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MCP Connector

Access Linux Man Pages for AI

MCP server exposing Linux man pages - search by keyword via apropos, retrieve full pages by section, and browse man sections.

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Works with githubvscode
guyru
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90
Spark score
out of 100
Updated 5 months ago
Version 1.0.0
Models
universal
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Why it matters

Integrate your AI with local Linux man pages. This server allows AI assistants to search, retrieve, and explore system documentation directly from your machine, enhancing code generation and debugging capabilities.

Outcomes

What it gets done

01

Search man pages by keyword or topic using `search_man_pages`.

02

Retrieve full man page content by name and section using `get_man_page`.

03

List available man page sections and their descriptions with `list_man_sections`.

04

Provide formatted man page content suitable for AI consumption.

Install

Add it to your toolbox

Run in your project directory:

curl -fsSL https://spark.entire.vc/get/vb-man-mcp-server | bash

Capabilities

Tools your agent gets

search_man_pages

Search man pages by keyword or topic using apropos

get_man_page

Retrieve the full content of a specific man page by name and section

list_man_sections

List all available man page sections (1-9) with descriptions

Overview

man-mcp-server MCP Server

man-mcp-server lets an AI assistant search, retrieve, and browse Linux man page documentation directly from the local system via apropos. Use it for accurate local system documentation lookup on Linux; requires the standard man/apropos commands and won't work on non-Linux systems.

What it does

man-mcp-server gives an AI assistant direct access to your local machine's Linux man page system, letting it search documentation by keyword (using apropos), retrieve the full content of a specific man page (optionally scoped to a section, e.g. section 1 commands vs section 3 C library functions), and list the available man sections (1-9) with descriptions. Content is cleanly formatted for AI consumption, operations run asynchronously with timeout protection, and man pages are also exposed as MCP resources via man:// URIs for direct access.

When to use - and when NOT to

Use this connector when you want an assistant to look up accurate, local system documentation - finding commands related to a topic ("permissions", "networking"), or fetching the exact man page for a command or library function, disambiguated by section when the same name exists in multiple sections (e.g. printf in section 1 vs section 3).

Do not use it on non-Linux systems - it requires a standard man page system with man and apropos commands available locally.

Inputs and outputs

search_man_pages takes a keyword or topic and returns matching man page names/descriptions. get_man_page takes a page name and optional section number, returning the full formatted man page content. list_man_sections takes no input and returns all man sections (1-9) with descriptions.

Capabilities

  • search_man_pages: search man pages by keyword or command name via apropos
  • get_man_page: retrieve full man page content by name and optional section
  • list_man_sections: list available man page sections (1-9) with descriptions

How to install

git clone https://github.com/guyru/man-mcp.git
cd man-mcp
uv sync

Configure in VS Code:

{
  "servers": {
    "man-mcp-server": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["run", "--directory", "/path/to/man-mcp", "server/main.py"]
    }
  }
}

Also supports MCPB bundle installation for Claude Desktop. Requires a Linux system with the standard man page system installed.

Who it's for

System administrators and developers on Linux who want an AI assistant to search and retrieve accurate man page documentation directly from the local system.

Source README

An MCP server that provides access to Linux man pages, enabling AI assistants to search, retrieve, and explore system documentation directly from your local machine.

Installation

MCPB Bundle

git clone https://github.com/guyru/man-mcp.git
cd man-mcp
make build

UV (recommended)

git clone https://github.com/guyru/man-mcp.git
cd man-mcp
uv sync

Pip

git clone https://github.com/guyru/man-mcp.git
cd man-mcp
pip install .

Configuration

VS Code with UV

{
  "servers": {
    "man-mcp-server": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--directory",
        "/path/to/man-mcp",
        "server/main.py"
      ]
    }
  }
}

VS Code with Python

{
  "servers": {
    "man-mcp-server": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "python3",
      "args": ["/path/to/man-mcp/server/main.py"],
      "env": {
        "PYTHONPATH": "/path/to/man-mcp/server/lib"
      }
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

Tool Description
search_man_pages Search man pages by keyword or topic
get_man_page Retrieve the full content of a specific man page
list_man_sections List all available man page sections with descriptions

Features

  • Search man pages by keyword or command name using apropos
  • Retrieve full man page content by name and optional section
  • View available man page sections (1-9) with descriptions
  • Clean formatting with man page content prepared for AI consumption
  • Asynchronous operations with timeout protection
  • MCP resources with man:// URIs
  • Comprehensive error handling with graceful fallbacks

Usage Examples

Find pages about permissions

Find networking-related pages

Get ls man page

Get chmod from section 1 specifically

Get printf from section 3 (C library)

Notes

Requires Linux with a standard man page system and man/apropos commands. Supports MCPB bundles for integration with Claude Desktop. Provides man pages as resources using man:// URIs for direct documentation access.

FAQ

Common questions

Discussion

Questions & comments · 0

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