UniFi MCP Server
AI-native control of UniFi networks through the Model Context Protocol
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An MCP server that exposes UniFi Network, UniFi Protect and the UniFi cloud APIs (Site Manager, Mobility, InnerSpace, Carrier Fabric) as MCP tools, so AI agents can read and change UniFi infrastructure through one standard interface. It runs against one controller or, in fleet mode, many.
**Current release: 0.6.1.** See [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md) for what changed.
## Contents
- [Features](#features)
- [API modes](#api-modes)
- [Quick start](#quick-start)
- [Agent skills](#agent-skills)
- [Tool profiles and safety controls](#tool-profiles-and-safety-controls)
- [Network transports and deployment](#network-transports-and-deployment)
- [Calling the server from code](#calling-the-server-from-code)
- [Documentation](#documentation)
- [Development](#development)
## Features
343 tools in local mode, from 60 modules.
- **Network:** clients (search, block, reconnect), networks and VLANs, WiFi SSIDs, DHCP reservations, DNS, WAN, guest vouchers, QoS profiles and traffic routes, DPI statistics, traffic flows.
- **Devices:** inventory, adoption, restart, locate, upgrade, radio settings, port profiles and per-port overrides, switching and stacks, topology export (JSON, GraphML, DOT), diagnostics, WiFi channel planning.
- **Security:** legacy firewall rules and groups, zone-based firewall (zones, policies, zone matrix), ACL rules, traffic matching lists, port forwarding, VPN and site-to-site VPN, content filtering, RADIUS and the guest portal.
- **Protect:** cameras, NVRs, views, events, sensors, lights, chimes, sirens, relays, speakers, alarm hubs and the alarm manager.
- **Cloud:** Site Manager (hosts, sites, cross-site statistics), the connector proxy, Mobility workspaces and devices, InnerSpace floor plans and inventory, Carrier Fabric subscribers and service plans.
- **Operations:** sites, backups (create, schedule, download, restore), events, multi-site aggregation, device migration between sites.
- **Fleet mode** (optional, with Postgres and Redis): many controllers behind one server, a controller registry with encrypted credentials, server-issued tokens with roles, a shared read cache, several replicas and background workers, and `fleet_*` tools that read across controllers. See [MULTI_CONTROLLER.md](MULTI_CONTROLLER.md) and [docs/FLEET_SCALING_PLAN.md](docs/FLEET_SCALING_PLAN.md).
- **Safety:** every mutating tool needs `confirm=True` and supports `dry_run=True`, plus read-only and dry-run server modes, role-based access over risk tiers, and a hash-chained audit log (see [below](#tool-profiles-and-safety-controls)).
- **Observability:** Prometheus `/metrics`, `/healthz`, SIEM export of audit records, optional Redis caching, webhooks with HMAC verification.
## API modes
Set `UNIFI_API_TYPE` to choose how the server reaches UniFi.
| Mode | What it reaches | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| `local` (recommended) | Your UniFi console or gateway on the LAN (`UNIFI_LOCAL_HOST`) | Everything: device and client control, configuration, firewall, Protect |
| `cloud-ea` | UniFi's Early Access cloud API | Sites and aggregate statistics; no per-device control or configuration |
| `cloud-v1` | UniFi's stable v1 cloud API | Sites and aggregate statistics; no per-device control or configuration |
The cloud tools (Site Manager, Mobility, InnerSpace, Carrier Fabric) call `api.ui.com` and are registered in every mode. Set `UNIFI_SITE_MANAGER_ENABLED=true` to use them. In `local` mode the server registers 343 tools; in either cloud mode, 71.
Zone-based firewall tools need UniFi Network 9.0 or later. Some documented UniFi endpoints do not exist on every firmware version; see [docs/UNIFI_API.md](docs/UNIFI_API.md).
## Quick start
### 1. Get an API key
1. Sign in to [UniFi Site Manager](https://unifi.ui.com).
2. Go to **Settings → Control Plane → Integrations** and choose **Create API Key**.
3. Copy the key. It is shown only once.
### 2. Install
```bash
pip install unifi-mcp-server # or: uv tool install unifi-mcp-server
# Fleet mode extras (Postgres, Redis):
pip install 'unifi-mcp-server[fleet]'
```
Or use the container image (amd64, arm64 and arm/v7; the `-fleet` variant for amd64 and arm64):
```bash
docker pull ghcr.io/enuno/unifi-mcp-server:latest
```
### 3. Add it to your MCP client
Claude Desktop (`~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json` on macOS, `%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json` on Windows), Cursor (`mcp.json`, from **View: Open MCP Settings**) and most other MCP clients take the same `mcpServers` block:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"unifi": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["unifi-mcp-server"],
"env": {
"UNIFI_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here",
"UNIFI_API_TYPE": "local",
"UNIFI_LOCAL_HOST": "192.168.2.1"
}
}
}
}
```
If you installed with `pip`, use `"command": "unifi-mcp-server"` and drop `args`. To run the container instead:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"unifi": {
"command": "docker",
"args": [
"run", "-i", "--rm",
"-e", "UNIFI_API_KEY=your-api-key-here",
"-e", "UNIFI_API_TYPE=local",
"-e", "UNIFI_LOCAL_HOST=192.168.2.1",
"ghcr.io/enuno/unifi-mcp-server:latest"
]
}
}
}
```
Keep `-i` and do not add `-d`: the client talks to the server over the container's stdin and stdout.
### 4. Main settings
| Variable | Purpose | Default |
|---|---|---|
| `UNIFI_API_KEY` | UniFi API key (required) | — |
| `UNIFI_API_TYPE` | `local`, `cloud-ea` or `cloud-v1` | `cloud-ea` |
| `UNIFI_LOCAL_HOST` / `UNIFI_LOCAL_PORT` | Console address in `local` mode | — / `443` |
| `UNIFI_LOCAL_VERIFY_SSL` | Verify the console's TLS certificate. `false` logs a warning at startup | `true` |
| `UNIFI_LOCAL_CA_FILE` | CA certificate (PEM) for a self-signed console, instead of turning verification off | — |
| `UNIFI_DEFAULT_SITE` | Site used when a tool call names none | `default` |
| `UNIFI_SITE_MANAGER_ENABLED` | Enable the cloud tools (Site Manager, Mobility, InnerSpace, Carrier) | `false` |
| `UNIFI_PROFILE` | Register only one group of tools ([profiles](#tool-profiles-and-safety-controls)) | all |
| `UNIFI_READ_ONLY` / `UNIFI_DRY_RUN` | Read-only or preview-only server | `false` |
| `DEBUG` | Registers `debug_api_request` (raw GET/DELETE, destructive tier, removed by read-only). Leave unset in production | unset |
| `MCP_SERVER_TRANSPORT` | `stdio`, `streamable_http`, `http` or `sse` | `stdio` |
| `MCP_AUTH_TOKEN` | Bearer token, required on network transports; `viewer:` (or `operator:`, `admin:`) limits a token's role | — |
| `REDIS_URL` | Optional response cache | — |
| `WEBHOOK_SECRET` | HMAC secret for incoming UniFi webhooks | — |
| `DATABASE_URL` | Turns on fleet mode (Postgres) | — |
[.env.example](.env.example) lists every setting with comments, including audit logging, SIEM export, metrics, Supermemory and agnost.ai.
## Agent skills
The `skills/` directory holds agent skills: Markdown files an AI agent loads on demand, so it knows which UniFi tools exist and how to use them safely without keeping every tool definition in context. Each skill is a folder with a `SKILL.md`, in the layout Claude Code and other agents install.
**Using the server (operator skills)**
| Skill | Covers |
|---|---|
| [`unifi-network`](skills/unifi-network/SKILL.md) | Clients, networks and VLANs, WiFi, DHCP, DNS, WAN, vouchers |
| [`unifi-devices`](skills/unifi-devices/SKILL.md) | Inventory, adoption, restarts and upgrades, ports, switching, topology |
| [`unifi-security`](skills/unifi-security/SKILL.md) | Firewall rules and groups, zone-based firewall, ACLs, port forwarding, VPN |
| [`unifi-system`](skills/unifi-system/SKILL.md) | Sites, backups, QoS, traffic flows, DPI, RADIUS, guest portal |
| [`unifi-channel-planning`](skills/unifi-channel-planning/SKILL.md) | Low-interference WiFi channel plans from neighbor scans |
**Changing this codebase (developer skills)**
| Skill | Covers |
|---|---|
| [`unifi-mcp-tool-builder`](skills/unifi-mcp-tool-builder/SKILL.md) | Adding any MCP tool: model, function, registration, tests, docs |
| [`unifi-network-config-tools`](skills/unifi-network-config-tools/SKILL.md) | Network configuration tools: URL spaces, site IDs, read-modify-write |
| [`unifi-security-tools`](skills/unifi-security-tools/SKILL.md) | Firewall, ZBF, ACL and port forward tools, and their risk tiers |
| [`unifi-protect-tools`](skills/unifi-protect-tools/SKILL.md) | The `protect_*` modules and the Protect client |
| [`unifi-cloud-fleet-tools`](skills/unifi-cloud-fleet-tools/SKILL.md) | Cloud API tools and the fleet stack |
### Install
Claude Code loads skills from `~/.claude/skills//SKILL.md` (every session) or `/.claude/skills//SKILL.md` (one project). Copy the folders you want:
```bash
git clone https://github.com/enuno/unifi-mcp-server.git
cd unifi-mcp-server
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
# All operator skills
cp -r skills/unifi-network skills/unifi-devices skills/unifi-security \
skills/unifi-system skills/unifi-channel-planning ~/.claude/skills/
# Or one skill
cp -r skills/unifi-security ~/.claude/skills/
# The one-file overview of the whole server, as a skill named "unifi"
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/unifi && cp SKILL.md ~/.claude/skills/unifi/SKILL.md
```
Other agents that read the same `SKILL.md` format take the same folders; copy them into that agent's skills directory (Codex, for example, reads `.agents/skills/`). To update, pull and copy again. Inside this repository the developer skills are already installed for Claude Code (`.claude/skills/`) and Codex (`.agents/skills/`).
### Use
You don't invoke a skill yourself. The agent reads each skill's description and loads the one that matches your request, then calls the MCP tools it describes, so the MCP server must also be configured in the same client. For example:
- "Which clients are on the guest VLAN right now?" loads `unifi-network`.
- "Audit the zone-based firewall for anything that allows WAN to LAN." loads `unifi-security`.
- "Which APs share a 5 GHz channel with a neighbor? Propose a channel plan." loads `unifi-channel-planning`.
If the agent doesn't pick a skill up, name it ("use the unifi-security skill"). Pair a skill with the matching `UNIFI_PROFILE` to keep the tool list small too. [docs/SKILLS.md](docs/SKILLS.md) has the full guide.
## Tool profiles and safety controls
**Profiles.** `UNIFI_PROFILE` registers only one group of modules, so the client sees fewer tool definitions:
| Profile | Tools | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| `network` | 48 | Clients, networks, WiFi, DHCP, DNS, WAN, vouchers, channel planning |
| `devices` | 53 | Devices, control, migration, ports, switching, topology, diagnostics |
| `security` | 47 | Firewall, ZBF, ACLs, port forwarding, VPN, content filtering |
| `system` | 182 | Sites, backups, events, DPI, QoS, RADIUS, traffic flows, Protect, cloud |
| `protect` | 75 | The Protect modules |
| `mobility` / `innerspace` / `carrier` | 12 / 10 / 15 | One cloud API each |
| `minimal` | 19 | Sites, clients, devices |
Counts include the four fleet tools every profile gets. An unknown profile logs a warning and loads everything.
**Safety controls.**
- Every mutating tool requires `confirm=True`, and `dry_run=True` returns the change it would make without making it.
- `UNIFI_READ_ONLY=true` leaves mutating tools out of the tool list entirely. `UNIFI_DRY_RUN=true` forces every mutating call into preview mode.
- `DEBUG=true` adds `debug_api_request`, a raw GET or DELETE to any controller endpoint. It is a destructive-tier tool, a DELETE needs `confirm=True`, and read-only mode removes it. Leave `DEBUG` unset in production.
- With tokens, each tool has a risk tier (`read`, `write`, `destructive`) and each role a set of tiers: `viewer` reads, `operator` writes, and `admin` can also run destructive tools, including deletes, restores, restarts, client blocking and firewall policy changes. See [API.md](API.md#access-control).
- Mutations are written to a hash-chained JSON-lines audit log (Postgres in fleet mode), with optional field encryption and SIEM export. See [SECURITY.md](SECURITY.md).
- Inputs are validated with Pydantic, and credentials are redacted from logs.
## Network transports and deployment
`stdio` is the default and needs no port. To serve MCP over the network, use Streamable HTTP:
```bash
export MCP_SERVER_TRANSPORT=streamable_http
export MCP_SERVER_PORT=3000
export MCP_AUTH_TOKEN=$(openssl rand -hex 32) # required on every network transport
unifi-mcp-server
# Listening on 127.0.0.1:3000; clients send Authorization: Bearer $MCP_AUTH_TOKEN
```
Clients and MCP gateways then connect to `http://:3000/mcp`. The server binds to `127.0.0.1` unless you set `MCP_SERVER_HOST`; put an authenticating TLS proxy in front before exposing it further. `http` also works. `sse` is deprecated: client proxies such as `mcp-remote` can race its initialize handshake ([#96](https://github.com/enuno/unifi-mcp-server/issues/96)).
Container, with the published port on loopback:
```yaml
services:
unifi-mcp:
image: ghcr.io/enuno/unifi-mcp-server:latest
environment:
UNIFI_API_KEY: your-api-key
UNIFI_API_TYPE: local
UNIFI_LOCAL_HOST: 192.168.2.1
MCP_SERVER_TRANSPORT: streamable_http
MCP_SERVER_PORT: 3000
MCP_SERVER_HOST: 0.0.0.0 # inside the container only
MCP_AUTH_TOKEN: ${MCP_AUTH_TOKEN}
ports:
- "127.0.0.1:3000:3000"
```
The repository's [docker-compose.yml](docker-compose.yml) adds Redis and the MCP Toolbox dashboard ([MCP_TOOLBOX.md](MCP_TOOLBOX.md)); copy `.env.docker.example` to `.env` and run `make compose-up`. That example starts read-only (`UNIFI_READ_ONLY=true`) with a `viewer` stdio caller (`UNIFI_STDIO_ROLE=viewer`); to allow changes, set `UNIFI_READ_ONLY=false` and raise `UNIFI_STDIO_ROLE` to `operator`, or `admin` for destructive changes.
- **Ansible:** [deploy/ansible/](deploy/ansible/README.md) deploys the server alone, a single-host fleet (server, worker, Redis, Postgres), or replicas behind nginx on several hosts. To have an AI agent run the deployment, start from a prompt in [docs/deploy-prompts/](docs/deploy-prompts/README.md).
- **Kubernetes:** [deploy/helm/unifi-mcp/](deploy/helm/unifi-mcp/README.md) is a Helm chart for the server alone or in fleet mode with workers, taking every credential from an existing Secret.
## Calling the server from code
Any MCP client library works. With the [FastMCP](https://github.com/jlowin/fastmcp) client:
```python
import asyncio
from fastmcp import Client
config = {
"mcpServers": {
"unifi": {
"command": "unifi-mcp-server",
"env": {
"UNIFI_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here",
"UNIFI_API_TYPE": "local",
"UNIFI_LOCAL_HOST": "192.168.2.1",
},
}
}
}
async def main() -> None:
async with Client(config) as client:
sites = await client.call_tool("list_sites", {})
print(sites.data)
clients = await client.call_tool("list_active_clients", {"site_id": "default"})
print(clients.data)
# Mutations need confirm=True; dry_run=True previews the change.
preview = await client.call_tool(
"create_firewall_zone",
{"site_id": "default", "name": "IoT", "confirm": True, "dry_run": True},
)
print(preview.data)
asyncio.run(main())
```
`bin/unifi-cli` runs a single tool from a shell (`unifi-cli list-clients --site default`); see [docs/SKILLS.md](docs/SKILLS.md#binunifi-cli--cli-wrapper).
## Documentation
| Document | Contents |
|---|---|
| [API.md](API.md) | Every MCP tool and resource, with parameters and examples |
| [docs/SKILLS.md](docs/SKILLS.md) | Agent skills, profiles and the CLI wrapper |
| [docs/UNIFI_API.md](docs/UNIFI_API.md) | The UniFi endpoints behind the tools |
| [MULTI_CONTROLLER.md](MULTI_CONTROLLER.md) | Fleet mode: controllers, tokens and roles |
| [METRICS.md](METRICS.md), [WEBHOOK_SETUP.md](WEBHOOK_SETUP.md), [A2A.md](A2A.md) | Metrics, webhooks, the A2A agent endpoints |
| [NETWORK_PLAYBOOK.md](NETWORK_PLAYBOOK.md), [HARBOR_SETUP.md](HARBOR_SETUP.md) | Operating runbooks |
| [SECURITY.md](SECURITY.md) | Reporting vulnerabilities, audit logging and hardening |
| [SPEC.md](SPEC.md), [DEVELOPMENT_PLAN.md](DEVELOPMENT_PLAN.md), [ROADMAP.md](ROADMAP.md) | Architecture target and roadmap |
| [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md), [docs/RELEASE_PROCESS.md](docs/RELEASE_PROCESS.md) | Release history and how releases are cut and published |
## Development
```bash
git clone https://github.com/enuno/unifi-mcp-server.git
cd unifi-mcp-server
make install # uv sync from uv.lock with the dev extra (no activation needed)
make hooks # pre-commit and commit-msg hooks
cp .env.example .env # then set UNIFI_API_KEY and, for local mode, UNIFI_LOCAL_HOST
make test # unit tests
make ci # every blocking CI check: lint, typecheck, security, docs coverage, tests with the 80% gate
make inspect # open the server in the MCP Inspector (needs Node.js)
make help # list every target
```
Without `make`, the same commands run through `uv run --locked`, for example `uv run --locked pytest tests/unit/ -m "not integration"`. Integration tests (`-m integration`) need real UniFi hardware.
Layout: `src/main.py` builds the server, `src/tools/` holds the tool modules, `src/api/` the UniFi clients, `src/models/` the Pydantic models, `src/fleet/` the fleet stack, and `tests/unit/` the unit tests. [AGENTS.md](AGENTS.md) and [CLAUDE.md](CLAUDE.md) describe the conventions in detail, and [commands.md](commands.md) lists the development commands.
## Contributing
Contributions from people and AI coding agents are welcome. See [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) and [AGENTS.md](AGENTS.md).
1. Fork the repository and create a branch.
2. Write tests first, keep new code at 80% coverage or better, and run `make ci`.
3. Use conventional commit messages (`feat: ...`, `fix: ...`) and open a pull request.
Issues with `[Bug]` in the title opened by a maintainer or collaborator get an automated first analysis; other reports are triaged by hand ([details](CONTRIBUTING.md#automated-workflows)).
## Security
Report vulnerabilities as described in [SECURITY.md](SECURITY.md). Never commit credentials.
## Acknowledgments
- [sirkirby/unifi-network-mcp](https://github.com/sirkirby/unifi-network-mcp), the reference implementation
- [MakeWithData's UniFi MCP guide](https://www.makewithdata.tech/p/build-a-mcp-server-for-ai-access)
- [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io) and [FastMCP](https://github.com/jlowin/fastmcp)
## License
Apache License 2.0. See [LICENSE](LICENSE).
## Links
- Issues and discussions: [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/enuno/unifi-mcp-server/issues), [GitHub Discussions](https://github.com/enuno/unifi-mcp-server/discussions)
- Releases:
- PyPI:
- Container images:
- MCP Registry: search for `io.github.enuno/unifi-mcp-server` at
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