Shell Command Executor
Executes whitelisted shell commands safely with security controls like timeouts, output limits, and resource monitoring. Provides basic file system operations and system information commands for LLMs.
Provides a shell command execution interface for secure and controlled access to local system operations, enabling automation tasks and system management.
What it does
- Execute whitelisted shell commands with arguments
- List directory contents and show file information
- Monitor system resources like memory and disk usage
- Search text patterns in files with grep
- Display file contents and system information
- Control command timeouts and output size limits
Best for
About Shell Command Executor
Shell Command Executor is a community-built MCP server published by kevinwatt that provides AI assistants with tools and capabilities via the Model Context Protocol. Automate system tasks securely with Shell Command Executor—perfect for knowledge database software and CRM relationship It is categorized under developer tools. This server exposes 20 tools that AI clients can invoke during conversations and coding sessions.
How to install
You can install Shell Command Executor in your AI client of choice. Use the install panel on this page to get one-click setup for Cursor, Claude Desktop, VS Code, and other MCP-compatible clients. This server runs locally on your machine via the stdio transport.
License
Shell Command Executor is released under the MIT license. This is a permissive open-source license, meaning you can freely use, modify, and distribute the software.
Tools (20)
List directory contents
Concatenate and display file contents
Show current working directory
Show disk usage
Display text
shell-mcp
Shell command execution MCP server
An MCP server implementation that provides secure shell command execution capabilities for LLMs.
Features
- Secure Execution: Whitelisted commands and arguments only
- Resource Control: Memory and CPU usage monitoring
- Timeout Control: Automatic termination of long-running commands
- Size Limits: Output size restrictions for safety
- MCP Integration: Works with Claude and other MCP-compatible LLMs
Installation
npm install @kevinwatt/shell-mcp
Configuration with Dive Desktop
- Click "+ Add MCP Server" in Dive Desktop
- Copy and paste this configuration:
{
"mcpServers": {
"shell": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@kevinwatt/shell-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Tool Documentation
- shell_ls, shell_pwd, shell_df, etc.
- Execute whitelisted shell commands
- Inputs:
command(string, required): Command to executeargs(array, optional): Command argumentstimeout(number, optional): Execution timeout in ms
Usage Examples
Ask your LLM to:
"Show current directory using shell_pwd"
"List files using shell_ls with -l argument"
"Check disk usage using shell_df with -h argument"
Manual Start
If needed, start the server manually:
npx @kevinwatt/shell-mcp
Requirements
- Node.js 18+
- MCP-compatible LLM service
Development
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Watch mode
npm run watch
# Run tests
npm test
# Lint
npm run lint
License
MIT © Dewei Yen
Keywords
- mcp
- shell
- command
- claude
- llm
- automation
Available Commands
The following shell commands are available:
| Command | Description | Allowed Arguments |
|---|---|---|
| ls | List directory contents | -l, -a, -h, -R, --help, * |
| cat | Concatenate and display file contents | -n, -b, --help, * |
| pwd | Show current working directory | None |
| df | Show disk usage | -h, -T, --help |
| echo | Display text | Any text |
| ps | Show process status | -e, -f, -u, --help |
| free | Show memory usage | -h, -m, -g, --help |
| uptime | Show system uptime | None |
| date | Show system date and time | +%Y-%m-%d, +%H:%M:%S, --help |
| grep | Search text patterns in files | -i, -v, -n, -r, -l, --color, * |
| w | Show who is logged on and what they are doing | -h, -s, --no-header, --help |
| whois | Query WHOIS domain registration information | -H, * |
| find | Search for files in a directory hierarchy | -name, -type, -size, -mtime, * |
| netstat | Network connection information | -a, -n, -t, -u, -l, -p, --help |
| lspci | List PCI devices | -v, -k, -mm, -nn, --help |
| lsusb | List USB devices | -v, -t, -d, -s, --help |
| dig | DNS lookup utility | +short, +trace, +dnssec, @*, * |
| nslookup | Query DNS records | -type=, -query=, * |
| ip | Show network devices and interfaces | addr, link, route, neigh, -br, * |
| whereis | Locate binary, source and manual files | -b, -m, -s, * |
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