Unix Manual Server
# Unix Manual Server (MCP)
An MCP server that provides Unix command documentation directly within Claude conversations.
## Features
- **Get command documentation**: Retrieve help pages, man pages, and usage information for Unix commands
- **List common commands**: Discover available commands on your system, categorized by function
- **Check command existence**: Verify if a specific command is available and get its version information
## Installation
### Prerequisites
- Python 3.13+
- [Claude Desktop](https://claude.ai/download) or any MCP-compatible client
### Setup
1. Clone this repository
2. Install the package:
```bash
pip install -e .
# or
uv install -e .
```
3. Install the server in Claude Desktop:
```bash
mcp install unix_manual_server.py
# uv
uv run mcp install unix_manual_server.py
```
## Usage
Once installed, you can use the server's tools directly in Claude:
### Get command documentation
```
I need help with the grep command. Can you show me the documentation?
```
### List common commands
```
What Unix commands are available on my system?
```
### Check if a command exists
```
Is the awk command available on my system?
```
## Development
To test the server locally without installing it in Claude:
```bash
mcp dev unix_manual_server.py
```
## Security
The server takes precautions to prevent command injection by:
- Validating command names against a regex pattern
- Executing commands directly without using shell
- Setting timeouts on all command executions
- Only checking for documentation, never executing arbitrary commands
## Logging
Logs are saved to `unix-manual-server.log` in the same directory as the script, useful for debugging.
- use `@modelcontextprotocol/inspector` with `npx` under the hood.
```zsh
uv run mcp dev unix_manual_server.py
```
```
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector uv run unix_manual_server.py
```
## License
MIT
---
*Created with the MCP Python SDK. For more information about MCP, visit [modelcontextprotocol.io](https://modelcontextprotocol.io).*
TDQS
Scored across 3 tools
Each tool has a clearly distinct purpose: checking command existence, retrieving documentation, and listing common commands. There is no overlap in functionality, making it easy for an agent to select the appropriate tool without confusion.
The tools follow a consistent verb_noun pattern (check_command_exists, get_command_documentation, list_common_commands), with minor deviations in verb choice ('check', 'get', 'list'). The naming is predictable and readable, though not perfectly uniform in verb style.
With only 3 tools, the server feels thin for a Unix manual domain, which might include operations like searching commands, filtering by category, or managing documentation. While the core functions are covered, the toolset could benefit from additional utilities to enhance completeness.
The tools cover the essential operations for a Unix manual server: verifying command availability, fetching documentation, and listing commands. Minor gaps exist, such as the inability to search or filter commands, but agents can work around these limitations with the provided tools.