utilities-box-mcp-server

What is utilities-box-mcp-server?

utilities-box-mcp-server is an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that provides a collection of utility tools for time management, system information, file system operations, network checks, and other common tasks. It is intended for developers and AI assistants that need a versatile set of built-in utilities via an MCP interface.

How to use utilities-box-mcp-server?

Install via pip (pip install utilities-box-mcp-server --upgrade --force-reinstall) or from source (pip install .). Run with the command utilities-box-mcp-server, optionally using Python (python -m utilities_box_mcp_server) or uv run. Configuration is done through environment variables (e.g., UTILITIES_BOX_TRANSPORT, UTILITIES_BOX_ENABLED_TOOLS). MCP configuration examples for stdio (JSON/YAML) and SSE (http://127.0.0.1:41104/sse) are provided.

Key features of utilities-box-mcp-server

• Time management tools (current time, time difference, Unix timestamp).
• System information and stats (CPU, memory, swap, boot time).
• File system tools (read lines, read multiple files, 10MB limit per file).
• Network tools (connectivity check with curl, ping).
• Expression evaluation, UUID generation, and sleep functionality.
• Tool enable/disable via environment variables.
• Supports both stdio and SSE transport protocols.

Use cases of utilities-box-mcp-server

• Automating time calculations and formatting in AI assistant workflows.
• Monitoring system resource usage through an MCP client.
• Reading file contents during interactive chat sessions.
• Checking network connectivity to a remote host.
• Evaluating mathematical expressions or generating UUIDs on demand.

FAQ from utilities-box-mcp-server

What tools are included?

Available tools: calc_time_diff, check_connectivity, evaluate, generate_uuid, get_current_time, get_system_info, get_system_stats, get_unix_timestamp, ping, read_file, read_files, sleep. All are enabled by default.

How do I run the server with SSE transport?

Set the environment variable UTILITIES_BOX_TRANSPORT to sse, optionally set UTILITIES_BOX_PORT (default 41104), then run utilities-box-mcp-server. The SSE endpoint will be at http://127.0.0.1:<port>/sse.

What runtime dependencies are required?

The server requires Python and the MCP Python SDK. Docker images are also provided (see docker/ directory). No other external services are mentioned.

How can I enable or disable specific tools?

Use the UTILITIES_BOX_ENABLED_TOOLS (comma-separated list of allowed tools) or UTILITIES_BOX_DISABLED_TOOLS (comma-separated list of excluded tools) environment variables. If ENABLED_TOOLS is empty, all tools are active.

Is there a logging requirement for stdio transport?

When using stdio transport, console logging must be disabled by setting SIMP_LOGGER_LOG_CONSOLE_ENABLED to false to avoid interfering with stdio communication.