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Linux MCP Server

Linux MCP Server is an MCP server that adds tools to AI assistants such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code and Cursor. MCP server for read-only Linux system administration, diagnostics, and troubleshooting. It has 315 GitHub stars, is released under the Apache-2.0 license and runs locally with uvx linux-mcp-server.

github.com/rhel-lightspeed/linux-mcp-server (opens in a new tab)

Data as of from the GitHub API and the official MCP registry; description from the project's repository. Report an error

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Install Linux MCP Server

Generated from the server's MCP registry entry. Replace your-value with your own values.

Claude Desktop

claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linux-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "linux-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "LINUX_MCP_KEY_PASSPHRASE": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Settings > Developer > Edit Config. macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/, Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\. Restart Claude Desktop afterwards.

Claude Code

claude mcp add --env LINUX_MCP_KEY_PASSPHRASE=your-value --transport stdio linux-mcp-server -- uvx linux-mcp-server

Cursor

.cursor/mcp.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linux-mcp-server": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "linux-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "LINUX_MCP_KEY_PASSPHRASE": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Project file; use ~/.cursor/mcp.json to enable it in every project.

VS Code

.vscode/mcp.json
{
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "linux_mcp_key_passphrase",
      "description": "LINUX_MCP_KEY_PASSPHRASE",
      "password": true
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "linux-mcp-server": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "linux-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "LINUX_MCP_KEY_PASSPHRASE": "${input:linux_mcp_key_passphrase}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Config formats checked against the official docs on Oct 7, 2026: modelcontextprotocol.io (opens in a new tab), code.claude.com (opens in a new tab), cursor.com (opens in a new tab), code.visualstudio.com (opens in a new tab).

Environment variables

Variables the server reads at startup.

NameRequiredDescription
LINUX_MCP_USERNoDefault username for SSH connections
LINUX_MCP_SSH_KEY_PATHNoPath to SSH private key
LINUX_MCP_KEY_PASSPHRASEsecretNoPassphrase for encrypted SSH key
LINUX_MCP_SEARCH_FOR_SSH_KEYNoAuto-discover keys in ~/.ssh
LINUX_MCP_COMMAND_TIMEOUTNoSSH command timeout in seconds (default: 30)
LINUX_MCP_VERIFY_HOST_KEYSNoVerify remote host identity via known_hosts
LINUX_MCP_KNOWN_HOSTS_PATHNoCustom path to known_hosts file
LINUX_MCP_ALLOWED_LOG_PATHSNoComma-separated allowlist of log files
LINUX_MCP_LOG_DIRNoServer log directory
LINUX_MCP_LOG_LEVELNoLog verbosity (DEBUG, INFO, WARNING)
LINUX_MCP_LOG_RETENTION_DAYSNoDays to keep log files

About Linux MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for read-only Linux system administration, diagnostics, and troubleshooting on RHEL-based systems.

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FAQ

Linux MCP Server FAQ

Still curious? Email info@appsgit.com.

How do I install the Linux MCP Server MCP server?

Add the command uvx linux-mcp-server to your MCP client: put it in claude_desktop_config.json for Claude Desktop, run claude mcp add for Claude Code, or add it to .cursor/mcp.json (Cursor) or .vscode/mcp.json (VS Code). The snippets on this page are ready to paste.

Is Linux MCP Server free?

The server is open source under the Apache-2.0 license, so running it is free. It needs credentials (LINUX_MCP_KEY_PASSPHRASE) for the service it connects to, which may require a paid account.

Is Linux MCP Server actively maintained?

The most recent commit was on Oct 24, 2026. The latest release is 1.7.0, published Oct 2, 2026. appsgit only lists MCP servers with a commit in the last six months.