juergenkoller-software/nemeton-mcp

Swift Platform License MCP juergenkoller-software/nemeton-mcp MCP server

Control native macOS virtual machines from Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, or any MCP client.

This is the official Model Context Protocol bridge for Nemeton — a native macOS app that creates and manages Linux and macOS VMs using Apple's Virtualization.framework (no Parallels, no VMware, no subscriptions).

You need the Nemeton app installed and running. This MCP server is a thin stdio→HTTP bridge — the actual VM logic lives in the app. Get Nemeton at store.juergenkoller.software/apps/nemeton.

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What you can do

"Claude, spin up an Ubuntu 24.04 VM with 4 CPUs and 8 GB RAM, install Docker, and tell me when it's ready."

The MCP server exposes 50+ tools across these categories:

Category	Tools
VM Lifecycle	list_vms, get_vm, create_vm, update_vm, clone_vm, delete_vm, reorder_vms, stop_all
VM Control	start_vm, stop_vm, force_stop_vm, pause_vm, resume_vm, suspend_vm, get_suspend_status
Snapshots (CoW on APFS)	list_snapshots, create_snapshot, restore_snapshot, delete_snapshot
Console	send_console, read_console, console_execute, take_screenshot
Networking & Files	vm_ip, ssh_execute, file_upload, file_download, file_list
GUI Control	gui_launch, gui_windows, vscode_command, select_vm
Clipboard Bridge	clipboard_read, clipboard_write
Host Info	get_host_info, get_metrics
Storage	resize_disk, export_vm, import_vm
Distros	list_distros (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch — auto-download ISOs)
Display	fullscreen_enter, fullscreen_exit, fullscreen_toggle
Webhooks	list_webhooks, register_webhook, delete_webhook
Runtime	vm_runtime, vm_errors, list_downloads

Each tool returns structured JSON with VM state, snapshot metadata, console output, or operation result.

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Installation

Prerequisites

1. macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later — required for Virtualization.framework features.
2. Nemeton app installed and running — get it here.
3. Swift 5.9+ (Xcode 15+) if you want to build from source. Pre-built binaries are also available.

Build from source

git clone https://github.com/juergenkoller-software/nemeton-mcp.git
cd nemeton-mcp
swift build -c release
# Binary: .build/release/NemetonMCP

Pre-built binary

Download the latest NemetonMCP binary from the Releases page.

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Configuration

Claude Desktop

Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nemeton": {
      "command": "/path/to/NemetonMCP",
      "env": {
        "NEMETON_PORT": "22100",
        "NEMETON_TOKEN": "your-token-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Get NEMETON_TOKEN from Nemeton → Settings → API & Integrations.

Claude Code

Add to ~/.claude/mcp.json (or via claude mcp add):

claude mcp add nemeton /path/to/NemetonMCP \
  --env NEMETON_PORT=22100 \
  --env NEMETON_TOKEN=your-token-here

Cursor / other MCP clients

Same pattern: configure NemetonMCP as a stdio MCP server with the two environment variables above.

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How it works

┌────────────────┐  JSON-RPC stdio   ┌────────────────┐  HTTP+Bearer   ┌────────────────┐
│  Claude/Cursor │ ───────────────►  │  NemetonMCP    │ ─────────────► │  Nemeton.app   │
│  (MCP client)  │ ◄───────────────  │   (this repo)  │ ◄───────────── │  (port 22100)  │
└────────────────┘                   └────────────────┘                └────────────────┘

The bridge reads JSON-RPC 2.0 requests from stdin, forwards them to Nemeton's local HTTP server at 127.0.0.1:22100/mcp, and writes responses back to stdout. All authentication, VM logic, and tool dispatch happens inside the Nemeton app.

This split lets us keep the MCP wire format open-source (so you can audit it, fork it, or run it through any sandboxing layer you prefer) while the VM internals stay in the app.

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Environment variables

Variable	Default	Description
NEMETON_PORT	22100	Port of Nemeton's local HTTP server
NEMETON_TOKEN	(none)	Bearer token from Nemeton Settings (required for write operations)

Errors and trace logs are written to stderr so they don't pollute the JSON-RPC stdout channel.

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About Nemeton

Nemeton is a native macOS app for creating and managing virtual machines using Apple's Virtualization.framework. Highlights:

• No subscription — one-time purchase, €389
• Linux & macOS VMs with automatic ISO/IPSW download
• CoW snapshots on APFS — save VM states without wasting disk
• REST API + WebSocket events (42 endpoints) for automation
• MCP server (this repo) for Claude/AI agents
• Native performance — uses Apple's framework directly, no QEMU overhead
• 100% local — no cloud, no telemetry

→ Get Nemeton at store.juergenkoller.software

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License

MIT — see LICENSE. The bridge is open source; the Nemeton app itself is commercial.

Issues & support

• Bridge bugs: open an issue
• App support: [email protected]

Built by Juergen Koller Software GmbH.