Kiro IBM i MCP Bridge

A Kiro (and VS Code) extension that bridges Kiro's AI (via the Model Context Protocol) with IBM i (AS/400) systems, enabling AI-powered development workflows for RPG, COBOL, CL, and other IBM i languages.

Features

• Read/Write Source Members: AI can read and modify IBM i source code directly
• Execute SQL: Run queries against DB2 for IBM i
• Table Schema Inspection: Retrieve column definitions and metadata
• Intelligent Editing: Partial source edits without full rewrites
• Standalone MCP Server: A self-contained Node.js MCP server (out/server.js) that connects to IBM i directly over SSH — launched by Kiro (or any MCP client) as a separate process.
• Editor auto-refresh: The bundled VS Code extension reloads any open source member as soon as the server writes to it.

Prerequisites

• VS Code 1.85.0 or higher
• Node.js 18+ (used by Kiro to launch the MCP server)
• Code for IBM i extension (used to browse/open members and to receive editor auto-refresh)
• Network/SSH access to your IBM i system

Installation

1. Install from VS Code Marketplace (search for "IBM i MCP Bridge")
2. Or download the .vsix file and install manually:

   code --install-extension kiro-ibmi-mcp-bridge-0.3.2.vsix
   

Usage with Kiro

The extension bundles the MCP server and configures Kiro for you — no manual mcp.json editing required.

1. Install prerequisites

1. Install the Code for IBM i extension in Kiro.
2. Install this extension (kiro-ibmi-mcp-bridge) from the VSIX (Extensions → ... → Install from VSIX…).

2. Configure your IBM i connection

Open the Command Palette and run IBM i MCP: Configure Connection. Enter host, user, password and SSH port.

The extension then:

• Saves the credentials locally in its per-user storage (not in mcp.json, not in your repo).
• Registers the ibmi-bridge MCP server in ~/.kiro/settings/mcp.json, pointing to the server bundled inside the extension.

Reconnect the ibmi-bridge server from the Kiro MCP Servers panel to apply.

The registration only stores a reference to the credentials file (IBMI_CRED_FILE); your password is never written into mcp.json.

Available settings: ibmiMcpBridge.registerScope (global or workspace), ibmiMcpBridge.serverName, ibmiMcpBridge.runtime (kiro or node), ibmiMcpBridge.autoApprove. By default the server runs on Kiro's own bundled Node runtime, so no separate Node.js installation is required. Set ibmiMcpBridge.runtime to node to use a node binary from your PATH instead.

3. Start Using AI with IBM i

Once configured, you can interact with IBM i sources naturally:

You: "Read the source code from MYLIB/QRPGLESRC/MYPGM"
AI: [reads and displays the RPG source]

You: "Add error handling to the SQL statements"
AI: [modifies the source with proper error handling]

You: "Show me the schema for MYLIB/CUSTOMERS"
AI: [displays table columns and types]

Available MCP Tools

Tool	Description
get_active_member	Read the member currently open in Code for IBM i (automatic context)
read_member_source	Read source code from a member
write_member_source	Overwrite entire source member
edit_member_source	Partial edit using find/replace
run_sql_query	Execute SQL (mutations require flag)
get_table_schema	Retrieve table column definitions

Automatic context (open member)

You don't have to type library/file/member every time. When you open a source member in Code for IBM i, the extension tracks it (shown in the status bar as IBM i: LIB/FILE(MBR)) and the MCP server uses it automatically. So you can just say:

"Analyze this program"
"Add error handling to the open source"
"Explain what this member does"

The read_member_source, edit_member_source and write_member_source tools fall back to the open member when you omit the coordinates.

Running the server manually

The MCP server communicates via stdio. Kiro normally launches it for you (see config above), but you can also run it directly for testing:

export IBMI_HOST=your-ibm-i-hostname
export IBMI_USER=your-username
export IBMI_PASSWORD=your-password
export IBMI_PORT=22

node out/server.js

Security Notes

• SQL mutations (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE) are blocked by default
• Use allow_mutating: true parameter to enable (use with caution)
• Credentials are entered via the IBM i MCP: Configure Connection command and stored in the extension's per-user global storage, not in mcp.json and not in your workspace/repo
• mcp.json only stores a path reference (IBMI_CRED_FILE) to that local credentials file
• Run IBM i MCP: Clear Saved Credentials to remove the stored credentials

Development

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/dibari62/kiro-ibmi-mcp-bridge
cd kiro-ibmi-mcp-bridge

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Compile TypeScript
npm run compile

# Watch mode for development
npm run watch

# Build standalone server
npm run build

# Package VSIX
npx vsce package

Requirements

• Node.js 18+
• TypeScript 5.3+
• Code for IBM i extension (for VS Code mode)

Known Issues

• edit_member_source requires exact whitespace matching for fixed-format sources
• Large source members may take longer to process
• SQL execution timeout is 30 seconds

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please open issues or PRs on GitHub.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Credits

Built by dibari62 for the IBM i development community.

Powered by:

• Model Context Protocol
• Code for IBM i
• Kiro IDE

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Enjoy AI-powered IBM i development! 🚀