[Model Context Protocol (MCP)](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/introduction) is an open protocol that standardizes how AI models interact with
Most developer tooling work still happens through a UI a human drives. Cisco Nso MCP server moves it into the conversation instead. Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open protocol that standardizes how AI models interact with external tools and services. MCP enables:.
Installation goes through your MCP client rather than a global install: point it at cisco-nso-mcp-server on PyPI and it is fetched when the client starts. The copy-paste blocks for Claude Desktop, Claude Code and Cursor are further down this page.
The server publishes 11 tools. What each one is for:
get_device_ned_ids — Retrieves Network Element Driver (NED) IDs from Cisco NSOget_device_groups — Retrieves device groups from Cisco NSOget_device_platform — Gets platform information for a specific device in Cisco NSOget_device_config — Gets full configuration for a specific device in Cisco NSOget_device_state — Gets state for a specific device in Cisco NSOcheck_device_sync — Checks sync status for a specific device in Cisco NSOsync_from_device — Syncs from a specific device in Cisco NSOget_service_types — Gets service types in Cisco NSOget_services — Gets services for a specific service type in Cisco NSOTools — The Tools tool exposed by this serverResources — The Resources tool exposed by this serverConfiguration is passed through the environment: LOG_FILE. Treat anything key-shaped as a real credential — scope it to the minimum the server needs, and rotate it if it ever lands in a shared config.
Among the developer tooling options, the useful question is rarely "what can it do" but "what does it cost you to run" — permissions, credentials, and how much of your context its toolset consumes. Cisco Nso's toolset — get_device_ned_ids, get_device_groups, get_device_platform and 8 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by dbono711; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.
This entry was verified against Cisco Nso's own documentation before publication; SyncDev keeps the directory reviewed rather than auto-generated.
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| get_device_ned_ids | Retrieves Network Element Driver (NED) IDs from Cisco NSO |
| get_device_groups | Retrieves device groups from Cisco NSO |
| get_device_platform | Gets platform information for a specific device in Cisco NSO |
| get_device_config | Gets full configuration for a specific device in Cisco NSO |
| get_device_state | Gets state for a specific device in Cisco NSO |
| check_device_sync | Checks sync status for a specific device in Cisco NSO |
| sync_from_device | Syncs from a specific device in Cisco NSO |
| get_service_types | Gets service types in Cisco NSO |
| get_services | Gets services for a specific service type in Cisco NSO |
| Tools | The Tools tool exposed by this server. |
| Resources | The Resources tool exposed by this server. |
{
"mcpServers": {
"nso": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"cisco-nso-mcp-server",
"--nso-address=127.0.0.1",
"--nso-port=8080",
"--nso-username=admin",
"--nso-password=admin"
],
"env": {
"LOG_FILE": "/path/to/your/logs/nso-mcp.log"
}
}
}
}Configuration as documented by the project. Restart the client after saving.
| Variable | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| LOG_FILE | Configuration value read at startup. | Optional |
Kill hallucinated APIs — version-accurate, up-to-date library documentation injected straight into context.
Microsoft's official browser automation server — drive a real browser through the accessibility tree, no screenshots needed.
GitHub's official server — repos, issues, pull requests, Actions and code security, straight from your assistant.
Issue tracking at the speed of conversation — Linear's official hosted server with OAuth and zero install.
Local repository surgery — status, diffs, commits, branches and history for any repo on disk.
Timezone sanity for AI — current time anywhere and correct conversions, without the model doing date math.