IBM i
Enables AI agents to interact with IBM i systems through the Model Context Protocol, providing secure SQL-based access to Db2 for i databases for querying, monitoring, and executing operations.
What is IBM i?
IBM i is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to enables ai agents to interact with ibm i systems through the model context protocol, providing secure sql-based access to db2 for i databases for querying, monitoring, and executing operations.
Enables AI agents to interact with IBM i systems through the Model Context Protocol, providing secure SQL-based access to Db2 for i databases for querying, monitoring, and executing operations.
This server falls under the Cloud Services and Databases categories on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- Enables AI agents to interact with IBM i systems through the
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
NPM
npx -y @ibm/ibmi-mcp-serverManual Installation
npx -y @ibm/ibmi-mcp-serverConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use IBM i
The IBM i MCP Server enables AI agents to interact with IBM i (AS/400) systems through the Model Context Protocol, providing SQL-based access to Db2 for i databases via the Mapepire connection layer. It exposes YAML-defined tool sets covering performance monitoring, security auditing, job management, storage analysis, and database schema inspection — letting developers and administrators query and monitor their IBM i systems using natural language through any MCP-compatible AI client. The server supports stdio, HTTP, and Docker deployment modes.
Prerequisites
- IBM i system running Mapepire server (install with: yum install mapepire-server)
- Node.js 18+ installed on the MCP server host machine
- Network connectivity from the MCP host to the IBM i system on the Mapepire port (default 8076)
- IBM i user credentials with appropriate Db2 for i access
- An MCP-compatible client: Claude Desktop, Cursor, or any MCP-supporting agent
Install and start Mapepire on your IBM i system
Mapepire is the secure JDBC-over-WebSocket bridge that the MCP server uses to connect to Db2 for i. Install and start it on your IBM i system.
yum install mapepire-server
yum install service-commander
sc start mapepireCreate a .env configuration file
Create a .env file with your IBM i connection credentials. These are used by the MCP server to authenticate to Mapepire.
DB2i_HOST=your-ibmi-hostname
DB2i_USER=your_ibmi_user
DB2i_PASS=your_ibmi_password
DB2i_PORT=8076
DB2i_IGNORE_UNAUTHORIZED=falseRun the MCP server via npx
Launch the server with stdio transport and point it at one of the included YAML tool definition files. The --tools flag selects which domain-specific tools to expose.
npx -y @ibm/ibmi-mcp-server@latest \
--transport stdio \
--tools ./tools/performance/performance.yamlConfigure Claude Desktop
Add the IBM i MCP server to your claude_desktop_config.json. Pass the .env file path and tool YAML as arguments.
{
"mcpServers": {
"ibmi": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@ibm/ibmi-mcp-server@latest",
"--transport", "stdio",
"--tools", "/path/to/tools/performance/performance.yaml"],
"env": {
"DB2i_HOST": "your-ibmi-host",
"DB2i_USER": "your_user",
"DB2i_PASS": "your_password",
"DB2i_PORT": "8076",
"DB2i_IGNORE_UNAUTHORIZED": "false"
}
}
}
}Optionally install the IBM i CLI for direct SQL access
The companion CLI tool lets you run SQL and YAML-defined tools from the command line, useful for testing queries before using them through an AI agent.
npm i -g @ibm/ibmi-cli
ibmi sql "SELECT * FROM SAMPLE.EMPLOYEE FETCH FIRST 5 ROWS ONLY"IBM i Examples
Client configuration
Full claude_desktop_config.json for the IBM i MCP server with environment credentials and performance tools.
{
"mcpServers": {
"ibmi": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@ibm/ibmi-mcp-server@latest",
"--transport", "stdio",
"--tools", "/path/to/tools/performance/performance.yaml"],
"env": {
"DB2i_HOST": "my-ibmi-system.company.com",
"DB2i_USER": "MYADMIN",
"DB2i_PASS": "secret",
"DB2i_PORT": "8076",
"DB2i_IGNORE_UNAUTHORIZED": "false"
}
}
}
}Prompts to try
Query and monitor your IBM i system using these natural language prompts.
- "Show me the current system status and active memory pools on IBM i."
- "List the top 10 jobs consuming the most CPU right now."
- "Query the EMPLOYEE table in the SAMPLE schema and show me 5 rows."
- "Check for any security events or failed login attempts in the audit log."
- "What is the current disk utilization across all storage volumes?"Troubleshooting IBM i
Cannot connect to Mapepire — connection refused or timeout
Ensure Mapepire is running on your IBM i: run 'sc status mapepire'. Verify DB2i_HOST is the correct hostname/IP, DB2i_PORT matches the Mapepire port (default 8076), and your network/firewall allows the connection.
Authentication failure with DB2i_USER credentials
Confirm the IBM i user profile exists and has *USE authority to the Db2 for i objects you're querying. The user must also be authorized to connect via Mapepire. Test with the ibmi CLI directly before using through Claude.
No tools available after server starts
The --tools flag must point to a valid YAML tool definition file. Clone the ibmi-mcp-server repository to get the bundled tool YAML files under the tools/ directory, then reference them with an absolute path.
Frequently Asked Questions about IBM i
What is IBM i?
IBM i is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables ai agents to interact with ibm i systems through the model context protocol, providing secure sql-based access to db2 for i databases for querying, monitoring, and executing operations. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install IBM i?
Install via npm with the command: npx -y @ibm/ibmi-mcp-server. Then add the server configuration to your AI client's JSON config file (e.g., claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json).
Which AI clients work with IBM i?
IBM i works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is IBM i free to use?
Yes, IBM i is open source and available under the Apache 2.0 license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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