How do I install UniFi RMCP?

Copy the stdio config for Cursor, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or VS Code on this page. It uses the publisher's install, not a PlugMCP proxy.

Does UniFi RMCP need an API key?

The publisher lists these environment variables: UNIFI_URL, UNIFI_API_KEY, UNIFI_RMCP_VERSION, UNIFI_RMCP_REPO, UNIFI_RMCP_RELEASE_BASE_URL, RUST_LOG.

What transport does UniFi RMCP use?

UniFi RMCP runs locally over stdio.

When was UniFi RMCP last checked?

Last checked 2026-11-07. Rust MCP server and CLI for UniFi Network controller operations.

UniFi RMCP MCP server

unifi-rmcp

UniFi Network client, device, WLAN, firewall, and health operations over MCP and CLI.

It exposes one MCP tool, unifi, plus the runifi CLI. Agents can inspect clients, devices, WiFi networks, health, alarms, events, controller sysinfo, and authenticated identity, and can use generated official_* / unifi_* actions when their MCP auth scope permits it.

30-second path: set UNIFI_URL and UNIFI_API_KEY, then run npx -y @dinglebear/runifi health --json -> start loopback HTTP with UNIFI_MCP_HOST=127.0.0.1 npx -y @dinglebear/runifi serve -> call tools/call with {"action":"health"}.

Status: operational RMCP upstream-client server. The preserved convenience actions are read-oriented; generated mutating actions require unifi:admin authorization. HTTP MCP supports loopback dev mode, static bearer tokens, and Google OAuth through lab-auth.

Not for: replacing the UniFi console, storing controller credentials for callers, bypassing UniFi permissions, generic HTTP proxying, multi-tenant isolation, or passing UniFi API keys through MCP tool arguments.

Naming
Capabilities And Boundaries
Install
Quickstart
Client Configuration
Runtime Surfaces
MCP Tool Reference
CLI Reference
Configuration
Authentication
Safety And Trust Model
Architecture
Distribution Contract
Development
Verification
Deployment
Troubleshooting
Related Servers
Documentation
License

Naming

Surface	This repo
Repository	`unifi-rmcp`
Rust crate	`unifi-rmcp`
Binary / CLI	`runifi`
npm package	`@dinglebear/runifi`
npm binary aliases	`unifi-rmcp`, `runifi`
MCP tool	`unifi`
Config home	`~/.unifi-rmcp` on hosts, `/data` in containers
Env prefixes	`UNIFI_`, `UNIFI_MCP_`, `UNIFI_RMCP_*` for npm launcher controls

The repo and npm package use the RMCP family name, while the shipped binary uses the short Rust CLI name runifi.

Capabilities And Boundaries

Read connected wireless and wired clients, network devices, WLAN configs, site health, active alarms, recent events, controller sysinfo, and current authenticated user.
Dispatch generated official_* actions for documented Network Integration API endpoints.
Dispatch model-backed unifi_* internal controller actions and hybrid aliases such as list_clients, list_devices, list_networks, list_wifi, and get_system_info.
Enforce unifi:read for read actions and unifi:admin for mutating actions in mounted HTTP MCP mode.
Provide setup, doctor, and endpoint-verification commands for local runtime checks.

This repo owns	UniFi owns	Explicitly out of scope
MCP/CLI projection, action registry, request validation, HTTP MCP auth policy, response shaping, generated action dispatch, setup checks, and endpoint verification.	Controller state, site/device/client data, UniFi users, API key issuance, upstream authorization, and actual network mutations.	Replacing the controller UI, credential brokerage, arbitrary HTTP proxying, long-lived polling, policy-as-code, multi-tenant sandboxing, and local gateway provisioning.

Install

Path	Command	Best for	Notes
npm / npx	`npx -y @dinglebear/runifi --help`	Local MCP clients and quick trials.	Downloads the matching `runifi` binary from GitHub Releases.
Release installer	`curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dinglebear-ai/runifi/main/scripts/install.sh \| bash`	Host installs without Node.	Installs `runifi` for the current Linux host.
Docker / Compose	`docker compose up -d`	Shared HTTP MCP deployments.	Reads `.env` and exposes container port `40030`.
Build from source	`cargo build --release`	Development and audits.	Produces `target/release/runifi`.
Plugin	`claude plugin install plugins/unifi`	Claude Code local plugin setup from this checkout.	Ships the skill and `.mcp.json`. No session hooks — plugin settings reach the server through `.mcp.json`'s `${user_config.*}` env block, so no manual setup step is needed.

npm / npx

Run the stdio MCP server or CLI without a manual binary install:

npx -y @dinglebear/runifi --help
npx -y @dinglebear/runifi mcp
npx -y @dinglebear/runifi health --json

The npm package downloads runifi during postinstall. Override download behavior only when testing packaging:

Variable	Purpose
`UNIFI_RMCP_SKIP_DOWNLOAD=1`	Skip postinstall binary download.
`UNIFI_RMCP_VERSION` or `UNIFI_RMCP_BINARY_VERSION`	Select the GitHub Release tag.
`UNIFI_RMCP_REPO`	Select the GitHub repo used for release downloads.
`UNIFI_RMCP_RELEASE_BASE_URL`	Select a custom release base URL.

Build From Source

git clone [email protected]:dinglebear-ai/runifi.git
cd runifi
cargo build --release
./target/release/runifi --help

Minimum supported Rust version: 1.86. The Cargo workspace has three members: the root unifi-rmcp package, crates/unifi (reusable core), and xtask (dev tooling). All members inherit Rust edition 2024 and MSRV 1.97.1 from the workspace root.

Quickstart

1. Create A UniFi API Key

In UniFi OS, go to Settings -> Admins & Users -> API Keys, create a key, and copy it into UNIFI_API_KEY.

2. Configure The Controller

export UNIFI_URL=https://unifi.local
export UNIFI_API_KEY=...
export UNIFI_SITE=default
export UNIFI_SKIP_TLS_VERIFY=true

Set UNIFI_LEGACY=true only for older non-UDM controllers that do not use the /proxy/network path prefix.

3. Run A Safe CLI Call

npx -y @dinglebear/runifi health --json

4. Start Loopback HTTP MCP

UNIFI_MCP_HOST=127.0.0.1 npx -y @dinglebear/runifi serve

In another shell:

curl -sf http://127.0.0.1:40030/health

5. Make A First MCP Call

curl -s -X POST http://127.0.0.1:40030/mcp \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"unifi","arguments":{"action":"health"}}}'

Client Configuration

Claude Code Stdio

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "unifi": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "unifi-rmcp", "mcp"],
      "env": {
        "UNIFI_URL": "https://unifi.local",
        "UNIFI_API_KEY": "...",
        "UNIFI_SITE": "default",
        "UNIFI_SKIP_TLS_VERIFY": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Code HTTP

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "unifi": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:40030/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${UNIFI_MCP_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Codex / Labby Gateway

Register UniFi through Labby as an HTTP upstream when sharing one long-running server, or run it directly as stdio for local-only use.

[mcp_servers.unifi]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "unifi-rmcp", "mcp"]

Generic MCP JSON

{
  "command": "runifi",
  "args": ["mcp"],
  "env": {
    "UNIFI_URL": "https://unifi.local",
    "UNIFI_API_KEY": "..."
  }
}

Do not put UNIFI_API_KEY, OAuth secrets, passwords, SSH keys, or upstream bearer tokens in MCP tool arguments. Use env, config files, or the MCP client's secret storage. MCP callers never provide credentials, tokens, keys, or secrets as action arguments.

Runtime Surfaces

Surface	Status	Entry point	Purpose
MCP stdio	Supported	`runifi mcp`, `npx -y @dinglebear/runifi mcp`	Local child-process MCP clients.
MCP HTTP	Supported	`runifi serve`, `POST /mcp`	Streamable HTTP MCP for local or shared server deployments.
CLI	Supported	`runifi <command>`	Scriptable parity and debugging.
Prompts	Supported	`network_summary`	Agent prompt for UniFi status summaries.
Resource	Supported	MCP tool schema resource	Client-side schema discovery.
REST API	Not shipped	N/A	UniFi already owns the REST APIs.
Web UI	Not shipped	N/A	UniFi already owns the controller UI.

MCP Tool Reference

One MCP tool is exposed: unifi. Pass the required action argument to select the operation. The action enum is generated from the inventories in data/, so the surface is large:

Family	Actions	Mutating
`official_*`	78	36
`unifi_*`	175	87
Preserved convenience	8	0
Hybrid aliases	5	0
`help`	1	0
Total	267	123

Counts are derived from data/unifi_official_network_v10_3_58.json and the runtime: true entries of data/unifi_internal_endpoint_models.json. crates/unifi/src/capabilities.rs is the source of truth at runtime.

Preserved Convenience Actions

Action	Description	Required params	Optional params
`clients`	Connected wireless and wired clients.	none	none
`devices`	Network devices: APs, switches, gateways.	none	none
`wlans`	WiFi network configurations.	none	none
`health`	Site health summary.	none	none
`alarms`	Active alarms and alerts.	none	none
`events`	Recent controller events.	none	`limit`
`sysinfo`	Controller system information.	none	none
`me`	Authenticated UniFi identity.	none	none
`help`	Built-in action documentation.	none	none

Generated Action Families

Family	Description	Scope behavior
`official_*`	Documented Network Integration API operations under `/proxy/network/integration/v1`.	Read operations require `unifi:read`; mutating operations require `unifi:admin`.
`unifi_*`	Model-backed internal controller-compatible actions under `/proxy/network/api/s/{site}` and `/proxy/network/v2/api/site/{site}`.	Read operations require `unifi:read`; mutating operations require `unifi:admin`.
Hybrid aliases	`list_clients`, `list_devices`, `list_networks`, `list_wifi`, `get_system_info`.	Use internal actions by default, or official API when `siteId` or `params.prefer="official"` is supplied.

Endpoint coverage is tracked in docs/unifi_api_coverage.md; contract and safe live verification are documented in docs/unifi_endpoint_verification.md.

CLI Reference

The binary calls the same service layer as the MCP tool:

runifi clients [--json]
runifi devices [--json]
runifi wlans [--json]
runifi health [--json]
runifi alarms [--json]
runifi events [--limit N] [--json]
runifi sysinfo [--json]
runifi me [--json]
runifi official_list_clients --param siteId=<uuid> --json
runifi official_create_network --param siteId=<uuid> --body-json '{"name":"IoT"}' --json
runifi list_clients --param siteId=<uuid> --json
runifi doctor [--json]
runifi setup check [--json]
runifi setup repair [--json]
runifi setup install [--json]
runifi setup plugin-hook [--no-repair] [--json]

Generated actions accept --param k=v, --body-json JSON, and --json.

setup plugin-hook maps CLAUDE_PLUGIN_OPTION_* env vars into UNIFI_*, refreshes the ~/.local/bin copy of the binary, and runs check + repair. It used to run automatically from a Claude Code SessionStart/ConfigChange hook; those hooks have been removed.

You do not need to run it to configure the plugin: plugins/unifi/.mcp.json maps your plugin settings into the server's environment directly via ${user_config.*}. Run it by hand only when you want the ~/.local/bin binary refresh or the preflight checks.

Configuration

Configuration loads from config.toml first, then UNIFI_* environment variables override it. Host installs read ~/.unifi-rmcp/.env before loading config; containers read /data/.env. Process environment overrides both.

Variable	Default	Purpose
`UNIFI_URL`	unset	Controller base URL, e.g. `https://unifi.local`.
`UNIFI_API_KEY`	unset	API key for the `X-API-KEY` header.
`UNIFI_SITE`	`default`	UniFi site name.
`UNIFI_SITE_ID`	unset	Official API site UUID used by live tests and explicit generated calls.
`UNIFI_SKIP_TLS_VERIFY`	`true`	Skip TLS certificate verification for self-signed controllers.
`UNIFI_LEGACY`	`false`	Legacy controller mode without `/proxy/network` prefix.
`UNIFI_MCP_HOST`	`0.0.0.0`	HTTP bind host.
`UNIFI_MCP_PORT`	`40030`	HTTP bind port.
`UNIFI_MCP_TOKEN`	unset	Static bearer token for HTTP MCP.
`UNIFI_MCP_NO_AUTH`	`false`	Disable auth only for loopback development.
`UNIFI_MCP_DISABLE_HTTP_AUTH`	`false`	Compatibility alias for `UNIFI_MCP_NO_AUTH`.
`UNIFI_NOAUTH`	`false`	Trust an upstream gateway to enforce auth.
`UNIFI_MCP_ALLOWED_HOSTS`	empty	Comma-separated `Host` header allowlist.
`UNIFI_MCP_ALLOWED_ORIGINS`	empty	Comma-separated CORS `Origin` allowlist.
`UNIFI_MCP_PUBLIC_URL`	unset	Public URL for OAuth metadata.
`UNIFI_MCP_AUTH_MODE`	`bearer`	`bearer` or .

config.toml-only settings with no environment override: mcp.server_name and the [mcp.auth] TTL, rate-limit, and allowlist fields (access_token_ttl_secs, refresh_token_ttl_secs, auth_code_ttl_secs, register_rpm, authorize_rpm, disable_static_token_with_oauth, allowed_emails, allowed_client_redirect_uris). See config.example.toml.

xtask endpoint verification reads its own variables that the server never touches: UNIFI_ALLOW_INSECURE_TLS, UNIFI_RESOLVE_IP, UNIFI_VERIFY_TIMEOUT_SECS, UNIFI_VERIFY_RATE_LIMIT_MS, UNIFI_VERIFY_MAX_REQUESTS, UNIFI_VERIFY_UNVERIFIED_INTERNAL.

Authentication

Stdio MCP runs as a local trusted child process and does not use HTTP auth.

HTTP MCP auth policy:

State	Condition	Behavior
Loopback dev	`UNIFI_MCP_HOST` starts with `127.` or auth is explicitly disabled on loopback	Local unauthenticated development is allowed.
Mounted bearer	Non-loopback with `UNIFI_MCP_TOKEN`	Requires `Authorization: Bearer <token>` and action scopes.
Mounted OAuth	`UNIFI_MCP_AUTH_MODE=oauth`	Uses Google OAuth/JWT through `lab-auth`.
Trusted gateway	`UNIFI_NOAUTH=true`	Assumes a reverse proxy or gateway already enforced auth.

unifi:admin satisfies unifi:read; unifi:read does not satisfy mutating actions.

Safety And Trust Model

UniFi API keys are loaded from config/env only.
MCP callers select actions, params, and request bodies, not upstream credentials.
Preserved convenience actions are read-oriented.
Generated mutating actions require unifi:admin in mounted HTTP MCP mode.
Unknown actions and malformed generated-action params fail before upstream calls.
Non-loopback HTTP deployments must use bearer auth, OAuth, or a trusted authenticated gateway.
This bridge does not sandbox UniFi itself. UniFi remains responsible for API permissions and the actual network-side effect of a mutating call.

Architecture

Capabilities   (src/capabilities.rs)   official/internal/hybrid registry
      |
UnifiClient    (src/api.rs, src/unifi.rs) HTTP path families and transport
      |
UnifiService   (src/app.rs)            action execution boundary
      |
MCP shim       (src/mcp/tools.rs)      JSON args -> service -> Value
CLI shim       (src/cli.rs)            argv -> service -> stdout

Distribution Contract

Cargo.toml, Cargo.lock, packages/unifi-rmcp/package.json, .release-please-manifest.json, and server.json must agree on the released version.
GitHub Releases publish the runifi binary consumed by the npm launcher.
The npm package name is @dinglebear/runifi; binary aliases are @dinglebear/runifi and runifi.
Docker/OCI metadata uses ghcr.io/dinglebear-ai/runifi:<version>. The GHCR namespace still reads jmagar because that is what .github/workflows/docker-publish.yml publishes; the git remote is dinglebear-ai/runifi. Do not "fix" one without the other.
plugins/unifi/.mcp.json must launch npx -y @dinglebear/runifi mcp so stdio clients start the MCP transport rather than the HTTP server.
plugins/unifi/ ships no Claude Code hooks. scripts/validate-plugin-layout.sh and tests/setup_cli.rs both fail if a hooks/ directory or a manifest hooks key reappears.
The root README is curated. Source of truth for current actions and generated endpoint coverage is src/capabilities.rs, the data/ inventories, docs/unifi_api_coverage.md, and docs/unifi_endpoint_verification.md.

Development

cargo fmt --check
cargo test
cargo clippy -- -D warnings
cargo build --release
npm --prefix packages/unifi-rmcp run check

Verification

npm --prefix packages/unifi-rmcp run check
cargo check
cargo test
cargo clippy -- -D warnings
just validate-plugin
cargo run -p xtask -- verify-api-endpoints --mode contract
git diff --check

Live read probes require a controller:

UNIFI_URL=https://<gateway> \
UNIFI_API_KEY=<network-api-key> \
UNIFI_SITE=default \
UNIFI_SITE_ID=<official-site-uuid> \
UNIFI_SKIP_TLS_VERIFY=true \
cargo run -p xtask -- verify-api-endpoints --mode safe_live

Deployment

Use loopback for local development:

UNIFI_MCP_HOST=127.0.0.1 runifi serve

Use Docker Compose for shared HTTP deployment:

cp .env.example .env
docker compose up -d

When binding to a non-loopback address, configure UNIFI_MCP_TOKEN, UNIFI_MCP_AUTH_MODE=oauth, or UNIFI_NOAUTH=true behind an authenticated gateway.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Check
`UNIFI_URL` or `UNIFI_API_KEY` is missing	Set it in env or `~/.unifi-rmcp/.env`.
TLS errors against a UniFi controller	Keep `UNIFI_SKIP_TLS_VERIFY=true` unless the controller has a trusted certificate.
Legacy controller paths fail	Set `UNIFI_LEGACY=true` for older non-UDM controllers.
HTTP `/mcp` returns unauthorized	Set `UNIFI_MCP_TOKEN` and send `Authorization: Bearer <token>`.
Stdio client hangs or logs JSON errors	Ensure client config runs `unifi-rmcp mcp`, not the default HTTP server mode.
Generated official action needs `siteId`	Pass `--param siteId=<uuid>` or MCP `params.siteId`.
Mutating generated action is forbidden	Use an HTTP MCP token/session with `unifi:admin`.

Related Servers

All sibling servers live under the dinglebear-ai org.

soma - RMCP runtime and scaffold for provider-backed MCP servers.
rtailscale - Tailscale API bridge for devices, users, and tailnet operations.
unraid - Unraid monorepo; unraid-rs/ is the GraphQL bridge (binary runraid).
rapprise - Apprise notification fan-out bridge for many delivery backends.
rgotify - Gotify push notification bridge for sends, messages, apps, and clients.
rarcane - Arcane Docker management bridge for containers and related resources.
yarr - Media-stack bridge for Sonarr, Radarr, Prowlarr, Plex, and related services.
rytdl - Media download and metadata workflow server.
synapse - Local Synapse workflow server for scout and flux actions.
cortex - Syslog and homelab log aggregation MCP server.
axon - RAG, crawl, scrape, extract, and semantic search project.
labby - Homelab control plane and MCP gateway project.

Documentation

CLAUDE.md is the curated local operating guide for contributors and agents.
docs/unifi_api_coverage.md is the curated API-family and coverage summary.
docs/unifi_endpoint_verification.md is the curated endpoint verification guide.
docs/SETUP.md is curated plugin/setup guidance.
docs/OAUTH.md is curated OAuth setup guidance.
plugins/unifi/skills/unifi/SKILL.md is the agent usage guide.
data/ inventories are generated/reference inputs for the action registry.
src/ is the source of truth for current action dispatch, config defaults, auth behavior, and CLI parsing.

License

Original Dinglebear-authored portions of this project are licensed under AGPL-3.0-only. Separate commercial licensing is available for organizations that need terms outside the AGPL. Third-party material remains under its original license. See LICENSING.md.

Add this server

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

Server facts

Tools

Questions

How do I install UniFi RMCP?

Does UniFi RMCP need an API key?

What transport does UniFi RMCP use?

When was UniFi RMCP last checked?

Documentation

unifi-rmcp

Contents

Naming

Capabilities And Boundaries

Install

npm / npx

Build From Source

Quickstart

1. Create A UniFi API Key

2. Configure The Controller

3. Run A Safe CLI Call

4. Start Loopback HTTP MCP

5. Make A First MCP Call

Client Configuration

Claude Code Stdio

Claude Code HTTP

Codex / Labby Gateway

Generic MCP JSON

Runtime Surfaces

MCP Tool Reference

Preserved Convenience Actions

Generated Action Families

CLI Reference

Configuration

Authentication

Safety And Trust Model

Architecture

Distribution Contract

Development

Verification

Deployment

Troubleshooting

Related Servers

Documentation

License