This server gives AI agents terminal access to IBM i (AS/400) systems via TN5250 green-screen emulation, enabling full interactive control of the system.
Connect/Disconnect — Establish or terminate a TN5250 session to an IBM i system, with optional TLS encryption and SSH tunneling support when direct port access is unavailable
Read Screen — Capture the current 5250 screen content, including visible text, cursor position, input field metadata, and screen dimensions
Type Text — Send keystrokes/text input into the current input field at the cursor position
Send Function Keys — Trigger attention and function keys such as Enter, F1–F24, PageUp, PageDown, Tab, Backtab, Clear, Help, Print, and Attn
Position Cursor — Move the cursor to any specific row and column on the screen
Upload Files — Transfer files from the local machine to the IBM i Integrated File System (IFS) via SFTP
Download Files — Retrieve files from the IBM i IFS to the local system via SFTP
Auto-Signon — Automatically detect login screens and authenticate using configured credentials
Codepage Support — Handle EBCDIC codepage translation for proper character encoding
Click on "Deploy Server".
Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state.
In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@ibmi-mcp Connect to my IBM i system and read the current screen."
That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed.
Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.
Give your AI Agent terminal access to your IBM i system via TN5250.
ibmi-mcp is an MCP server that lets AI Agents like Claude interact with IBM i the same way a human would through a 5250 green-screen terminal.
Install and register with Claude Code:
claude mcp add ibmi-5250 -- uvx ibmi-mcpThis requires the connection environment variables to be set in your shell profile. You can also pass them inline with -e flags:
claude mcp add ibmi-5250 \
-e IBMI_HOST=myhost.example.com \
-e IBMI_USER=myuser \
-e IBMI_PASSWORD=mypassword \
-- uvx ibmi-mcpRelated MCP server: can-see
Variable | Description | Required | Default |
| IBM i hostname or IP | Yes | — |
| TN5250 port | No | 23 |
| Enable TLS | No | false |
| Username for auto-signon | No | — |
| Password for auto-signon | No | — |
| Virtual device name | No | — |
| EBCDIC codepage | No | cp037 |
| Terminal type | No | IBM-3179-2 |
| Tunnel TN5250 through SSH | No | false |
| SSH port for file transfer and tunneling | No | 22 |
| Path to SSH private key | No | — |
| Path to known_hosts file | No | — |
When IBMI_USER and IBMI_PASSWORD are set, ibmi-mcp will automatically sign on when it detects a login screen after connecting.
Tool | Description |
| Connect to an IBM i system via TN5250 |
| Disconnect the active session |
| Read the current screen content and input fields |
| Type text into the current input field |
| Send a function/attention key (Enter, F1-F24, PageUp, PageDown, Tab, etc.) |
| Position the cursor at a specific row and column |
| Upload a file from the local system to the IBM i |
| Download a file from the IBM i to the local system |
Auto-signon — Automatically detects sign-on screens and logs in with configured credentials
File transfer — Upload and download files to/from the IBM i IFS via SFTP
SSH tunneling — Tunnel TN5250 through SSH when port 23 is not directly reachable
Full key support — Enter, F1-F24, PageUp, PageDown, Tab, Backtab, Clear, Help, Print, Attn
Local editing — Backspace, Delete, Field Exit, Home, and End handled locally for responsive editing
Structured screen data — Returns screen text, cursor position, and input field metadata
Configurable codepage — Supports EBCDIC codepage translation (default: CP037)
BSD 2-Clause. See LICENSE for details.
ibmi-mcp is developed and maintained by Whitehorn Ltd. Co., a legacy system modernization firm. We specialize in IBM i, RPG, COBOL, and midrange platforms. We help our clients protect what they can't afford to break while building a path forward.
Learn more about how Whitehorn Ltd. Co. can help you modernize your IBM midrange systems at whitehorn.ltd.
Connect to an IBM i system via TN5250.
Args: host: IBM i hostname or IP. Defaults to IBMI_HOST env var. port: TN5250 port. Defaults to IBMI_PORT env var or 23. use_ssl: Enable TLS. Defaults to IBMI_SSL env var.
Returns the initial screen after connection.
Inputs: host, port, use_ssl.
Disconnect the active TN5250 session.
Inputs: no named parameters.
Download a file from the IBM i to the local system.
Args: remote_path: Path to the file on the IBM i (IFS path). local_path: Destination path on the local system.
Returns status with file details, or an error.
Inputs: remote_path (required), local_path (required).
Read the current 5250 screen content.
Returns structured data with:
screen: list of text rows (the visible display)
cursor: current cursor position {row, col} (1-based)
fields: list of input fields with position, length, value, and type
dimensions: screen size {rows, cols}
Inputs: no named parameters.
Send an attention/function key and wait for the host response.
Args: key: Key name. Valid values: Enter, F1-F24, PageUp, PageDown, Tab, Backtab, Clear, Help, Print, Attn.
Returns the updated screen after the host processes the key.
Inputs: key (required).
Type text into the current input field at the cursor position.
Args: text: The text to type.
Returns the updated screen state.
Inputs: text (required).
Position the cursor at the specified location.
Args: row: Row number (1-based, top row is 1). col: Column number (1-based, leftmost column is 1).
Returns the updated screen state.
Inputs: row (required), col (required).
Upload a file from the local system to the IBM i.
Args: local_path: Path to the file on the local system. remote_path: Destination path on the IBM i (IFS path).
Returns status with file details, or an error.
Inputs: local_path (required), remote_path (required).
Recent tool additions, removals, and schema changes observed during successful MCP inspections.
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Scored across 8 tools
Each tool targets a distinct operation: session management (connect, disconnect), screen interaction (read_screen, send_key, send_keys, set_cursor), and file transfer (download_file, upload_file). There is no overlap, and agents can easily distinguish which tool to use.
All tool names follow a consistent verb_noun pattern with underscores (e.g., download_file, send_keys). There is no mixing of camelCase or other conventions, making the naming predictable and easy to remember.
With 8 tools, the server covers the essential operations for IBM i terminal emulation and file transfer without being overly large or minimal. The count is well-scoped for the server's purpose.
The tool set covers the core workflow: connect, interact with the screen, transfer files, and disconnect. A minor gap is the lack of a dedicated tool for waiting on screen conditions, but agents can achieve this by combining send_key and read_screen.
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