# Start all services in background
podman compose up -d

# Or start specific services
podman compose up -d gateway ibmi-mcp-server postgres redis

Verify services are running:
```
podman compose ps
```

Container Architecture

The docker-compose setup includes these services:

Service	Port	Description	Access URL
gateway	4444	MCP Context Forge main API	http://localhost:4444
ibmi-mcp-server	3010	IBM i SQL tools MCP server	http://localhost:3010
postgres	-	PostgreSQL database (internal)	-
redis	6379	Cache service	redis://localhost:6379
pgadmin	5050	Database admin UI	http://localhost:5050
redis_insight	5540	Cache admin UI	http://localhost:5540

🔧 Service Management

Start Services

# Docker
docker-compose up -d                    # Start all services
docker-compose up -d gateway            # Start specific service
docker-compose up --no-deps gateway     # Start without dependencies

# Podman
podman compose up -d                    # Start all services
podman compose up -d gateway            # Start specific service
podman compose up --no-deps gateway     # Start without dependencies

Stop Services

# Docker
docker-compose down                     # Stop all services
docker-compose stop gateway             # Stop specific service

# Podman
podman compose down                     # Stop all services
podman compose stop gateway             # Stop specific service

View Logs

# Docker
docker-compose logs -f gateway          # Follow gateway logs
docker-compose logs --tail=100 ibmi-mcp-server

# Podman
podman compose logs -f gateway          # Follow gateway logs
podman compose logs --tail=100 ibmi-mcp-server

Rebuild Services

# Docker
docker-compose build ibmi-mcp-server    # Rebuild specific service
docker-compose up --build -d            # Rebuild and restart all

# Podman
podman compose build ibmi-mcp-server    # Rebuild specific service
podman compose up --build -d            # Rebuild and restart all

MCP Gateway UI:

After the Containers are up and running, you can access the MCP Context Forge UI at http://localhost:4444

Enter the demo credentials:

User: admin
Password: changeme

To Configure the IBM i MCP server is the admin ui, navigate to the "Gateways/MCP Servers" tab. and enter the mcp server endpoint:

IBM i mcp server endpoint: http://ibmi-mcp-server:3010

Once the MCP server is connect, you can then manage the tools provided by the server:

Virtual Server Catalog Demo (Comming soon!!)

Architecture Overview

This template is built on a set of architectural principles to ensure modularity, testability, and operational clarity.

Core Server (src/mcp-server/server.ts): The central point where tools and resources are registered. It uses a ManagedMcpServer wrapper to provide enhanced introspection capabilities. It acts the same way as the native McpServer, but with additional features like introspection and enhanced error handling.
Transports (src/mcp-server/transports/): The transport layer connects the core server to the outside world. It supports both stdio for direct process communication and a streamable Hono-based http server.
"Logic Throws, Handler Catches": This is the immutable cornerstone of our error-handling strategy.
- Core Logic (logic.ts): This layer is responsible for pure, self-contained business logic. It throws a structured McpError on any failure.
- Handlers (registration.ts): This layer interfaces with the server, invokes the core logic, and catches any errors. It is the exclusive location where errors are processed and formatted into a final response.
Structured, Traceable Operations: Every operation is traced from initiation to completion via a RequestContext that is passed through the entire call stack, ensuring comprehensive and structured logging.

Key Features

Feature Area	Description	Key Components / Location
🔌 MCP Server	A functional server with example tools and resources. Supports `stdio` and a Streamable HTTP transport built with Hono.	`src/mcp-server/`, `src/mcp-server/transports/`
🔭 Observability	Built-in OpenTelemetry for distributed tracing and metrics. Auto-instrumentation for core modules and custom tracing for all tool executions.	`src/utils/telemetry/`
🚀 Production Utilities	Logging, Error Handling, ID Generation, Rate Limiting, Request Context tracking, Input Sanitization.	`src/utils/`
🔒 Type Safety/Security	Strong type checking via TypeScript & Zod validation. Built-in security utilities (sanitization, auth middleware for HTTP).	Throughout, `src/utils/security/`, `src/mcp-server/transports/auth/`
⚙️ Error Handling	Consistent error categorization (`BaseErrorCode`), detailed logging, centralized handling (`ErrorHandler`).	`src/utils/internal/errorHandler.ts`, `src/types-global/`
📚 Documentation	Comprehensive `README.md`, structured JSDoc comments, API references.	`README.md`, Codebase, `tsdoc.json`, `docs/api-references/`
🕵️ Interaction Logging	Captures raw requests and responses for all external LLM provider interactions to a dedicated `interactions.log` file for full traceability.	`src/utils/internal/logger.ts`
🤖 Agent Ready	Includes a .clinerules developer cheatsheet tailored for LLM coding agents.	`.clinerules/`
🛠️ Utility Scripts	Scripts for cleaning builds, setting executable permissions, generating directory trees, and fetching OpenAPI specs.	`scripts/`
🧩 Services	Reusable modules for LLM (OpenRouter) and data storage (DuckDB) integration, with examples.	`src/services/`, `src/storage/duckdbExample.ts`
🧪 Integration Testing	Integrated with Vitest for fast and reliable integration testing. Includes example tests for core logic and a coverage reporter.	`vitest.config.ts`, `tests/`
⏱️ Performance Metrics	Built-in utility to automatically measure and log the execution time and payload size of every tool call.	`src/utils/internal/performance.ts`

Project Structure

src/mcp-server/: Contains the core MCP server, tools, resources, and transport handlers.
src/config/: Handles loading and validation of environment variables.
src/services/: Reusable modules for integrating with external services (DuckDB, OpenRouter).
src/types-global/: Defines shared TypeScript interfaces and type definitions.
src/utils/: Core utilities (logging, error handling, security, etc.).
src/index.ts: The main entry point that initializes and starts the server.

Explore the full structure yourself:

See the current file tree in docs/tree.md or generate it dynamically:

npm run tree

Extending the System

The template enforces a strict, modular pattern for adding new tools and resources, as mandated by the Architectural Standard. The echoTool (src/mcp-server/tools/echoTool/) serves as the canonical example.

The "Logic Throws, Handler Catches" Pattern

This is the cornerstone of the architecture:

logic.ts: This file contains the pure business logic.
- It defines the Zod schemas for input and output, which serve as the single source of truth for the tool's data contract.
- The core logic function is pure: it takes validated parameters and a request context, and either returns a result or throws a structured McpError.
- It never contains try...catch blocks for formatting a final response.
registration.ts: This file is the "handler" that connects the logic to the MCP server.
- It imports the schemas and logic function from logic.ts.
- It calls server.registerTool(), providing the tool's metadata and the runtime handler.
- The runtime handler always wraps the call to the logic function in a try...catch block. This is the only place where errors are caught, processed by the ErrorHandler, and formatted into a standardized error response.

This pattern ensures that core logic remains decoupled, pure, and easily testable, while the registration layer handles all transport-level concerns, side effects, and response formatting.

📜 License

This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. See the LICENSE file for details.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 375 Commits
.github/workflows		.github/workflows
.vscode		.vscode
agents		agents
apps		apps
docs		docs
scripts		scripts
server		server
tools		tools
.bobmodes		.bobmodes
.dockerignore		.dockerignore
.env.example		.env.example
.gitattributes		.gitattributes
.gitignore		.gitignore
.mcp.json		.mcp.json
.ncurc.json		.ncurc.json
.prettierignore		.prettierignore
AGENTS.md		AGENTS.md
CHANGELOG.md		CHANGELOG.md
CLAUDE.md		CLAUDE.md
DEVELOPER.md		DEVELOPER.md
Dockerfile		Dockerfile
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
agent.md		agent.md
get-access-token.js		get-access-token.js
opencode.json		opencode.json
package-lock.json		package-lock.json
package.json		package.json
repomix.config.json		repomix.config.json
response_format.md		response_format.md
smithery.yaml		smithery.yaml
sql_tools_sequence.md		sql_tools_sequence.md
template_mcp.json		template_mcp.json
tsconfig.typedoc.json		tsconfig.typedoc.json
tsdoc.json		tsdoc.json
typedoc.json		typedoc.json

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ibmi-mcp-server (⚠️ Under Active Development)

📁 Repository Structure

Quick Navigation

📡 Setup Mapepire

What is Mapepire?

Why Mapepire Enables AI and MCP Workloads

Installation

⚡ Quickstart

1. Installation

2. Build the Project

3. Create Server .env File

4. Running the Server

5. Run Example Agent

Run the Example Scripts:

Run the example Agent:

6. Running Tests

🔌 Installing in MCP Clients

Prerequisites: Local Installation

Remote Server Setup

Client Configurations

Option 1: Local Stdio Server (Recommended)

Option 2: Remote HTTP Server

Environment Variable Expansion

Managing Servers

Local (Stdio)

Remote (HTTP)

Configuration File Locations

Option 1: Local Stdio Server

Option 2: Remote HTTP Server

Secure Credentials with Input Variables

Managing Servers

Local (Stdio)

Remote (HTTP)

Local (Stdio)

Remote (HTTP)

Local (Stdio)

Remote (HTTP)

Local (Stdio)

Remote (HTTP)

Local (Stdio)

Remote (HTTP)

Local (Stdio)

Remote (HTTP)

Option 1: Manual Configuration

Remote (HTTP) with Agno

Remote (HTTP) with Official MCP SDK

Troubleshooting

🤖 IBM i Agents

Key Features

Getting Started

⚙️ Configuration

General Authentication

JWT Authentication

OAuth Authentication

IBM i HTTP Authentication

Tool Loading

Configuration Merging

OpenRouter

LLM Defaults

Configuration Best Practices

🔐 IBM i HTTP Authentication (Beta)

Authentication Flow

Configuration

Getting Access Tokens

Option 1: Using the Token Script (Recommended)

Sequence Overview

Client Integration

Security Considerations

Authentication Endpoints

🧩 SQL Tool Configuration

Sources

Tools

Packages