Talos Linux MCP Server

Name: Talos Linux MCP Server
Author: Nosmoht

by Nosmohtversion 2.5.1i★ –iRuns on your computer

Registry nameio.github.Nosmoht/talos-mcp-server

Install

Overview

Description from the maker (original English)

MCP server for Talos Linux — resources, services, logs, health, config, lifecycle via gRPC.

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: Developer tools

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).
You fill in yourself: TALOSCONFIG, TALOS_CONTEXT, TALOS_ENDPOINTS, TALOS_MCP_READ_ONLY, TALOS_MCP_HTTP_ADDR, TALOS_MCP_AUTH_TOKEN, TALOS_MCP_ALLOWED_NODES, TALOS_MCP_ALLOWED_PATHS, TALOS_MCP_SKIP_VERSION_CHECK, TALOS_MCP_RATE_LIMIT, TALOS_MCP_RATE_BURST, TALOS_MCP_MAX_BODY_SIZE, TALOS_MCP_MAX_CONCURRENT

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 …”.

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config, and paste this into claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "talos": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "talos-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "TALOSCONFIG": "your-value",
        "TALOS_CONTEXT": "your-value",
        "TALOS_ENDPOINTS": "your-value",
        "TALOS_MCP_READ_ONLY": "your-value",
        "TALOS_MCP_HTTP_ADDR": "your-value",
        "TALOS_MCP_AUTH_TOKEN": "your-value",
        "TALOS_MCP_ALLOWED_NODES": "your-value",
        "TALOS_MCP_ALLOWED_PATHS": "your-value",
        "TALOS_MCP_SKIP_VERSION_CHECK": "your-value",
        "TALOS_MCP_RATE_LIMIT": "your-value",
        "TALOS_MCP_RATE_BURST": "your-value",
        "TALOS_MCP_MAX_BODY_SIZE": "your-value",
        "TALOS_MCP_MAX_CONCURRENT": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Run this in your terminal

claude mcp add talos --env TALOSCONFIG=your-value --env TALOS_CONTEXT=your-value --env TALOS_ENDPOINTS=your-value --env TALOS_MCP_READ_ONLY=your-value --env TALOS_MCP_HTTP_ADDR=your-value --env TALOS_MCP_AUTH_TOKEN=your-value --env TALOS_MCP_ALLOWED_NODES=your-value --env TALOS_MCP_ALLOWED_PATHS=your-value --env TALOS_MCP_SKIP_VERSION_CHECK=your-value --env TALOS_MCP_RATE_LIMIT=your-value --env TALOS_MCP_RATE_BURST=your-value --env TALOS_MCP_MAX_BODY_SIZE=your-value --env TALOS_MCP_MAX_CONCURRENT=your-value -- npx -y talos-mcp

Fill in the empty values before running it.

Open in Cursor

Or copy the settings yourself

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "talos": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "talos-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "TALOSCONFIG": "your-value",
        "TALOS_CONTEXT": "your-value",
        "TALOS_ENDPOINTS": "your-value",
        "TALOS_MCP_READ_ONLY": "your-value",
        "TALOS_MCP_HTTP_ADDR": "your-value",
        "TALOS_MCP_AUTH_TOKEN": "your-value",
        "TALOS_MCP_ALLOWED_NODES": "your-value",
        "TALOS_MCP_ALLOWED_PATHS": "your-value",
        "TALOS_MCP_SKIP_VERSION_CHECK": "your-value",
        "TALOS_MCP_RATE_LIMIT": "your-value",
        "TALOS_MCP_RATE_BURST": "your-value",
        "TALOS_MCP_MAX_BODY_SIZE": "your-value",
        "TALOS_MCP_MAX_CONCURRENT": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

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": {
    "talos": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "talos-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "TALOSCONFIG": "your-value",
        "TALOS_CONTEXT": "your-value",
        "TALOS_ENDPOINTS": "your-value",
        "TALOS_MCP_READ_ONLY": "your-value",
        "TALOS_MCP_HTTP_ADDR": "your-value",
        "TALOS_MCP_AUTH_TOKEN": "your-value",
        "TALOS_MCP_ALLOWED_NODES": "your-value",
        "TALOS_MCP_ALLOWED_PATHS": "your-value",
        "TALOS_MCP_SKIP_VERSION_CHECK": "your-value",
        "TALOS_MCP_RATE_LIMIT": "your-value",
        "TALOS_MCP_RATE_BURST": "your-value",
        "TALOS_MCP_MAX_BODY_SIZE": "your-value",
        "TALOS_MCP_MAX_CONCURRENT": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

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.

Values you fill in

TALOSCONFIG env
Path to talosconfig file (default: ~/.talos/config)
TALOS_CONTEXT env
Context name override (default: active context from config)
TALOS_ENDPOINTS env
Comma-separated endpoint overrides
TALOS_MCP_READ_ONLY env
Set to "true" to disable all mutating tools (default: false)
TALOS_MCP_HTTP_ADDR env
If set (e.g. ":8080"), serve Streamable HTTP instead of stdio
TALOS_MCP_AUTH_TOKEN env
Required bearer token when HTTP mode is active (TALOS_MCP_HTTP_ADDR is set)
TALOS_MCP_ALLOWED_NODES env
Comma-separated IPs, hostnames, and CIDR ranges permitted as tool targets. Unset or empty allows all nodes.
TALOS_MCP_ALLOWED_PATHS env
Comma-separated path prefixes permitted for talos_read_file and talos_list_files (e.g. /etc,/proc). Unset or empty allows all paths.
TALOS_MCP_SKIP_VERSION_CHECK env
Set to "true" to bypass upgrade path validation (default: false)
TALOS_MCP_RATE_LIMIT env
HTTP mode: token-bucket refill rate in requests/second (float, default: 10)
TALOS_MCP_RATE_BURST env
HTTP mode: token-bucket burst capacity (int, default: 20)
TALOS_MCP_MAX_BODY_SIZE env
HTTP mode: max POST request body size in bytes (int, default: 4194304 = 4 MiB)
TALOS_MCP_MAX_CONCURRENT env
HTTP mode: max concurrent POST handlers; returns 503 on overload (int, default: 20)

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 8, 2026

✓ Pass
Maker matches the repo
The registry name was verified with the GitHub account Nosmoht, 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 Developer toolsi

More stars than 0% of the other 4920 servers in this category
Published to the registry more recently than 21% of the other 4920 servers in this category
Basic checks equal to or better than 100% of the other 4920 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 Talos Linux MCP Server 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 (2.5.1) reached the registry 5 months ago.

Which apps can use it?

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

What can I use instead?

In the same category: GitHub, Desktop Commander, Cloudflare MCP

Alternatives

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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.

talos-mcp

An MCP server that exposes Talos Linux cluster management to AI agents (Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, and any MCP-compatible client). Instead of pasting talosctl output into chat, the agent calls structured tools that return machine-readable JSON directly from the Talos gRPC API — zero token cost for intermediate output.

Connects to your cluster via the native Talos gRPC API using the same mTLS credentials as talosctl (~/.talos/config).

Installation

Via npm (no Go required, Linux/macOS, amd64/arm64):

npx talos-mcp

Via npm (global install) for persistent invocation from $PATH:

npm install -g talos-mcp

Installs the binary as /bin/talos-mcp. Verify with:

which talos-mcp        # path

talos-mcp --version # version + commit hash npm list -g talos-mcp # npm's view of the installed version

Upgrade to the latest published release:

npm install -g talos-mcp@latest

New releases appear on npmjs.com within minutes of every feat: / fix: / perf: (or breaking) merge to main — see CONTRIBUTING.md § Post-merge release pipeline for the mechanism.

Download binary (Linux/macOS, amd64/arm64):

Download the latest release from GitHub Releases, extract, and place the binary in your $PATH.

Build from source (requires Go 1.21+):

git clone https://github.com/Nosmoht/talos-mcp-server

cd talos-mcp go build -o talos-mcp ./cmd/talos-mcp

Configuration

Reads ~/.talos/config by default (the same file talosctl uses). Override via environment variables:

Variable	Default	Description
`TALOSCONFIG`	`~/.talos/config`	Path to talosconfig file
`TALOS_CONTEXT`	active context	Context name to use
`TALOS_ENDPOINTS`	from config	Comma-separated endpoint overrides
`TALOS_MCP_READ_ONLY`	`false`	Set to `true` to disable all mutating tools at startup
`TALOS_MCP_HTTP_ADDR`	(unset)	If set (e.g. `:8080`), serve Streamable HTTP instead of stdio
`TALOS_MCP_AUTH_TOKEN`	(unset)	Required bearer token when HTTP mode is active
`TALOS_MCP_ALLOWED_NODES`	(unset)	Comma-separated IPs, hostnames, and CIDR ranges permitted as tool targets. Unset allows all.
`TALOS_MCP_ALLOWED_PATHS`	(all)	Comma-separated path prefixes allowed for `talos_read_file` and `talos_list_files` (e.g. `/etc,/proc`). Defense-in-depth only — checks run on the MCP server host and do not resolve symlinks on the remote Talos node, so a symlink under an allowed prefix that points elsewhere is not detected.
`TALOS_MCP_SKIP_VERSION_CHECK`	`false`	Set to `true` to bypass upgrade path validation (e.g. for factory images or custom tags)
`TALOS_MCP_ENABLE_INSECURE`	`false`	Unlock `insecure=true` on `talos_apply_config` / `talos_get` / `talos_version` / `talos_meta`. Bypasses mTLS — REQUIRES `TALOS_MCP_INSECURE_ALLOWED_NODES`.
`TALOS_MCP_INSECURE_ALLOWED_NODES`	(unset)	Comma-separated IPs / CIDRs permitted as maintenance-mode endpoints. Required when `TALOS_MCP_ENABLE_INSECURE=true`. Refused: `0.0.0.0/0`, `::/0`, IPv4 mask `<16`, IPv6 mask `<48`.
`TALOS_MCP_META_PRIVILEGED_KEYS`	(none)	Comma-separated META keys (decimal or `0x`-prefixed hex) that `talos_meta` is allowed to write/delete beyond `UserReserved1/2/3`.
`TALOS_MCP_SAFETY_PROFILE`	(unset)	`conservative` / `standard` / `expert` preset that seeds gating flags. `expert` enables `EnableInsecure`.
`TALOS_MCP_RATE_LIMIT`	`10`	HTTP mode: token-bucket refill rate (requests/second, float)
`TALOS_MCP_RATE_BURST`	`20`	HTTP mode: token-bucket burst capacity (int)
`TALOS_MCP_MAX_BODY_SIZE`	`4194304`	HTTP mode: max POST request body size in bytes (4 MiB default)
`TALOS_MCP_MAX_CONCURRENT`	`20`	HTTP mode: max concurrent POST handlers (fail-fast 503 on overload)
`TALOS_MCP_SUBSCRIPTION_RATE`	`1s`	Minimum interval between delivered `resources/updated` notifications per `(session, URI)` pair (Go duration, e.g. `500ms`)
`TALOS_MCP_SUBSCRIPTION_BURST`	`3`	Initial notification burst per `(session, URI)` before the rate kicks in

Compatibility

This server is tested against Talos Linux v1.9.x through v1.13.x.

talos-mcp	Talos Linux	machinery SDK
v0.x (current)	v1.9.0 – v1.13.x	v1.13.4

The server logs a startup warning if the connected cluster's Talos version is outside the tested range. All 19 gRPC methods used have been stable since Talos v1.9.

Upgrade path validation

The talos_upgrade tool validates that the target version follows Talos's supported upgrade path — at most one minor version at a time (e.g. v1.11.x → v1.12.x). Upgrades that skip minor versions are rejected with an error.

If your image uses a custom or factory tag (e.g. factory.talos.dev/... or :latest) the tag cannot be parsed and validation is skipped automatically. To bypass validation explicitly, set TALOS_MCP_SKIP_VERSION_CHECK=true.

Client Setup

Claude Code

Add to your project's .mcp.json:

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

Or globally in ~/.claude.json under "mcpServers". If you prefer a local binary, replace "command": "npx" with the path to the binary.

Claude Desktop

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

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

OpenAI Codex

Add to .codex/config.toml (project) or ~/.codex/config.toml (global):

[mcp_servers.talos]

command = "npx" args = ["-y", "talos-mcp"]

[mcp_servers.talos.env] TALOSCONFIG = "/path/to/talosconfig"

Generic MCP client

The server speaks the MCP protocol over stdio:

./talos-mcp

Tools

Read-only

Tool	Description
`talos_resource_definitions`	List all available resource types and their aliases. Call this first to discover what can be queried.
`talos_get`	Get or list any COSI resource by type (e.g. `MachineStatus`, `Member`, `NodeAddress`, `Service`). Supports maintenance-mode (`insecure=true` + `endpoint`).
`talos_version`	Get Talos version info from target nodes. Supports maintenance-mode (`insecure=true` + `endpoint`).
`talos_services`	List all Talos services and their current state (running, stopped, health).
`talos_containers`	List containers in a namespace (default: `k8s.io` for Kubernetes containers).
`talos_processes`	List running processes on target nodes.
`talos_health`	Check cluster health (etcd, Kubernetes API, node readiness). Supports `control_plane_nodes` / `worker_nodes` override.
`talos_logs`	Fetch recent service logs (last N lines, no follow).
`talos_dmesg`	Read kernel ring buffer messages.
`talos_events`	Fetch recent Talos runtime events (service changes, config changes).
`talos_etcd`	Query etcd cluster: `members` (default) or `status`.
`talos_etcd_snapshot`	Stream an etcd snapshot to a local file path.
`talos_list_files`	List files and directories on a node filesystem.
`talos_read_file`	Read file contents from a node filesystem.
`talos_validate`	Validate a machine config (YAML/JSON) offline — no cluster connection.

Mutating

These tools modify cluster state and have explicit safety guards.

Tool	Description	Guards
`talos_service_action`	Start, stop, or restart a Talos service (note: restarting `etcd` is not supported by the Talos API).	`confirm=true` required
`talos_reboot`	Reboot target nodes. Supports `mode`: `default`, `powercycle`, `force`.	`confirm=true` required; `nodes` must be explicit
`talos_upgrade`	Upgrade Talos on target nodes. Supports `preserve` (default `true`), `stage`, `force`, `reboot_mode`.	`confirm=true` required; `nodes` and `image` required
`talos_rollback`	Roll back the last upgrade on target nodes.	`confirm=true` required; `nodes` must be explicit
`talos_patch_config`	Apply a targeted machine config patch (strategic-merge or RFC 6902 JSON Patch).	`dry_run` defaults to `true`; `confirm=true` required when `dry_run=false`
`talos_reset`	Wipe and factory-reset target nodes (irreversible).	`confirm=true` required; `nodes` must be explicit
`talos_apply_config`	Apply a complete machine config to a single node. Supports maintenance-mode (`insecure=true` + `endpoint`) for fresh-node bootstrap.	`dry_run` defaults to `true`; `confirm=true` required when `dry_run=false`
`talos_meta`	Read, write, or delete META partition key/value pairs. Supports maintenance-mode (`insecure=true` + `endpoint`).	`write`/`delete` require `confirm=true`; non-`UserReserved*` keys require enumeration in `TALOS_MCP_META_PRIVILEGED_KEYS`

All tools accept an optional nodes field (list of node IPs or hostnames). When omitted, the active context from talosconfig is used.

Maintenance-mode (`--insecure`) operations

talos_apply_config, talos_get, talos_version, and talos_meta accept an insecure=true flag that targets a node in maintenance mode (booted but not yet configured). The transport is TLS-encrypted but bypasses mTLS — there is no client certificate and (by default) no server-certificate verification. This is required for bootstrapping fresh nodes (talosctl apply-config --insecure equivalent).

Operator opt-in required. Set TALOS_MCP_ENABLE_INSECURE=true (or use the expert safety profile). Without it, every insecure=true call is refused.
Endpoint allowlist required. Set TALOS_MCP_INSECURE_ALLOWED_NODES to a comma-separated list of permitted maintenance-mode IPs / CIDRs. The startup is aborted if it is missing or contains 0.0.0.0/0, ::/0, an IPv4 mask <16, or an IPv6 mask <48. Use /28 or narrower in production.
Endpoint must be a bare IP. No hostnames, no host:port, no scheme, no IPv6 zone. Link-local (incl. 169.254.169.254 IMDS), loopback, multicast, and unspecified addresses are rejected.
MITM mitigation via TOFU pinning. Pass cert_fingerprint=<64-hex> (server SHA-256 fingerprint, copied from the Talos console banner) to enable leaf-cert verification. Without it, the connection is MITMable by anyone on-path between the MCP server and the target node.
META write/delete safelist. talos_meta write/delete is restricted to meta.UserReserved1/2/3. Privileged keys (Upgrade, StateEncryptionConfig, …) must be enumerated in TALOS_MCP_META_PRIVILEGED_KEYS (per-key, not a blanket flag).

Prompts

Prompt	Description

| diagnose-node | Guided diagnosis workflow

Only the beginning is shown; read the rest in the repo

Talos Linux MCP Server

Overview

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

What you can do with it

Install

Before you install

Values you fill in

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 Developer toolsi

Common questions

Alternatives

GitHub

Desktop Commander

Cloudflare MCP

README from the maker

talos-mcp

Installation

Configuration

Compatibility

Upgrade path validation

Client Setup

Claude Code

Claude Desktop

OpenAI Codex

Generic MCP client

Tools

Read-only

Mutating

Maintenance-mode (--insecure) operations

Prompts

Maintenance-mode (`--insecure`) operations