ITerm MCP Server

Enables AI assistants to interact with iTerm2 terminals through the Model Context Protocol.

Local serverstdio 15

What is the ITerm MCP server?

Enables AI assistants to interact with iTerm2 terminals through the Model Context Protocol. That is what the iterm mcp server brings to an AI assistant: the same capability, reachable through the Model Context Protocol rather than a separate app or dashboard.

The short version

  • Create and manage iTerm2 terminal sessions
  • Execute commands in terminals
  • Read terminal output
  • List active terminals
  • Close terminals

The tools it exposes

The server publishes 5 tools. What each one is for:

  • open_terminal — Open a new terminal instance
  • execute_command — Execute a command in a specific terminal
  • read_output — Read the output from a specific terminal
  • close_terminal — Close a specific terminal
  • list_terminals — List all active terminals and their information

Getting it running

Setup follows the usual MCP pattern — install or clone the server, register it in your client's configuration file, restart the client. The configuration blocks on this page cover the common clients.

What it needs from you

  • Node.js >= 14.x - iTerm2 - macOS (since iTerm2 is macOS-only)

How it compares

Plenty of developer tooling servers cover similar ground. The differences that matter in practice are scope of access and how much setup stands between you and a working tool call. ITerm's toolset — open_terminal, execute_command, read_output and 2 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by rishabkoul; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

SyncDev reviews every entry in this directory against the project's own documentation before publishing, and revisits them as servers change.

Things to watch

  • 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.
  • Keep per-call confirmation enabled while you learn its behaviour; it is the cheapest safeguard you have.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
open_terminalOpen a new terminal instance
execute_commandExecute a command in a specific terminal
read_outputRead the output from a specific terminal
close_terminalClose a specific terminal
list_terminalsList all active terminals and their information

How to install the ITerm MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "terminal": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["iterm_mcp_server"]
    }
  }
}

Configuration as documented by the project. Restart the client after saving.

Configuration

  • Node.js >= 14.x - iTerm2 - macOS (since iTerm2 is macOS-only)

Example prompts to try

  • Use ITerm to open terminal.
  • Use ITerm to execute command.
  • Use ITerm to read output.

Frequently asked questions

You need Node.js (>= 14.x), iTerm2, and macOS since iTerm2 is macOS-only.