Yamcs MCP Server

A comprehensive Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Yamcs (Yet Another Mission Control System) that exposes Yamcs capabilities as standardized MCP tools and resources.

Overview

The Yamcs MCP Server enables AI assistants to interact with mission control systems through natural language by providing a bridge between MCP-compatible clients and Yamcs instances. It implements the MCP protocol using FastMCP 2.x with a modular component architecture.

Features

• Mission Database (MDB): Access to parameters, commands, algorithms, and space systems

• TM/TC Processing: Real-time telemetry monitoring and command execution

• Link Management: Monitor and control data links

• Object Storage: Manage buckets and objects in Yamcs storage

• Instance Management: Control Yamcs instances and services

• Alarm Management: Monitor and acknowledge alarms with summary statistics

Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.12 or higher

• Yamcs server instance (local or remote)

• uv package manager (recommended) or pip

Using uv (recommended)

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/PaulMRamirez/yamcs-mcp-server.git
cd yamcs-mcp-server

# Install dependencies
uv sync

# Run the server
uv run yamcs-mcp

Using pip

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/PaulMRamirez/yamcs-mcp-server.git
cd yamcs-mcp-server

# Create virtual environment
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

# Install the package
pip install -e .

# Run the server
yamcs-mcp

Running Yamcs

You'll need a running Yamcs instance. The easiest way is using Docker:

docker run -d --name yamcs -p 8090:8090 yamcs/example-simulation

This will start Yamcs with a simulator instance that includes example telemetry data.

Configuration

The server can be configured using environment variables or a .env file:

# Yamcs connection settings
YAMCS_URL=http://localhost:8090
YAMCS_INSTANCE=simulator
YAMCS_USERNAME=admin
YAMCS_PASSWORD=password

# Server toggles
YAMCS_ENABLE_MDB=true
YAMCS_ENABLE_PROCESSOR=true
YAMCS_ENABLE_LINKS=true
YAMCS_ENABLE_STORAGE=true
YAMCS_ENABLE_INSTANCES=true
YAMCS_ENABLE_ALARMS=true
YAMCS_ENABLE_COMMANDS=true

# Server settings
MCP_TRANSPORT=stdio
MCP_HOST=127.0.0.1
MCP_PORT=8000

Usage

With Claude Desktop

Add the server to your Claude Desktop configuration:

{
  "mcp-servers": {
    "yamcs": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["--directory", "/path/to/yamcs-mcp-server", "run", "yamcs-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "YAMCS_URL": "http://localhost:8090",
        "YAMCS_INSTANCE": "simulator"
      }
    }
  }
}

Important:

• Replace /path/to/yamcs-mcp-server with the actual path to your yamcs-mcp-server directory

• The --directory argument is required for uv to find the correct project

• If uv is not in your PATH, use the full path to uv (e.g., /Users/PaulMRamirez/.local/bin/uv)

Available Tools

The server exposes numerous tools organized by server:

MDB Tools

• mdb_list_parameters - List available parameters

• mdb_describe_parameter - Get parameter details

• mdb_list_commands - List available commands

• mdb_describe_command - Get command details

• mdb_list_space_systems - List space systems

• mdb_describe_space_system - Get space system details

Processor Tools

• processors_list_processors - List available processors

• processors_describe_processor - Get processor details

• processors_delete_processor - Delete a processor

• processors_issue_command - Issue a command

• processors_subscribe_parameters - Subscribe to parameter updates

Link Tools

• links_list_links - List all data links

• links_describe_link - Get detailed link information

• links_enable_link - Enable a data link

• links_disable_link - Disable a data link

Instance Tools

• instances_list_instances - List Yamcs instances

• instances_describe_instance - Get instance details

• instances_start_instance - Start an instance

• instances_stop_instance - Stop an instance

Storage Tools

• storage_list_buckets - List storage buckets

• storage_list_objects - List objects in a bucket

• storage_upload_object - Upload an object

• storage_download_object - Download an object

Alarm Tools

• alarms_list_alarms - List active alarms with summary counts

• alarms_describe_alarm - Get detailed alarm information

• alarms_acknowledge_alarm - Acknowledge an alarm

• alarms_shelve_alarm - Temporarily shelve an alarm

• alarms_unshelve_alarm - Unshelve an alarm

• alarms_clear_alarm - Clear an alarm

• alarms_read_log - Read alarm history

Command Tools

• commands_list_commands - List available commands for execution

• commands_describe_command - Get detailed command information

• commands_run_command - Execute a command (supports dry-run)

• commands_read_log - Read command execution history

Available Resources

The server also provides read-only resources:

• mdb://parameters - List all parameters

• processors://list - List all processors with details

• links://status - Show status of all links

• instances://list - List all instances with details

• alarms://list - Show active alarms summary

Development

Setting up the development environment

# Install development dependencies
uv sync --all-extras

# Install pre-commit hooks
pre-commit install

# Run tests
uv run pytest

# Run linting
uv run ruff check .

# Run type checking
uv run mypy src/

Testing

Run the test suite:

# Run all tests
uv run pytest

# Run with coverage
uv run pytest --cov=yamcs_mcp --cov-report=html

# Run specific test file
uv run pytest tests/test_server.py

# Run with verbose output
uv run pytest -v

Testing Without a Yamcs Server

The server can run in demo mode without connecting to a real Yamcs server:

# Run in demo mode (will show a warning about connection failure but continue)
uv run python -m yamcs_mcp.server

# Or use the demo script
uv run python run_demo.py

Project Structure

yamcs-mcp-server/
├── src/
│   └── yamcs_mcp/
│       ├── server.py           # Main server entry point
│       ├── servers/            # MCP servers
│       │   ├── base_server.py # Base class for all servers
│       │   ├── mdb.py         # Mission Database
│       │   ├── processors.py  # TM/TC Processing
│       │   ├── links.py       # Link management
│       │   ├── storage.py     # Object storage
│       │   ├── instances.py   # Instance management
│       │   └── alarms.py      # Alarm management
│       ├── client.py          # Yamcs client management
│       ├── config.py          # Configuration
│       └── types.py           # Type definitions
├── tests/                     # Test suite
├── scripts/                   # Test scripts
└── CLAUDE.md                  # AI assistant guidance

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"Input validation error" when executing commands

Problem: Getting errors like '{"voltage_num": 1}' is not valid under any of the given schemas

Solution: The commands/run_command tool now accepts both formats. The server will automatically parse JSON strings to objects.

Both formats are now supported:

✅ Args as object (preferred):

{
  "command": "/YSS/SIMULATOR/SWITCH_VOLTAGE_OFF",
  "args": {"voltage_num": 1}
}

✅ Args as JSON string (automatically parsed):

{
  "command": "/YSS/SIMULATOR/SWITCH_VOLTAGE_OFF",
  "args": "{\"voltage_num\": 1}"
}

✅ Command without arguments:

{
  "command": "/TSE/simulator/get_identification"
}

✅ Multiple arguments:

{
  "command": "/YSS/SIMULATOR/SET_HEATER",
  "args": {
    "heater_id": 2,
    "temperature": 25.5,
    "duration": 300
  }
}

Connection to Yamcs fails

Problem: Server can't connect to Yamcs at startup

Solution:

1. Ensure Yamcs is running: docker ps | grep yamcs

2. Check the URL is correct: curl http://localhost:8090/api

3. The server will continue in demo mode even if Yamcs is unavailable

Enum serialization errors

Problem: Errors about unable to serialize enum types

Solution: This has been fixed in the latest version. Update to the latest version of the server.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please read our Contributing Guidelines before submitting pull requests.

License

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

Acknowledgments

• Built with FastMCP

• Powered by Yamcs