iptime-mcp

A safety-gated MCP server for managing ipTIME routers across networking, Wi-Fi, VPN, NAT, and system features.

Documentation

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iptime-mcp

A safety-gated Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for operating ipTIME routers without repeatedly opening the web admin panel.

It can inspect router state, discover which catalogued operations a specific model and firmware support, and perform confirmed changes across networking, Wi-Fi, NAT, firewall, VPN, DDNS, USB/NAS, system, and automation features.

This is an unofficial community project and is not affiliated with EFM Networks or ipTIME. Router APIs are firmware-dependent and are not published as a stable public contract.

Highlights

13 focused MCP tools instead of hundreds of top-level tools
334 catalogued router operations: 171 reads and 163 writes
Runtime capability checks on iUX3 through the router's api/has method
Detection for iUX3, Mobile iUX, and classic CGI interfaces
Read-only operations can run directly
Every router change uses a short-lived, reviewable plan without confirmation tokens
Configuration backup, restore planning, and firmware upgrade planning
Single-router and multi-router profiles
Credential and session-value redaction
Public plain HTTP blocked by default

The catalog covers administration, firmware, backup and restore, WAN/LAN/DHCP/DNS, routing and switching, wireless and EasyMesh, NAT and port forwarding, firewall, QoS, VPN, DDNS, USB/NAS services, routines, history, logs, host scanning, and Wake-on-LAN.

Compatibility

Interface	Support
iUX3	Uses `/cgi/service.cgi` JSON RPC and checks each known method with `api/has`
Mobile iUX	Exposes only explicitly mapped read operations
Classic CGI	Exposes only explicitly mapped read operations

The fixed operation catalog is based on methods observed in an iUX3 application shipped with firmware 15.36.6. A method appearing in the catalog does not mean every router supports it. Always use iptime_capabilities for the target router before choosing an operation.

Legacy support is intentionally limited to known-safe mappings for system information, DHCP leases and configuration, port forwarding, and Wake-on-LAN. Legacy responses may be returned as raw text. Unknown legacy writes are rejected.

Safety model

Router changes can interrupt internet access or make the admin interface unreachable. iptime-mcp therefore separates reading from writing:

iptime_plan_change or a file-specific planning tool creates an immutable plan without changing the router.
The plan reports the operation, parameters, current state when available, risk, and expiry.
iptime_apply_change applies that exact plan using only its plan_id; users never need to copy an APPLY <UUID> token.

A specific request for the same change is sufficient authorization. Clients should ask once more in ordinary language only when a critical-risk plan, such as firmware, restore, reset, credential, or storage-format work, was not already explicitly authorized. MCP clients may still show their normal destructive-tool approval prompt.

Plans expire after 10 minutes, are single-use, include an integrity digest, and are serialized per router. When a write response is lost, the server attempts a readback and does not retry the write automatically. Plans are held in memory and disappear when the MCP process restarts.

Requirements

Node.js 22 or later
Network access to the router admin endpoint
An ipTIME administrator username and password
An MCP client with stdio server support

Use a LAN address, a VPN address, or a trusted HTTPS endpoint whenever possible.

Install from npm

Use npx -y iptime-mcp as the stdio command in an MCP client and set IPTIME_ROUTER_URL, IPTIME_ROUTER_USERNAME, and IPTIME_ROUTER_PASSWORD in its private environment configuration. Keep the router URL on a trusted LAN or VPN. The examples below show the equivalent source-install setup for clients that need a local script path.

Install from source

git clone https://github.com/mikusnuz/iptime-mcp.git
cd iptime-mcp
npm ci
npm run build

The executable entry point is dist/server.js.

For clients that support an environment file or configurable working directory, create a local .env first:

cp .env.example .env

Fill in the router URL, username, and password. .env is ignored by Git and must remain local.

MCP client setup

Use a user-level configuration whenever possible because router credentials should not be committed to a project. Replace /absolute/path/to/iptime-mcp in every example. On Windows, forward-slash paths such as C:/Users/name/iptime-mcp/dist/server.js work in JSON. If a desktop client cannot find node, use the absolute path reported by which node on macOS/Linux or where node on Windows.

Client	User-level configuration
Codex / ChatGPT desktop	Settings → MCP servers or `~/.codex/config.toml`
Claude Desktop	Settings → Developer → Edit Config
Claude Code	`claude mcp add --scope user`
Cursor	`~/.cursor/mcp.json`
VS Code agent chat	MCP: Open User Configuration
GitHub Copilot CLI	`~/.copilot/mcp-config.json`
Gemini CLI	`~/.gemini/settings.json`

Codex / ChatGPT desktop

Add a stdio server in Settings → MCP servers, or add the following to ~/.codex/config.toml. Replace the path and credentials, save, and restart the MCP server.

[mcp_servers.iptime]
command = "node"
args = ["/absolute/path/to/iptime-mcp/dist/server.js"]
cwd = "/absolute/path/to/iptime-mcp"
default_tools_approval_mode = "writes"

[mcp_servers.iptime.env]
IPTIME_ROUTER_ID = "home"
IPTIME_ROUTER_URL = "http://192.168.0.1"
IPTIME_ROUTER_USERNAME = "admin"
IPTIME_ROUTER_PASSWORD = "your-router-password"

Codex, its IDE extension, and the ChatGPT desktop app share the MCP configuration on the same Codex host. See the official MCP configuration guide for current client options.

If you prefer the local .env file, keep cwd and omit the [mcp_servers.iptime.env] table.

Claude Desktop

Open Settings → Developer → Edit Config, merge the following iptime entry into claude_desktop_config.json, save, and fully restart Claude Desktop. Keep any other existing servers in the file.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "iptime": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/iptime-mcp/dist/server.js"],
      "env": {
        "IPTIME_ROUTER_ID": "home",
        "IPTIME_ROUTER_URL": "http://192.168.0.1",
        "IPTIME_ROUTER_USERNAME": "admin",
        "IPTIME_ROUTER_PASSWORD": "your-router-password"
      }
    }
  }
}

Check Connectors in the chat composer after restart. See the official Claude Desktop local MCP guide.

Claude Code

claude mcp add \
  --scope user \
  --env IPTIME_ROUTER_ID=home \
  --env IPTIME_ROUTER_URL=http://192.168.0.1 \
  --env IPTIME_ROUTER_USERNAME=admin \
  --env IPTIME_ROUTER_PASSWORD=your-router-password \
  --transport stdio iptime \
  -- node /absolute/path/to/iptime-mcp/dist/server.js

claude mcp get iptime

The final --transport option intentionally comes after the environment values so the variadic --env parser does not consume the server name. The user-scoped configuration is stored in ~/.claude.json. See the official Claude Code MCP guide.

Cursor

Create or merge ~/.cursor/mcp.json. This example reads the ignored local .env created above:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "iptime": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/iptime-mcp/dist/server.js"],
      "cwd": "/absolute/path/to/iptime-mcp",
      "envFile": "/absolute/path/to/iptime-mcp/.env"
    }
  }
}

Restart Cursor, then check Settings → Tools & MCP. Project-scoped .cursor/mcp.json is also supported, but do not put router credentials in a file that may be committed. See the official Cursor MCP guide.

VS Code agent chat / GitHub Copilot Chat

Run MCP: Open User Configuration from the Command Palette and merge this configuration. VS Code uses the top-level key servers, not mcpServers.

{
  "servers": {
    "iptime": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/iptime-mcp/dist/server.js"],
      "cwd": "/absolute/path/to/iptime-mcp",
      "envFile": "/absolute/path/to/iptime-mcp/.env"
    }
  }
}

Start or inspect it with MCP: List Servers and accept the server trust prompt on first use. .vscode/mcp.json is available for workspace-scoped setup, but the user configuration is safer for router credentials. See the official VS Code MCP setup and configuration reference.

GitHub Copilot CLI

GitHub Copilot CLI does not read VS Code's .vscode/mcp.json. Create or merge ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json instead:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "iptime": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/iptime-mcp/dist/server.js"],
      "cwd": "/absolute/path/to/iptime-mcp",
      "tools": ["*"]
    }
  }
}

The configured cwd lets iptime-mcp load the local .env. Verify the connection with copilot mcp list. Project-level .mcp.json and .github/mcp.json are also supported, but never commit router credentials. See the official Copilot CLI MCP guide.

Gemini CLI

Create or merge ~/.gemini/settings.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "iptime": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/iptime-mcp/dist/server.js"],
      "cwd": "/absolute/path/to/iptime-mcp",
      "trust": false
    }
  }
}

The configured cwd lets the server load .env. Keep trust false so Gemini continues to ask before tool calls, then run gemini mcp list. If the current folder is not trusted, run gemini trust. The CLI command defaults to project scope; use --scope user when registering manually. See the official Gemini CLI MCP guide.

Other stdio MCP clients

Use node as the command, /absolute/path/to/iptime-mcp/dist/server.js as its only argument, and pass the IPTIME_* variables from .env. Do not assume every client uses the same JSON wrapper: for example, VS Code uses servers, while Claude Desktop, Cursor, Copilot CLI, and Gemini CLI use mcpServers.

Environment variables

Single router

Variable	Required	Default	Description
`IPTIME_ROUTER_URL`	Yes	—	Router base URL using `http` or `https`
`IPTIME_ROUTER_ID`	No	`default`	Profile name exposed as `router_id`
`IPTIME_ROUTER_USERNAME`	For login	—	Router administrator username
`IPTIME_ROUTER_PASSWORD`	For login	—	Router administrator password
`IPTIME_ALLOW_INSECURE_REMOTE_HTTP`	No	`false`	Allows plain HTTP when the hostname resolves to a public address
`IPTIME_TLS_FINGERPRINT`	No	—	SHA-256 certificate fingerprint, with or without colons, checked in addition to normal TLS validation
`IPTIME_TIMEOUT_MS`	No	`12000`	Request timeout, clamped to 1,000–60,000 ms

Credentials must not be embedded in IPTIME_ROUTER_URL.

The server also loads a .env file from its working directory. Copy .env.example to .env only for local use; .env and related secret files are ignored by Git.

Multiple routers

Set IPTIME_ROUTERS to a JSON array. Use username_env and password_env so the JSON contains environment-variable names rather than credentials:

IPTIME_ROUTERS='[{"id":"home","url":"http://192.168.0.1","username_env":"HOME_ROUTER_USERNAME","password_env":"HOME_ROUTER_PASSWORD"},{"id":"office","url":"https://router.office.example","username_env":"OFFICE_ROUTER_USERNAME","password_env":"OFFICE_ROUTER_PASSWORD","timeout_ms":20000}]'
HOME_ROUTER_USERNAME=admin
HOME_ROUTER_PASSWORD=your-home-password
OFFICE_ROUTER_USERNAME=admin
OFFICE_ROUTER_PASSWORD=your-office-password

When one router is configured, router_id may be omitted. With multiple routers, pass the target router_id to router tools.

MCP tools

Tool	Purpose
`iptime_status`	Detect the interface, authenticate when credentials exist, and read product/system status
`iptime_login`	Log in with credentials from the MCP environment; optionally submit a CAPTCHA answer
`iptime_logout`	End the current router admin session
`iptime_capabilities`	Check catalogued operations against the target model and firmware
`iptime_list_operations`	List the local, auditable operation catalog by domain or mode
`iptime_read`	Run one read-only catalog operation
`iptime_backup_config`	Save a new `.config` backup file without overwriting an existing file
`iptime_plan_change`	Create a generic router-change plan without applying it
`iptime_plan_firmware_upgrade`	Hash a local `.bin` image and create a critical-risk upgrade plan
`iptime_plan_config_restore`	Hash a local `.config` backup and create a critical-risk restore plan
`iptime_apply_change`	Apply one pending plan by ID; no confirmation token required
`iptime_cancel_change`	Cancel a pending plan
`iptime_list_plans`	List pending and completed in-memory plans

MCP resources

URI	Contents
`iptime://configuration`	Configured router profiles with credentials omitted
`iptime://operations`	Full operation catalog, domains, modes, risks, and parameter hints

Recommended workflow

Call iptime_status to detect the router and establish a session.
Call iptime_capabilities, optionally filtered by a domain such as wireless, network, vpn, or usb.
Use iptime_list_operations to find the exact operation and parameter hint.
Run reads with iptime_read.
For a change, create a plan and show its risk, parameters, previous state, and expiry to the user.
If the plan matches the user's specific request, apply it without asking them to repeat a token or plan ID. Ask once in natural language only for a critical-risk change that was not already explicitly authorized.
If the outcome is reported as unknown, inspect the returned verification state before doing anything else.

Useful read operations include:

product.info and system.info
network.info and network.interface.lan.stations
dhcpd.lease.show and dhcpd.reservedaddr.show
wireless.client.show and wireless.channel.list
portforward.get and upnp.relay
firewall.get
wg.client.show, wg.peer.show, and vpncli.status.list
ddns.config and ddns.status.get
usb.show, usb.mount.list, and nas.user.show
syslog.show and wol.show

Some methods require a scalar, array, or object rather than an empty object. The catalog's paramsHint and defaultParams fields describe known conventions. For example, Wi-Fi channel listing needs a band such as "2g" or "5g", and DDNS status needs the configured hostname.

Backup, restore, and firmware

iptime_backup_config:

requires a destination ending in .config
creates parent directories when necessary
refuses to overwrite an existing file
writes with owner-only permissions (0600)
rejects empty backups and files larger than 32 MiB

Configuration backups can contain private network settings and secrets. *.config is ignored by Git and must never be committed.

Firmware and restore plans record the file size and SHA-256 hash, then verify the file again immediately before upload. Firmware images must end in .bin; configuration backups must end in .config. A firmware image is not validated for router-model compatibility, so obtain the correct image for the exact model and review the critical-risk plan carefully.

Network security

Public-address plain HTTP is rejected unless IPTIME_ALLOW_INSECURE_REMOTE_HTTP=true.
Enabling that override can expose the administrator password and session cookie. Use it only through a trusted private tunnel when HTTPS is impossible.
Redirects and cross-origin endpoint construction are blocked.
Responses are capped at 8 MiB and requests have a bounded timeout.
Only the ipTIME session cookie is retained.
Passwords, tokens, session values, private keys, PSKs, and similar fields are recursively redacted from MCP output.
An optional TLS fingerprint adds pinning after normal certificate validation; it does not make an untrusted self-signed certificate valid.

Treat MCP client configuration files as secrets because they may contain the router password.

CAPTCHA and session behavior

If the router requests a CAPTCHA, iptime_login returns a CAPTCHA_REQUIRED error with available challenge information. Open the router admin page if needed, then retry iptime_login with captcha_code.

Expired sessions are automatically renewed once for read operations. Writes are never automatically retried after an authentication or network ambiguity.

Development

npm ci
npm run lint
npm test
npm run build

For development mode:

npm run dev

The test suite uses loopback mock routers and does not require a physical device. Do not run write tests against a production router.

Files for AI agents

llms.txt provides a compact machine-readable project and tool summary.
AGENTS.md contains repository contribution and safety rules for coding agents.
templates/AGENTS.md can be copied into a project that should use this MCP server.
templates/CLAUDE.md provides equivalent usage guidance for Claude Code projects.

These files describe the actual tool workflow and safety constraints; they do not contain credentials or local router details.

iptime-mcp

Documentation

iptime-mcp

Highlights

Compatibility

Safety model

Requirements

Install from npm

Install from source

MCP client setup

Codex / ChatGPT desktop

Claude Desktop

Claude Code

Cursor

VS Code agent chat / GitHub Copilot Chat

GitHub Copilot CLI

Gemini CLI

Other stdio MCP clients

Environment variables

Single router

Multiple routers

MCP tools

MCP resources

Recommended workflow

Backup, restore, and firmware

Network security

CAPTCHA and session behavior

Development

Files for AI agents

License