vespo92/BrocadeICXMCP

Brocade MCP Server

MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers for automating Brocade ICX 6450 switch management. This project provides both stdio and SSE-based MCP servers that interface with Brocade switches via SSH.

Features

• System Information: Get switch model, firmware version, uptime, etc.
• VLAN Management: Create, configure, and manage VLANs
• Interface Control: Configure ports, view status, manage settings
• Layer 2 Operations: MAC address table management
• Layer 3 Operations: Routing table inspection
• Raw CLI Access: Execute any CLI command directly

Architecture

Built with TypeScript and the MCP SDK 1.18.2, this server follows modern patterns for AI agent integration. Since Brocade ICX 6450 switches don't support REST APIs, the server uses SSH to execute CLI commands and parse the output.

Transport Modes

1. stdio: For command-line integration with Claude Code and other CLI-based MCP clients
2. SSE (Server-Sent Events): For web-based integration with real-time monitoring capabilities

Modular Design

src/
├── core/              # Foundation libraries
│   ├── config.ts      # Zod-validated configuration
│   ├── errors.ts      # Custom error classes
│   └── logger.ts      # Winston logging utilities
├── lib/               # Core functionality
│   ├── ssh-client.ts  # Connection pooling & auto-reconnect
│   └── brocade-commands.ts # Command execution logic
├── mcp/               # MCP protocol implementation
│   ├── schemas.ts     # Zod schemas with JSON Schema generation
│   ├── tools.ts       # Tool definitions
│   ├── resources.ts   # Resource definitions
│   └── handlers.ts    # Shared request handlers
└── servers/           # Transport implementations
    ├── stdio.ts       # CLI transport
    └── sse.ts         # Web transport

Key Features

• TypeScript-first: Full type safety with strict mode enabled
• Schema validation: Zod schemas automatically generate JSON schemas
• Connection pooling: Robust SSH connection management with auto-reconnect
• Shared handlers: Zero code duplication between transports
• Structured logging: Winston with contextual error tracking
• Modern ESM: Pure ES modules with NodeNext resolution

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• Access to a Brocade ICX 6450 switch via SSH
• SSH credentials for the switch

Installation

Option 1: Direct from GitHub (Recommended)

Using npx with MCP client:

npx -y github:vespo92/BrocadeICXMCP

Option 2: Clone and Build

git clone https://github.com/vespo92/BrocadeICXMCP.git
cd BrocadeICXMCP
npm install
npm run build

Option 3: GitHub Release

Download the latest release tarball from Releases:

tar -xzf brocade-mcp-server-v1.0.0.tar.gz
cd brocade-mcp-server
npm install --production

Configuration

1. Copy .env.example to .env:

cp .env.example .env

2. Edit .env with your switch details:

BROCADE_HOST=192.168.1.100
BROCADE_PORT=22
BROCADE_USERNAME=admin
BROCADE_PASSWORD=your_password_here

Usage

stdio Server

For integration with Claude Code:

npm run start:stdio

SSE Server

For web-based integration:

npm run start:sse

The SSE server will start on port 3000 (configurable via SSE_PORT).

Available Tools

Information Gathering

• get_system_info: Retrieve system information
• get_vlans: List all configured VLANs
• get_interfaces: Get interface status and configuration
• get_mac_table: View MAC address table
• get_routing_table: Display IP routing table

Configuration

• configure_vlan: Create or modify VLAN settings
• add_port_to_vlan: Assign ports to VLANs (tagged/untagged)
• configure_interface: Set interface parameters
• execute_command: Run raw CLI commands

Monitoring (SSE only)

• monitor_interface: Real-time interface statistics

Example Usage

With Claude Code

Using npx (Recommended)

Add to your .mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "brocade": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "github:vespo92/BrocadeICXMCP"],
      "env": {
        "BROCADE_HOST": "192.168.1.100",
        "BROCADE_USERNAME": "admin",
        "BROCADE_PASSWORD": "your_password"
      }
    }
  }
}

Using Local Clone

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "brocade": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/BrocadeICXMCP/dist/servers/stdio.js"],
      "env": {
        "BROCADE_HOST": "192.168.1.100",
        "BROCADE_USERNAME": "admin",
        "BROCADE_PASSWORD": "your_password"
      }
    }
  }
}

Example Commands

Create a VLAN:

await server.callTool('configure_vlan', {
  vlanId: 100,
  name: 'Guest-Network'
});

Add port to VLAN:

await server.callTool('add_port_to_vlan', {
  port: 'ethernet 1/1/1',
  vlanId: 100,
  tagged: false
});

Security Notes

• Store credentials securely using environment variables
• Use SSH key authentication when possible
• Limit MCP server access to trusted systems
• Consider network segmentation for management traffic

Limitations

• Brocade ICX 6450 lacks native REST API support
• Performance depends on SSH connection quality
• Command parsing relies on CLI output format consistency
• Some operations may require elevated privileges

Development

# Run in development mode
npm run dev

# Run tests
npm test

# Lint code
npm run lint

# Type check
npm run typecheck

AI and Agent Integration

This project is designed for AI and agent-based automation:

• - Context and guidelines for AI assistants
• - Advanced patterns for autonomous agents

Contributing

Please see for guidelines on how to contribute to this project.

License

MIT - See for details