KIP MCP Server

Reads a boat's Signal K data and helps an AI assistant design and install KIP dashboards.

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What is the KIP MCP server?

If you already use KIP, the kip mcp server is the piece that lets your assistant work with it directly. Reads a boat's Signal K data and helps an AI assistant design and install KIP dashboards.

What the server does

You stay in control: the assistant shows you a picture of each dashboard first, and it only saves anything to your boat after you say yes.

  • Looks at your boat's data. — It finds the values your boat reports through Signal K
  • Suggests dashboards. — It proposes a general dashboard plus ones for specific jobs:
  • Shows you a preview. — You see a simple picture of each dashboard before anything is
  • Installs them — with your OK. — It writes the dashboards to your KIP setup, or hands

Available tools

The toolset is worth reading before you wire it up, because it tells you what the integration is really for:

  • path — the name of one piece of data, like navigation.speedOverGround (speed over
  • KIP — the app that shows your boat's data as dashboards of gauges and panels
  • widget — one gauge or panel on a dashboard (a number, a dial, a wind display, …)
  • dashboard — a screen full of widgets, laid out on a grid
  • token — like a password for software: it lets the server save changes to your boat
  • Setting — What it is
  • SIGNALK_HOST — Your Signal K host name or IP
  • SIGNALK_PORT — Your Signal K port
  • SIGNALK_TLS — Set to true if your server uses https
  • SIGNALK_TOKEN — A Signal K login token, needed to write dashboards
  • SIGNALK_USER — A Signal K username — used with SIGNALK_PASSWORD instead of a token
  • SIGNALK_PASSWORD — The matching Signal K password

Credentials and setup notes

Configuration is passed through the environment: SIGNALK_HOST, SIGNALK_TOKEN, MCP_BEARER_TOKEN, MCP_PUBLIC_URL, HTTP_HOST, HTTP_PATH. 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.

Installation

Installation goes through your MCP client rather than a global install: point it at kip-mcp-server on npm and it is fetched when the client starts. The copy-paste blocks for Claude Desktop, Claude Code and Cursor are further down this page.

Where it fits

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. KIP's toolset — path, KIP, widget and 11 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by dillan; 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.

Worth knowing first

  • 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.
  • With 14 tools registered it takes up a noticeable share of the context window; turn it off in projects that never touch KIP.
  • Missing credentials fail quietly in some clients — if no tools show up, check the environment block first.
  • Keep per-call confirmation enabled while you learn its behaviour; it is the cheapest safeguard you have.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
paththe name of one piece of data, like navigation.speedOverGround (speed over
KIPthe app that shows your boat's data as dashboards of gauges and panels.
widgetone gauge or panel on a dashboard (a number, a dial, a wind display, …).
dashboarda screen full of widgets, laid out on a grid.
tokenlike a password for software: it lets the server save changes to your boat.
SettingWhat it is
SIGNALK_HOSTYour Signal K host name or IP
SIGNALK_PORTYour Signal K port
SIGNALK_TLSSet to true if your server uses https
SIGNALK_TOKENA Signal K login token, needed to **write** dashboards
SIGNALK_USERA Signal K username — used with SIGNALK_PASSWORD instead of a token
SIGNALK_PASSWORDThe matching Signal K password
KIP_URLOverride where KIP is served, if it's not the default
HTTP_HOSTAddress to bind

How to install the KIP MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kip": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "kip-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "SIGNALK_HOST": "your-value",
        "SIGNALK_TOKEN": "your-value",
        "MCP_BEARER_TOKEN": "your-value",
        "MCP_PUBLIC_URL": "your-value",
        "HTTP_HOST": "your-value",
        "HTTP_PATH": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.

Configuration

VariableDescriptionRequired
SIGNALK_HOSTEndpoint or connection string the server talks to.Optional
SIGNALK_TOKENCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
MCP_BEARER_TOKENCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
MCP_PUBLIC_URLEndpoint or connection string the server talks to.Yes
HTTP_HOSTEndpoint or connection string the server talks to.Optional
HTTP_PATHFilesystem location the server is allowed to use.Optional

Example prompts to try

  • Use KIP to path.
  • Use KIP to KIP.
  • Use KIP to widget.

Frequently asked questions

It connects KIP to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 14 tools (path, KIP, widget, and more) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with KIP directly.