transmission-mcp
# Python API Wrapper & MCP Server for Transmission
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This repository provides a Python API wrapper and an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for the [Transmission](https://transmissionbt.com/) torrent client using the [transmission-rpc](https://github.com/Trim21/transmission-rpc) library. It allows for easy integration into other applications or services.
<a href="https://glama.ai/mcp/servers/@philogicae/transmission-mcp">
<img width="380" height="200" src="https://glama.ai/mcp/servers/@philogicae/transmission-mcp/badge?cache-control=no-cache" alt="Transmission MCP server" />
</a>
## Table of Contents
- [Features](#features)
- [Setup](#setup)
- [Prerequisites](#prerequisites)
- [Configuration](#configuration)
- [Installation](#installation)
- [Install from PyPI (Recommended)](#install-from-pypi-recommended)
- [For Local Development](#for-local-development)
- [For Docker](#for-docker)
- [Usage](#usage)
- [As Python API Wrapper](#as-python-api-wrapper)
- [As MCP Server](#as-mcp-server)
- [Via MCP Clients](#via-mcp-clients)
- [Example with Windsurf](#example-with-windsurf)
- [Contributing](#contributing)
- [Development](#development)
- [Changelog](#changelog)
- [License](#license)
## Features
- API wrapper for the `Transmission` torrent client using the official `transmission-rpc` library.
- MCP server interface for standardized communication (stdio, sse, streamable-http).
- Tools:
- `get_session`: Get Transmission session configuration and version info.
- `get_session_stats`: Get session statistics (speeds, torrent counts, cumulative stats).
- `free_space`: Get free disk space in bytes at the specified path.
- `list_torrents`: List all torrents and their details.
- `get_torrent_details`: Get detailed information about a specific torrent.
- `get_torrent_stats`: Get stats/status of a specific torrent.
- `get_recently_active`: Get recently active torrents and IDs of recently removed ones.
- `add_torrent`: Download a torrent from magnet link, HTTP URL, or local file.
- `download_torrent`: Download a torrent from a magnet link, HTTP URL, or local file.
- `start_torrent`: Start (resume) a torrent.
- `stop_torrent`: Stop (pause) a torrent.
- `pause_torrent`: Pause a torrent.
- `verify_torrent`: Verify torrent data integrity.
- `reannounce_torrent`: Reannounce torrent to trackers.
- `move_torrent`: Move torrent data to a new location.
- `set_torrent_labels`: Set labels for a torrent.
- `remove_torrent`: Remove a torrent (optionally delete data).
- `delete_torrent`: Delete a torrent and its files.
- `forget_torrent`: Forget a torrent, keeping the files.
## Setup
### Prerequisites
- An running instance of [Transmission](https://transmissionbt.com/). (Included in docker compose)
- Python 3.10+ (required for PyPI install).
- [`uv`](https://github.com/astral-sh/uv) (for local development)
### Configuration
This application requires the URL of your `Transmission` instance.
**Set Environment Variable**: Copy `.env.example` to `.env` in your project's root directory and edit it with your settings. The application will automatically load variables from `.env`:
- MCP Server:
- `TRANSMISSION_URL`: The URL of the Transmission instance (Default: `http://localhost:9091`).
- `TRANSMISSION_USER`: The username for Transmission authentication (optional).
- `TRANSMISSION_PASS`: The password for Transmission authentication (optional).
- Transmission Instance (for docker-compose setup):
- `TRANSMISSION_DOWNLOAD_DIR`: The download directory for torrents (e.g., `/downloads`).
- `TRANSMISSION_WATCH_DIR`: The watch directory for torrent files (e.g., `/watch`).
- `TRANSMISSION_RPC_URL`: The RPC URL for the Transmission API (e.g., `http://localhost:9091/transmission/rpc`).
- `TRANSMISSION_PEER_PORT`: The peer port for BitTorrent connections (e.g., `51413`).
- `TRANSMISSION_SPEED_LIMIT_DOWN`: Download speed limit in KB/s (e.g., `100`).
- `TRANSMISSION_SPEED_LIMIT_UP`: Upload speed limit in KB/s (e.g., `100`).
- Check [Transmission](https://transmissionbt.com/) for other variables and more information.
### Installation
Choose one of the following installation methods.
#### Install from PyPI (Recommended)
This method is best for using the package as a library or running the server without modifying the code.
1. Install the package from PyPI:
```bash
pip install transmission-mcp
```
2. Create a `.env` file in the directory where you'll run the application and add your `Transmission` URL:
```env
TRANSMISSION_URL=http://localhost:9091
```
3. Run the MCP server (default: stdio):
```bash
python -m transmission_client
```
#### For Local Development
This method is for contributors who want to modify the source code.
Using [`uv`](https://github.com/astral-sh/uv):
1. Clone the repository:
```bash
git clone https://github.com/philogicae/transmission-mcp.git
cd transmission-mcp
```
2. Install dependencies using `uv`:
```bash
uv sync --locked
```
3. Create your configuration file by copying the example and add your settings:
```bash
cp .env.example .env
```
4. Run the MCP server (default: stdio):
```bash
uv run -m transmission_client
```
#### For Docker
This method uses Docker to run the server in a container.
compose.yaml includes [Transmission](https://transmissionbt.com/) torrent client.
1. Clone the repository (if you haven't already):
```bash
git clone https://github.com/philogicae/transmission-mcp.git
cd transmission-mcp
```
2. Create your configuration file by copying the example and add your settings:
```bash
cp .env.example .env
```
3. Build and run the container using Docker Compose (default port: 8000):
```bash
docker compose up --build -d
```
4. Access container logs:
```bash
docker logs transmission-mcp -f
```
## Usage
### As Python API Wrapper
```python
import asyncio
from transmission_client import TransmissionClient
async def main():
# Initialize client (reads TRANSMISSION_URL, TRANSMISSION_USER, and TRANSMISSION_PASS from env)
client = TransmissionClient()
# Use as context manager for automatic cleanup
async with TransmissionClient() as client:
# Get session info
session = await client.get_session()
print(f"Transmission version: {session['version']}")
# Get session statistics
stats = await client.get_session_stats()
print(f"Download speed: {stats['downloadSpeed']} bytes/s")
# Check free space
free_space = await client.free_space("/downloads")
print(f"Free space: {free_space} bytes")
# List all torrents
torrents = await client.list_torrents()
# Add a torrent
await client.add_torrent("magnet:?xt=urn:btih:...")
# Get torrent details
details = await client.get_torrent("1") # Use ID or hash
# Control torrents
await client.stop_torrent("1") # Pause
await client.start_torrent("1") # Resume
# Verify torrent data
await client.verify_torrent("1")
# Move torrent data
await client.move_torrent("1", "/new/location", move=True)
# Set torrent labels
await client.set_torrent_labels("1", ["movies", "4k"])
# Remove torrent (keep files)
await client.remove_torrent("1", delete_data=False)
# Delete torrent and files
await client.remove_torrent("1", delete_data=True)
if __name__ == "__main__":
asyncio.run(main())
```
### As MCP Server
```python
from transmission_client import TransmissionMCP
TransmissionMCP.run(transport="sse") # 'stdio', 'sse', or 'streamable-http'
```
### Via MCP Clients
Usable with any MCP-compatible client. Available tools:
- `get_session`: Get Transmission session configuration and version info.
- `get_session_stats`: Get session statistics (speeds, torrent counts, cumulative stats).
- `free_space`: Get free disk space in bytes at the specified path.
- `list_torrents`: List all torrents and their details.
- `get_torrent_details`: Get details of a specific torrent by ID or hash.
- `get_torrent_stats`: Get stats/status of a specific torrent by ID or hash.
- `get_recently_active`: Get recently active torrents and IDs of recently removed ones.
- `add_torrent`: Add a torrent from magnet link, HTTP URL, or local file path.
- `download_torrent`: Download a torrent via magnet link, HTTP URL, or local file.
- `start_torrent`: Start (resume) a torrent by ID or hash.
- `stop_torrent`: Stop (pause) a torrent by ID or hash.
- `pause_torrent`: Pause a torrent by ID or hash.
- `verify_torrent`: Verify torrent data integrity by ID or hash.
- `reannounce_torrent`: Reannounce torrent to trackers by ID or hash.
- `move_torrent`: Move torrent data to a new location by ID or hash.
- `set_torrent_labels`: Set labels for a torrent by ID or hash.
- `remove_torrent`: Remove a torrent (optionally delete data) by ID or hash.
- `delete_torrent`: Delete a torrent and its files by ID or hash.
- `forget_torrent`: Forget a torrent, keeping the files, by ID or hash.
#### Example with Windsurf
Configuration:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
...
# with stdio (only requires uv)
"transmission-mcp": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [ "transmission-mcp" ],
"env": {
"TRANSMISSION_URL": "http://localhost:9091", # (Optional) Default Transmission instance URL
"TRANSMISSION_USER": "username", # (Optional) Transmission username
"TRANSMISSION_PASS": "password" # (Optional) Transmission password
}
},
# with docker (only requires docker)
"transmission-mcp": {
"command": "docker",
"args": [ "run", "-i", "-p", "8000:8000", "-e", "TRANSMISSION_URL=http://localhost:9091", "-e", "TRANSMISSION_USER=username", "-e", "TRANSMISSION_PASS=password", "philogicae/transmission-mcp:latest", "transmission-mcp" ]
},
# with sse transport (requires installation)
"transmission-mcp": {
"serverUrl": "http://127.0.0.1:8000/sse"
},
# with streamable-http transport (requires installation)
"transmission-mcp": {
"serverUrl": "http://127.0.0.1:8000/mcp"
},
...
}
}
```
## Changelog
See [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md) for a history of changes to this project.
## Contributing
Contributions are welcome! Please open an issue or submit a pull request.
## License
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for details.
TDQS
Scored across 12 tools
Most tools are clearly distinct (add, remove, start, pause, move, labels, session stats, free space). However, get_torrent_details and get_torrent_stats overlap somewhat—both retrieve information about a specific torrent—though the descriptions suggest one is more comprehensive. remove_torrent and forget_torrent are also conceptually similar but clearly differentiated by whether files are deleted.
All tools follow a consistent verb_noun pattern in snake_case (e.g., get_torrent_details, add_torrent, remove_torrent). There are no style inconsistencies or vague verbs; each name clearly indicates the action and target.
With 12 tools, the count is well within the ideal range for a torrent client MCP. Each tool addresses a legitimate operation without redundancy, covering core lifecycle actions and utility functions.
The toolset covers core lifecycle operations (add, remove, start, pause, move, set labels) and status queries, but there is no explicit tool to list all torrents. Agents must rely on get_recently_active or session statistics to infer the full set, which is a notable gap for enumeration and management workflows.