pihole-mcp

A production-grade MCP server for Pi-hole v6.

55 tools | 6 prompts | 5 resources | Single Go binary | 9MB Docker image

Gives AI assistants full control over your Pi-hole instance — DNS blocking, domain management, query analysis, statistics, network devices, DHCP, and system administration. Compatible with the Pi-hole v6 REST API.

Quick Start

Most MCP clients use the same configuration format. Add this to your client's config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pihole": {
      "command": "pihole-mcp",
      "env": {
        "PIHOLE_URL": "http://192.168.1.2",
        "PIHOLE_PASSWORD": "your-password"
      }
    }
  }
}

Then install the binary via one of the methods below.

Installation

Go Install

go install github.com/lloydmcl/pihole-mcp/cmd/pihole-mcp@latest

Docker

docker pull ghcr.io/lloydmcl/pihole-mcp:latest

Binary Download

Pre-built binaries for Linux, macOS, and Windows (amd64 and arm64) are available on the Releases page.

Configuration

Application passwords are recommended for automation — they bypass TOTP 2FA and can be revoked independently.

Client Setup

The Quick Start config above works for most clients. Expand the section below for client-specific instructions.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pihole": {
      "command": "pihole-mcp",
      "env": {
        "PIHOLE_URL": "http://192.168.1.2",
        "PIHOLE_PASSWORD": "your-password"
      }
    }
  }
}

claude mcp add pihole \
  -e PIHOLE_URL=http://192.168.1.2 \
  -e PIHOLE_PASSWORD=your-password \
  -- pihole-mcp

claude mcp list

{
  "servers": {
    "pihole": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "pihole-mcp",
      "env": {
        "PIHOLE_URL": "http://192.168.1.2",
        "PIHOLE_PASSWORD": "your-password"
      }
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pihole": {
      "command": "pihole-mcp",
      "env": {
        "PIHOLE_URL": "http://192.168.1.2",
        "PIHOLE_PASSWORD": "your-password"
      }
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pihole": {
      "command": "pihole-mcp",
      "env": {
        "PIHOLE_URL": "http://192.168.1.2",
        "PIHOLE_PASSWORD": "your-password"
      }
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pihole": {
      "command": "pihole-mcp",
      "env": {
        "PIHOLE_URL": "http://192.168.1.2",
        "PIHOLE_PASSWORD": "your-password"
      }
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pihole": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["run", "-i", "--rm",
        "-e", "PIHOLE_URL=http://192.168.1.2",
        "-e", "PIHOLE_PASSWORD=your-password",
        "ghcr.io/lloydmcl/pihole-mcp:latest"]
    }
  }
}

Tools

DNS Control

Statistics

Domain Management

Groups, Clients, Lists

Query Log

System

Actions and Network

Response Options

Most tools accept optional parameters for controlling output:

• detail (minimal | normal | full) — Controls response depth. Default: normal. Use minimal for one-line summaries, full for complete API data.
• format (text | csv) — Output format for tabular data. Default: text. CSV saves ~29% tokens.

Prompts

Pre-built multi-step workflows for common tasks:

Advanced Configuration

Transport

By default, pihole-mcp uses stdio (standard for MCP). HTTP and SSE transports are also available:

# Default stdio (for Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.)
pihole-mcp

# HTTP transport (for web-based MCP clients)
pihole-mcp -transport http -address localhost:8080

# SSE transport
pihole-mcp -transport sse -address localhost:8080

OpenTelemetry

Tracing is opt-in. Set OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT to enable:

export OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT=http://localhost:4318
pihole-mcp

All tool calls are automatically traced with tool name, duration, and error status.

Development

# Prerequisites: Go 1.26+, Docker, mise, just

# One-command setup
just setup

# Start local Pi-hole (http://localhost:8081, password: test)
just dev-up

# Run quality checks (format + lint + test)
just check

# Run integration tests against local Pi-hole
just integration

# Build binary
just build

See CONTRIBUTING.md for full development guidelines.

Pi-hole is a registered trademark of Pi-hole LLC. This project is independently maintained and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Pi-hole LLC.

Licence

MIT