TermPipe MCP Server

MCP server for Claude Desktop providing surgical file editing, shell execution, AI debugging, and more.

Architecture

/home/craig/termpipe-mcp/          ← CANONICAL SOURCE (edit here)
  termpipe_mcp/
    server.py                      ← FastMCP entry point (stdio)
    tools/
      surgical.py                  ← Line-level file editing
      system.py                    ← list_tools, reload_tools, etc.
      files.py                     ← read/write/list
      termf.py                     ← Shell execution
      debug.py                     ← iFlow debug assist
      gemini_debug.py              ← Gemini debug assist
      ... (all tool modules)

~/.termpipe/mcp_server/tools/      ← SYMLINK → termpipe_mcp/tools/

~/.termpipe/mcp_server/tools/ is a symlink to termpipe_mcp/tools/.
Edit files in either location — they are the same files.

Related MCP server: pty-mcp

How Claude Desktop Runs It

From ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

"termpipe": {
  "command": "/home/craig/.local/share/pipx/venvs/termpipe-mcp/bin/python",
  "args": ["-m", "termpipe_mcp.server"],
  "env": { "TERMCP_URL": "http://localhost:8421" }
}

The pipx venv is installed in editable mode pointing to /home/craig/termpipe-mcp/.
Edits to .py files take effect on next restart — no reinstall needed.

Applying Changes

Option A — Restart Claude Desktop

Kills and respawns the stdio server process. Always picks up changes.

Option B — Hot Reload (no restart)

Ask Claude to call reload_tools(). It will:

1. importlib.reload() every tool module

2. Clear FastMCP's tool registry

3. Re-register all tools in-place

Useful for mid-session edits. Note: changes to server.py itself still require a full restart.

Adding a New Tool

1. Open the relevant module in termpipe_mcp/tools/ (or create a new one)

2. Add your @mcp.tool() function inside register_tools(mcp):

3. If new module: import and call register_tools(mcp) in server.py

4. Call reload_tools() or restart Claude Desktop

list_tools() is dynamic — it introspects the live FastMCP registry, so new tools appear automatically without editing any manifest.

Tool Categories

Key Surgical Tool Behaviors (v2.3)

• Line delta feedback: Every mutating tool (replace_lines, insert_lines, delete_lines, etc.) returns 📊 File: N → M lines (delta: ±X) so models track shifted line numbers across sequential edits.

• smart_replace: Operates on full file content — supports multi-line old_text spans.

• replace_at_line: Multi-occurrence lines — replaces first by default, pass replace_all=True for all.

• list_tools: Dynamic — reads live FastMCP registry, never stale.

• reload_tools: Hot-reload all modules in-place without restarting Claude Desktop.

FastAPI Backend

The FastAPI backend (termf server / termcp server) runs separately on port 8421.
The MCP server connects to it via TERMCP_URL=http://localhost:8421.
Check status: termcp status