Nido - VM Manager for AI Agents

Name: Nido - VM Manager for AI Agents
Author: Josepavese

by Josepaveseversion 4.10.5i★ –iRuns on your computer

Registry nameio.github.Josepavese/nido

Install

Overview

Description from the maker (original English)

Local QEMU VM manager with opt-in MCP event subscriptions for AI agents.

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

These three are never merged into one score: opinions, measurements and popularity are different things.

User voiceiNo reviews yetReviews open together with accounts in a later step
Our basic checksi1 of 1 passedChecked from public information; code not scanned yet
UsageiNot measured yet★ –

What you can do with it

We have not written a plain-language summary for this one yet. Below are the facts we read from the registry.

Connection: Runs on your computer
Transport: stdio
Category: Other

Install

Pick the AI app you use, then copy the settings.

Before you install

Basic checks: 1 of 1 passed
Runs on your computer with your user’s permissions (files, network, apps).
The registry lists no key to fill in.

You need

npmNode.js installed (for the npx command)

Which app do you use?

ClaudeClaude CodeCursorVS CodeChatGPT

Pick your app above. We remember it, so next time the button says “Install in …”.

Download the maker’s .mcpb file

The link goes to the maker’s own file; we do not host or repackage it. Open the file and Claude Desktop installs it.

Run this in your terminal

claude mcp add nido -- npx -y nido-mcp mcp

Open in Cursor

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .cursor/mcp.json in your project, or ~/.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nido": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "nido-mcp",
        "mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

Open in VS Code

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .vscode/mcp.json in your project

{
  "servers": {
    "nido": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "nido-mcp",
        "mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

This one runs on your computer, and ChatGPT can only connect to servers on the internet. Pick another app.

Your choice stays on this device in a cookie; no account needed.

These settings are generated from the maker’s registry entry. If the README says otherwise, follow the README.

What it can do

Runs on your computer; the tool list appears in your AI app after you install it.

Basic checksi

We check information anyone can see; we have not read the code. Checks that do not apply are left out of the count. · Checked Nov 7, 2026

✓ Pass
Maker matches the repo
The registry name was verified with the GitHub account Josepavese, which owns the repo
… Not checked yet
Still maintained
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
… Not checked yet
Has a licence
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
– Not applicable
Endpoint responds
This one runs on your computer; there is no internet endpoint
– Not applicable
Sign-in with OAuth
Runs on your computer and uses local settings instead
… Not checked yet
No hidden instructions in tool descriptions
Runs on your computer; we can only read tool lists from internet endpoints

Compared with others in Otheri

More stars than 0% of the other 18354 servers in this category
Published to the registry more recently than 79% of the other 18354 servers in this category
Basic checks equal to or better than 100% of the other 18354 servers in this category

Compared with every active server in this category in the registry. Stars count only when the publisher owns the repo.

Common questions

Is Nido - VM Manager for AI Agents safe?

It passed 1 of 1 applicable basic checks. We have not read the code. Before adding a key or token, see what access the server asks for and use a key with only the permissions you need.

What keys or codes does it need?

The registry does not list a required key, though some servers ask you to sign in on first use.

Does it run on my computer or in the cloud?

It runs on your computer. Your AI app starts it when needed, and data does not pass through the maker’s servers (unless it calls an online service itself).

Is it still maintained?

The GitHub repo last changed –, and the latest version (4.10.5) reached the registry 11 days ago.

Which apps can use it?

Apps that support MCP, such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code. You also need MCPB, Node.js on your computer.

What can I use instead?

In the same category: Spec Driven Development, Remote Desktop Commander, Qemu MCP

Alternatives

Servers in the same category from other makers, sorted by stars.

Reading a card:★ GitHub starsiThree pillars: reviews · checks · usageiUpdated = latest version published to the registryi

Spec Driven Development

by formulahendry

MCP Server that facilitates spec-driven development workflows, not just Vibe Coding.

Runs on your computer★ 440MITUpdated 14 months ago

Install

Remote Desktop Commander

by desktop-commander

Remote Desktop Commander: use files, terminal and processes on your own computers from any AI app.

Runs in the cloud★ 211Updated 2 days ago

Install

Qemu MCP

by 0xmortuex

Boot and drive QEMU VMs from an AI agent: keys, screenshots, serial. No guest agent.

Runs on your computerUpdated today

Install

README from the maker

Open the README

Copied from the maker’s repo as written. PopNx MCP has not reviewed or endorsed it. HTML, images and scripts are removed. Links lead off this site.

Nido

Real virtual machines for AI agents. One local engine, three ways to drive it: CLI, TUI and MCP.

Give an agent a machine it can provision, use and delete. Nido runs QEMU locally, clones cached images with copy-on-write disks, and exposes the same VM lifecycle to your terminal and your MCP client. Each VM has its own guest kernel.

Hatch your agents. Let them fly. Retro shell, practical machinery.

Get started · Connect an agent · Documentation · Wiki

Why Nido?

You want to...	Nido gives you...
Test code away from your host	Disposable QEMU VMs with SSH access and cloud-init provisioning
Let an agent manage its own environment	A built-in stdio MCP server with compact tools, read-only resources and opt-in event subscriptions
Reuse an expensive setup	Templates and QCOW2 linked clones, with one shared base and a writable disk per VM
Switch between automation and hands-on work	Structured CLI JSON, shell completion and an interactive terminal dashboard
Keep multiple dashboards and agents in sync	Shared local events, live TUI updates and selective MCP notifications
Choose the right starting point	An automatically refreshed cloud-image catalog, local templates and buildable blueprints

AMD64 and ARM64 host/guest selection, requirements and data-preserving upgrades: Architecture guide. Omitted architecture selects native; use --arch on CLI, arch on MCP, or the TUI Arch selector for an explicit guest ISA.

Press start

QEMU is required to run VMs. Nido supports Linux, macOS and Windows hosts; hardware acceleration depends on what the host actually exposes. Start with nido doctor. See installation and host requirements.

Install

Linux / macOS

curl -fsSL https://github.com/Josepavese/nido/releases/latest/download/install.sh | bash

Windows PowerShell

irm https://github.com/Josepavese/nido/releases/latest/download/install.ps1 | iex

Open a new terminal, then check nido version and nido doctor. The quick installers check prerequisites and offer QEMU setup where supported.

Prefer a package manager? npm works on Linux, macOS and Windows:

npm install -g nido-mcp                # Linux / macOS / Windows launcher

brew install Josepavese/nido/nido # macOS / Linux go install github.com/Josepavese/nido/v4/cmd/nido@latest

scoop bucket add nido https://github.com/Josepavese/scoop-nido

scoop install nido

Container (Docker/Podman, bundles QEMU; needs a KVM-capable host):

docker run -i --rm --device /dev/kvm \

--group-add "$(stat -c %g /dev/kvm)" \ -v nido-home:/home/nido/.nido \ ghcr.io/josepavese/nido mcp

Images are rebuilt on every release at ghcr.io/josepavese/nido (:{version}, :{minor}, :latest) and speak MCP on stdio; pass --group-add so the non-root user can open /dev/kvm.

Debian / Ubuntu (APT) and Fedora / RHEL (DNF) repositories are rebuilt on every release and served from GitHub Pages:

# Debian / Ubuntu

sudo install -d -m 0755 /etc/apt/keyrings sudo curl -fsSL https://josepavese.github.io/nido/nido-archive-keyring.asc -o /etc/apt/keyrings/nido.asc echo "deb [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/nido.asc] https://josepavese.github.io/nido/apt/ stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/nido.list sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install nido

Fedora / RHEL

sudo curl -fsSL https://josepavese.github.io/nido/rpm/nido.repo -o /etc/yum.repos.d/nido.repo sudo dnf install nido

Install QEMU first (qemu-system-x86 qemu-utils / qemu-kvm qemu-img), then run nido doctor. Both repositories are GPG-signed by the Nido package archive key (DBB87CB63A94ABA50B33C7B919C6A95C9D280B64); see the installers guide.

Nix: nix run github:Josepavese/nido builds the current source and brings its own QEMU; see the installers guide.

WinGet: Josepavese.Nido is awaiting Microsoft review. See availability and commands.

For MCP clients, use npx -y nido-mcp mcp, discover io.github.Josepavese/nido in the Official MCP Registry, browse the Glama directory for local installation instructions, or import the MCPB bundle. MCP catalogs and client installation.

All install options · Distribution channel status

Hatch your first VM

nido images update

nido images info ubuntu:lts nido images pull ubuntu:lts nido spawn agent-lab --image ubuntu:lts --memory 2048 --cpus 2 nido info agent-lab --json

Once the guest has finished booting and SSH is ready:

nido ssh agent-lab

The first pull downloads the base image. Later VMs can reuse it. ubuntu:lts follows the catalog's supported LTS selection; use a numbered tag from nido images list when you need a specific OS release. Guest boot and cloud-init take additional time; creating the overlay is only one part of startup.

When you have saved the work you need, shut down inside the guest and remove only your disposable VM:

nido ssh agent-lab sudo poweroff

After shutdown, confirm its state:

nido info agent-lab nido delete agent-lab

nido stop terminates the managed QEMU process and waits for exit. Use guest poweroff for a clean OS shutdown. VM data persists until you delete it.

Provisioning, ports, templates and cleanup

Watch core changes in another terminal with nido events or nido events --json. TUI sessions update from the shared stream; agents explicitly subscribe only to the resources they need. See event delivery and mute controls.

A little room to roost

Run nido gui for a keyboard and mouse dashboard. The shared TUI kit adapts from a split Fleet view to compact lists and scrollable dialogs, keeping your work in place as you resize. Below its usable size, the interface rests until you give it more room.

Even at 40x10, confirmation and cancellation stay within reach:

These are native terminal captures with private demonstration metadata. No VM was started for the screenshots. Themes · Reusable TUI kit

Connect your agent

Nido's MCP server runs locally over stdio. No separate service is required. Use an installed binary:

"mcpServers": { "nido": { "command": "nido", "args": ["mcp"] } } }

Use the absolute executable path if your client does not inherit your terminal's PATH. nido register prints a registration block; your client owns where it is saved. Clients that launch npm packages can instead use command: "npx" with args: ["-y", "nido-mcp", "mcp"].

Tool	Responsibility
`nido_vm`	Create, inspect, configure, connect and remove VMs; manage forwarded ports
`nido_image`	Browse and refresh the catalog; pull and manage cached images
`nido_template`	Save and manage reusable disk templates
`nido_blueprint`	Inspect and build image recipes
`nido_system`	Diagnostics, configuration, accelerators and installation operations

Read-only resources include nido://fleet/vms, nido://catalog/images and nido://system/config. Use nido mcp-help for the machine-readable tool/action guide, or nido mcp --help in your terminal.

An example task for your agent:

Create a disposable Ubuntu LTS VM named test-lab, provision the dependencies,

run my tests and save their output. Delete only that VM when finished. Preserve

other VMs and shared images.

MCP grants access to local VM and installation operations, including destructive ones. Connect clients you trust. MCP guide · Optional VM-testing skill

One base. Separate machines.

With linked clones enabled, the cached base stays shared while each VM records its own disk changes. Space usage grows with those writes, logs and templates; it is not constant as you add VMs. Nido checks backing-image dependencies before cache removal. Keep bases in place while dependent VM disks exist.

VMs provide a separate guest kernel, but host mounts, forwarded ports and PCI passthrough deliberately cross that boundary. Nido is not a complete security policy for arbitrary untrusted workloads. See operations and isolation.

Pick your starting point

Cloud image: pull from the catalog and provision through cloud-init. Ubuntu, Debian, Alpine, Kali, CirrOS and openSUSE discovery follows the policies in registry/sources.yaml. Catalog and integrity
Template: save a prepared VM disk and reuse it for repeated tasks. Template workflow
Blueprint: build an image from a recipe and installer media, including Windows evaluation editions. Windows guide

The scheduled catalog job discovers new supported upstream releases. Refresh your local copy with nido images update; it does not update an existing guest OS.

Prefer hands-on control? Run `nido gui` for the Fleet, Hatchery, Registry and System views. Use `--gui` on spawn/start when you want the VM's display; that flag and the terminal dashboard are separate features.

Go further

Task	Guide
Provision a guest, forward ports, adjust resources, share files	Everyday workflows
Write scripts against Nido	CLI JSON contract
Install, upgrade or choose a package channel	Installers · Distribution
Change the terminal palette	Themes
Understand runtime and hardware boundaries	Architecture
Contribute or validate a change	Contributing · Testing

Documentation index · Changelog · Issues · MIT license

Nido - VM Manager for AI Agents

Overview

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

What you can do with it

Install

Before you install

What it can do

Basic checksi

Maker matches the repo

Still maintained

Has a licence

Endpoint responds

Sign-in with OAuth

No hidden instructions in tool descriptions

Compared with others in Otheri

Common questions

Alternatives

Spec Driven Development

Remote Desktop Commander

Qemu MCP

README from the maker

Nido

Why Nido?

Press start

Install

Fedora / RHEL

Hatch your first VM

Once the guest has finished booting and SSH is ready:

After shutdown, confirm its state:

A little room to roost

Connect your agent

One base. Separate machines.

Pick your starting point

Go further