Mark-AImagineers/anvil
If you are the rightful owner of anvil and would like to certify it and/or have it hosted online, please leave a comment on the right or send an email to henry@mcphub.com.
Anvil is a personal Model Context Protocol (MCP) server designed to manage developer tools accessible through MCP-compatible clients.
Anvil
Anvil is my personal MCP (Model Context Protocol) server — a local, modular, and self-extending development engine designed to host and manage tools accessible through MCP-compatible clients such as Claude Desktop.
Overview
Anvil exposes modular tools that can be dynamically discovered and invoked by connected MCP clients.
Each tool is isolated within the /server/tools/ directory and registered automatically through a lightweight loader system.
This project serves as the foundation for my personal developer automation layer, enabling consistent, secure, and extensible access to system capabilities.
Anvil is not just a host for tools — it's built to help me build tools, inspect code, and support active development across all my projects.
Current Capabilities
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
list_files | Lists files and directories within a given path. |
read_file | Reads and returns the contents of a file. |
write_file | Writes text content to a file, creating or overwriting as needed. |
run_command | Executes safe shell commands and returns output. |
search_files | Search for files by name pattern and/or content with advanced filtering. |
git_status | Get git repository status with clean, readable formatting. |
git_commit | Stage and commit changes with optional push to remote. |
git_branch | List, create, switch, or delete git branches. |
git_diff | Show git diff of changes (unstaged, staged, or both). |
git_log | Show git commit history with clean formatting. |
run_tests | Run tests with auto-detected framework (pytest, unittest, Django, jest). |
homelab_status | Comprehensive Homelab homelab dashboard showing all VMs, containers, services, and resources. |
Architecture
[ MCP Client (e.g. Claude Desktop) ]
│
▼
(stdin/stdout)
│
┌───────────┐
│ Anvil │
├───────────┤
│ Registry │ → auto-discovers tools from /server/tools/
│ Tools │ → modular, callable units (read, write, exec)
│ Runtime │ → handles JSON-RPC messages from clients
└───────────┘
│
[ Local File System / Apps / Remote Infrastructure ]
🚀 Vision
Anvil is built to evolve into a practical AI development engine that automates real workflows.
Phase 1 – Core Foundation ✅
Enable reading, writing, searching, and executing on local files safely.
Phase 2A – Git & Testing ✅
Build version control and testing automation tools.
Phase 2B – Homelab Management (Homelab) 🏠 ← CURRENT FOCUS
Remote management and monitoring of production homelab infrastructure via SSH.
Phase 3 – Frontend Development 🎨
Solve the "refresh hell" problem and streamline Django + Bootstrap development.
Phase 4 – Project-Specific Tools 🎯
Create tools tailored to Django, FastAPI, and AImagineers.io workflows.
Phase 5 – Cross-Project Integration 🌐
Connect Anvil to multiple projects as a unified automation layer.
🧠 Philosophy
Build tools that solve real problems, not theoretical ones.
Anvil embodies the principle of practical automation — every tool should eliminate friction from actual development workflows.
Focus on what matters: shipping code faster, testing easier, and managing projects better.
🔒 Notes
- Anvil communicates with clients via
STDIOusing JSON-RPC. - Each tool defines its own metadata and handler function.
- The system is intentionally minimal and will continue to evolve.
- Designed for local and internal use — not intended for public deployment.
- SSH access configured to Homelab homelab for remote infrastructure management.
🗺️ Tool Development Pipeline
✅ Phase 1 – Foundation (Complete)
| Tool | Status | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
list_files | ✅ | List directory contents |
read_file | ✅ | Read file contents |
write_file | ✅ | Write to files |
run_command | ✅ | Execute shell commands |
search_files | ✅ | Search by filename/content with gitignore support |
✅ Phase 2A – Git & Testing (Complete)
| Tool | Status | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
git_status | ✅ | Git status with clean formatting |
git_commit | ✅ | Stage and commit with optional push |
git_branch | ✅ | Manage branches (list, create, switch, delete) |
git_diff | ✅ | Show file changes (unstaged/staged/both) |
git_log | ✅ | Commit history with formatting |
run_tests | ✅ | Smart test runner with framework detection |
🏠 Phase 2B – Homelab Management (Homelab) - IN PROGRESS
Infrastructure: KVM/libvirt hypervisor (Homelab) managing 5 VMs across VLANs
Access: Full SSH access configured to host + all VMs
Goal: Conversational debugging and management of production infrastructure
Homelab Infrastructure Overview
Host: Homelab
- Ryzen 7 5700X, 32GB RAM
- KVM/libvirt hypervisor
- VLAN-segmented networking
Virtual Machines:
| VM | IP | VLAN | Purpose | Key Services |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| apps01 | 192.168.x.x | br20 | Application host | Docker (6 containers), Node Exporter |
| db01 | 192.168.x.x | br30 | Database | PostgreSQL 16 |
| gitlab01 | 192.168.x.x | br40 | Version control | GitLab CE |
| gitrunner01 | 192.168.x.x | br20 | CI/CD | GitLab Runner |
| ops01 | 192.168.x.x | br40 | Monitoring | Grafana, Prometheus |
Sprint 1: VM & Infrastructure Management
| Tool | Priority | Purpose | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
homelab_status | 🔥 Critical | Dashboard: VMs, containers, services, resources | ✅ Complete |
homelab_vm | 🔥 High | Start/stop/restart VMs | 🔨 Building |
homelab_network | 🔥 High | Check VLAN/bridge configs, routing | 📋 Planned |
homelab_ping | Medium | Test connectivity between VMs/services | 📋 Planned |
homelab_firewall | Medium | Check/manage firewall rules | 📋 Planned |
Goal: Complete visibility and control over VM infrastructure
Sprint 2: Container & Application Management
| Tool | Priority | Purpose | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
homelab_containers | 🔥 High | List/manage Docker containers on apps01 | 📋 Planned |
homelab_logs | 🔥 High | Stream container/service logs | 📋 Planned |
homelab_restart | 🔥 High | Restart containers/services | 📋 Planned |
homelab_exec | Medium | Execute commands in containers | 📋 Planned |
homelab_tunnel | Medium | Manage Cloudflare tunnels | 📋 Planned |
Goal: Full Docker container lifecycle management
Sprint 3: Database Management
| Tool | Priority | Purpose | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
homelab_db_status | 🔥 High | PostgreSQL health on db01 | 📋 Planned |
homelab_db_query | Medium | Run SQL queries | 📋 Planned |
homelab_db_connections | Medium | Show active DB connections | 📋 Planned |
homelab_db_backup | Low | Backup databases | 📋 Planned |
Goal: Database monitoring and management
Sprint 4: Diagnostic & Debugging
| Tool | Priority | Purpose | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
homelab_diagnose | 🔥 High | Auto-diagnose common issues | 📋 Planned |
homelab_ports | Medium | Show listening ports on VMs | 📋 Planned |
homelab_routes | Medium | Check routing tables | 📋 Planned |
homelab_resources | Medium | CPU/RAM/disk usage across infrastructure | 📋 Planned |
Goal: Rapid problem identification and resolution
Sprint 5: GitLab & CI/CD
| Tool | Priority | Purpose | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
homelab_gitlab | Medium | GitLab status & management | 📋 Planned |
homelab_runner | Medium | CI runner status & jobs | 📋 Planned |
homelab_pipeline | Low | Trigger/monitor pipelines | 📋 Planned |
Goal: CI/CD pipeline visibility and control
🎨 Phase 3 – Frontend Development (Future Priority)
Solving the "refresh hell" problem for Django + Bootstrap + Vanilla CSS development.
Sprint 1: Emergency Relief (Debug & Fix Tools)
| Tool | Priority | Purpose | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
check_frontend | 🔥 Critical | Validate HTML/CSS/JS, find errors, check Bootstrap conflicts | 📋 Planned |
clear_django_cache | 🔥 Critical | Clear static files cache, template cache, cache-busting | 📋 Planned |
validate_html | 🔥 Critical | Check template syntax, Bootstrap usage, Django tags | 📋 Planned |
Sprint 2: Modern Workflow (Live Development Tools)
| Tool | Priority | Purpose | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
watch_static | 🔥 High | Auto-reload on changes, validate code, collectstatic | 📋 Planned |
hot_reload_css | 🔥 High | Inject CSS changes without page reload | 📋 Planned |
Sprint 3: Design Bridge (Figma Integration)
| Tool | Priority | Purpose | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
extract_figma_tokens | Medium | Pull colors, fonts, spacing from Figma → CSS variables | 📋 Planned |
figma_blueprint | Medium | Analyze Figma frame structure, suggest Bootstrap approach | 📋 Planned |
design_to_bootstrap | Medium | Screenshot → Bootstrap HTML/CSS (AI vision-based) | 📋 Planned |
Sprint 4: Code Quality (Bootstrap Mastery)
| Tool | Priority | Purpose | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
reconcile_styles | Low | Fix Bootstrap vs custom CSS conflicts | 📋 Planned |
bootstrap_component_generator | Low | Generate Bootstrap components from description | 📋 Planned |
optimize_templates | Low | Analyze Django templates, suggest improvements | 📋 Planned |
🎯 Phase 4 – Project-Specific Tools (Future)
Django/FastAPI Helpers
| Tool | Purpose | Status |
|---|---|---|
django_manage | Run Django management commands | 📋 Planned |
create_migration | Create and apply migrations | 📋 Planned |
run_server | Start dev server with options | 📋 Planned |
shell_plus | Interactive Django/IPython shell | 📋 Planned |
AImagineers.io Workflows
| Tool | Purpose | Status |
|---|---|---|
project_init | Initialize new client project structure | 📋 Planned |
deploy_staging | Deploy to staging environment | 📋 Planned |
deploy_prod | Deploy to production | 📋 Planned |
backup_db | Backup databases | 📋 Planned |
📈 Progress
Total Tools Built: 12
Phase 1: 5/5 complete ✅
Phase 2A: 6/6 complete ✅
Phase 2B Sprint 1: 1/5 complete - homelab_status ✅
🎯 Current Focus
Problem: Managing production homelab infrastructure requires constant SSH sessions, manual checks, and troubleshooting across 5 VMs.
Solution: Building conversational AI-assisted homelab management tools for instant visibility and control over entire infrastructure.
Latest: homelab_status complete! Full dashboard showing 5 VMs, 6 containers, 5 services - all healthy ✅
Next Tool: homelab_vm - VM lifecycle management (start/stop/restart)
Built with purpose — to automate real work, not imaginary problems.