Tello Drone MCP Server

What is Tello Drone MCP Server?

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server implementation for controlling the DJI Tello drone. It allows any MCP-compatible client (e.g., Cursor, Windsurf, Code) to send drone commands through a standardized interface using Server-Sent Events (SSE) transport.

How to use Tello Drone MCP Server?

1. Install dependencies via pip install -r requirements.txt.
2. Connect to the Tello drone’s WiFi network (starts with TELLO-).
3. Start the server with sudo python tello_mcp.py (root access required for UDP socket binding).
4. In the MCP client, add the following to mcp.json:

   { "tello-drone": { "url": "http://localhost:3000/sse" } }
   

5. The client communicates via SSE; use the listed MCP tools (takeoff, land, move, rotate) with JSON-RPC 2.0 messages.

Key features of Tello Drone MCP Server

• MCP protocol support for standardized drone control
• Real-time drone control through SSE transport
• Robust error handling and logging to stderr
• CORS enabled for web clients (e.g., MCP Inspector)
• Basic drone commands: takeoff, land, move (up/down/left/right/forward/back), rotate (cw/ccw)
• Validates command parameters (distance 20–500 cm, degrees 1–3600)

Use cases of Tello Drone MCP Server

• Control a Tello drone from an AI‑powered code editor or assistant
• Automate takeoff, landing, and precise movements via MCP‑compatible tools
• Integrate drone control into larger MCP‑based automation workflows
• Test and debug drone commands interactively using MCP Inspector

FAQ from Tello Drone MCP Server

What are the prerequisites to run the server?

Python 3.7+, a DJI Tello drone, a network connection to the drone, and root/sudo access (required for UDP socket binding).

How do I connect my MCP client to the server?

Add the configuration { "tello-drone": { "url": "http://localhost:3000/sse" } } to your mcp.json file (usually at ~/.cursor/mcp.json). Then the client will automatically discover the SSE endpoint.

What commands can I send to the drone?

The server provides four tools: takeoff (no arguments), land (no arguments), move (direction from ["up","down","left","right","forward","back"] and integer distance 20–500), and rotate (direction ["cw","ccw"] and integer degrees 1–3600).

Is authentication required?

No. The README states no authentication is implemented; rely on network security. CORS is enabled for all origins (*).

What happens if a command fails?

The server returns proper JSON‑RPC 2.0 error responses for invalid parameters, drone connection failures, network timeouts, or protocol errors. All errors are logged to stderr.