Pty MCP Server

Pty MCP server is a locally run integration for AI assistants that speak the Model Context Protocol. A PTY runner for MCP.

What you get

pty-mcp provides terminal session tools over MCP so clients can spawn commands in a pseudo-terminal, read interactive output, send input, resize terminal windows, and manage process lifecycle safely.

• Spawn shell commands in a real PTY
• Read incremental output from a ring buffer
• Wait for pattern matching (read_until)
• Wait for any pattern (read_until_any)
• Send interactive input (write)
• Send input and wait for prompt (prompt)

What the assistant can call

Once Pty is connected, these are the calls the assistant has available:

• pty_spawn — pty_resume
• pty_recover — pty_attach
• pty_detach — pty_handoff
• pty_takeover — pty_read
• pty_read_stdout — pty_read_stderr
• pty_read_at — pty_read_until
• pty_read_until_any — pty_read_quiescent
• pty_prompt — confirm_dangerous_command
• pty_write — pty_resize
• pty_close — pty_status
• pty_wait — pty_list
• confirm_dangerous_command — The confirm_dangerous_command tool exposed by this server

Configuration and credentials

• Python 3.10+ - tmux 3.x when using backend="tmux"

Setting it up

pty-mcp on PyPI is all you need. Most clients run it directly, so configuration is a few lines and a restart.

Choosing this one

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. Pty's toolset — pty_spawn, pty_recover, pty_detach and 11 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by wawe; 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.

Before you rely on it

• 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 Pty.
• MCP clients confirm each tool call by default. Leave that on until you have watched what the pty mcp server does with a few real requests.