Interminal MCP Server

Lightweight MCP server providing terminal access (SSH & local shells) for AI assistants.

Local serverstdioPython

What is the Interminal MCP server?

Lightweight MCP server providing terminal access (SSH & local shells) for AI assistants. Exposed over MCP by the interminal mcp server, that capability becomes something an assistant can invoke while it works, not something you go and do afterwards.

What it actually does

Lightweight MCP server that gives AI assistants terminal access — SSH and local shells — with support for interactive and long-running commands.

Its toolset

Everything the assistant can do here goes through one of these:

  • connect_ssh — Connect to an SSH server; returns session_id and welcome banner
  • execute — Run a command locally (no session needed) or over SSH; returns output or status=partial + command_id
  • read_output — Poll a running command for new output without sending input
  • respond — Send text input to a command waiting at a prompt
  • send_control — Send control keys: ctrl+c, ctrl+z, arrow keys, F-keys, etc
  • disconnect — Close an SSH session and release all resources

Adding it to your client

The server ships on PyPI as mcp-interminal, so your MCP client can launch it on demand — there is no separate build step. Add the server block to your client's configuration, restart it, and the tools register themselves.

When to reach for it

This sits in the developer tooling group, where several servers overlap in what they claim to do but differ sharply once you actually set them up. Interminal's toolset — connect_ssh, execute, read_output and 3 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by QiuwenZheng; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

We check each listing at SyncDev against the project's documentation before it goes live — if something here drifts out of date, it is a bug worth reporting.

Caveats

  • It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
  • MCP clients confirm each tool call by default. Leave that on until you have watched what the interminal mcp server does with a few real requests.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
connect_sshConnect to an SSH server; returns session_id and welcome banner
executeRun a command locally (no session needed) or over SSH; returns output or status=partial + command_id
read_outputPoll a running command for new output without sending input
respondSend text input to a command waiting at a prompt
send_controlSend control keys: ctrl+c, ctrl+z, arrow keys, F-keys, etc.
disconnectClose an SSH session and release all resources

How to install the Interminal MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "interminal": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["mcp-interminal"]
    }
  }
}

Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.

Example prompts to try

  • Use Interminal to connect ssh.
  • Use Interminal to execute.
  • Use Interminal to read output.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Interminal to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 6 tools (connect_ssh, execute, read_output, and more) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Interminal directly.