What is mcp-shell?
mcp-shell is a MCP server by sonirico that run shell commands securely, auditably and on demand in isolated environments such as Docker. It is listed under Developer tools and has 108 GitHub stars.
| Type | Mcp server |
|---|---|
| Author | sonirico |
| Repository | sonirico/mcp-shell |
| Popularity | 108 GitHub stars |
| Category | Developer tools |
| Security | Review before installing (72/100) |
| Rank | #566 of 4,418 MCP servers; #150 in Developer tools |
| License | GPL-3.0 |
| Last commit | 2026-09-25 |
| Runs | Locally |
| Language | Go |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows, Linux |
Is mcp-shell safe to install?
mcp-shell scores 72/100 on the MCPMods security check: Review before installing. Things to review: can take actions such as send, write or deploy; executes code or shell commands. It passed 3 of 6 checks.
MCP server results come from listing signals: who publishes it, where your data goes and what it can do. The code itself is not scanned yet.
| Check | Result |
|---|---|
| Community-built server | Note |
| Runs on your machine only | Pass |
| No credentials mentioned | Pass |
| Can take actions such as send, write or deploy | Review |
| Executes code or shell commands | Review |
| Source on GitHub | Pass |
How do I install mcp-shell?
- Find the launch command. The README says how the server starts (npx, uvx, docker or a remote URL) and which API keys it needs.
https://github.com/sonirico/mcp-shell
- Add it to Claude Code. Replace the part after -- with the command from the README. Remote servers use --transport http with a URL.
claude mcp add mcp-shell -- <command from README> claude mcp add --transport http mcp-shell <server-url>
- Check it connected. This lists your MCP servers and their status.
claude mcp list
Or ask Claude to set it up
Paste this into Claude Code and it installs mcp-shell for you:
Add the "mcp-shell" MCP server from https://github.com/sonirico/mcp-shell to Claude Code. Read its README for the launch command and any API keys I need, run claude mcp add, then check that it connects.