Persistent Shell MCP

**This is experimental software intended for testing and development purposes only. Do not use in production environments or with sensitive data.** A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides persistent shell execution through tmux sessions. This server enables AI assistants to execute commands in a persistent shell. This unlocks a lot of possiblities, such as Agent Orchestration...  ## Features - **Dual-Window Architecture**: Each workspace has two windows - `exec` for command execution and `ui` for clean output display - **Persistent Workspaces**: Execute commands in tmux sessions that persist across MCP client restarts - **Interactive Process Support**: Handle long-running processes, REPLs, and interactive commands - **Workspace Isolation**: Multiple isolated workspaces for different projects or tasks - **Clean UI Management**: Separate windows for execution and user-facing output - **Automatic Session Management**: Create, destroy, and monitor workspaces seamlessly ## Installation **🚨 SECURITY WARNING: This software allows AI assistants to execute arbitrary shell commands on your system. Only install and use in isolated testing environments. Never use on systems with sensitive data or in production environments.** ### Prerequisites - Node.js 18.0.0 or higher - tmux installed on your system - Ubuntu/Debian: `sudo apt install tmux` - macOS: `brew install tmux` - CentOS/RHEL: `sudo yum install tmux` ### Install from npm ```bash npm install -g tmux-mcp-server ``` ### Install from source ```bash git clone https://github.com/TNTisdial/persistent-shell-mcp.git cd persistent-shell-mcp npm install npm link ``` ## Usage ### MCP Client Configuration Add to your MCP client configuration: ```json { "mcpServers": { "tmux-shell": { "command": "tmux-mcp-server" } } } ``` ## Available Tools ### Core Execution Tools #### `execute_command` Execute commands that complete quickly and return full output. Uses the `exec` window. ```javascript execute_command({ command: "ls -la", workspace_id: "my-project" }) ``` #### `start_process` Start long-running or interactive processes. Can target either window: - `exec` window (default): For background processes - `ui` window: For interactive applications that need user visibility ```javascript start_process({ command: "python3", workspace_id: "dev", target_window: "ui" // For interactive apps like vim, python REPL }) ``` #### `get_output` Capture current terminal output from either window: - `ui` window (default): Clean user-facing output - `exec` window: Raw shell with all commands ```javascript get_output({ workspace_id: "dev", window_name: "ui" // or "exec" for raw output }) ``` #### `send_input` Send input to running processes in either window. ```javascript send_input({ text: "print('Hello World')", workspace_id: "dev", target_window: "ui" }) ``` #### `stop_process` Stop the currently running process in the exec window (sends Ctrl+C). ```javascript stop_process({workspace_id: "dev"}) ``` ### Workspace Management Tools #### `create_workspace` Create a new isolated workspace with dual windows. #### `destroy_workspace` Destroy a workspace and all its processes. #### `list_workspaces` List all active workspaces. ## Architecture ### Dual-Window Design Each workspace consists of two tmux windows: 1. **`exec` window**: Raw shell for command execution - Handles all command execution - Shows full shell history and prompts - Used for background processes 2. **`ui` window**: Clean output display - Shows clean output for user interaction - Used for interactive applications - Provides better user experience ### Workspace Isolation - Each workspace is a separate tmux session - Independent working directories and environments - Processes don't interfere between workspaces - Clean separation of different projects/tasks ## Common Workflows ### Quick Command Execution ```javascript // Execute and get results immediately execute_command({command: "npm install", workspace_id: "frontend"}) execute_command({command: "git status", workspace_id: "frontend"}) ``` ### Interactive Development ```javascript // Start Python REPL in UI window start_process({ command: "python3", workspace_id: "python-dev", target_window: "ui" }) // Send Python commands send_input({text: "import os", workspace_id: "python-dev", target_window: "ui"}) send_input({text: "print(os.getcwd())", workspace_id: "python-dev", target_window: "ui"}) // Check output get_output({workspace_id: "python-dev", window_name: "ui"}) ``` ### Background Process Management ```javascript // Start server in background start_process({command: "npm run dev", workspace_id: "server"}) // Check server status get_output({workspace_id: "server", window_name: "exec"}) // Stop server when done stop_process({workspace_id: "server"}) ``` ### Multi-Project Development ```javascript // Frontend workspace create_workspace({workspace_id: "frontend"}) execute_command({command: "cd /path/to/frontend", workspace_id: "frontend"}) // Backend workspace create_workspace({workspace_id: "backend"}) execute_command({command: "cd /path/to/backend", workspace_id: "backend"}) // Database workspace create_workspace({workspace_id: "database"}) start_process({command: "mysql -u root -p", workspace_id: "database", target_window: "ui"}) ``` ## Project Structure ``` tmux-mcp/ ├── src/ │ ├── server.js # Main MCP server and tool definitions │ ├── tmux-manager.js # Tmux session and window management │ └── index.js # Entry point ├── bin/ │ └── tmux-mcp-server # Executable script ├── package.json └── README.md ``` ## Troubleshooting ### Tmux Not Found ``` Error: tmux command not found ``` Install tmux: `sudo apt install tmux` (Ubuntu/Debian) or `brew install tmux` (macOS) ### Workspace Creation Failed ``` Error: Failed to create workspace ``` Check if tmux server is running and you have permissions to create sessions ### Commands Not Responding ``` Check workspace status with get_output ``` Use `get_output` with `window_name: "exec"` to see raw shell state ### Process Stuck ``` Use stop_process to send Ctrl+C ``` Send interrupt signal with `stop_process` to terminate hanging processes ## License MIT