MCP Terminal Server

A lightweight FastAPI server that can run as a Windows service and exposes an endpoint to execute shell commands and stream their output.

Features

Run as a Windows service or in debug mode
Execute shell commands and stream their output in real-time
API key authentication
Rate limiting
Configurable via environment variables or configuration file
Robust error handling and logging
Automatic process restart on failure

Installation

Prerequisites

Windows operating system
Python 3.7 or higher
Administrator privileges (for service installation)

Install Steps

Clone this repository or download the source code
Open PowerShell as Administrator
Navigate to the project directory
Run the installation script:

.\install_service.ps1

This will:

Install required Python dependencies
Generate a random API key (or use the one you provide)
Create a configuration file
Install and start the Windows service

Installation Options

You can customize the installation with the following parameters:

.\install_service.ps1 -ApiKey "your-api-key" -Port 8080 -Host "127.0.0.1" -LogLevel "debug"

Available parameters:

-ApiKey: Custom API key for authentication
-Port: Port number for the server (default: 8000)
-Host: Host address to bind to (default: 0.0.0.0)
-LogLevel: Log level (debug, info, warning, error, critical)
-ConfigFile: Path to a custom configuration file

Configuration

The server can be configured through:

Environment variables
Configuration file (config.json)
Command-line arguments during installation

Configuration File

A sample configuration file (config.json.sample) is provided. You can copy this to config.json and modify it:

{
    "host": "0.0.0.0",
    "port": 8000,
    "log_level": "info",
    "log_file": "mcp_terminal_server.log",
    "max_log_size_mb": 10,
    "log_backup_count": 5,
    "restart_on_failure": true,
    "max_restart_attempts": 5,
    "restart_delay_seconds": 10,
    "shutdown_timeout_seconds": 30,
    "working_directory": null
}

Environment Variables

You can also configure the server using environment variables:

MCP_TERMINAL_API_KEY: API key for authentication
MCP_HOST: Host address to bind to
MCP_PORT: Port number for the server
MCP_LOG_LEVEL: Log level
MCP_LOG_FILE: Path to log file
MCP_MAX_LOG_SIZE_MB: Maximum log file size in MB
MCP_LOG_BACKUP_COUNT: Number of log backup files to keep
MCP_RESTART_ON_FAILURE: Whether to restart the server on failure
MCP_MAX_RESTART_ATTEMPTS: Maximum number of restart attempts
MCP_RESTART_DELAY_SECONDS: Delay between restart attempts
MCP_SHUTDOWN_TIMEOUT_SECONDS: Timeout for graceful shutdown
MCP_WORKING_DIRECTORY: Working directory for the server

Service Management

Service Commands

The service can be managed using the following commands:

# Install the service
python service.py install

# Start the service
python service.py start

# Stop the service
python service.py stop

# Restart the service
python service.py restart

# Remove the service
python service.py remove

# Update the service configuration
python service.py update

# Run in debug mode (not as a service)
python service.py debug

Logs

Logs are stored in the configured log file (default: mcp_terminal_server.log). The logs include:

Service start/stop events
Command execution
Errors and warnings
Health check results

API Usage

Test Client

A robust test client is provided to interact with the server with the following features:

Command-line arguments for better usability
API key authentication support
Colored output for better readability
Support for saving output to a file
Robust error handling and logging
Interactive mode with command history
Server health check functionality

Basic Usage

# Run a command
python test_client.py -c "dir" -k "your-api-key"

# Check server health
python test_client.py --health

# Interactive mode
python test_client.py -k "your-api-key"

# Save output to a file
python test_client.py -c "systeminfo" --save-output output.txt

# Specify server URL
python test_client.py -s "http://example.com:8000" -c "dir"

# Enable verbose output
python test_client.py -v -c "dir"

# Show version
python test_client.py --version

Configuration File

The test client can be configured using a JSON configuration file. Create a client_config.json file based on the provided sample:

{
    "server_url": "http://localhost:8000",
    "api_key": "your-api-key-here",
    "timeout": 60,
    "verbose": false
}

Then use it with:

python test_client.py --config client_config.json

Environment Variables

The test client also supports configuration via environment variables:

MCP_TERMINAL_API_KEY: API key for authentication
MCP_TERMINAL_SERVER_URL: Server URL

API Endpoints

POST /run: Execute a command
- Requires API key in X-API-Key header
- Request body: {"command": "your command"}
- Returns streaming response with command output
GET /health: Check server health
- Returns {"status": "healthy", "active_sessions": 0}

Security Considerations

Always change the default API key in production
Restrict the host to 127.0.0.1 if the server should only be accessible locally
Consider using HTTPS in production
The server blocks potentially dangerous commands, but additional security measures may be needed

Troubleshooting

Check the log file for errors
Run in debug mode to see console output: python service.py debug
Verify the service is running: Get-Service -Name "MCP_Terminal_Server"
Check Windows Event Viewer for service-related errors

License

MIT

This server cannot be installed

security - not tested

license - permissive license

quality - not tested

remote-capable server

The server can be hosted and run remotely because it primarily relies on remote services or has no dependency on the local environment.

A lightweight FastAPI server that allows remote execution of shell commands on Windows, with real-time output streaming and security features like API key authentication and rate limiting.

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