Nautobot MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for interacting with Nautobot APIs using semantic search and dynamic API requests. This server provides intelligent access to Nautobot instances and a comprehensive knowledge base of Nautobot-related repositories.

📖 Documentation

View Full Documentation →

• Installation Guide

• Quick Start

• Architecture

• Tools Reference

• Examples

🚀 Features

Core Capabilities

• Dynamic API Access: Perform CRUD operations on any Nautobot API endpoint

• Semantic Endpoint Discovery: Find relevant API endpoints using natural language queries

• Knowledge Base Search: Access indexed content from official Nautobot repositories

• Multi-Environment Support: Connect to different Nautobot instances (dev, staging, prod)

• Smart Caching: Efficient ChromaDB-powered vector storage with Git-based updates

API Tools

• nautobot_dynamic_api_request: Execute any HTTP method against Nautobot APIs

• nautobot_openapi_api_request_schema: Discover API endpoints through semantic search

• nautobot_kb_semantic_search: Search through indexed Nautobot documentation and code

• Repository management tools for maintaining the knowledge base

📋 Prerequisites

• Python 3.11+ (< 3.12)

• Access to a Nautobot instance

• Git (for repository cloning and updates)

• GitHub token (for accessing repositories)

Design Overview

🛠️ Installation

Option 1: Docker Installation (Recommended)

The easiest way to run the Nautobot MCP server is using Docker:

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd nautobot_mcp

2. Configure environment variables:

   cp .env.example .env
   # Edit .env with your configuration

3. Run with Docker Compose:

   # For stdio mode (default)
   docker compose up -d
   
   # For HTTP mode
   MCP_TRANSPORT=http MCP_PORT=8000 docker compose up -d

Option 2: Local Python Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd nautobot_mcp

2. Install dependencies:

   # Using uv (recommended)
   uv sync
   
   # Or using pip
   pip install -e .

3. Configure environment variables:

   cp .env.example .env
   # Edit .env with your configuration

⚙️ Configuration

Environment Variables

Create a .env file with the following variables:

# Nautobot API Configuration
NAUTOBOT_TOKEN=your_nautobot_api_token
NAUTOBOT_ENV=local  # Options: local, nonprod, prod

# Environment-specific URLs and tokens
NAUTOBOT_NONPROD_BASE_URL=https://nautobot-nonprod.example.com/
NAUTOBOT_NONPROD_TOKEN=your_nonprod_token
NAUTOBOT_PROD_BASE_URL=https://nautobot.example.com/
NAUTOBOT_PROD_TOKEN=your_prod_token

# GitHub Configuration (for knowledge base)
GITHUB_TOKEN=your_github_token

# Optional Configuration
SSL_VERIFY=False  # Set to True for production
POSTHOG_API_KEY=disable  # Analytics (optional)

Repository Configuration

The knowledge base automatically indexes official Nautobot repositories. You can customize this by editing:

• config/repositories.json - Official and community repositories

• config/user_repositories.json - Your custom repositories

Example repository configuration:

{
  "name": "nautobot/nautobot",
  "description": "Core Nautobot application",
  "priority": 1,
  "enabled": true,
  "branch": "develop",
  "file_patterns": [".py", ".md", ".txt", ".rst", ".yaml", ".yml"]
}

Configuration Options Reference

🚀 Usage

Starting the MCP Server

Docker Usage

stdio mode (for MCP clients like Claude Desktop, VS Code, etc.):

# Using docker compose
docker compose up -d

# Or using docker run
docker run -d \
  --name nautobot-mcp \
  --env-file .env \
  -v nautobot-mcp-chroma:/app/backend/chroma_db \
  -v nautobot-mcp-models:/app/backend/models \
  nautobot-mcp:latest --mode stdio

HTTP mode (for web-based integrations):

# Using docker compose
MCP_TRANSPORT=http MCP_PORT=8000 docker compose up -d

# Or using docker run
docker run -d \
  --name nautobot-mcp \
  --env-file .env \
  -e MCP_TRANSPORT=http \
  -e MCP_PORT=8000 \
  -p 8000:8000 \
  -v nautobot-mcp-chroma:/app/backend/chroma_db \
  -v nautobot-mcp-models:/app/backend/models \
  nautobot-mcp:latest --mode http --port 8000

View logs:

# Follow logs
docker compose logs -f

# View last 100 lines
docker compose logs --tail=100

Stop the server:

docker compose down

# To also remove volumes (warning: deletes ChromaDB data)
docker compose down -v

Local Python Usage

stdio mode:

python main.py
# or
python main.py --mode stdio

HTTP mode:

python main.py --mode http
# or with custom port
python main.py --mode http --port 9000

Legacy server files (still supported):

# stdio mode
python server.py

# HTTP mode
python server_http.py

The server will automatically:

1. Initialize the ChromaDB collections

2. Refresh the API endpoint index

3. Update the knowledge base from configured repositories

4. Start serving MCP requests

Integration with VS Code Copilot

Add to your VS Code MCP settings to use with GitHub Copilot:

1. VS Code: Command Palete:

2. '>MCP: Open User Configuration'

Local Installation:

{
	"servers": {
		"nautobot_mcp": {
			"type": "stdio",
			"command": "uv",
			"args": [
				"run",
				"--directory",
				"/path/to/nautobot_mcp",
				"python",
				"main.py",
				"--mode",
				"stdio"
			]
		}
	},
	"inputs": []
}

Docker Installation:

{
	"servers": {
		"nautobot_mcp": {
			"type": "stdio",
			"command": "docker",
			"args": [
				"run",
				"-i",
				"--rm",
				"--env-file",
				"/path/to/nautobot_mcp/.env",
				"-v",
				"nautobot-mcp-chroma:/app/backend/chroma_db",
				"-v",
				"nautobot-mcp-models:/app/backend/models",
				"nautobot-mcp:latest",
				"--mode",
				"stdio"
			]
		}
	},
	"inputs": []
}

Docker Configuration Notes

Data Persistence:

• ChromaDB data is stored in the nautobot-mcp-chroma volume

• Sentence transformer models are cached in the nautobot-mcp-models volume

• Volumes persist across container restarts and rebuilds

• To reset the knowledge base, remove the volumes: docker compose down -v

Environment Variables:

• All configuration is done through the .env file

• The .env file is loaded automatically when using docker compose

• For docker run, use --env-file .env or -e VAR=value for individual variables

Transport Modes:

• stdio mode: For integration with MCP clients (Claude Desktop, VS Code, etc.)

• HTTP mode: For web-based integrations or REST API access

• Switch modes by setting MCP_TRANSPORT=http or MCP_TRANSPORT=stdio

Resource Management:

• Default limits: 2 CPU cores, 4GB RAM

• Adjust in docker compose.yml under deploy.resources

• Monitor usage: docker stats nautobot-mcp-server

Logs:

• View logs: docker compose logs -f

• Logs are rotated (max 10MB per file, 3 files retained)

• Adjust in docker compose.yml under logging

### Example API Requests

#### Search for API Endpoints
```python
# Find endpoints related to devices
query = "get device information"
# Returns relevant endpoints like /dcim/devices/

Execute API Requests

# Get all locations
method = "GET"
path = "/dcim/locations/"
params = {"limit": 100}

Search Knowledge Base

# Find documentation about custom fields
query = "how to create custom fields in Nautobot"
# Returns relevant documentation and code examples

📁 Project Structure

nautobot_mcp/
├── server.py                 # Main MCP server
├── pyproject.toml            # Project configuration
├── .env                      # Environment variables
│
├── config/                   # Configuration files
│   ├── repositories.json     # Official repository definitions
│   └── user_repositories.json # User-defined repositories
│
├── helpers/                  # Core modules
│   ├── nb_kb_v2.py          # Enhanced knowledge base
│   ├── endpoint_searcher_chroma.py # API endpoint search
│   ├── content_processor.py  # Document processing
│   └── manage_repos.py       # Repository management
│
├── utils/                    # Utility modules
│   ├── config.py            # Configuration management
│   ├── embedding.py         # Vector embedding utilities
│   ├── git_manager.py       # Git operations
│   └── repo_config.py       # Repository configuration
│
├── examples/                 # Usage examples
│   ├── example_kb_search.py  # Knowledge base search demo
│   ├── config_demo.py       # Configuration examples
│   └── pynautobot_kb_example/ # PyNautobot integration
│
├── tests/                    # Test suite
│   ├── test_nb_kb_v2.py     # Knowledge base tests
│   ├── test_endpoint_searcher_chroma.py # API search tests
│   └── test_manage_repos.py  # Repository management tests
│
└── backend/                  # Data storage
    └── models/               # Cached embedding models

🔧 Development

Running Tests

# Run all tests
pytest

# Run specific test categories
pytest -m "unit"
pytest -m "integration"
pytest -m "not slow"

# Run with coverage
pytest --cov=helpers --cov=utils

Code Quality

The project uses several tools for code quality:

# Format code
ruff format .

# Lint code
ruff check .

# Pre-commit hooks (install once)
pre-commit install

Adding New Repositories

To add repositories to the knowledge base:

1. Add to configuration:

   from helpers.manage_repos import RepositoryManager
   
   manager = RepositoryManager()
   manager.add_repository("owner/repo", category="custom", description="My custom repo")

2. Initialize the repository:

   manager.initialize_repositories(force=True)

📖 Examples

Basic Knowledge Base Search

from helpers.nb_kb_v2 import EnhancedNautobotKnowledge

kb = EnhancedNautobotKnowledge()
results = kb.search("custom field validation", n_results=5)

for result in results:
    print(f"Repository: {result['metadata']['repository']}")
    print(f"File: {result['metadata']['file_path']}")
    print(f"Content: {result['document'][:200]}...")

API Endpoint Discovery

from helpers.endpoint_searcher_chroma import EndpointSearcherChroma

searcher = EndpointSearcherChroma()
endpoints = searcher.search("create new device", n_results=3)

for endpoint in endpoints:
    print(f"Method: {endpoint['method']}")
    print(f"Path: {endpoint['path']}")
    print(f"Description: {endpoint['description']}")

Dynamic API Requests

import requests
from utils.config import config

# Example: Get device count
response = requests.get(
    f"{config.NAUTOBOT_BASE_URL}/api/dcim/devices/",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Token {config.NAUTOBOT_TOKEN}"},
    params={"limit": 1},
    verify=config.SSL_VERIFY
)

total_count = response.json()["count"]
print(f"Total devices: {total_count}")

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository

2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)

3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')

4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)

5. Open a Pull Request

Development Guidelines

• Follow PEP 8 style guidelines

• Add tests for new functionality

• Update documentation for API changes

• Use type hints where appropriate

• Run the full test suite before submitting

🧪 Testing & Validation

Available Examples

The examples/ directory contains several demonstration scripts:

• example_kb_search.py - Basic knowledge base search functionality

• example_job.py - Example Nautobot job integration

• demo_hybrid_processing.py - Demonstrates hybrid content processing

• example_detailed_search_analysis.py - Advanced search analysis

• fetch_schema.py - OpenAPI schema fetching utility

• pynautobot_kb_example/ - PyNautobot integration examples

Running Tests

The project includes comprehensive tests in the tests/ directory:

# Run all tests
uv run python -m pytest tests/

# Run specific test files
uv run python tests/test_nb_kb_v2.py
uv run python tests/test_endpoint_searcher_chroma.py
uv run python tests/test_manage_repos.py

Validation

Test your configuration and server setup:

# Test configuration
uv run python -c "from utils.config import config; print('Config OK:', config.SERVER_NAME)"

# Test server initialization
uv run python -c "from server import main; print('Server imports OK')"

🛠️ MCP Tools Available

API Tools

• nautobot_openapi_api_request_schema: Search for API endpoints by intent

• nautobot_dynamic_api_request: Execute API requests with any HTTP method

• refresh_endpoint_index: Manually refresh the endpoint search index

Knowledge Base Tools

• nautobot_kb_semantic_search: Semantic search over Nautobot knowledge base repositories

• nautobot_kb_list_repos: List repositories configured in Nautobot knowledge base

• nautobot_kb_add_repo: Add a new repository to the Nautobot knowledge base

• nautobot_kb_remove_repo: Remove an existing repository from the Nautobot knowledge base

• nautobot_kb_update_repos: Update repositories in the Nautobot knowledge base

• nautobot_kb_init_repos: Initialize repositories in the Nautobot knowledge base

• nautobot_kb_repo_status: Show nautobot knowledge base repository status including document counts and indexing status

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. SSL Certificate Errors:

   # Set SSL_VERIFY=False in .env for development
   SSL_VERIFY=False

2. ChromaDB Permission Issues:

   # Ensure proper permissions on the backend directory
   chmod -R 755 backend/

3. GitHub API Rate Limits:

   # Ensure you have a valid GitHub token
   GITHUB_TOKEN=your_github_token

4. Repository Initialization Fails:

   # Force reinitialize repositories
   kb = EnhancedNautobotKnowledge()
   kb.initialize_all_repositories(force=True)

Docker-Specific Issues

1. Container Won't Start:

   # Check logs for errors
   docker compose logs
   
   # Verify environment variables
   docker compose config
   
   # Rebuild the image
   docker compose build --no-cache

2. Volume Permission Issues:

   # Check volume permissions
   docker compose exec nautobot-mcp ls -la /app/backend/
   
   # If needed, recreate volumes
   docker compose down -v
   docker compose up -d

3. Port Already in Use (HTTP mode):

   # Check what's using the port
   lsof -i :8000
   
   # Use a different port
   MCP_PORT=9000 docker compose up -d

4. Out of Memory Errors:

   # Increase memory limits in docker compose.yml
   # Under deploy.resources.limits.memory
   
   # Check current usage
   docker stats nautobot-mcp-server

5. ChromaDB Data Not Persisting:

   # Verify volumes are created
   docker volume ls | grep nautobot-mcp
   
   # Inspect volume
   docker volume inspect nautobot-mcp-chroma

6. Building Behind Corporate Proxy:

   # Add proxy settings to docker compose.yml build args
   docker compose build \
     --build-arg HTTP_PROXY=http://proxy.example.com:8080 \
     --build-arg HTTPS_PROXY=http://proxy.example.com:8080

Debug Mode

Enable debug logging by setting:

LOG_LEVEL=DEBUG

📞 Support

• 📖 Documentation - Comprehensive guides and references

• 🐛 Issue Tracker - Bug reports and feature requests

• 💬 Discussions - Questions and community support

• 📂 Examples - Check the examples/ directory for usage patterns

• 🧪 Tests - Review the test suite for implementation details

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Nautobot - Network automation platform

• Model Context Protocol - MCP Python SDK

• ChromaDB - Vector database

• Sentence Transformers - Embedding models

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.